Union Stove Works Invader 2 Parlour Coal Stove
- badlegdave
- Member
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Mon. Sep. 23, 2013 12:51 am
- Location: Wyckoff, NJ / Paupack, PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harman Mark II
- Baseburners & Antiques: Union Stove Works - Invader 2 Parlour Stove
- Coal Size/Type: Pea/Chestnut
- Other Heating: Electric baseboard
Do I have hope of finding a replacement fire pot or does it need to be custom made? Does Teddy have any budget figure ideas?
- dcrane
- Verified Business Rep.
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- Joined: Sun. Apr. 22, 2012 9:28 am
- Location: Easton, Ma.
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Crane 404
Your most likely going to have to have a foundry make the firepot (you need one so no sense crying about it...you can do this!), as coal newb says...you need to get that firepot out and start planning the re-build (I don't think you should use it as it sits... those parts are just to far gone at this point).
And repair the old one for a recast, I used furnace cement to repair a grate before a cast, clay may work, whatever works for you.dcrane wrote:Your most likely going to have to have a foundry make the firepot (you need one so no sense crying about it...you can do this!), as coal newb says...you need to get that firepot out and start planning the re-build (I don't think you should use it as it sits... those parts are just to far gone at this point).
- badlegdave
- Member
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Mon. Sep. 23, 2013 12:51 am
- Location: Wyckoff, NJ / Paupack, PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harman Mark II
- Baseburners & Antiques: Union Stove Works - Invader 2 Parlour Stove
- Coal Size/Type: Pea/Chestnut
- Other Heating: Electric baseboard
I am at a loss for understanding what to do to prepare for a cast, repair the old one, use clay, furnace cement? This is my first coal stove and probably should have done a little more to understand what I was purchasing and been prepared for the restoration. I am sure that I can get the stove apart as coalnewbies says it is easy. Once I have the fire pot in hand I hope someone can tell me (constructively) what to do with it. Would any suggest that the magazine is at issue also. It is still intact but clearly has several cracks in it as the pictures indicate.
The parts of the firepot that are gone need to be replaced in order to cast a replacement. You need to fill in whats gone. Can't cast what you have now because you will end up with the same thing..The other part with cracks should cast OK. Find a foundry, I used Tomahawk and one other, they were both good..badlegdave wrote:I am at a loss for understanding what to do to prepare for a cast, repair the old one, use clay, furnace cement? This is my first coal stove and probably should have done a little more to understand what I was purchasing and been prepared for the restoration. I am sure that I can get the stove apart as coalnewbies says it is easy. Once I have the fire pot in hand I hope someone can tell me (constructively) what to do with it. Would any suggest that the magazine is at issue also. It is still intact but clearly has several cracks in it as the pictures indicate.
Here is an example.. and I don't know how easily you can do it with your firepot, it could be tough..
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- badlegdave
- Member
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Mon. Sep. 23, 2013 12:51 am
- Location: Wyckoff, NJ / Paupack, PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harman Mark II
- Baseburners & Antiques: Union Stove Works - Invader 2 Parlour Stove
- Coal Size/Type: Pea/Chestnut
- Other Heating: Electric baseboard
Thanks for those photos. I got an idea about how to cast a new one for me that would involve coalnewbie. Newb; you have the same stove that I have but apparently yours is in like new condition. Would you be willing and or would it be feasable to use your new fire pot as the template for a new casting for me? Is that off the wall unreasonable?
- wsherrick
- Member
- Posts: 3744
- Joined: Wed. Jun. 18, 2008 6:04 am
- Location: High In The Poconos
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Glenwood Base Heater, Crawford Base Heater
- Baseburners & Antiques: Crawford Base Heater, Glenwood, Stanley Argand
- Coal Size/Type: Chestnut, Stove Size
First of all I want you to listen to me. Just listen.
Secondly, don't freak out. Nothing here is that terrible or fatal.
Thirdly, and accept it. You must have this stove completely overhauled.
Now. This is very important. This stove is worth every bit of effort and every dime you put into it. Trust me on that.
It is common place to replace the fire pot and the magazine.
Send them to Tomahawk Foundry in Wisconsin. They are experts at making castings for high quality stoves like yours.
It's not that expensive.
If you have the ability, the best thing to do (what I would do and I have a lifetime of fooling with stoves) is have the stove professionally restored.
If not then you are going to have to do it yourself. It's not that hard, just time consuming and you will get dirty.
You must have a good master part to make a copy from.
People often share common parts from a good stove to cast new ones for another stove.
This is not something you do in a hurry. You must be thorough AND NO SHORTCUTS.
After it is all said and done you will have an heirloom stove which will last another 100 years.
So the only thing to do now is get busy.
Secondly, don't freak out. Nothing here is that terrible or fatal.
Thirdly, and accept it. You must have this stove completely overhauled.
Now. This is very important. This stove is worth every bit of effort and every dime you put into it. Trust me on that.
It is common place to replace the fire pot and the magazine.
Send them to Tomahawk Foundry in Wisconsin. They are experts at making castings for high quality stoves like yours.
It's not that expensive.
If you have the ability, the best thing to do (what I would do and I have a lifetime of fooling with stoves) is have the stove professionally restored.
If not then you are going to have to do it yourself. It's not that hard, just time consuming and you will get dirty.
You must have a good master part to make a copy from.
People often share common parts from a good stove to cast new ones for another stove.
This is not something you do in a hurry. You must be thorough AND NO SHORTCUTS.
After it is all said and done you will have an heirloom stove which will last another 100 years.
So the only thing to do now is get busy.
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- Posts: 8601
- Joined: Sat. May. 24, 2008 4:26 pm
- Location: Chester, NY
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: LL AnthraKing 180K, Pocono110K,KStokr 90K, DVC
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Invader 2
- Baseburners & Antiques: Wings Best, Glenwood #8(x2) Herald 116x
- Coal Size/Type: Rice,
- Other Heating: Heating Oil CH, Toyotomi OM 22
My guess is that the stove was used as a wood stove and the ash just piled up and melted everything. You probably need a grate assembly, firepot, chute and support brackets. The finial is also missing and although not essential, if you are going to spend the time and the money on a restore you need that too. Even a pro stove shop needs good masters and that is why you will read here of lots of people having their stove at the shop for years (for ever? - and yes that includes William) waiting for parts. Unusual stoves can be a bitch. The lesson here is that is why I search for stoves that are complete and usable as I do not have the time, skills or the inclination to do all this exotic stuff.
The first thing is, is it worth restoring at all? Once the body is apart we can see if the overfiring has warped the main panels. I am not expert but this is one of the worst overfirings I have ever seen. The last time I let a stove part out of my sight I never saw it again and now I have a useless lump of iron sitting in the corner but as a community member I am prepared to pitch in here as I may be the only game in town. I have drunk at this well many times so I am prepared to give back but it is all going to be on your dime. I suppose it would not be so bad to get a spare set for myself as it seems that these stoves are hard to find.
The way to do it is get copies made and store the master away and use the copies only. So three copies of everything should be made, a spare set for me, and two sets for you. You keep one as a master and use the other. There must be a secret ingredient in coal dust, where can you find a group of people who come together like this? I'm even doubting my sanity as I really don't have the time for this.
So accept the stove in not going to be providing heat any time soon. Is anybody willing to give a budget here? You have my photos of the essential parts, call Wisconsin and get an approximate quote. Sorry that things are tougher than you expected but you are prepared to get your hands dirty and that moved me to help. No coal burner left behind is our motto. I have been screwed twice recently so I hope this karma c rap is right.
The first thing is, is it worth restoring at all? Once the body is apart we can see if the overfiring has warped the main panels. I am not expert but this is one of the worst overfirings I have ever seen. The last time I let a stove part out of my sight I never saw it again and now I have a useless lump of iron sitting in the corner but as a community member I am prepared to pitch in here as I may be the only game in town. I have drunk at this well many times so I am prepared to give back but it is all going to be on your dime. I suppose it would not be so bad to get a spare set for myself as it seems that these stoves are hard to find.
The way to do it is get copies made and store the master away and use the copies only. So three copies of everything should be made, a spare set for me, and two sets for you. You keep one as a master and use the other. There must be a secret ingredient in coal dust, where can you find a group of people who come together like this? I'm even doubting my sanity as I really don't have the time for this.
So accept the stove in not going to be providing heat any time soon. Is anybody willing to give a budget here? You have my photos of the essential parts, call Wisconsin and get an approximate quote. Sorry that things are tougher than you expected but you are prepared to get your hands dirty and that moved me to help. No coal burner left behind is our motto. I have been screwed twice recently so I hope this karma c rap is right.
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- Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
- Location: Kent CT
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
- Coal Size/Type: nut and pea
Two long posts full of good advice which I agree with but if the stove were mine this is what I would do. Again, this is not advice but what I would do.
The stove is an unknown quantity as to how well it will do the job you intend for it. I would run it just the way it is after doing the best I could to center the shaker and making sure the ash door is tight. The shaker handle also has to be tight as far as leaking air into the stove. After a month or so you will know if the stove is for you and you can re sell it or plan on the restoration. I just would not get into the hassle involved until I knew if the stove did the job I expected. If it works out I would run it all winter and restore in the spring.
The stove is an unknown quantity as to how well it will do the job you intend for it. I would run it just the way it is after doing the best I could to center the shaker and making sure the ash door is tight. The shaker handle also has to be tight as far as leaking air into the stove. After a month or so you will know if the stove is for you and you can re sell it or plan on the restoration. I just would not get into the hassle involved until I knew if the stove did the job I expected. If it works out I would run it all winter and restore in the spring.
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- Member
- Posts: 8601
- Joined: Sat. May. 24, 2008 4:26 pm
- Location: Chester, NY
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: LL AnthraKing 180K, Pocono110K,KStokr 90K, DVC
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Invader 2
- Baseburners & Antiques: Wings Best, Glenwood #8(x2) Herald 116x
- Coal Size/Type: Rice,
- Other Heating: Heating Oil CH, Toyotomi OM 22
700 sq ft, yes it will do that no problem. The real trouble is does he really want to get into this unplanned hassle and when the cold comes this stove will not be producing heat as he planned. Will stove sized coal flow freely through that small magazine, I'm looking at mine right now and I would be nervous? If in a month he decides to move ahead then down goes the heat when he most needs it - is he prepared for that one. Does the budget even allow this rebuild? We can't advise him on this and he has to think about it. Are all the windows sealed does he have a isinglass budget on top of that, there are many windows on this stove. Is the ashpan OK. Most importantly has this overheat damaged the frame, do all the doors seem to fit OK. So strip it down and take lots of photos.
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- Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
- Location: Kent CT
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
- Coal Size/Type: nut and pea
No matter which way you turn there are problems but I think we have beat it up enough so that the man can at least make an informed decision which way to go.
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- Member
- Posts: 8601
- Joined: Sat. May. 24, 2008 4:26 pm
- Location: Chester, NY
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: LL AnthraKing 180K, Pocono110K,KStokr 90K, DVC
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Invader 2
- Baseburners & Antiques: Wings Best, Glenwood #8(x2) Herald 116x
- Coal Size/Type: Rice,
- Other Heating: Heating Oil CH, Toyotomi OM 22
and by the rules of this board people from CT with big lawn mowers are allowed to have the last word even if they don't own an Invader.
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- Posts: 11416
- Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
- Location: Kent CT
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
- Coal Size/Type: nut and pea
Fair is fair and a good lawnmower is security from the threat of getting overgrown and never being found. Pics of an Invader are just as good as having one that don't get fired. And I wish you would stop talking about stripping and photoscoalnewbie wrote:and by the rules of this board people from CT with big lawn mowers are allowed to have the last word even if they don't own an Invader.
- badlegdave
- Member
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Mon. Sep. 23, 2013 12:51 am
- Location: Wyckoff, NJ / Paupack, PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harman Mark II
- Baseburners & Antiques: Union Stove Works - Invader 2 Parlour Stove
- Coal Size/Type: Pea/Chestnut
- Other Heating: Electric baseboard
Thanks for all the comments gentlemen. You certainly have given me a great deal to think about. CNB, you are most kind to graciously be so willing to help out a guy you don't even know. Funny what we will do for others that share a mutual interest. Franco, I will carefully experiment with your course of action if you were in my position. It makes great sense to try to determine if the piece will heat my basement. CNB feels that it will NP but I would prefer to have tangible evidence before I go to Tomahawk as grumpy suggested to have a fire pot made at $250 a pop. Dave at Tomahawk suggested that I try to find someone with the same stove because he felt it would be very difficult to cast a new one after reviewing the pictures that I sent him. Again, thanks CNB. If I discover that the stove does not fit my requirements, (although it may not be a fair test given it's current condition) I will certainly disassemble it and try to restore it (pictures a plenty) under the careful direction of CNB if he is still willing at that time.
One more question for now if each will respond; I read where it is not a good idea to try to start and maintain a coal fire if the mean temperature outside is above 55 degrees. I suppose that has something to do with the draft. Would I have better results if I waited 30 days or so to give it a try?
Also, should I not try to use it as a small wood stove until then?
Thanks gentlemen.
One more question for now if each will respond; I read where it is not a good idea to try to start and maintain a coal fire if the mean temperature outside is above 55 degrees. I suppose that has something to do with the draft. Would I have better results if I waited 30 days or so to give it a try?
Also, should I not try to use it as a small wood stove until then?
Thanks gentlemen.