My 76 Grandma Bear

[Todd67]

I bought this Grandma Bear November 2, 2018. I thought I posted some pics of the stove already, but I I didn't.

The only markings on this stove are the initials JR welded on the bottom. It has some light rust on it, so it's soaking in PB blaster now. I'll clean it up and paint it this summer.

This is the seller's pic

I soaked it with PB blaster as soon as I got it home, before I could take any pictures of it. I was too busy with other projects at the time, so I just wanted to get some PB on it right away.


I hope I can find some other markings on it after I paint it. I bought this stove in Southeastern NY State, and as of now, I have no clue where it was made. I'll keep you posted...

 

[Todd67]

I still haven't found any markings on this Grandma Bear yet. In fact, the doors are not marked with any foundry markings or the typical L G/M and R G/M. Maybe some markings will show up after I clean it and paint it, but it's not looking very likely at this point.

Coaly, did all of the 1976 double door stoves lack foundry markings on the doors?

 

[ajbildeaux78]

I just found this forum today. Lots of great information! I have a 76 Grandma Bear stove, with the rounded seal area. I’d share a photo, but it’s full and running right now.

Very few Grandpa Bears (so far) have surfaced with a 3 piece top, not a bent single piece of 5/16 thick steel plate. The one pictured above was originally in Michigan, and I purchased it from NW Ohio.

Here's the oddity about the 1976 Bicentennial Door Stoves;

The door seal is not the normal 1 inch channel iron welded to the stove face with a square matching groove cast into the inside of the doors. The '76 door sealing area is ROUND with 1/2 inch round rod welded to the stove face. If I didn't know better, I'd say it wasn't a Fisher by the looks of it with the doors open. This is the only Fisher Stove without the flat channel iron and square cast door groove to seal with a triple contact seal ! (other than with glass doors where there is no channel on the stove, and gasket material is used on the door frame)

So anyone with a Bicentennial Grandpa or Grandma is welcome to let me know what kind of door seal you've got. So far, it appears there was only one '76 door pattern using the round seal.

(The silver stuff at the air intakes is anti-sieze from reaching through to coat the bolt threads)

 

[ajbildeaux78]

I haven’t located any foundry markings on on 76 Grandma either. I just found this forum today, but I’ve been using the wood stove for 6 years now.

 

[Don H]

I just found this forum today. Lots of great information! I have a 76 Grandma Bear stove, with the rounded seal area. I’d share a photo, but it’s full and running right now.

Welcome!

 

[Todd67]

I just found this forum today. Lots of great information! I have a 76 Grandma Bear stove, with the rounded seal area. I’d share a photo, but it’s full and running right now.

Welcome to the forum! Feel free to post a pic of the front of your stove. How long have you had it?

 

[Todd67]

I'm not sure what year they started putting foundry markings on the inside of the doors.

 

[ajbildeaux78]

We’ve been using the Grandma bear since 2012 when we bought the house, but the original homeowners put it in during the 70’s.
It’s in great shape, but desperately needs painting.

 

[Todd67]

I haven't had the time to clean up and paint my Grandma Bear yet. I keep a fresh coat of PB Blaster on it, and I still hope to get it painted this year before it gets too cold.

 

[Frankdozer]

Why do you soak the stove with PB and does it effect the afterward paintjob?
Frank

 

[Todd67]

The PB Blaster seems to help break down the rust. I restore my stoves in an unheated & detached garage, and sometimes my unfinished stoves are left in my garage over the winter. If that's the case, I apply a good coat of PB Blaster to the stove every month, all winter long, so it doesn't rust any worse than it already is. This also makes it easier to remove the rust in the spring when I can restore and paint the stove.

I remove the PB Blaster with dry rags, then lacquer thinner before I paint the stove. I make sure the stove is dry and all oil & lacquer thinner are removed from the stove before I paint it.

I've used mineral spirits on a few stoves, the strong stuff that evaporates, instead of lacquer thinner, but I think the lacquer thinner works better to clean the PB Blaster (or WD-40) off the stove prior to painting. The lacquer thinner seems to evaporates better.

Getting the oils out of the small nooks and crannies is difficult, such as where the channel iron wraps around the ash fender. So I use an air compressor, pics, and clean plastic bristle brushes to help clean those areas.

As long as the metal is dry prior to painting, the paint will stick as it should.

 

[coaly]

Why do you soak the stove with PB and does it effect the afterward paintjob?
Frank

I used PB to wet it for a while before I got around to wire wheel cleaning. Buffing wet prevents rust dust from covering everything in the area I work. It is a walk out basement with antique tractors, car and metal working machinery (not to mention lots of stoves) I don't want rust dust all over. The wet slurry does spray from a wire wheel at high speed, but it is easier to wipe off things nearby than a dusty mess through the entire basement.