Dutchwest disassembly?

[jh6u]

Does anyone have experience disassembling a 1991 vintage VC Dutchwest 22" catalyst stove, #2181. My inner top is cracked/warped beyond rescue; the part is available & not too expensive, but it looks like a rather major job potentially fraught with other things breaking during take-apart.

It's getting difficult to sleep with three cats abandoning the now-cold woodstove for our bed. Help!
Jay

 

[elkimmeg]

Jay I did respond to your past post did you PM seaken? or I can try to get a hold ov Vc and have them get the service manuals so I can see what is involved

Hell it can't t be that bad its not like rebuilding a transmission

 

[jh6u]

I did PM him; no response.
Probably more like smashing a transmission with a sledge hammer.
I'll take visible bolts out tonight & try some tapping with a mallet. Worst that could happen would be smaller pieces to discard.
Thanks
Jay

 

[elkimmeg]

Jay get Automotive PB blast soak those bolts and give them a rap witha hammer its a shock treatment to looen the rust line
t soak them twice a day and rap them. the only problem with PB blast is smell a lot like kerosene You might want to move the stove to the cellar of garage

I probably can not get any response fro VC till Tuesday / Wed seaken would be quicker

 

[jh6u]

All bolts came out ok; two nuts were sticky & are currently soaking with WD40, which also stinks. If that doesn't do it by tomorrow night I'll hit them with a torch.
Tues is fine; I won't force things prematurely.
Thanks!

 

[seaken]

Does anyone have experience disassembling a 1991 vintage VC Dutchwest 22" catalyst stove, #2181. My inner top is cracked/warped beyond rescue; the part is available & not too expensive, but it looks like a rather major job potentially fraught with other things breaking during take-apart.

It's getting difficult to sleep with three cats abandoning the now-cold woodstove for our bed. Help!
Jay

Hi Jay, sorry if I didn't respond to your PM. There was no PM notice when I logged on yesterday. You must have e-mailed me. That accont gets so much spam I may have tossed your message.

Yes, it is a big job. But if you are careful and patient all will go well. Elk's advice on bolt removal is good. Most imprtant is to be caeful when seperating the plates. Be careful not to strike too hard and use a rope or strap to keep the exterior plates from crashing to the floor. Use either a deadblow hammer or a block of wood to tap on the castings to seperate them. When we do the inner top we do a full rebuild. The bottom does not really need to be removed but it only takes a few more minutes and allows for a complete re-seal. If you are not familiar with the stove take pictures or draw a sketch to keep track of what goes where.

If you can, use stainless steel bolts to reassemble. If not, standard black stove bolts will work. Having a tap and die set helps. I would not use any neversese or anything like that unless it's a bolt that is intended to be removed often, like the baffle plate.

I'll try to help if I can but I may not be available much. It's very busy here. I'm stealing a few hours this morning but have to get going again this afternoon.

Sean

 

[jh6u]

It's coming apart more easily than I expected; two nuts on the front inside wall were a PITA, but they gave. I've now got back wall totally free, & front/side walls are sufficiently loose that I'm going to go ahead & order the new part. But Elk, any info you can get from VC would still be greatly appreciated. I'd like to be very confident it's back together properly before firing it up!
Is something like a Dremel tool useful to scrape out the old cement?

Jay