FISHER Grandma and Grandpa Bear Details (Fireplace Series)

[coaly]

You should cut bricks with a masonry saw to fit so they are all held together tight. Or you can fill the gap with sand since you should let the ash pack on the bottom and leave about an inch of ash to burn on when cleaning it out. You'll never see it. You normally need to cut a strip for the front brick on each side, so it's not a big deal to cut more for across the front. They cut very easily.

 

[Don H]

I would replace only broken or cracked bricks. You can flip the bricks if that side looks better. It's always easier to reuse bricks that are cut but if you decide to replace I use a homemade table saw made of plywood and and old circular saw with a masonry blade. Slow but effective.
If the inside of the firebox is rusted maybe a coat of brush on Stove Bright would be a good idea.

 

[Don H]

Hello everyone,I'm new to this so here it go's. My name is Bob and I was the first paid welder for the Fisher stove works in N.H.We were the first franchise that Bob&Carol; sold to Arnold Dunagan from Eugene,Or.around 1975-76 and contrary to all stories heard about the design of the Grandpappa-Bear,A.Dunagan charged me $400.00 for distorting 2 baby-bear stoves.I welded two of them together.1-right hand and 1-left hand model.And I said the fireplace model should look similar.With that I was informed that I just ruined two stoves.I then went on to work for Aurther Hicks and Gerald Jolicure at the Warner Stove Co.in Warner,N.H.,I then moved to Maryland and formed the Chesapeake Stove Works,Inc. In BelAir,MD.
:coolsmile:

I know this is an old thread but I couldn't resist replying.
Chesapeake Stove Works use to be in White Marsh Mall near where I lived. That was my favorite store! Whenever my wife would lose me in the mall she always knew where to find me. I bought more than one Swiss Army Knife there.

 

[Todd67]

The previous owner of my 76 grandma bear added a rope gasket to the doors, then removed the gasket because he couldn't get the doors to close properly. I have no idea how much force was applied to the door handle but the door latch is very tricky to open.

How should the door latch (the 1/2" round bar) be bent on the back side so that the door latches properly? This is what mine looks like now.

 

[Don H]

Apply heat and bend until it's working properly and both handles are at the same angle. I did this on the last stove I had. A propane torch will work but takes a while to heat up.

 

[Todd67]

Thanks Don. I was wondering if the tip of the handle should be bent more towards the door, more than it is in the 2nd picture I posted.

 

[Draft]

A very different Grandpa door variation; Normally FIS HER is split between the doors.

Hey guys, I am getting this stove. Is this one a rare one as well? Says fisher stoves as well.

 

[Todd67]

Very nice Grandpa Bear! Not sure how rare it is, but those doors are not as common as the standard FISHER doors, at least not from what I've seen. But Coaly is the Fisher Stove guru.

 

[coaly]

Very rare. I've only seen a couple. I don't know the story of those doors.

 

[Earnit]

Another oddity worth mentioning is a few made wider than normal requiring these arched longer hinge plates. Notice the upper door hinge ears don't sit on the hinge plates to support the door weight. The plates are welded OUTSIDE the door hinges. I saw a Grandma like this once and thought it was a manufacturer error. So far, this variation has been stoves manufactured by the Dunn Brothers in VA and W. VA.

See outboard hinges on my clone stove. Same opening dimensions as Grandma Stove.

 

[Earnit]

Another oddity worth mentioning is a few made wider than normal requiring these arched longer hinge plates. Notice the upper door hinge ears don't sit on the hinge plates to support the door weight. The plates are welded OUTSIDE the door hinges. I saw a Grandma like this once and thought it was a manufacturer error. So far, this variation has been stoves manufactured by the Dunn Brothers in VA and W. VA.

Like this.