Papa Bear With a 3-Piece Top

[Todd67]

I picked up this very nice custom hand-made pallet tonight at the YRC terminal. It was shipped from Medford Oregon to Syracuse NY.




Problem is, it's too late to open the pallet to see what's inside

I have to get up early in the morning to go to work, so I have to wait to open it until tomorrow after work. The anticipation is unbearable

I'll post pics when I get some time to open this box...

 

[Todd67]

Got the pallet/box off my truck today and had a tough time opening that box! Wow, more than 100 brad's & staples, framework, supports, etc. It was built like Fort Knox.

Finally got the front off and got my first look at the stove. Yep, it's a Papa

 

[Todd67]

The door is cracked under & above the right draft cap.




There are no foundry markings inside the door. The door latch stop is just simple round rod

 

[Todd67]

The front of the door looked like it was cracked in between & above the draft caps (the dark line), but after wire brushing it, it's not a crack.


Also, there is no PATENT PENDING on the door. It's smooth after cleaning it with a wire brush

 

[SpaceBus]

Wow, cool find! This must be one of the earliest cast door models.

 

[Todd67]

Some saw dust on top


These are not cracks on the back

 

[Todd67]

Lefty door on a left vented Papa Bear. I'm not surprised that the door is cracked. It's been in service for over 40 years. The previous owner used it to heat his shop.

 

[Todd67]

Wow, cool find! This must be one of the earliest cast door models.

Thanks! My best guess is that it was made in 1974. Obviously someone replaced the pipe cap draft caps with these newer type.

 

[SpaceBus]

Thanks! My best guess is that it was made in 1974. Obviously someone replaced the pipe cap draft caps with these newer type.

They probably got tired of burning their hands. I still try and adjust draft or fiddle inside the stove without gloves. Every time I end up putting them on anyway!

 

[Todd67]

They probably got tired of burning their hands. I still try and adjust draft or fiddle inside the stove without gloves. Every time I end up putting them on anyway!

Absolutely! I keep a quality pair of welding gloves near my stove for all things stove-related.

 

[Todd67]

The previous owner removed all the firebricks before shipping the stove to me. He said it saved him close to 100 pounds.

I vacuumed out the stove tonight, to include the dirty ash fender. Then I put the first coat of WD-40 on the Papa Bear. The door hinge pins are loose but I still can't remove the door yet. The WD should loosen them up in no time at all.

I also measured the legs because they looked shorter than the legs on my other Fisher stoves... 4 inches long.

Did Bob really make his first stove with 1 1/2" long legs? Page 19 of the Fisher Stove Story makes it sound like Bob removed another 1 1/2" off the legs to meet his dad's suggested inch & a half length.

Here's the door with a coat of WD-40 on it

 

[Todd67]

@coaly , what are your thoughts on my Papa Bear, when was it made, what shop it was made in? You've done your homework and research on those kind of details.

Looking at the door handle a lot closer last night, it looks like the threaded part was cut off at some point. Maybe they couldn't twist the original ball handle off, so they decided to cut it off at the base of the ball. It's not a real clean cut, but I can put new threads on it for a ball handle.

 

[Todd67]

The Papa Bear has been soaking with WD-40 for a few days now, so I brushed the door with a stainless steel brush and some spray on WD. It already looks better.



I then scrubbed the rest of the stove with WD and a stiff nylon bristled brush.

 

[SpaceBus]

Looking good!

This seems like a really cathartic hobby. I need to start snatching up small Scandinavian stoves. I doubt I could manage moving around Fishers and other large plate stoves.

 

[Todd67]

Looking good!

This seems like a really cathartic hobby. I need to start snatching up small Scandinavian stoves. I doubt I could manage moving around Fishers and other large plate stoves.

Thanks! It's a lot of fun. You never know what you will find on these stoves for markings and parts.

 

[Todd67]

10 months later and I finally get my first look at the bottom of this Papa Bear. I've already cleaned up the rest of the stove.



The color in the pics below is misleading, but it's ready to be cleaned up with mineral spirits, then lacquer thinner, then painted, hopefully within the next two days. For now, it's soaking in WD-40.







I'll remove these draft caps before I paint the door.

 

[Todd67]

I have the stove painted, but the rear needs one more coat before I can cure the paint. The stove is still in my unheated garage, and the temps are dipping down to near freezing at night and warming to the 40's for a high, so I rigged up a 250 watt heat lamp to keep the stove from sweating. The stove is staying between 45 & 68 degrees, depending on where I aim the infrared thermometer.



I'll finish painting the stove and cure the paint tomorrow so I can move the stove into the house. Then I'll tackle the door.

 

[Todd67]

The stove is restored, and now serves as an end table in my living room

 

[Don H]

Very nice! Did you paint the inside so you can use it for storage?

 

[Todd67]

Very nice! Did you paint the inside so you can use it for storage?

Thanks! I haven't decided what to do with the inside yet. I've got enough paint left over to put one coat on the inside. But it's still up in the air for now.