Jotul Combi-Fire follow-up

[philwarner]

I couldn't seem to get this to add to my original Combi 4 thread so here goes another try.


I should probably start a new thread, but as a wrap-up here, I got my combi 4 unloaded and vacuumed out, and the firebrick is intact except for one broken brick at the left front (left side when looking inside) and the loose piece that came with the combi fits perfectly; Looks like I just need some good stove cement to put that piece back and re-do the cement topping on several bricks.
I was pleased that the bolts for various parts came out easily with a little liquid wrench coaxing. The door was mis-aligned to the left and I tried loosening the four bolts that hold the door bottom and shifting it, but it did not have enough movement. I didn't see any other obvious adjustment, so a couple of washers placed underneath between the right front door track mount and the stove bottom pivoted the door to the right and it lines up now.
I removed the door latch and handle, wire brushed the cast part and the metal arms, gun blued the arms, and then glued the handle halves together on the arms with Devcon "super glue for plastic". I'll give it 48 hours in clamps and hope it holds with the promised 3200 PSI strength.
While bluing and rinsing the metal handle arms, the cast latch came out a nice dull grey/black, but anywhere else I had hand wire brushed the stove body it seemed to get browner and redder. I also noted that it looks like no trivial task to remove the pins holding the arms to the toggle to install a new handle; Guess that's why you see many for sale with no plastic handle - that and quoted prices from $60 to $100 for that small piece of "more valuable than gold" bakelite.
BTW, I often get a red and black message pop up saying the server did not respond in time and to try again when posting a reply, and I've sometimes had to wait a day in order to get a post to go. Would that be on my end or the site end?

 

[jruttle3]

It's not hard to remove those pins to install a new handle. One of the ends is peened over, and the other is not. Get a finishing nail of slightly smaller diameter. snip or file off the point and use it to tap out the pin ( on the end that is NOT peened over). These are really little springs, with a slit down the side that allows a bit of compression, so only drive it out part way then carefully take it out with your fingers or pliers. You only need to remove one of these to replace the handle.

The reason that you see so many without the black plastic handle is that the heat from the stove ruins them ... a bad design idea. Later when they had to make changes to satisfy the UL labs, they changed the handle to wood. They did the same on the UL Jotul 602 and the UL 118's. It would be easy to make a new handle from wood, a very dense hardwood with a lower ignition point than pine.

BTW, I too read that story about Easter Island heads and the design of the Combi #4 .... I think in Jotul literature. I will look for it for you. Jack