ITEM NEEDED: side door for Woodstock Soapstone Classic Stove

[Chris Wittmann]

I'm new to this community, my husband and I heat mainly with wood and we live in New Hampshire.
We have an early (1980) soapstone stove made by the Vermont Woodstock Soapstone Co. It is the original Classic, the first stove they made that did not have any catalytic converters or glass side panels like the new ones now have.
The side door on our stove has a sliding damper and a piece of the cast iron has come off, along with one of the hinges which got damaged when I tried to get the door off to put in a new gasket. We've been told the cast iron has become brittle with age. Unfortunately, the stove company, located in West Lebanon, N.H. cannot make us a new door and they have none available. Does anyone out there have a side door to this stove for sale? We've had some welding done to the door but already part of the sliding damper has broken off.

 

[Todd]

I’m surprised Woodstock can’t help you here. It’ll be tough finding parts or a new door. Maybe take it back to local welder and see if they can mod it somehow.

 

[Todd]

Maybe these people can help?

Woodstock Stove | Fireview Classic | Wood and Coal Stove Parts

Woodstock Wood and Coal Stoves model Fireview Classic and the replacement stove parts, images, and schematics available on our website

www.woodmanspartsplus.com

 

[Chris Wittmann]

We were surprised too. We called the Woodstock Stove company and spoke with them directly. They replaced some soap stone panels from the top lid for us twice over the past 40 years, but they said because the stove is over 40 years old they no longer have the pattern for the door. , . yet there is a stove just like ours in their show room! The new ones now have a glass panel and catalytic converter. Apparently, we were told the cast iron parts were made in Spain. so much for American made. The door on their FIREVIEW model has NO damper, the damper is now on the opposite side of the stove, so even if we got one of those doors it would be of no use. Our latest attempt at having a piece welded went ok for the round hinge where the pin goes into the stove, but a piece from the sliding damper on the door broke off. We left it with a local welder yesterday though he told us he couldn't guarantee he could fix it. This stove has been our main source of heat for over 40 years and it's such a beautiful stove. We are in no position to buy a new stove, and without it we're looking at a very grim winter here in New Hampshire with a very drafty old farmhouse. I just wish I could find someone with a side door for it, or at least the sliding damper piece we need for it.

 

[Todd]

Maybe ask them if they have a door for the Fireview 201? It’s the older model Fireview before the 205 and it has the door damper slide just like the Classic.

 

[Chris Wittmann]

Thanks for that info, I'll give it a try. We're also going to contact the Woodman place which is here in NH.

 

[begreen]

Apparently, we were told the cast iron parts were made in Spain. so much for American made.

Interesting. That sounds like Hergom's foundry, aka Hearthstone here.

 

[Chris Wittmann]

Interesting. That sounds like Hergom's foundry, aka Hearthstone here.

If we could just find someone to make us a new sliding damper for that door it would be great.

 

[Hoytman]

Try to have the door welded back together … because you’re going to send it off to have a casting made. Do a search for “Tomohawk Foundry”. They will take care of you. Oh…have two door made. Yes it will cost you, but you should never need the second one but if you do you’ll have it and you’ll have your original door as a pattern.

 

[begreen]

If we could just find someone to make us a new sliding damper for that door it would be great.

The sliding damper on the door is a simple design. A good metal shop may be able to fabricate a new one for the door. It might be possible to bolt one on.

 

[Chris Wittmann]

Try to have the door welded back together … because you’re going to send it off to have a casting made. Do a search for “Tomohawk Foundry”. They will take care of you. Oh…have two door made. Yes it will cost you, but you should never need the second one but if you do you’ll have it and you’ll have your original door as a pattern.

Thanks, I will check out that foundry. right now the door is at a local welding shop(second one). The gentleman welded the broken "L" shaped piece back onto the sliding piece (damper) for us but he is also going to make us a brand new sliding damper using steel. He used brass I think to fix the old piece, so that could be a back up should the new steel one fail. The door itself is still all in one piece except for a hinge that also had to be welded as it cracked when they tried to get the pin out of it. Ideally, come next spring, I would like to have someone make us a whole new door cast from the old one.

 

[Chris Wittmann]

The sliding damper on the door is a simple design. A good metal shop may be able to fabricate a new one for the door. It might be possible to bolt one on.

Thanks so much for your reply. We have left the piece (and the whole door too) with a local welder who is going make a new sliding piece out of steel. Hopefully that will get us through the winter then maybe we can have a foundry make us a whole new door as I know the old cast iron is compromised. You would think the stove shop where we bought this stove would have a bin or two with odds and ends (parts) from older stoves, but I guess they don't. I know they sold a lot of those original Classic stoves, so why wouldn't they keep some parts around? Some of us simply cannot afford a new stove and besides, I don't see any that I love as much as the original Classic.

 

[Chris Wittmann]

Maybe ask them if they have a door for the Fireview 201? It’s the older model Fireview before the 205 and it has the door damper slide just like the Classic.

They have no doors for any Fireviews either!

 

[Chris Wittmann]

Try to have the door welded back together … because you’re going to send it off to have a casting made. Do a search for “Tomohawk Foundry”. They will take care of you. Oh…have two door made. Yes it will cost you, but you should never need the second one but if you do you’ll have it and you’ll have your original door as a pattern.

Thanks for that info. I've bookmarked the site and will contact them next spring.

 

[3650]

If the welder doesn’t work ,Alternatively, you maybe be able to buy a fireview door from Woodstock and have a machinist mill out a place in the door to put a spinner knob or two. Something similar to the pattern on a Harman sf1500 door would probably work just fine. Or any other pattern really.

Personally I don’t like weld cast weld repairs on door hinges. If that fails, and cast welds may do so, while you’re not at home it could lead to a disaster.

Having said that I have welded a hinge on my barrel stove in the shed. It’s held up 10 years with no problems. I wouldn’t want to risk my house though.