Jotul 118 refurbish

[steelrain0861]

All,

Got a secondhand Jotul 118 (old school "ocean green") a few months ago and i am getting around to taking it apart to refurbish it. I have read an awful lot about how hard the bolts are to take out, does anyone have tips on once the bolts have been removed getting the outer shell taken apart? Is there a chemical solution that will make the cement or adhesive in the seams loosen up? I haven't been too aggressive with pounding on it as i have learned my lessen in the past with finesse over strength. Any thoughts or tips are greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

[begreen]

Usually, the seam cement doesn't have a lot of adhesive strength left. When I took apart our old F602 all it took was some taps with my hand. A rubber mallet should also work. You might want to put a bungee cord or loose strap around the perimeter to catch the other sides in case they all want to collapse at once. Or have a helper standing by to catch them.

 

[D. Hermit]

All,

Got a secondhand Jotul 118 (old school "ocean green") a few months ago and i am getting around to taking it apart to refurbish it. I have read an awful lot about how hard the bolts are to take out, does anyone have tips on once the bolts have been removed getting the outer shell taken apart? Is there a chemical solution that will make the cement or adhesive in the seams loosen up? I haven't been too aggressive with pounding on it as i have learned my lessen in the past with finesse over strength. Any thoughts or tips are greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Yes many of the bolts break. Mainly the ones holding the top housing onto the main firebox. Its 4 bolts, exposed directly to all the heat, and they are threaded. If you break them then plan on drilling and re tapping, but do it at a very slight angle because the way the bolts attach through.

To get your best chance of not breaking them is to soak take the top off, wire brush the old cresote around the bolts off the best you can, then start a heavy soak with pb plaster. Get each bolt top, middle, bottom. Let it soak long. Do this 2-4x a day for 2 days.

Then get a impact and at low power first try to get the bolt moving out, if it moves even a little, spray it with more pb and tighten it, and then loosen again, spray, tighten, loosen, until hopefully you get the bolt out, or it will break because its so rusted in. And then you just grind it flush, center punch, drill with 5mm and tap w 6mm.

As for cement, I lay the enamal side down on a moving blanket on my work bench so it doesn't scratch, and then use an angle grinder with a wire knot wheel on the old cement channels, it cleans every last bit of the old stuff out, which makes the mew cement adhere much better. A stronger drill with a corse wire wheel should do the trick as well. And then I also clean every single piece enamel side down, with the angle grinder to get all the old creosote off. Which is when you are able to really examine the part for cracks on the inside when its clean.

For the enamel I use rutland cermic glass cleaner and conditioner and it polishes it up nicely with a microfiber rag.

Im attaching a few pictures of the last 118 I rebuilt, I think I have a thread on here somewhere dedicated to it. The picture with the top open shows the 4 bolts on the baffle level, brand new, that are the ones you have to be super careful with.

Overall best of luck, rebuilding these can be a very rewarding challenge. Just if you run into a problem just stop, and think it through. Dont rush it, and you will be fine.
Best of luck.

 

[D. Hermit]

oh yea, and its common sense but figured I should say it, if you grind and wire brush creosote and cement with any power tool, use a respirator and safety goggles.

 

[bigealta]

Yes many of the bolts break. Mainly the ones holding the top housing onto the main firebox. Its 4 bolts, exposed directly to all the heat, and they are threaded. If you break them then plan on drilling and re tapping, but do it at a very slight angle because the way the bolts attach through.

To get your best chance of not breaking them is to soak take the top off, wire brush the old cresote around the bolts off the best you can, then start a heavy soak with pb plaster. Get each bolt top, middle, bottom. Let it soak long. Do this 2-4x a day for 2 days.

Then get a impact and at low power first try to get the bolt moving out, if it moves even a little, spray it with more pb and tighten it, and then loosen again, spray, tighten, loosen, until hopefully you get the bolt out, or it will break because its so rusted in. And then you just grind it flush, center punch, drill with 5mm and tap w 6mm.

As for cement, I lay the enamal side down on a moving blanket on my work bench so it doesn't scratch, and then use an angle grinder with a wire knot wheel on the old cement channels, it cleans every last bit of the old stuff out, which makes the mew cement adhere much better. A stronger drill with a corse wire wheel should do the trick as well. And then I also clean every single piece enamel side down, with the angle grinder to get all the old creosote off. Which is when you are able to really examine the part for cracks on the inside when its clean.

For the enamel I use rutland cermic glass cleaner and conditioner and it polishes it up nicely with a microfiber rag.

Im attaching a few pictures of the last 118 I rebuilt, I think I have a thread on here somewhere dedicated to it. The picture with the top open shows the 4 bolts on the baffle level, brand new, that are the ones you have to be super careful with.

Overall best of luck, rebuilding these can be a very rewarding challenge. Just if you run into a problem just stop, and think it through. Dont rush it, and you will be fine.
Best of luck. View attachment 289159View attachment 289160View attachment 289161

Looks like you have an Elm stove in the back. How do you like that stove?

 

[D. Hermit]

Most of my Elms are all part of my personal collection, they are probably my favorite vintage stove.

 

[steelrain0861]

I was able to get the top portion off fairly easy, I took my time and really soaked those bolts. They are fairly rusty, can I go to my local fastener shop and pickup a new set or do they have to be specifically made for stoves and the heat that is produced?

 

[begreen]

Yes, if any break off they can be drilled out, retapped, and replaced. They will be metric thread, typically M6.

 

[steelrain0861]

Does anyone know which touch up paint matches this stove? The two "green's" I have found are Ocean Green and Majolica Green. I called Woodsman's and they seemed to think it was the Ocean Green.

 

[D. Hermit]

Does anyone know which touch up paint matches this stove? The two "green's" I have found are Ocean Green and Majolica Green. I called Woodsman's and they seemed to think it was the Ocean Green.

I dont touch up enamel, I normally dont take the job if the enamel is shot.
And to expand on what BeGreen said. If they break, you need to re drill and re tap for 6mm x 1.0 thread. Which means you must drill the hole at 5mm to tap for 6mm. Use plenty of tap magic.
Then go to the hardware store and look for m6 x 1.0 Hex Head 40mm screw. Just the zinc plated will be fine, stainless ive found as overkill for interior bolts. I used 45mm so I could put a stover nut on the other end, but thats prolly over kill.

 

[begreen]

I had to buy a bottoming tap for our stove. A taper tap doesn't thread all the way.

 

[D. Hermit]

I had to buy a bottoming tap for our stove. A taper tap doesn't thread all the way.

BeGreen, the holes on this stove for the top assembly to the bottom, are threaded through the entire ear. You do not need to bottom tap it, just a normal tap will work, since you can run the whole tap down through the hole. So the tapered end of the tap will be sticking out the bottom of the bolt hole, and tapped all the way through. You only need a bottom tap if your tapping a hole that has a bottom. That way it threads to the bottom of the hole. A normal straight hole, gets a normal tap.

 

[steelrain0861]

Yes many of the bolts break. Mainly the ones holding the top housing onto the main firebox. Its 4 bolts, exposed directly to all the heat, and they are threaded. If you break them then plan on drilling and re tapping, but do it at a very slight angle because the way the bolts attach through.

To get your best chance of not breaking them is to soak take the top off, wire brush the old cresote around the bolts off the best you can, then start a heavy soak with pb plaster. Get each bolt top, middle, bottom. Let it soak long. Do this 2-4x a day for 2 days.

Then get a impact and at low power first try to get the bolt moving out, if it moves even a little, spray it with more pb and tighten it, and then loosen again, spray, tighten, loosen, until hopefully you get the bolt out, or it will break because its so rusted in. And then you just grind it flush, center punch, drill with 5mm and tap w 6mm.

As for cement, I lay the enamal side down on a moving blanket on my work bench so it doesn't scratch, and then use an angle grinder with a wire knot wheel on the old cement channels, it cleans every last bit of the old stuff out, which makes the mew cement adhere much better. A stronger drill with a corse wire wheel should do the trick as well. And then I also clean every single piece enamel side down, with the angle grinder to get all the old creosote off. Which is when you are able to really examine the part for cracks on the inside when its clean.

For the enamel I use rutland cermic glass cleaner and conditioner and it polishes it up nicely with a microfiber rag.

Im attaching a few pictures of the last 118 I rebuilt, I think I have a thread on here somewhere dedicated to it. The picture with the top open shows the 4 bolts on the baffle level, brand new, that are the ones you have to be super careful with.

Overall best of luck, rebuilding these can be a very rewarding challenge. Just if you run into a problem just stop, and think it through. Dont rush it, and you will be fine.
Best of luck. View attachment 289159View attachment 289160View attachment 289161

What brand cement do you recommend when you put it back together?

 

[D. Hermit]

What brand cement do you recommend when you put it back together?

I use Rutland Stove and Gasket in the shop and it works great, you put it right in a caulking gun. Heres a good price on amazon

 

[begreen]

BeGreen, the holes on this stove for the top assembly to the bottom, are threaded through the entire ear. You do not need to bottom tap it, just a normal tap will work, since you can run the whole tap down through the hole. So the tapered end of the tap will be sticking out the bottom of the bolt hole, and tapped all the way through. You only need a bottom tap if your tapping a hole that has a bottom. That way it threads to the bottom of the hole. A normal straight hole, gets a normal tap.

Ah, OK. Our F602 had bolts break off in some holes that needed a bottoming tap. No big deal, I was surprised that I could get it at our local hardware store and that drilling and re-tapping went fairly quickly.

 

[D. Hermit]

Ah, OK. Our F602 had bolts break off in some holes that needed a bottoming tap. No big deal, I was surprised that I could get it at our local hardware store and that drilling and re-tapping went fairly quickly.

Your very lucky you found them anywhere local. I could not find a plug tap around here to save my life. I order stuff like that on amazon and I just started ordering almost all of my shop supplies on amazon. Its sad because I like to spend money local, but prices are becoming too much.

 

[steelrain0861]

Yes many of the bolts break. Mainly the ones holding the top housing onto the main firebox. Its 4 bolts, exposed directly to all the heat, and they are threaded. If you break them then plan on drilling and re tapping, but do it at a very slight angle because the way the bolts attach through.

To get your best chance of not breaking them is to soak take the top off, wire brush the old cresote around the bolts off the best you can, then start a heavy soak with pb plaster. Get each bolt top, middle, bottom. Let it soak long. Do this 2-4x a day for 2 days.

Then get a impact and at low power first try to get the bolt moving out, if it moves even a little, spray it with more pb and tighten it, and then loosen again, spray, tighten, loosen, until hopefully you get the bolt out, or it will break because its so rusted in. And then you just grind it flush, center punch, drill with 5mm and tap w 6mm.

As for cement, I lay the enamal side down on a moving blanket on my work bench so it doesn't scratch, and then use an angle grinder with a wire knot wheel on the old cement channels, it cleans every last bit of the old stuff out, which makes the mew cement adhere much better. A stronger drill with a corse wire wheel should do the trick as well. And then I also clean every single piece enamel side down, with the angle grinder to get all the old creosote off. Which is when you are able to really examine the part for cracks on the inside when its clean.

For the enamel I use rutland cermic glass cleaner and conditioner and it polishes it up nicely with a microfiber rag.

Im attaching a few pictures of the last 118 I rebuilt, I think I have a thread on here somewhere dedicated to it. The picture with the top open shows the 4 bolts on the baffle level, brand new, that are the ones you have to be super careful with.

Overall best of luck, rebuilding these can be a very rewarding challenge. Just if you run into a problem just stop, and think it through. Dont rush it, and you will be fine.
Best of luck. View attachment 289159View attachment 289160View attachment 289161

There are some areas on the non enamel side of the stove walls showing rust, do you treat these areas with anything? Any thoughts?

 

[D. Hermit]

There are some areas on the non enamel side of the stove walls showing rust, do you treat these areas with anything? Any thoughts?

The interior of the stove? Thats the only part if the 118 that has not enamel. For the inside plates, I use an angle grinder w course knot wheel to get rid of all the rust and the throw a layer of high temp paint on it too just keep it from rusting again until its used again. The fire will burn off the inside paint after a month or so, depending how hot you run the stove.

 

[steelrain0861]

Well i tried touching up the enamel in one area as a test and “ocean green” is clearly not the correct color does anyone have any idea? Should I just put a clear rust preventative over the few visible rust spots showing?

 

[SimonJ]

Yes many of the bolts break. Mainly the ones holding the top housing onto the main firebox. Its 4 bolts, exposed directly to all the heat, and they are threaded. If you break them then plan on drilling and re tapping, but do it at a very slight angle because the way the bolts attach through.

To get your best chance of not breaking them is to soak take the top off, wire brush the old cresote around the bolts off the best you can, then start a heavy soak with pb plaster. Get each bolt top, middle, bottom. Let it soak long. Do this 2-4x a day for 2 days.

Then get a impact and at low power first try to get the bolt moving out, if it moves even a little, spray it with more pb and tighten it, and then loosen again, spray, tighten, loosen, until hopefully you get the bolt out, or it will break because its so rusted in. And then you just grind it flush, center punch, drill with 5mm and tap w 6mm.

As for cement, I lay the enamal side down on a moving blanket on my work bench so it doesn't scratch, and then use an angle grinder with a wire knot wheel on the old cement channels, it cleans every last bit of the old stuff out, which makes the mew cement adhere much better. A stronger drill with a corse wire wheel should do the trick as well. And then I also clean every single piece enamel side down, with the angle grinder to get all the old creosote off. Which is when you are able to really examine the part for cracks on the inside when its clean.

For the enamel I use rutland cermic glass cleaner and conditioner and it polishes it up nicely with a microfiber rag.

Im attaching a few pictures of the last 118 I rebuilt, I think I have a thread on here somewhere dedicated to it. The picture with the top open shows the 4 bolts on the baffle level, brand new, that are the ones you have to be super careful with.

Overall best of luck, rebuilding these can be a very rewarding challenge. Just if you run into a problem just stop, and think it through. Dont rush it, and you will be fine.
Best of luck. View attachment 289159View attachment 289160View attachment 289161

Hello - new to hearth.com and replying on your post because I couldnt work out how to post a new question! I am looking to buy a 118 stove - but it appears to have two small pipes coming out of the side of the reburn chamber (on the left of the stove). Not sure if anyone knows what these are for?! Grateful for any help on this. Many thanks, Simon

 

[begreen]

Hello - new to hearth.com and replying on your post because I couldnt work out how to post a new question! I am looking to buy a 118 stove - but it appears to have two small pipes coming out of the side of the reburn chamber (on the left of the stove). Not sure if anyone knows what these are for?! Grateful for any help on this. Many thanks, Simon

See reply in the thread you started.