Resolute 1 flue collar

[72Rover]

Long time, no post....

After 35 years of trusty service - and about 80 cords of wood - I noticed a crack in the reversible flue collar on my Resolute "1979". It was purchased in November of 1980. I've had trouble finding a replacement on line, though one for the Acclaim version is available, I don't think that will work; this is the two-hole collar, 0042 version. While I can weld steel, the idiosyncracies of cast iron are beyond my skill set, so I might have to find a blacksmith if I can't locate a replacement.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Cheers

 

[DAKSY]

Go here:

(broken link removed)

Call the number to see if they can locate your flue collar...

 

[72Rover]

Thanks. While their site illustrates the part, they said it was the dreaded "NLA". Dropped by a welding shop that has been in business for over a century, figuring they were maybe the only ones in town willing to deal with welding cast iron...which turned out to be pretty much the case. All the blacksmiths and ironmongers I contacted only did flatstock (railings, fences, etc.) or decorative iron work. Didn't bother calling any farriers....

Cheers

 

[DAKSY]

Oh, well.... A GOOD welder can repair cast iron if he knows his stuff.
Good luck!

 

[DougA]

I'd keep my eye on CL for a real cheap used one. Some people tossing them out for scrap value.
In the meantime, why not just push some refractory cement into the crack?

 

[72Rover]

Oh, well.... A GOOD welder can repair cast iron if he knows his stuff.
Good luck!

One of the best college courses I ever took was two semesters of welding. (It was a 400 level course intended for engineering majors.) Started off with gas, moved on to stick, then MIG and TIG. Got to be pretty good...but they never taught any techniques needed to prevent subsequent stress cracks for cast iron. From textbooks, I learned *how* to do it but never actually did it. A whole lot more workpiece heating before and annealing afterwards is required to avoid stress cracking.

So, I think I have found the only guy in town who can do it. The business is over a century old. The old guy knows his stuff....

BTW, why is it so difficult to get ahold of any human at Vermont Castings? None of their website pages has a "contact us" button - or phone number. I purchased the stove at their Randolph, VT storefront in 1980 - so I used 411.com to get the number. 802-234-2300 if interested, but then you get into an automated system....

Cheers

 

[DAKSY]

In 1980, the original founders/owners still had control of the company.
It's been sold at LEAST 3 times since then. Product continuity has been
lost. We ordered a piece of PyroCeram from them a couple of years ago
& ended up with a cast iron door...