Is this a real Baby Bear?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Hope everyone has a wonderful and warm Thanksgiving!
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
Status
Not open for further replies.

cudabere

New Member
Dec 2, 2015
2
Western North Carolina
I always have wanted a Fisher. I just found this Baby Bear (pretty sure it is?) and the Hinges are drilled horribly.
You can see in the picture how far to the edge the holes were drilled. I would never be able to drill these holes any bigger if I had hinge problems. I just ordered new pins on Ebay and hope it tightens it up a little better. The door wiggles just a little but seems to line up properly. I have included a few pics. On the back of the door it has the PO marking. There is no tag or UL Listing on the back. The door fits pretty good but I have not had a chance to burn it much because I have been fixing the connection in the back.
There is welding initials on the bottom but I did not get a picture yet and was too tired to tilt it over last night to get a picture.
I will probably have to put on a little flat gasket on since the dollar bill test did not pass 100%. Unless the new hinge pins fix that but we'll see.
Main question is this a real Fisher? If it is whoever drilled the holes did a poor job!
BTW I picked this up for $100.00 with a steel floor protector :)
 

Attachments

  • [Hearth.com] Is this a real Baby Bear?
    IMG_1324.webp
    53.5 KB · Views: 353
  • [Hearth.com] Is this a real Baby Bear?
    IMG_1277.webp
    116.6 KB · Views: 373
  • [Hearth.com] Is this a real Baby Bear?
    IMG_1309.webp
    74.7 KB · Views: 384
  • [Hearth.com] Is this a real Baby Bear?
    IMG_1325.webp
    103.3 KB · Views: 329
Welcome to the Forum and Fisher family of stove owners !
Yes, it's a Baby Bear. You can use 3/8 bolts for hinge pins to see if it tightens it up. Any 3/8 bolt without threads under the head is the same size as the rivets used for pins.
The hinge plate drawing shows 3/8 hole to be drilled on a center line of 1 1/4inch wide plate X 1/2 inch thick. Next to drawing is " *See Note 2 "

Note #1 plus / minus 1/16 inch
Note #2 location to be determined at time of assembly

My hinge plates are all 1 1/2 inch wide with 3/8 hole drilled off center leaving 3/4 inch wall on door side and 3/8 inch wall on outer side.
Depends on door casting and exact location of door seal. Your door seal looks centered, but the door looks off to the right when closed. Doors were laid in place with stove on its back to center door on seal while hinge plate hole is marked with soapstone through hole in door. Drilled and tacked on. Pin the door to hinge plate and try before welding entire plate to stove front. So the holes need to go where the door centers on seal. It's nice when they are centered on hinge plate, but not necessary. The door seal welding is better looking inside than out where it won't interfere with door too. That could be what's throwing the door off to the side requiring the holes to be so off center.
Keep them greased, it should be fine.

Put a set of these on to take the attention away from the slight birth defect ; ;)

[Hearth.com] Is this a real Baby Bear?
 
  • Like
Reactions: sauto1985
I should have mentioned the fix to center the hole in hinge plate requires a welder. Grind the hinge plates off and cut or grind an angle on the side that mounts to stove. They should angle outward so the hole can be centered. Mama Bear and Papa Bear door hinge extends outward of the corner like yours and Mama has angled plates. Papa is wide enough to use straight ones like Baby. For whatever reason, yours needed Mama Bear plates like shown below.

[Hearth.com] Is this a real Baby Bear? [Hearth.com] Is this a real Baby Bear?

I suppose if you had a welder, you could just run a bead on the side of hinge plate making it wider and drill the hole without breaking through the side.......
 
Good news! Thank you! I got to burn it real good yesterday and it heats my whole house up like a champ. I took out a Blaze King Princess insert that cost me $3500.00 that never heated my house that warm. Plus I always had creosote build up around the cap of my chimney all the time no matter how dry or good the wood was. Seems like the Fisher burns cleaner than the one that had the Catalytic Combuster in it.
#$% a catalytic combuster! Oh yeah the Blaze King is for sale! Taking offers!
Thanks again Coaly!
 
  • Like
Reactions: sauto1985
Status
Not open for further replies.