Do they make these?

[Backroads]

Here's my brainfart...

I wonder if I can get a piece of Soapstone to lay on the top on my Jotul Oslo, obviously I'd like it cut to fit the contour of the top of the stove.

Good Idea or Bad?

I figure it will help retain heat. Is it ok to do this? Safe? Is it a waste of time? Anybody else already do this?

Thanks.

 

[jtp10181]

I don't know how soapstone works exactly but I'm thinking you might get the top too hot and crack it. I have seen people crack the top of a cast stove without anything like that on top. Now you are going to hold in more heat and prob get the cast iron even hotter that normal.

 

[firefighterjake]

I was working on this very same idea this past Winter . . . and still have it on my "To Do" list. As you may have realized doing a past search on this topic, Jotul had an option for a soapstone topper . . . but if memory serves me correctly it may have only been on stoves sold overseas.

First off, I do not believe anyone would gain all that much in terms of heat retention (like the soapstone stoves) by just adding one stone on top of the stone . . . it may add a bit of heat retention, but would namely be something to perhaps "pretty" up the stove a bit (although whether this is just plain ugly or a nice looking idea is of course in the eye of the beholder.) I think for true heat retention and to get the properties of a soapstone stove, one would in fact need an actual soapstone stove with lots of stone vs. one stone slab.

That said, the old timers used to use soapstones as bed warmers, for carriages, etc. so I am pretty sure adding one stone to the top would retain some heat and gradually release it . . . much like a stone hearth, brick hearth, etc.

Being the cheap guy I am I was going to get a slab cut to a simple rectangular cut vs. following the exact contour of the stove top . . . in case measurements were off . . . and because it would be a bit cheaper I suspect. Getting it to follow the contours exactly would no doubt look a bit prettier.

I was a bit concerned about holding too much heat with the stove as well . . . and so I was planning on also getting some small soapstone pieces to elevate the larger soapstone a 1/4 inch or so off the stove top surface . . . figured that would prevent the metal from overheating by still allowing some air flow, but would also allow the soapstone to heat up . . . although I'm no engineer so my reasoning could be faulty here.

As I said I started to look into this. One place gave me a quote of $30 . . . but when I said go ahead and do it I never heard back from them. Another place gave me a quote of $150 or something like that . . . a bit too much for my "experiment." I still haven't given up hope yet . . . just put this "experiment" on the back burner so to speak.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Okay Jake. You are on my list now. What do you mean, "old timers?" We used to use them a lot.

Anything you add like that will definitely hold the heat longer as the stove cools but how much longer is the question. As someone else has stated, you can use rocks if you like.


I do agree that it might be good to raise it but perhaps more than 1/4". I'm thinking maybe an inch.

 

[Backroads]

Ahh...someone else with the same thinking. I was thinking 1" gap myself...like a step shelf. Hmmmm....I'm going to have to look back and see if I can find that old post. Thanks for the comments/suggestions. I'd be willing to spend $100 bucks or so if it works...and I too am no engineer but strongly believe it will.

Keep the ideas coming, maybe some suggestions on where I can get a piece of the right stuff.

 

[Shari]

My Earth Stove - Traditions 150 has a marble top instead of a soapstone top. The marble slab sits in a recessed area and actually is separated from the cast iron by a layoer of Cerawool. I have marble on the top and also on the lip of the stove. The marble on the lip does not have Cerawool underneath it.

Shari

 

[firefighterjake]

Okay Jake. You are on my list now. What do you mean, "old timers?" We used to use them a lot.

Anything you add like that will definitely hold the heat longer as the stove cools but how much longer is the question. As someone else has stated, you can use rocks if you like.


I do agree that it might be good to raise it but perhaps more than 1/4". I'm thinking maybe an inch.

Sorry about that BS . . . guess I still picture those old soapstone warmers being used by ye olde Pilgrims and the like . . . when in reality I know that some folks who grew up in the days before indoor plumbing and central heat (and this includes my own parents even here in Maine so it's not that far out) might have used them. Moreover, it must have been 10 or 15 years ago I did a story about a local guy making the old soapstone warmers out of a workshop . . .

So will you take me off the list if I apologize? How about if I apologize and send you some lobsters?

 

[firefighterjake]

My Earth Stove - Traditions 150 has a marble top instead of a soapstone top. The marble slab sits in a recessed area and actually is separated from the cast iron by a layoer of Cerawool. I have mable on the top and also on the lip of the stove. The marble on the lip does not have Cerawool underneath it.

Shari

That's a beautiful looking stove IMHO Shari.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That's okay Jake. Go ahead and eat those lobsters! btw, we still have that old soapstone foot warmer!

I wonder how marble is compared to soapstone in retaining heat? I have a fairly good sized piece of marble that I use when doing leather work and I know enough to warm that sucker up a bit before working with it because it can feel mighty cold. So we keep it by the stove and all is well.

 

[madrone]

soapstone is amazing in its ability to hold heat. It also takes high temps well. I've seen it blasted by a welding torch, and then still too hot to touch long after. That said, I'm not sure a single stone would make a noticeable difference. If you had some soapstone slab laying around, then it would be worth it, but I wouldn't pay for one. I doubt marble would perform the same.

 

[Backroads]

Well I don't know anyone with some soapstone just laying around. But if any of you do, I'd be willing to give it a try! Say a peice 12"X24"X?" Should do just fine. I'll use round stock as spacers to raise it 2" off the stove top. Say 1 in each coner and 2" will give me the clearance to read my thermometer still.

 

[JayD]

Here ya go http://www.vermontwoodstove.com/wssstops.htm http://www.soapstonebricks.com/

 

[Backroads]

Thanks for the links. It's weird google didn't produce that as a result for me.

Question is, Has an Oslo owners used them?

 

[RS267]

Give us a call. We can cut almost any size square or rectangle, or custom shape (see below) if you can provide a template.

 

[mtarbert]

Instead of soapstone why not use some scraps of granite that is used for counter tops. All you are really doing is heating a Mass to retain heat?
Mike

 

[karri0n]

Soapstone has better heat retention than granite IIRC. However, the mass is what you're going for, and a scrap slab is definitely cheaper than getting something fabbed up.