Is my old stove still safe to use?

I have just started using an old antique coal stove in our kitchen- a Bungalow 118 manufactured by the Birmingham Stove and Range Company. I am cleaning it out today and notice that there appears to be some "cement" or mortar missing from some of the spaces between the iron plates that are connected inside the stove. How crucial is this mortar to safe operation of the stove? If so, what type of material do I use to replace the missing "cement"?
Background: I have had successful burns day and night with the stove for the past 5 days thanks to the info on this forum provided by Devil 505 on firelighting, shaking, and raking. The missing "cement" doesn't seem to cause any problems with the fire. I am also applying stove polish today to get the unit spruced up for the holidays before I refire.

-Novicecoaler

Probably just some Furnace Cement rated like 1000 degrees by Rutland.

http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/%28s2p ... GoogleBase

Thank you WNY. I missed this product when I was picking up up a stove pipe magnetic thermometer and stove polish. Luckily we have this type of Hardware store still in existence-- I don't believe the "big ones" carry this stuff

They also come in a handy tube for your caulking gun .....

I have just started using an old antique coal stove in our kitchen- a Bungalow 118 manufactured by the Birmingham Stove and Range Company.

Pictures please, we love pictures here.

Happy New Year, Wood'nCoal! I just posted a picture of my coal stove as my avitar. It took me a while to figure this out, so hopefully this is what you want. The biggest drawback to this old stove is that the ashes have to be shovelled out of the base, and you can imagine how much dust this creates around the house, but the heat is worth it- especially with the below normal temperatures we have been experiencing. Cheers

Novicecoaler wrote: The biggest drawback to this old stove is that the ashes have to be shovelled out of the base, and you can imagine how much dust this creates around the house:D

If you have a shop vacuum you can have it hovering over the ashpan and it will catch a lot of the flyash ash as you shovel. You're not vacuuming up hot coals, just drifting flyash which has nothing left to burn. That being the case I don't worry about setting my shop vac on fire. Make sure you have a "drywall dust" bag in the vac, too. I also noticed that flyash was escaping when I started the vac up so I put a piece of air conditioner filter over the output air outlet. It stopped that source of flyash. I've really cut the amount of flyash being released into my house. Take care, Lisa

Thanks for the advice, Lisa. I took time to view a video that was posted on the forum of how one person does this with his shop vac. I also watched another video that shows an air purifier/ filter running on top of the container into which the fly ash is deposited. Hopefully, whatever I chose (maybe will try both) will cut down on the number of times the house needs to be dusted
Bert

I have restored a few cookstoves. I have seen many stoves missing grates or with grates that looked like partially melted cheese. I generally advise people to just burn wood in them. It is harder for a wood fire in the small firebox to get hot enough for long enough to do the kind of damage that can happen when coal combustion is unrestrained. The material you describe is undoubetedly part of a molded heat shield. You can repair it by cleaning up the piece and plastering with refractory cement. Refractory cement is the substance from which firebrick is made.

Novicecoaler wrote:.... The biggest drawback to this old stove is that the ashes have to be shovelled out of the base, ...

Why not make an removable ash pan for it? That is what I did when my old VC pan wore out. this shows how http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to ... index.html That is exactly how I made mine. Don't even need a brake, just use a couple of boards, and clamps, hammer the edges over. A hole in one side to hook into to pull it out and you are all set. Make a paper template to get it the right size. Local metal shop, or hardware store should be able to cut you a piece of sheet the right size. Keeps the dust down.

This was very useful I also bought an old coal stove it is an Efel Ambassador 420 and it needs to be recemented it keeps loosing old cement. I am just not sure how to dismantle the outside to get to the cast iron and it also has to clean out doors on the sides of the cast iron also another reason to take it apart does any one know how to take this stove apart? I love this coal stove it has an automatic feeding hopper no electricity needed so if the power goes out I know when I get home my house will be warm. I bought it last January and it heated my home which is 2194 sq feet.

Fs, post some close up pix of the stove & I'm sure you'll get some feed back