Improving Sticky Oslo Air Control

[DTrain]

So I have read a few older posts about the air control on the stove being a problem for some. And mine is the same way. It was 50 degrees here yesterday, so I didn't start a fire. Gave me a window to investigate the problem. I removed the doghouse and slider. I cleaned out the track with a wire brush. When examining the slider I noticed a heavy burr around the top of the entire piece. Because of the design of the slider actuation the forces for opening and closing don't act in the direction of the slide. Sort of causes the slider to cock slightly in the track, making the lead corner of the slider contact the track. That burr digs into the track making it difficult to slide. With a file and emery clothe I removed the burr and softened the radius at the corners. This lead to a much improved action, although not entirely perfect. Put I can now tap it easily over with a finger in both directions. I also found an over travel condition. If you need a lot of force to move the slider closed, at least in my situation, I needed to use a slapping motion to get it all the way over. This made the slider jump the stop and over travel revealing the air opening and also force the slide to sit up off the track about 1/8" allowing for more air to leak. Knowing this now, I'm careful to feel for the stop and not push it past. I have some pictures to hopefully clarify.

Picture #1 shows how the burr looks on the front face, it looked like that on the entire perimeter.

Picture #2 shows how I worked the corners so when the contact the track they are smooth and to bind.

Picture #3 shows the over travel. There is a notch in the upper right corner of the slider. There is a raised stop in the stove the meets that notch. You can see the slider is in closed position, but the air inlet is showing a bit on the right. It is also sitting up off the track. The draft on the parts make a sort of a ramp and it can jump.

Anyway, give'r a try if yours is sticky.

 

[stoveguy13]

they have an upgrade for this if you contact your dealer they can get you the fix kit.

 

[bag of hammers]

Not sure if this is helpful as well, but same situation here last year. The primary air slider / plate on the Osburn also had a slight burr on one corner, and seemed to turn and jam up a bit in the tracks when closing the air. Based on advice here I gave it a shot of dry graphite powder which completely eliminated the stickiness. That was last year, and it's still working great so far.

 

[ColdNH]

not sure what im looking at in the picture but I have the exact same issue with my Oslo. add that to the list of reasons I don't Love this stove..

 

[DTrain]

not sure what im looking at in the picture but I have the exact same issue with my Oslo. add that to the list of reasons I don't Love this stove..

Close ups of the de-burred slider removed from stove. And slider installed with dog house (part with the 3 holes in it) removed.

 

[DTrain]

not sure what im looking at in the picture but I have the exact same issue with my Oslo. add that to the list of reasons I don't Love this stove..

What else don't you like about the Oslo?

 

[Toploader]

Thanks for posting this, it could be very helpful for some. I have done the same thing with mine and even though I have filed it down it still sticks sometimes, its just not a great mechanical design. I have also experienced what you call the over travel position so I'm careful not to push too hard when closing off the air. I love my Oslo despite this little drawback.

 

[Toploader]

they have an upgrade for this if you contact your dealer they can get you the fix kit.

What is this upgrade kit, how does it work?

 

[Michael Golden]

I hated all the play in the control so I fixed that. I drilled a hole and cut a field point off and stuck the threaded end in the hole I drilled. There is now no play in my contol and it is much easier to figure out how far open or closed the air is. I will try to get some pictures, I didn't think to take any when I did it.

 

[Toploader]

I hated all the play in the control so I fixed that. I drilled a hole and cut a field point off and stuck the threaded end in the hole I drilled. There is now no play in my contol and it is much easier to figure out how far open or closed the air is. I will try to get some pictures, I didn't think to take any when I did it.

Sounds interesting. Pictures would be great!

 

[xman23]

DTrain, that's the air slider issue, you explained it well. Any resistance in the slide it doesn't want to move. The casting issue is new to me. Keep the ash away from it and lube the whole thing up with your favorite lubricant, Blaster Dry Lube. Never use the front door.

Also some say the arm jams. a slight bend fixes this.

Stove Guy, What's the Jotul fix?

 

[Michael Golden]

Sounds interesting. Pictures would be great!

Will try to get a picture tomorrow......have the stove going right now

 

[stoveguy13]

What is this upgrade kit, how does it work?

it is a new control arm with a different bend on it and a new slide plate

 

[Toploader]

it is a new control arm with a different bend on it and a new slide plate

Thanks, I'll look into getting one.

 

[Burner]

Thanks, I'll look into getting one.

Has anyone had any luck getting the upgrade kit? If so how did you go about getting it?

 

[Elle]

Interested in the upgrade kit as well

 

[Elle]

Bumping this to see if anyone got the upgrade kit. I actually forgot about it until now...even though the slide sticks every night, lol. I'm going to call the dealer today and see if I can get this kit and what I need to do to install it. I have the stove off right now cause I am going away for the weekend so it's a good time to put it in.