# King 628 Stove Restoration



## grancasa (Sep 27, 2011)

Hello all,

I just moved to a place in the woods of Vermont and am getting ready an old King 628 woodstove to go in the small wood cabin I will be living in this winter. I'd love some advice about the safe way to get this stove ready and any improvements I can make so that it will burn more efficiently.

I have already cleaned off the old rust with a drill and wire brush, then some steel wool, and coated it with stove black. No pitting or damage.

 Looking at the inside, it seems like there is a need for some cement in the seams. I plan on putting in firebrick on the bottom, all that is here is normal thickness firebrick, will that do? Can I get away with cutting pieces with a chisel and hammer?

I plan on installing it myself. Is 24 ga stainless steel on 1" insulated spacers the way to go to get the lowest clearance to the walls? Can I use normal bricks to make an insulating barrier, and also for the hearth constuction along with wonderboard?

I will be venting out a side wall, then the chimney up the back exterior of the cabin. Recommendations on this? 

I would also like to add some thermal mass to the stove to have it retain heat longer, and would like to know about options for capturing heat that is heading out the flue.  Is this something often down with castiron stoves?

Here are some photos cause I know you all like them! Any other thoughts or suggestions much appreciated. Thanks.


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## webbie (Sep 28, 2011)

Well, too many question to answer in a single post - most of the installation answers will be in our article (information) section - see the drop down menu at the top of the page. Lots of info on that also in the forums - use the site search or forum search.

In terms of the inside base of the stove, these stove usually work fine with just a layer of sand and ash in the base
If you really want to do a nice job, buy some "castable" refractory cement and put it in the bottom. That is basically firebrick you can cast.

It sounds like you have it cleaned up nicely. You can squeeze furnace cement into the seams from the inside....using rubber gloves and your fingers. Dampen the seams first - it makes the cement stick better. Rutland brand black cement is my favorite. 

As far as chimneys, there are a lot of ways to go. For an overview of ALL wood stove installation, see this article:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/installing_a_woodstove


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