Secondary Air Damper?

I am refurbishing an Orbon Tileona Circulator #244(wood/coal), firepot is 21.5 long X 12.5 wide X 8.5 deep. It's a double shaker. I think it was made in the summer of 1929 ($114.00). All the cast and exterior panels are good (needs mica). I bought some castable refractory(3000 deg.) from the boiler repair shop (55#'s for $38.00) for making a liner and picked up some Cera-tape to put between the joints before realignment and installing new bolts. Then I have some 3000 deg. joint cement to finish off the interior of the joint. I have a good used magnehelic for it too.
Okay, so I have all this scoped out except, I am not familiar with the little intake damper at the top of the chamber, by the flue collar. Is this the secondary air? If so, when is the best time to use it. What grade of replacement bolts, for the chamber? 8?
I really appreciate all the help given in this forum.

First to freeze, last to thaw... it's Wisconsin. I still love it! Chief Boiler Operator by trade.

Nice, sounds like you got a good knowledge base to work from.
Welcome to the forum! Can you post some pictures of the damper in question? I'm sure there are many here that can help you.. Wisconsin. So, you'll be burning bituminous in it?

I'm still gathering parts, give me a day or two. If it gets over zero outside, I'll unwrap it and post a picture.
I contacted Premier Stove in Belleville, Il(bought Orbon in 1985) they have no records about this stove or they're just too busy to look for any.
I have a pellet stove in the house. Bad circuit board, stuck in low-fire, BTU's peter out at 10*F and I almost hate my LP Gas man.
My granddad had a Round Oak and it was so toasty you had to open a window. I have an old farmhouse with a pre-existing triple wall stainless chimney. Why not put in some real heat and be comfortable and at a relatively decent price. Anthracite before Bituminous, but I have a source for both. And I'm not shy toward using either.

Go Badgers!

The damper on the top of the chamber isn't like the standard three hole register on the ash pan door. It shaped more rectangular(1.5X2.5in) single hinge to the chamber side. It sits centerline of the chamber, at the flue outlet. It needs some fine sanding/polishing to sit tight to the chamber, but thats all it's going to need.

As soon as this cold snap is over I'll post some fine photos of this stove, the secondary air(check damper) and all the parts going into it.
Double click on the pdf. below

Nice indeed BF. Welcome to the FORUM She looks like a real pretty one--lookin fwd. to progress pix.

Looks nice in the drawing. This could be similar in burning design to a lot of stoves at the time, like a heatrola, as an example. While you are re-doing everything, get it sealed as good as possible. What may look like a small gap to you now, would let in a crap load of air. You want it sealed as good as possible, for anthracite especially. When you get around to taking pictures, if there is a spot your not sure how to seal just ask and someone here will help you. Doors can be tricky, unless it was made for seals. Enjoy

I was definitely wrong about it being an oak style stove. The damper right next to the exhaust outlet, I am still quite certain that is the check damper. I would think secondary air would be closer to the fire...but I have already been wrong once on this stove!

Randy

I purchased some Nascar grade heat shield to put inside of the side panels. I bought it through AutoZone. It good to 2000*F with 1000*F continuous heat shield. I'll attach it using crimpable carpet transition strip to hold the heat shield and attach it with pop rivets, so it doesn't detract from the cosmetics of the stove. I'll even put some inside the ash pan enclosure. I want all the heat to radiate up toward the chamber. This is a circulator. It has all the deflector fins, some of the original chain(easy to copy), which I'll put a porcelain pull chain fob on to.
I'll be sealing as much of this stove as possible without interfering with its operation. I'll pay close attention to the shaker shaft opening, as well as the ash pan and loading doors. I have to change the mica in the inner door.
All that said, anyone have thoughts on how to tighten the gap at the secondary air slide on the inner door and the two tri-opening intake air registers on the ash pan door? I know I'll have to disassemble the ash pan registers and make them tighter. The slide in the loading door...can I use insulating web type tape here, to close the gap?
Can't wait to get started. Had -14*F this morning.

Livin' inna frozen winterland!!!

Go Badgers....!

A damper that high up will not need sealed air tight.

Tightness is the concern of the ash and loading doors and mfg joints.

Badger Freezer wrote:.
Can't wait to get started. Had -14*F this morning. Livin' inna frozen winterland!!!

Go Badgers....!

Welcome Badger Freezer,

I live across the river from you, west of Lansing, on the Mississippi. This morning in the valley I had temps of minus - 20.6, your coolies must have been even colder.

A very attractive stove you have, was it designed for soft coal? Many I have looked at of this design where.

Where in Wisc. do you live

Regards: john

It is very possible this stove could have been intended for soft coal. It was built in Belleville, Il. right over bituminous coal deposits, just east of East St. Louis, Il. Other than the BTU's difference, is there any specific reason why I couldn't burn Anthracite?
I live in southwest Wisconsin, not far from Mineral Point.

I'm not going to seal the upper damper off. I only want it to sit tighter to the chamber(has minor rust build up), so I don't get any extra fumes. Easily done with some crocus cloth. Did it also work as a pressure relief for small stove explosions, for the uninitiated user? Makes sense you'd want something like that, for that reason, so the cast iron wouldn't be stressed.
I will leave no area undiscovered before this stove gets lit. I want it air tight as possible and with an above average liner, so, we can enjoy years of use from this stove.

Just a thought here. Yesterday I visited the local Amish D.S. Dealer. We got talking stoves. He told me, as a kid growing up, they burned a lot of green wood. He said his father run a pipe from just above the floor to the stove pipe, just above the elbow coming out the back of the wood stove. What that pipe did was reduce the temperature of the flue gasses. As a result, when gasses reached the top of chimney, there wasn't such extreme temperature differences, creating condensation, causing creosote to stick to the top of chimney. He claimed it worked good. Maybe this secondary air on your stove is something on that order. I've never heard of such a thing before. Seams like it would feed a chimney fire. Kind of like putting a baro damper in a wood stove pipe.