Hearthcraft Franklin

[Harrison]

I was just given a Hearthcraft Franklin. It appears complete and not used as much as it could have been. It was in a garage and is slightly rusty. I took it apart and am cleaning the parts with a wire brush before putting it back together. What paint should I use on it (it is cast iron)? I don't know what model it is. There seems to be no gasketing material of any type between the pieces. Is this normal? wouldn't that contribute to air leaks?


Harrison

 

[jtp10181]

Get some Stove Bright from a local hearth dealer. You can get any color you want, could repair it red if you wanted. Or Silver!

 

[begreen]

Welcome Harrison, post some pictures of that bad boy. It would be fun to see before and after. Are the parts you're concerned about (no gaskets) internal?

If you use Stove Brite, be sure to do it in an exceptionally well ventilated space and wear a good org. vapor mask. It's good hi-temp paint but the stuff will rot your brain.

 

[Harrison]

Thanks, guys.
I've got all the screws holding it together either unscrewed or chiseled off so it's in pieces. I have some flat black Rustoleum Hi-Temp paint on a few of the pieces, the ones I've wirebrushed all the rust from. I put the base together yesterday and am working on it as time permits. I have a business trip for the first part part of the week, but when I return I'll post pics.
There is nothing that could serve as gasketing either external or internal. The seams appear to fit fairly well but can't possibly be airtight.
Thanks again for the Stove Bright tip.

Harrison

 

[BrotherBart]

Thanks, guys.
I've got all the screws holding it together either unscrewed or chiseled off so it's in pieces. I have some flat black Rustoleum Hi-Temp paint on a few of the pieces, the ones I've wirebrushed all the rust from. I put the base together yesterday and am working on it as time permits. I have a business trip for the first part part of the week, but when I return I'll post pics.
There is nothing that could serve as gasketing either external or internal. The seams appear to fit fairly well but can't possibly be airtight.
Thanks again for the Stove Bright tip.

Harrison

You can seal the body joints on a Franklin from the inside with furnace cement after you put it back together. And high temp bbq paint like the Rustoleum will do fine if you want it flat black and cost about half of what Stove Bright does and doesn't have acetone in it like Stove Bright does. Both are 1,200 degree paint.

As a former Franklin burner I just advise you to be careful with it. There is a reason they aren't made anymore. There are so many ways for air to get into them even with the joints sealed that from the moment you light it up it is by definition a fire out of control. The best use for a Franklin is with the doors open, a screen in place and burning it like a fireplace.

 

[webbie]

Hearthcraft was complete junk and were made in Asia as copies of certain amercian and european brands. This type of stove is best suited for decoration with a plant on top or a set of electric logs in it. It is made of cast iron, with perhaps some sheet steel pieces.

 

[Harrison]

Thank you, BrotherBart and WebMaster. I didn't realize there was sucjh a thing as furnace cement, but now I'll try to find it, maybe at a hearth store.
This thing MAY be a piece of junk, but it was FREE and it shure do look purty. I figured I'd just use it in my woodworking/motorcycle shop. It's gotta be better than the 20 year old kerosene heater I have out there now.

Harrison

 

[BrotherBart]

Thank you, BrotherBart and WebMaster. I didn't realize there was sucjh a thing as furnace cement, but now I'll try to find it, maybe at a hearth store.
This thing MAY be a piece of junk, but it was FREE and it shure do look purty. I figured I'd just use it in my woodworking/motorcycle shop. It's gotta be better than the 20 year old kerosene heater I have out there now.

Harrison

Tell the insurance company that the kerosene heater burned down your shop. Not the Franklin.

 

[webbie]

Yeah, Hearthcraft doesn't have insurance any more.....

Furnace Cemeto can be obtained at the local hardware store also.

 

[Harrison]

Gentlemen I am once again in your debt. Perhaps you can enlighten me further. The chimney exit on top of the stove is oval. I've never seen an oval/round transition before. Is this normal/standard or must I fabricate something? I'm assuming that a nonresinous hardwood (oak, maple, ash, hickory, etc.) is the correct fuel for this potential firebomb. There seem to be a plethora of air intakes so I guess I can choose pretty much any one I want if I go for a cold air intake. Is there a preference?

Harrison

PS I grew up in a house with five fireplaces, and it was my job to keep them fed. That was 45 years ago, though, and I have forgotten much. Also I never had a woodstove of any sort before. I found this website by accident while researching the Hearthcraft.

 

[webbie]

Lighter gauge pipe, like 24 ga snaplock, can often fit into those ovals. You have to be sure to put the snap seam on the side (narrow side), because putting it on the flatter side can make it come apart. The crimped end of an 8" should fit down into that collar - although some stoves may be backwards and have the regular side go around the outside of the collar. If your oval is extremely steep and this does not work, you can probably find an adapter at Woodmans or one of the other parts houses....you'd have to trace your outlet. Use the furnace cement to seal this joint well, and also use a small drill bit and some screws to mechanically fasten.

Cold air intake? Not really needed or possible in many cases....and if the place is leaky (air) anyway, it will not affect things.

 

[jtp10181]

Simpson and probably many other pipe vendors sell oval to round adaptors made for stoves with oval flue collars.

 

[Harrison]

If this thing is really such a dangerous piece of cast iron garbage, would piping it with a gas burner be better?
By the way, which looks better; Hunter Green or deep Red?
Also, are parts like the Isenglass window available, or is there an acceptable substitute?

Harrison

 

[jtp10181]

Technically if you put gas into it somehow it would still need to be installed as an unlisted wood stove which means 36" clearances all around. Unless it has a ratingplate with clearances on it? I doubt it.

This place does just what you are thinking of: (broken link removed)

 

[webbie]

If this thing is really such a dangerous piece of cast iron garbage, would piping it with a gas burner be better?
By the way, which looks better; Hunter Green or deep Red?
Also, are parts like the Isenglass window available, or is there an acceptable substitute?

Harrison

Nah, I'd rather see it for decoration than gas. That just creates more problem.....gas logs are really not designed to be retrofitted into stoves, and even if you were able to do it the efficiency would be low.

 

[littleben]

Firestarter,

My father had a Hearth Craft Franklin Stove that he purchased from Sears over 35 years ago. The stove has never been assembled and I have all but one of the parts. I am missing the collar boot! Sounds like you could use the parts. Contact me as I am trying to get rid of this stove. I have the pipes to fit the oval collar that you need.

The stove is a 220 Little Ben.

Littleben

 

[Harrison]

Littleben,
That sounds good except I have no idea what model mine is. The parts are not yet fully cleaned because I had to travel for work, so hopefully I will get the model number when I finish cleaning everything off. I will let you know, though.
In the meantime I'm just working on it to get it together in a sembelance of decency. I'll be posting pics before I fire it up (out doors if at all) so it will look as good as it can before it blows up or burns down.


Harrison