Bringing new life to my new Gem Dockash stove

Well, you are off and running. The stove looks great with a fire in it.

wsherrick wrote:Well, you are off and running. The stove looks great with a fire in it.

Thank you William, I am happy with the way she turned out. I do have a question for you...if I start out with a full fresh load of coal when starting a new fire, I can get a 12 hr burn time. Then the next load I shake it down and usually can only get a scuttle full of coal in it. Then after that, I usually only get about 8-9 hours burn time because the original coal that was in there was already almost spent. Is this normal? I know I won't get the long burn times like a baseburner but was hoping for that 12 hr burn time. I only have the primary air just cracked open and the stove temp usually runs around 350°

Randy

Very nice stove! Is mica made from just one piece or many small ones?
About you burning time, I have the same thing arriving with the G.B. if I don't shake it enough, so there is less space left for the full refill. What I do is to dump just a few pounds of anth on the fire, wait a few minutes(2 or3), then shake it down. When you get used to your stove, you know when the shaking is correct and gives you the space for the fuel needed for a 12Hrs burn. The G.B. has a 9" Diam. only so the space for the fuel is important for a 12 Hrs + burn time.

nortcan wrote:Very nice stove! Is mica made from just one piece or many small ones?
About you burning time, I have the same thing arriving with the G.B. if I don't shake it enough, so there is less space left for the full refill. What I do is to dump just a few pounds of anth on the fire, wait a few minutes(2 or3), then shake it down. When you get used to your stove, you know when the shaking is correct and gives you the space for the fuel needed for a 12Hrs burn. The G.B. has a 9" Diam. only so the space for the fuel is important for a 12 Hrs + burn time.

Hello my neighbor to the North. The mica is individual pieces as I could not find 12"X12" pieces...It would have been a lot easier to replace though if it was one piece. I have been shaking the stove until hot embers come down and I can see the color through the grates of the fire. It looks like today I will easily get more than 12 hr burn time because the temps are warmer today and have just been idling the stove. I have also noticed there has been some bridging of the coals and it does not always fall down into the pot after shaking. I have found a quick poke with the poker took care of that and I have more room for coal. I think I am starting to get the hang of it, I am sure it will just take some more time. I have never burned coal before, always just wood so the learning curve is not just getting use to the stove but also getting use to burning coal. I have to thank everyone on this forum for all the help and encouragement they have given me!

Randy

Randy, what is the fire pot's diameter of the stove? A good thing about small mica is the price, smaller is cheaper and a 12" X 12" would cost a lot of $$$.
Good luck with your nice stove and keep on sending photos.
Salutations to you down there from the North

nortcan wrote:Randy, what is the fire pot's diameter of the stove? A good thing about small mica is the price, smaller is cheaper and a 12" X 12" would cost a lot of $$$.
Good luck with your nice stove and keep on sending photos.
Salutations to you down there from the North

The top of the pot is 18" but tapers down to 16" so I guess they call that a 16" pot? I did line it so it is smaller than that now.
You are correct about the mica sheets, they do get more expensive the bigger they get. I bought the 6"X6" size as that seemed to be the popular size and was reasonable.
So far the only thing I do not like about the design of this stove is the primary air intake control. You have to turn this nob that opens the port. The screw mechanism looks like a cork screw and is very difficult to make minute changes. When you turn that nob even a little bit can make a major change in the air intake. It would have been better to have had a finer screw mechanism for better control of the air intake. I will upload a photo of that mechanism soon so you can see what I am talking about.

Could it be possible to put a rope gasket (small one with silicone cement to hold it in place on the stove's side) between the stove and the air intake cover, but not covering the entire surface around the back of the cover so just an opening would bring just a little amount of air to the stove? Maybe start with ???supposed 75% covered and if not enough air, just cut and remove more gasketting to admit more air??????? As you see I love rope gasket

nortcan wrote:Could it be possible to put a rope gasket (small one with silicone cement to hold it in place on the stove's side) between the stove and the air intake cover, but not covering the entire surface around the back of the cover so just an opening would bring just a little amount of air to the stove? Maybe start with ???supposed 75% covered and if not enough air, just cut and remove more gasketting to admit more air??????? As you see I love rope gasket

Not sure I follow what you are suggesting with the rope...am sending photos of the mechanism.

This is the hole in the base that screw mechanism goes into

This shows the two in proximity to one another. The problem is the screw thread is so large it is difficult to make minute changes to the air intake. The problem is not an air tightness issue, just difficult to make minute changes.

All I can think of is a weak spring of just the right length over the screw to keep constant tension and eliminate any looseness or play. That should provide minute adjustment.

franco b wrote:All I can think of is a weak spring of just the right length over the screw to keep constant tension and eliminate any looseness or play. That should provide minute adjustment.

Franco, you might have something there...if I find a spring that will slip over the screw, when you tighten the screw down will apply tension against the door. That would make the finer adjustment easier. Why didn't I think of that!

Photog200 wrote: I find a spring that will slip over the screw, when you tighten the screw down will apply tension against the door.

The spring has to be just long enough to apply tension but not long enough to accidently throw the door open. Could also be done with a leaf or clock type spring with a hole in the center over the screw. Let me know the size of that screw and i will see what I have to make up and send you if you can't find anything.

franco b wrote:

Photog200 wrote: I find a spring that will slip over the screw, when you tighten the screw down will apply tension against the door.

The spring has to be just long enough to apply tension but not long enough to accidently throw the door open. Could also be done with a leaf or clock type spring with a hole in the center over the screw. Let me know the size of that screw and i will see what I have to make up and send you if you can't find anything.

After I got that message I went running to find my old flashlight and tore it apart to take out the spring that hold tension on the batteries. I had to cut a bit of the end off so it would go over the spring but alas...it worked! I will have to find a way to attach one end of the spring to the small door so it does not fall off every time I shake the grates but it helped stop a lot of that play in the door making it easier to adjust. THANK YOU!
Randy

Maybe a bit of wire wrapped around the base of the screw to hold the spring or a small hole drilled crosswise through the base of the screw and either wire or the end of the spring slipped through.