Polishing the old Defiant.
- Thread starter kybishop
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![[Hearth.com] Polishing the old Defiant.](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/201/201717-47f7973eaeea77a65333096c4ff0d5f5.jpg?hash=hzD7-u6VkO "[Hearth.com] Polishing the old Defiant.")
![[Hearth.com] Polishing the old Defiant.](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/201/201714-7d37661ea4a30f9233f03c38e16722b3.jpg?hash=5i-mczwamB "[Hearth.com] Polishing the old Defiant.")
![[Hearth.com] Polishing the old Defiant.](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/201/201715-b66d5505bf0f61a2b5776c68fe56470d.jpg?hash=wKD07Ijh-R "[Hearth.com] Polishing the old Defiant.")
Thanks!
I really like the polish. I rebuilt the Defiant last year as it had the cracked fireback. This may be the third fireback in it since dad bought it new back in the mid 70's. Counting the original as one, the two piece he put in and then this one last year. First fireback was the old design and he changed it to the 2 piece fireback. On this last rebuild I decided to give all the panels a good cleaning. Decided to try the polish for the first time and I really like working with it and the results.
I really like the polish. I rebuilt the Defiant last year as it had the cracked fireback. This may be the third fireback in it since dad bought it new back in the mid 70's. Counting the original as one, the two piece he put in and then this one last year. First fireback was the old design and he changed it to the 2 piece fireback. On this last rebuild I decided to give all the panels a good cleaning. Decided to try the polish for the first time and I really like working with it and the results.
Sully1515
Member
Beautiful wood stove. I wasn't familiar with stove polish. Like stove paint, during the first burn of the season, does it also produce a smell as the polish is burning off? Keep up the great work!
On the bottle it says that it may smoke a little after an application of the polish. I actually was expecting it to like most coats of anything new on a wood burning stove or similar heater. But I didn't notice any smoke at all and very little smell last season when I first fired it up. I did have to break it in last season though because of the new fireback so I didn't have it very hot for about 10 fires/days or so. That may have been why.
I will see what it does this year. It has cooled off this week, seems winter is trying to grab hold of us here but not quite yet.
I looked at options and didn't want to paint it. I just didn't really want the layers of paint over the cast iron. We had never used the polish and reading about it sounded like a good option. The liquid polish goes on very thin and gets in the cracks then you rub/buff it off like waxing a car.
Currently undertaking major renovations in the old house. My family has been in the house for about 46 years. My father and step mother lived there and dad got sick and we figured out it was diabetes at about the age of 70. He is the only one we know in our family that has ever had it. Long story short the stove didn't get used for a few years.
The stove was well take care of most all of its life. But you can see what just a few years of sitting does. It is very humid down in the river valley where the house sits. About 700 feet from the river so mildew and moisture can take its tole if you don't stay on it. The picture below is of the stove right before I rebuilt it.
![[Hearth.com] Polishing the old Defiant.](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/100_6976-webp.201719/ "[Hearth.com] Polishing the old Defiant.")
I will see what it does this year. It has cooled off this week, seems winter is trying to grab hold of us here but not quite yet.
I looked at options and didn't want to paint it. I just didn't really want the layers of paint over the cast iron. We had never used the polish and reading about it sounded like a good option. The liquid polish goes on very thin and gets in the cracks then you rub/buff it off like waxing a car.
Currently undertaking major renovations in the old house. My family has been in the house for about 46 years. My father and step mother lived there and dad got sick and we figured out it was diabetes at about the age of 70. He is the only one we know in our family that has ever had it. Long story short the stove didn't get used for a few years.
The stove was well take care of most all of its life. But you can see what just a few years of sitting does. It is very humid down in the river valley where the house sits. About 700 feet from the river so mildew and moisture can take its tole if you don't stay on it. The picture below is of the stove right before I rebuilt it.
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This is right after I rebuilt it. It took me a good while to get it really cleaned up. Not a real fun job but feels good seeing (and feeling) the results.
From what I have learned by reading on this forum it is believed that ash buildup behind the fireback is what typically causes the fireback to crack. Mine did have buildup behind the fireback when I took it apart. It is hard to clean back behind it all the way down to the bottom.
From what I have learned by reading on this forum it is believed that ash buildup behind the fireback is what typically causes the fireback to crack. Mine did have buildup behind the fireback when I took it apart. It is hard to clean back behind it all the way down to the bottom.
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Sully1515
Member
kybishop,
Your Defiant looks great. I've seen posts here indicating the polish finish degrades quickly. Please keep us posted
as to how your stove finish looks after you have used the stove a bit.
Thanks,
STJP
Your Defiant looks great. I've seen posts here indicating the polish finish degrades quickly. Please keep us posted
as to how your stove finish looks after you have used the stove a bit.
Thanks,
STJP
Thanks, I appreciate it.
I put one coat of polish on at the beginning of last season and ran it through the winter. We run the stove hot enough that it basically has no smoke coming from the chimney. About 300 degrees 6' up the pipe. It looked pretty much the same at the end of last season, come spring. I didn't notice any degrading in the finish. We typically run it from November through to February and sometimes into March depending on the season here in central Kentucky. Maybe sometimes start in October if it gets that cold.
The coat I just put on was the second. Didn't appear like it really needed it much but I wanted to apply a second coat for this season. Pretty much still looks the same so far.
I kind of enjoy the application. I don't like painting at all, like painting a house kind of application. All the taping, masking and sanding etc. One of my least favorite part of renovations. But I do enjoy applying things like teak oil to the teak wood on your boat. Boot oil on your boots each season. Gun oil to a clean gun. Linseed oil to wood even if it is more often than a varnish which I tend to not like at all. This polish application somewhat reminds me of those sort of things. Even the smell of it going on I tend to enjoy like those other things.
I may just be weird that way...
I put one coat of polish on at the beginning of last season and ran it through the winter. We run the stove hot enough that it basically has no smoke coming from the chimney. About 300 degrees 6' up the pipe. It looked pretty much the same at the end of last season, come spring. I didn't notice any degrading in the finish. We typically run it from November through to February and sometimes into March depending on the season here in central Kentucky. Maybe sometimes start in October if it gets that cold.
The coat I just put on was the second. Didn't appear like it really needed it much but I wanted to apply a second coat for this season. Pretty much still looks the same so far.
I kind of enjoy the application. I don't like painting at all, like painting a house kind of application. All the taping, masking and sanding etc. One of my least favorite part of renovations. But I do enjoy applying things like teak oil to the teak wood on your boat. Boot oil on your boots each season. Gun oil to a clean gun. Linseed oil to wood even if it is more often than a varnish which I tend to not like at all. This polish application somewhat reminds me of those sort of things. Even the smell of it going on I tend to enjoy like those other things.
I may just be weird that way...
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