As I have mentioned before, I have a Vigilant fetish. I have been experimenting with some more welding on the fireback on my beloved stove, which led me, as it often does to perusing marketplace and craigslist for a parts stove with a 2 piece back.
I found this sweetheart of a stove 3 hours from me, made arrangements, agreed on a price of 500 and a half gallon of syrup. Made it there by 8am and back home by 11:30, I decided even though it looked perfect I needed to knock it apart and redo all the joints and get in and see for myself before putting it into service. Its just too nice to cannibalize. I managed to get everything out of the inside and get all the tie rods out without single broken bolt. Except for the air passage in the back which had a 12/82 date and one leg which is somewhere in 84’ all the castings are between 10/83 and 12/83. By 4:00 this afternoon I had it all glued together and the innards all back in. I left it to set up overnight and tomorrow I will wire wheel the excess off and paint it. For now I will leave the cast door inserts in, but I am going to get glass for it. I am very excited, this one is in really nice shape. I don’t believe it saw much use at all and appears to have never been apart before.
I should have taken pictures all apart, but I never remember to.
![[Hearth.com] Today’s haul](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_4513-webp.325005/ "[Hearth.com] Today’s haul")
![[Hearth.com] Today’s haul](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_4514-webp.325006/ "[Hearth.com] Today’s haul")
![[Hearth.com] Today’s haul](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_4515-webp.325007/ "[Hearth.com] Today’s haul")
![[Hearth.com] Today’s haul](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_4519-webp.325008/ "[Hearth.com] Today’s haul")
![[Hearth.com] Today’s haul](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_4517-webp.325009/ "[Hearth.com] Today’s haul")
![[Hearth.com] Today’s haul](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_4520-webp.325010/ "[Hearth.com] Today’s haul")
![[Hearth.com] Today’s haul](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_4521-webp.325011/ "[Hearth.com] Today’s haul")
![[Hearth.com] Today’s haul](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_4522-webp.325012/ "[Hearth.com] Today’s haul")
![[Hearth.com] Today’s haul](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_4523-webp.325013/ "[Hearth.com] Today’s haul")
I found this sweetheart of a stove 3 hours from me, made arrangements, agreed on a price of 500 and a half gallon of syrup. Made it there by 8am and back home by 11:30, I decided even though it looked perfect I needed to knock it apart and redo all the joints and get in and see for myself before putting it into service. Its just too nice to cannibalize. I managed to get everything out of the inside and get all the tie rods out without single broken bolt. Except for the air passage in the back which had a 12/82 date and one leg which is somewhere in 84’ all the castings are between 10/83 and 12/83. By 4:00 this afternoon I had it all glued together and the innards all back in. I left it to set up overnight and tomorrow I will wire wheel the excess off and paint it. For now I will leave the cast door inserts in, but I am going to get glass for it. I am very excited, this one is in really nice shape. I don’t believe it saw much use at all and appears to have never been apart before.
I should have taken pictures all apart, but I never remember to.
