Fisher Door Seals Through the Years

[Todd67]

I thought it would be interesting to look at the evolution of the Fisher Stove door seals. Why? Because I've noticed that my earlier stoves had minimal welds to hold the channel iron onto the stove door opening than my newer stoves. Maybe we can sort of build or refine some timelines for when certain stoves were made.

On my earliest Papa Bear with a 3-piece top and plain cast iron door, the channel iron is welded to the stove door opening with a short weld along the top center of the channel iron, and the same on all 4 sides, inside and outside. The corners look like they are slightly bowed away from the stove. The channel iron is cut into 4 separate pieces.

I believe this stove was built in early 1974, possibly from the first batch of usable cast iron doors.

This stove has no markings or numbers on it.

 

[Todd67]

The next stove in my lineup is possibly a late 1974 or an early 1975 Papa Bear with a 1-piece top, 3/8" thick, and pipe cap draft caps.

This stove has two welds along the outside of the channel iron on all four sides, and three tack welds on the inside on all four sides. This is a pre-patent stove. This door seal is made with 4 separate pieces of channel iron.

This stove has no markings or numbers on it.

 

[Todd67]

This Baby Bear has the cast iron 4-fin draft cap and doesn't have the ball feet. The channel iron door seal appears to be one continual piece, with rounded bent corners on the top right, bottom right and lower left. There doesn't appear to be any welds on the outside of the channel iron. The welds on the inside are hard to see and photograph.

The only markings on this stove are the numbers 40527 stamped on the upper left rear of the stove.

 

[Todd67]

Next up will be my 1976 Grandma Bear...

 

[bholler]

You need help. Lol

 

[Todd67]

You need help. Lol

Lol, I know. It's all coaly's fault

 

[Todd67]

The 1976 Grandma & Grandpa Bear stoves used 1/2 round rod as the door seal, not the standard Fisher channel iron. I haven't got around to restoring this Grandma Bear yet, so it will soak in PB Blaster this winter.

 

[coaly]

That bent channel iron seal is the sharpest looking one I've ever seen. Too bad the last corner wasn't welded at the bottom so both upper bends that are more visible were at the top!

The round rod was a Jack Jackson thing for the first double doors. That idea went with him on the Frontier Stoves.

I've wondered about the stitched weld channel iron instead of being fully welded as well. Some are not very air tight against the stove face, so they need a continuous bead.

 

[Todd67]

That bent channel iron seal is the sharpest looking one I've ever seen. Too bad the last corner wasn't welded at the bottom so both upper bends that are more visible were at the top!

The round rod was a Jack Jackson thing for the first double doors. That idea went with him on the Frontier Stoves.

I've wondered about the stitched weld channel iron instead of being fully welded as well. Some are not very air tight against the stove face, so they need a continuous bead.

My Coal Bear has a continuous bead around the channel iron. I can't believe the small channel iron welds on my 3-piece Papa Bear.

 

[Todd67]

Next up is my Mama Bear, number PA84. 1975 maybe? I don't know when production started in PA. I'm using this one to heat my house, so excuse the pics that I took with the stove in use.

 

[Todd67]

Next up is the Coal Bear. This is an early Coal Bear that has the rear and bottom heat shields, but no UL tag anywhere on it. It is marked PA0092 on the front upper left of the stove. This stove has the channel iron welded all the way around it. Since the coal Bear has two doors with channel iron, both door seals are welded the same.