Fascinating info discovered about my recently purchased "Twin Spin Fun Fire" wood burning stove

[Apachedesert]

I thought I would share info I found about this fascinating stove because I know this is your thing. I posted previously about buying this stove off of Facebook marketplace from a woman in Pennsylvania (I drove from NC to pick it up), and I have come full circle about the knowledge I have since gained. This one I bought has to be among the most well-preserved among this particular model, called the "Twin Spin Fun Fire." It was a stove whose design was patented by Harold Hannebaum, a creative inventor from Idaho. This is the same person who previously patented the carousel stoves anyone over the age of 60 surely remembers from the 60s and 70s, which are still sold today. They were the round colorful stoves (pink, orange, yellow) often put in the middle of rooms, restaurants, etc. The difference maker for the carousel stoves was that they relied on the patented "down draft" design to create a swirling pattern of fire that was supposed to not touch the glass due to creating a wall of air between the fire and the glass. He sold the carousel patent right away to Malm, a very well known wood stove manufacturer, that still exists today. Later in his life, he created this stove in the picture you see here. The "Twin Spin Fun Fire," named after a town where he once lived "Twin Falls, Idaho" and the fact the flames seemed to "spin." in the stove. The difference between this and the carousel was the "Twin Spin," had an updraft design, where the air is pulled in from the bottom ("allegedly" since I have not fired the stove up yet, and may not for years until I move), and also creates a wall of air in the the cylinder area where flames "allegedly" don't touch the glass, but do swirl around in a circle, even though the burn pit is literally surrounded by glass. Both of these stoves, Carousel and Twin Spin, were tested by independent labs (at a cost of $10,000 per stove in 1960s/70s dollars), and to the satisfaction of the US gov't, which deemed them safe to sell and use by the standards of the day. Anyway, Hannebaum wrote 5 or 6 books on his "inventing" life and talks a lot about these stoves, patent theft, and nasty, manipulative and lying manufacturers who cheated him left and right. By the time the Twin Spin came around, he was in his late 70s, and was so beaten down by it all, that this particular stove temporarily bounced through 2 separate manufacturers in a short period of time, and both business relationships ended up in court, and when all was said and done, Hannebaum died and left his fortune to a scholarship fund for native Americans in Idaho. He and his wife had no kids. His wife, considerably younger, died about 2017. In his books, he seemed to indicate very few Twin Spins were ever made, but the seriel number on mine is 1918, which leads one to think there were 1917 made before mine. But who knows. There are others who have this stove, and there are a few posts on this site. The bottom line is that few of these seem to exist today, and I've yet to see one in this shape. I am thrilled to death I have one. I am thrilled at its condition. I can tell it has been used, but the stove, glass and double walled pipe have hardly any residue in them. I was shocked how clean they all were. The glass is actually really clean! Hannebaum wrote about how this stove (which he actually called a fireplace) gets hotter than any wood stove he had ever experienced, with less wood, due to its "updraft" design (you can see in the pic on the bottom where it drew air in), and due to the use of glass to reflect and magnify the heat. He seemed like a really gifted man who taught himself a lot about fire and stoves. He was definitely not a quack. He did note that both of his stoves were "not" manufactured the exact way he wanted because the manufacturers made some changes here and there, changes Hannebaum didn't like. One such example was that he wrote where it was imperative to use furnace cement on the inside where the glass slats come together, and high temp silicone glue on the outside. Wheras on mine, I have black furnace cement on the inside and outside, making it less attractive. But I guess this makes it safer. Also, take note of the compartment in the rear with the rectangular doors on each side. This is a "stove enclosure," and in his books he talks about he and his wife using their initial prototype in their home to heat and cook food to learn about temperature and cooking conditions. Obviously, it's a somewhat crude method for cooking and baking, but isn't that the definition of burning wood? They said it was relatively easy to figure out how much wood to use to keep the "oven" at a steady 350 degrees. Overall, Hanebaum claimed he used less wood and got more heat to heat his home for an entire Idaho winter than with any stove he had ever used. I don't know if this was "ego" talking or reality, but his words seemed heartfelt. Anyway, I am in the process of selling 2 houses I own in NC, and in the next few years am planning to move to my colder weather, mountain paradise, wherever the hell that might be! Mountain property has gotten so expensive. Anyway, I will not be able to fire this stove up for a few years at least. But stay on me, and let's all stay in touch so I can let you know how well it works, and how safe it is. If anyone has any questions, just ask away.

 

[EbS-P]

I knew one was posted before. Found it.

Thread 'Twin Spin fun fire project.'

Dec 27, 2023

I’ve seen these around a time or 2. This came available not far from me. It was in the barn of the original owner for the last 16 years, In kind of rough condition, but repairable. It seemed like a fun project and would be fun to have around. There’s almost no info out there about these stoves, so I thought I’d share. I’ve got all the glass out, cleaning it up and preparing for paint.

• webby3650
• Replies: 13
• Forum: The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces

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