Making Coal Stove

Ok so their are many stove manufactures out there I know. And the best stoves were made in late 1800 and early 1900. I think the Chubby Coal stove was made around 1970??? I have been burning coal for approx 4 or 5 years now. I am still a green horn. I know. I would like to take the challenge and build a 3 stage base burner anthracite stove. Control the flu gases from the top, middle, or bottom. Depending on stage of fire, atmospheric pressure, and temperature needed. Has any one here done this before? I know of a foundry that will do small scale casts in Nova Scotia. Are their any others? Also would need to know where I can get nickel plating done. I think I would like nickel in stead of chrome. Anyone know if chrome can withstand the heat of a stove? This is just an experiment. Plan on making wooden stove model this summer / fall. Will post pictures during progress. Any one know what type of wood I should use for my model? Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Hi,I think your idea is very good. Since I modified my Vigilant 11, it is like a completly different stove. I don't really know what made a so big differene but it works. I wonder if the size of the fire chamber is the reason for a so efficient burn. I go from 12 Hrs to 12 Hrs without toutching anything except adding never more than 12 pound max. of anthracite and empty/shaking after 24 Hrs. The question I still have is this: when I close the internal damper, the gases have to go down to the right and left sides in channels then to the back bottom of the stove where both sides meet. From the rear bottom of that chamber the gazes have to go up in a kind of Z path and finally out of the stove to the pipe. That long path seems to be a sort of copy of a base burner. OK why all that? If the stove you are planning to build should be easy to build, I think a model near that concept could be very easy to realize. Then the final look depends of you... If not already done, you can see a short video I did with my daughter at Handfired coal stove...A different Vigilant II coal stove.
Now, I'm planning to make a wood kit, easy to instal and easy to remove. The idea is to bring combustion air to the top for primary burn and air to the right and left top where the gases go out of the burning chamber...
Good luck
Nortcan, Qc

nortcan wrote:The question I still have is this: when I close the internal damper, the gases have to go down to the right and left sides in channels then to the back bottom of the stove where both sides meet. From the rear bottom of that chamber the gazes have to go up in a kind of Z path and finally out of the stove to the pipe. That long path seems to be a sort of copy of a base burner. OK why all that?

Channeling the hot gases all that way brings them in contact with a lot more surface area of the stove, so they can heat the metal and therefore heat your room. If the internal damper is open, the hot gas just goes up the chimney and warms the polar bears, who would rather not.

nortcan wrote:The idea is to bring combustion air to the top for primary burn and air to the right and left top where the gases go out of the burning chamber...

The best of modern wood stoves supply very hot secondary air usually through a hollow baffle that has been heated by the fire. Look at some in a stove store to get some ideas. Once up to heat these stoves are almost smokeless even with a long burn.

I have been day dreaming about starting up a stove company for many years. Just making a few stoves a year as something to do in retirement. Since I don't have any money in the bank, retirement is a long way off yet. I would recommend doing a thorough research on Base Burners. They had them that recirculated the gas from the coal to burn it completely, had them that had hot air tubes to heat by both radiation and circulation. Some had duct collars to direct heated air to upstairs rooms if you wanted to do that. Some had attachments for outside combustion air and some had all of those attachments in the same unit. Most were strictly hard coal burners but a few were designed for dual fuel use like my Glenwood Base Burner. These stoves were about the only truly successful dual fuel stoves ever designed. You have a wood grate that slips over the coal grate to correct the air flow for wood burning.
Crome will discolor when exposed to heat. Nickel is the way to go.

So I have been doing some research. This is a design I Have come up with for now. I have also tried bending my metal a few different ways to make the sides. This is a trial and error thing. So I am hoping to get this right the first time this is why I have taken so long to get this far. Any thoughts or suggestions on my plan?

I think you have a great idea. Best of luck. If you need a tube bent to order, maybe you could get some boiler tube of the diameter you want and have it bent to shape. Sort of like they do in a muffler shop.

rsck wrote:Ok so their are many stove manufactures out there I know. And the best stoves were made in late 1800 and early 1900. I think the Chubby Coal stove was made around 1970??? I have been burning coal for approx 4 or 5 years now. I am still a green horn. I know. I would like to take the challenge and build a 3 stage base burner anthracite stove. Control the flu gases from the top, middle, or bottom. Depending on stage of fire, atmospheric pressure, and temperature needed. Has any one here done this before? I know of a foundry that will do small scale casts in Nova Scotia. Are their any others? Also would need to know where I can get nickel plating done. I think I would like nickel in stead of chrome. Anyone know if chrome can withstand the heat of a stove? This is just an experiment. Plan on making wooden stove model this summer / fall. Will post pictures during progress. Any one know what type of wood I should use for my model? Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

There are numerous small foundries. Where are you located? If I were you, I'd forgo the nickel plating especially if it's just an experiment. It's pretty expensive. Traditionally it's all nickel plating - not chrome. You'd do better to not use it on a finished design also, it adds a lot to the cost...

You can use just about any wood for the molds if wood is what you want to use. You can also use wood-epoxy composite construction which is a lot faster to work with and is a better end product. I'd suggest you find a couple foundries that are willing to work with you first, then pick one that you feel best about. Then talk with them about the mold making. They will know a lot. Go look at their molds and see how they are set up. You also have to decide what kind of casting process you want to do. Traditionally it was done as sand castings, but that doesn't mean you have to stick to that. Depending upon what your final design ends up being, larger parts are going to still be easier to cast using sand casting.

I think a more economical and still robust design would use cast iron in the fire box region, but fabricated steel for the majority of the stove.

dj

I am located in the Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada region. I am close to Maine USA, PEI, Quebec, and Nova Scotia.

rsck wrote:I am located in the Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada region. I am close to Maine USA, PEI, Quebec, and Nova Scotia.

There is Auburn foundry in Maine:

http://auburnstovefoundry.com/

I don't know these folk, but they are mentioned on here from time to time. I have no idea if they are closer to you than the one in Nova Scotia. You may need to talk with them both and see how it could work out between you.

How are your CAD skills?

dj

I have spoken to the guys at Auburn stove and they seem to be pretty accomodating. They are in New Glouchester, Maine. and they have allot of old patterns. For instance they might have a firepot pattern for a starter.

Regarding the chrome versus nickel plating, Modern decorative nickel plating is usually a combination of the two. The piece is nickeled for smoothness and flashed with a very thin chrome for durability. Sometimes they even start with copper depending on the surface of the piece. Just a little FYI since I slaved at my late Uncle's plating shop as a youngster every summer!

I'm with DJ on the cast in the firepot area too, with plate for the radiating surfaces.

RSK, I had my nickel plating from Chrome Black Lake in Thetford Mines Qc Very nice peoples. Like someone said here, keep the nickel for the finished product $$$$for a prototype. Maybe you could use some sort of ""chrome"" spray paint just to see the look on certain parts of the stove before the last $$$ finition. On my Golden Bride I put aluminium foil over the parts I wanted nickeled to see how it would looks when done. It gives a very good idea of the final look and the matching with the black other parts.
Good luck with the project and keep on sendind infos/photos
nortcan

I finally had some time this week to bend some tubing and spot welded my pieces for my sides. My sliding Bessey clamp is not big enough for me to bring in the center. Off to welding supply store to get a bigger one next week. I would like to get sides done and top and bottom plates welded in before the end of September if I have time so I can make my mold for the foundry to cast me a door. This stove is going to heat my house this winter. Think that will be best way to try it out.

I can't follow the design but I wish you success. The only suggestion I would make is do not do anything expensive at this point like nickle plating. You really have to consider the stove as a first effort in which you will learn a lot. Almost surely once you get it together and working you will find things that you wish were a little different, especially since you are not just copying an existing design but have some radical ideas of your own. Little tweaks here and there that once working as you want can be applied to the second and final stove.

franco b wrote:I can't follow the design but I wish you success. The only suggestion I would make is do not do anything expensive at this point like nickle plating. You really have to consider the stove as a first effort in which you will learn a lot. Almost surely once you get it together and working you will find things that you wish were a little different, especially since you are not just copying an existing design but have some radical ideas of your own. Little tweaks here and there that once working as you want can be applied to the second and final stove.

Good advise Franco. Might as well leave the cosmetics for last. Until you really have what you're looking for.