Fuller and Warren Stove

wsherrick · Post by **wsherrick** » Sat. Sep. 17, 2011 5:27 pm

PC 12-47E wrote:My Fuller & Warren Base Burner has lots of nickel trim and foot rails. With Williams help this Base Burner will be heating our old farm house. This Fuller & Warren BB is a model #14 Art Stewart.

This design is just like the Our Glenwood series, with the insulated, suspended fire pot. With a 14 inch fire pot. The stove should hold about 40-45 pounds of coal. I just tested my new Glenwood No 9 and it exceeded by far my already high expectations for it. If you make sure that everything is tight and correct with the Art Stewart, You will soon be raving about it as well.

wsherrick · Post by **wsherrick** » Sat. Sep. 17, 2011 5:58 pm

Body Hammer wrote:I would love to see one in full operating mode. Do they put out more heat than a modern type stove? (hitzer,harmon,etc) Are they as efficient? I really like the old style look. Seems to be a lot more parts and maintainence involved with one though. I guess that's where the true love of coal burning comes in.
Speaking of heat; I was tempted this morning.(38 here at 6:00). But I'm going to go for the ONE MATCH club this season. So it's too early. I'd end up with my windows open all through Oct.

The Base Heaters are extremely easy to operate and maintain. All the parts and maintainence comes from people finding them in an unrestored state. After a Century of abuse and neglect some of them need a lot of TLC. After the restoration is done you have a stove that is as beautiful as it is efficient. These stoves once restored and properly used will last a life time. Look how long they have lasted already.

forgegirl · Post by **forgegirl** » Tue. Sep. 20, 2011 2:09 pm

Hello all-

I am the new owner of an old cast iron stove, made by the Fuller & Warren Co. (I found your website while searching the web about this old stove.) I was hoping it was a coal burner, but after reading these posts I'm guessing mine is a wood burner as it does not have a base-burner chimney.

So...now I'm wondering if any of you have any idea where I can find a photo/image of my model stove. It's a Matchless Oak 90, and it's in terrible disarray......I actually saved it from the landfill! I do know it's missing the finial and I would love to know what it looked like. I have some (maybe all) of the nickel plated pieces, although the nickel is long gone except for just a few places where it hasn't peeled all the way off yet. It's still in pieces...just took it off the truck this morning.

Well- I guess I should have introduced myself first; how rude of me. I am an artist/metalsmith; I do some blacksmithing work (I have a coal forge), and I cast aluminum and bronze. (And I cast iron too..my favorite place to visit is Sloss Furnaces in Alabama..haha!) I also make small jewelry pieces in steel, bronze, and silver. Hmm....maybe I should just cast a 'fantasy" finial for the top of the stove. Shew...it needs a lot of work!

Well- just wanted to say hello. Hope y'all are having a great day!
Peace,
Forgegirl

wsherrick · Post by **wsherrick** » Tue. Sep. 20, 2011 4:04 pm

forgegirl wrote:Hello all-

I am the new owner of an old cast iron stove, made by the Fuller & Warren Co. (I found your website while searching the web about this old stove.) I was hoping it was a coal burner, but after reading these posts I'm guessing mine is a wood burner as it does not have a base-burner chimney.

So...now I'm wondering if any of you have any idea where I can find a photo/image of my model stove. It's a Matchless Oak 90, and it's in terrible disarray......I actually saved it from the landfill! I do know it's missing the finial and I would love to know what it looked like. I have some (maybe all) of the nickel plated pieces, although the nickel is long gone except for just a few places where it hasn't peeled all the way off yet. It's still in pieces...just took it off the truck this morning.

Well- I guess I should have introduced myself first; how rude of me. I am an artist/metalsmith; I do some blacksmithing work (I have a coal forge), and I cast aluminum and bronze. (And I cast iron too..my favorite place to visit is Sloss Furnaces in Alabama..haha!) I also make small jewelry pieces in steel, bronze, and silver. Hmm....maybe I should just cast a 'fantasy" finial for the top of the stove. Shew...it needs a lot of work!

Well- just wanted to say hello. Hope y'all are having a great day!

Your stove is most likely a dual fuel stove. Most oak style stoves are meant to be dual fueled. It depends upon the grate set up. If the stove is complete I suggest you send it out have it proffessionally restored.
Peace,
Forgegirl

forgegirl · Post by **forgegirl** » Wed. Sep. 21, 2011 9:50 pm

Thank you wsherrick for your reply...I have never even heard of a duel fuel stove! (Just like my father used to say: "You learn something new everyday.") I will see what happens with the grate placement when I put her all together. Gosh I'd love to have her restored, but am thinking that would cost a pretty penny. I will keep my eyes open for a finial, but I may just get a wild hair and cast a fun one for her....
Thanks again, and Peace to you-

dlj · Post by **dlj** » Wed. Sep. 21, 2011 10:32 pm

forgegirl wrote:Thank you wsherrick for your reply...I have never even heard of a duel fuel stove! (Just like my father used to say: "You learn something new everyday.") I will see what happens with the grate placement when I put her all together. Gosh I'd love to have her restored, but am thinking that would cost a pretty penny. I will keep my eyes open for a finial, but I may just get a wild hair and cast a fun one for her....
Thanks again, and Peace to you-

Forgegirl - Add in some photos of your stove. Make sure you take pictures of the grates also. I run a duel fuel stove also, wood or coal. I used to run all wood but have learned the ways of coal...

Where do you do your metal work?

dj

forgegirl · Post by **forgegirl** » Wed. Sep. 21, 2011 11:02 pm

Hey there dj-

I will post pictures when I can....I'll take pics of the pieces and parts. The whole story is I actually saved two stoves from the landfill...one is a tiny 'laundry' stove (wood burner I'm guessing) and the other is the very cool Matchless Oak. So I have lots of pieces and haven't put the puzzles together yet....but I will soon.

I have a tiny studio in my backyard where I make my small jewelry and I cast in a centrifugal caster there. I sometimes am able to lurk about the Art Dept at our local University and the sculpture class where there is a good size foundry for casting bronze and aluminum. The professor built his own cupola for casting iron and they host an iron pour (which is a very cool thing to see!) each semester. So I can usually make larger cast pieces there. I then I have a 'smithy' in my barn with a coal forge, etc. So really I just like to goof around making stuff out of metal.

Looking forward to reading more and learning more from this group....
Thanks and Peace to you-

stovehospital · Post by **stovehospital** » Thu. Sep. 22, 2011 6:53 am

I'm doing a Champion Oak right now. There is a large nickel trim ring around the middle. It does not bolt on but hangs from 4 small tabs around the inner ring and bolts together to stay in place. Most have bolt holes or hooks but these don't. Not the best attachment but the ring is only decorative. DO NOT USE the stove without a brick liner or you will crack the firepot.

forgegirl · Post by **forgegirl** » Thu. Sep. 22, 2011 7:33 am

Good morning stovehospital-

What a small world....I found your website last night after writing my last reply on this forum, and I bookmarked it! I was going to email you today and ask if you knew anything about my stove, the finial design, etc.

This Matchless Oak does indeed have that beautiful skirt, although the nickel is long gone, and there is a crack in it. I figured I could have that welded back together by someone who welds cast iron better than I do. I was a basket case moving the stove as my 'helper' was not concerned about the crack (!) and I do know how brittle cast iron can be. The skirt (is that the correct term even?) is still in one piece, but the crack is all the way through...

Thank you for telling me about the brick liner...there is not one in there now...at least I don't think so, and I'm not sure the previous owners even used a liner. As I said, I saved her from the landfill at the last minute, so it was a quick move to say the least. I won't have time to even go look at all the pieces again till this week-end. I'll take pictures then and post.

So a brick liner; (here's a dumb question) do you mean fire brick like what lines my propane forge and is block shaped like a brick? Is there such a thing as 'round/curved' brick? This stove is round, so I'm just wondering how to fit square bricks into it. I read on another post about using a castable refractory cement to line the stove. Good idea? (That post is under 'Splendid Oak' ) in this Forum....

Anyway, I know I have a lot to learn about her! So exciting! I have always been attracted to things from bygone days; from cars to furniture, appliances to clothes. Shoot- even my house is almost 100 years old now.

Thanks again so much for your knowledge/help!
Peace to you-

SteveZee · Post by **SteveZee** » Thu. Sep. 22, 2011 7:50 am

Yes that's what he means Forgegirl. A refractory lining in the firepot. Some have shaped bricks and other's you use a refractory "clay" with silicates embedded into it. You grab a handfull and pound it with a mallet. I used to reline the firebox on my Glenwood range and to patch rounded bricks on my Star Herald. I've enclose a couple pictures for reference.

nortcan · Post by **nortcan** » Thu. Sep. 22, 2011 12:45 pm

Nice results Steve.

dlj · Post by **dlj** » Thu. Sep. 22, 2011 9:30 pm

forgegirl wrote: I have a tiny studio in my backyard where I make my small jewelry and I cast in a centrifugal caster there. I sometimes am able to lurk about the Art Dept at our local University and the sculpture class where there is a good size foundry for casting bronze and aluminum. The professor built his own cupola for casting iron and they host an iron pour (which is a very cool thing to see!) each semester. So I can usually make larger cast pieces there. I then I have a 'smithy' in my barn with a coal forge, etc. So really I just like to goof around making stuff out of metal.

I've seen lots of pours... We have a foundry where I work. The most spectacular foundry accident I ever saw was at a huge steel mill in Gary, Indiana. Don't know if you know what continuos casting means. Essentially they have this huge crucible way up high (like two or three stories up) that they fill with molten metal. (They can keep feeding it as it goes, so it can go a long time without stopping.) At the bottom it pours out at a controlled rate so the outside freezes containing the liquid middle. It makes it's way down to the floor in a long arc ending up finally solid and cut into lengths or fed into a rolling mill... Anyway, this was a number of years ago when the technology was still pretty new and mills needed to work out a lot of bugs. This one pour they got the feed too fast. The ingot broke through the bottom wall allowing the liquid metal inside to start pouring out. There ended up being a "shower" of molten metal from two stories up... They must have "rained" out several thousand pounds of molten metal before they got it stopped...It was amazing no one got hurt. I wish I had photos...

Have fun with your stove. I wonder if the cast-able refractory would work for your stove. Ask Emery from the stove hospital. He'll know...

dj

NYfireman · Post by **NYfireman** » Fri. Sep. 30, 2011 6:47 pm

Body Hammer wrote:I know nothing about these old stoves. But when I enlarge the top pic, I can clearly see mounting tabs on that cast ring, and holes in the base. All appear to be for mounting the trim pieces mentioned earlier.

My apologies to all, esp. Body Hammer who has beat me at what is usually my forte--detail--and apologies to William, as well! It's pretty bad when you have the same Champion Oak (except for base burner assembly) and you can't recognize its parts on the computer screen. The stove pictured by the original post-er is in fact missing its nickel top and bottom rings. I might be able to excuse myself by saying that my reading glasses were dirty and I certainly didn't zoom the photos. Stove Hospital is also correct (of course!) about the tabs that the large chrome ring bolts to.
I have just taken the rings off of mine to clean and polish the cast iron. My nickel is also pretty well gone, as is forgegirl's. (Can anyone recommend a plater in the Northeast? Probably couldn't afford, but wouldn't hurt to ask.)
Per the discussion on a refractory lining, mine has none--there's not even a vestige of refractory cement, the firepot looks almost new except for some slight surface rust, as do the prismatic grates. I wonder how much the stove was used, as even the sheet steel barrel shines. I guess I will follow SteveZee's recommendation on refractory clay if I can find it.
Lastly, there is a plate in the back of the base of my Champion Oak that would be removed to attach the base burner base and pipe, which would make it identical to the stove in the original post. Instead, on mine there is a cast elbow with a check damper at top. The stove was probably originally outfitted as a dual fuel stove. If anyone has anyone suggestions on how to find/fabricate the base burner base, pipe and damper assembly, they would be much appreciated...I would certainly like to make miine a base burner as I need no convincing as to their superior heating ability and the wind blows hard and cold down the Champlain Valley in the Winter!

wsherrick · Post by **wsherrick** » Fri. Sep. 30, 2011 8:52 pm

NYfireman wrote:
Body Hammer wrote:I know nothing about these old stoves. But when I enlarge the top pic, I can clearly see mounting tabs on that cast ring, and holes in the base. All appear to be for mounting the trim pieces mentioned earlier.
My apologies to all, esp. Body Hammer who has beat me at what is usually my forte--detail--and apologies to William, as well! It's pretty bad when you have the same Champion Oak (except for base burner assembly) and you can't recognize its parts on the computer screen. The stove pictured by the original post-er is in fact missing its nickel top and bottom rings. I might be able to excuse myself by saying that my reading glasses were dirty and I certainly didn't zoom the photos. Stove Hospital is also correct (of course!) about the tabs that the large chrome ring bolts to.
I have just taken the rings off of mine to clean and polish the cast iron. My nickel is also pretty well gone, as is forgegirl's. (Can anyone recommend a plater in the Northeast? Probably couldn't afford, but wouldn't hurt to ask.)
Per the discussion on a refractory lining, mine has none--there's not even a vestige of refractory cement, the firepot looks almost new except for some slight surface rust, as do the prismatic grates. I wonder how much the stove was used, as even the sheet steel barrel shines. I guess I will follow SteveZee's recommendation on refractory clay if I can find it.
Lastly, there is a plate in the back of the base of my Champion Oak that would be removed to attach the base burner base and pipe, which would make it identical to the stove in the original post. Instead, on mine there is a cast elbow with a check damper at top. The stove was probably originally outfitted as a dual fuel stove. If anyone has anyone suggestions on how to find/fabricate the base burner base, pipe and damper assembly, they would be much appreciated...I would certainly like to make miine a base burner as I need no convincing as to their superior heating ability and the wind blows hard and cold down the Champlain Valley in the Winter!

You want to restore that indirect back pipe if you can. It might be hard to find one. As a wood burner the stove works better in direct draft. The indirect back pipe makes a huge difference when burning coal however. You don't have to have the back pipe to burn coal though. Don't let the lack of it stop you from restoring the stove. There is another person here who has a Glenwood 118 which needs its back pipe. If you find out where to get one or have one fabricated please share.

SteveZee · Post by **SteveZee** » Sat. Oct. 01, 2011 8:57 am

NYFireman,

The silicated clay refractory is great stuff and fairly easy to work with too. I got a 50lb box from The Love Barn right near Bucksport, Me. http://www.antiquecookstove.com/contact.asp Mark McLead is the owner and could probably hook you up but our buddy Emery, of the http://stovehospital.com/ is your man. He get the stuff by the ton and will hook you right up.

I used a rubber mallet to do mine with a machinist ball peen hammer for the corners etc.. Once you get it all pounded into a good looking lining, take an old sponge like the ones with the green scotch bright, wet it and rub the surface down a bit to smooth it out. The smoother the better for best ash dispersal.

Fuller and Warren Stove

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