Everything Fisher

[Pagey]

Well,finally got grandma bear installed after reparing flu liner and extending brick hearth to accept it,ready to give grandma a run,lol.

That's a fine looking stove and a fine looking install right there!

 

[sebois]

Coaly, you should have a show or at least a website dedicated to your years of hard work!

My father, an architect, built his dream home in 1978 at the height of the oil crisis. To heat this 5000sf house he installed a Papa Bear in the main living area (about 2500sf of open space), a Mama Bear in the LR, and a Baby Bear in a central "kid's room" to which all the bedrooms connected. He also had a fully-restored Clarion fullsize wood cookstove which we still fire up every so often.

We grew up putting in/rotating 7-8 cords of mixed hardwood every fall, and the temperature in that home never fell below 75F all winter. About ten years ago my dad began to switch from wood to gas for the sake of his back, and gave me the Mama Bear. I have heated my 2800sf home with it ever since.

I am currently looking for a newer EPA-rated stove, but reading these threads always makes me postpone making any decision for a replacement.

 

[fordracer]

Well,finally got grandma bear installed after reparing flu liner and extending brick hearth to accept it,ready to give grandma a run,lol.

That's a fine looking stove and a fine looking install right there!

Thanks Pagey,i wasnt sure about laying the brick,but i went on with it,i might actually get to start a fire in it this evening,little chilly in the house from the tropical storm lee,my friend has all ready called me this morning saying she needs a fire shes cold,so i may light her up this evening.

 

[dayornight]

Hi, geat Fisher thread. Just arrived in New Zealand from Canada (where a Fisher kept us warm) and found this unit in the garage sitting unfired and uninstalled - since the 80's or earlier.
Tag says it's a Genuine Fisher.. wood boiler! Reliance - the people who now make Fisher's here have never heard of it..

 

[coaly]

Welcome to the Forum !

Page 4 post #109 of this thread has some information on the New Zealand operation starting in 1977.
Hence the name "Fisher Stoves International". North America, Canada, England and New Zealand. Yes, one of the licensees in Canada started manufacturing in New Zealand. They continue to this day. The models you find there were not made in the states and their products today are not sold in the states. (broken link removed)

Thier model names today are named after towns and places over there. Blenheim is also a large town, Charleston is smaller, and Denniston is a small settlement. I was in contact with the large retailer 4 Seasons that has many hearth and home stores. The main one right in Christchurch was near the center of the earthquake. I lost contact with them since.

How quick people forget ! Just ask most any stove shop retailer the difference between a Papa Bear and a Grandpa. They look at you like you're from another planet. Chances are the people you're talking to weren't in the industry in the late 70's. Half of 'em weren't even born yet.......

 

[Redbear86]

Im sure its been covered before but.... details?

 

[coaly]

Nothing special with this Baby Bear; Once Hesston Mfg. in Kansas got involved (1977) and produced this configuration in bulk (along with the other 21 licensees at the time) it became the standard until the UL standardized testing started in 79 for the changes to come in 1980. It took a few years (77 to 79) since the first testing was done by ICBO for the western states in Los Angeles. Then Bob found out the eastern states didn't recognize this building standard, so he spent thousands for testing with SCBC for the southern states, and BOCA for the north eastern states. All these wanted to add heat shields, bottom and back, modify draft caps, use larger flue sizes, even add barometric dampers. This would allow the stove to pass their tests, but not throw any heat ! (the older Franklin leaky type passed, but didn't throw heat) So that's why you find different configurations with barometric dampers added and other abnormalties.
Many licensed shops numbered the stoves they built on the bottom. Usually accompanied by their state's initials. Some doors were also dated by the foundries inside. The rush to get doors to dealers and onto the stoves they were building keeps the door date close to the stove build date.
Depends on the foundry the door came from if it's dated.

My Baby Bear of your configuration is numbered PA 5469. I know from other Pennsylvania stoves with dated doors, this PA number falls into the '78 range along with most of this configuration. ( I picked mine up for $80 WITH a nice set of bear feet. But $200 to $400 and up is the norm on the east coast. The feet alone have sold for 195 a set on eBay)

Most stove bottoms are covered in a light rust. If you wipe it with kerosene, diesel fuel, even WD-40 on a rag, you can read it much easier. It will be drawn with weld, if marked at all, at no specific location.

A simple handle change to the early solid ball gives it the classic look! Steve (camfan) and myself have a limited supply. Here's mine in the newly tiled kitchen ready for the Fall heating season. As it gets colder, I'll switch it out to a Mama Bear. I admit to having my first fire already with a little dead stuff. In a 2000 sf. house I can have small fires at night with the little guy without roasting everyone out. Notice the matching feet on the Indiana Hoosier cabinet in the foreground. With a piece of rubber roofing material glued to the bottom, the feet make a good non-marring surface to set any stove on!
Wait 'till you see my shower knobs.........

 

[dbody1]

My Coal Bear

 

[webbie]

Coaly, you should have a show or at least a website dedicated to your years of hard work!

He Does....
Right here!
:cheese:

A good bit of the reason we established this Classic forum was for the preservation of all this knowledge. Tens of thousands of folks have read these threads....and, since we've been around since 1995 (Hearth.com), Coaly and everyone else can rest assured we back up, preserve and are dedicated to making sure this knowledge does not get lost in the future!

The biggest question is what he's going to do with all that steel eventually?

 

[coaly]

You know Craig, I've thought about that a lot. Fact is, investing in gold or silver has been tempting, BUT...... Back in the depression, when money was worth paper, people would dump a basket of paper money and take the basket !! People will always need to eat, and stay warm. I have chickens, land I farm, and stoves. Most of them I wouldn't want to trade being collectibles that shouldn't be burned, but the "users" and "donors" I pick up, I use to trade for the models I want to collect, like the Coal Bear above. I believe I can use the common stoves for barter and trade if it gets that bad. I'm not a doomsday-er, I just like to be prepared. I believe those of us that have what others need will be fine. A person stealing one of my chickens may get away with it, but a few guys carrying a stove is a pretty large target.

Welcome to the Forum dbody1 !
I hope you use the term MY Coal Bear loosely ! I'm doing everything I can to get you the right wood burner for your needs. The one I found in NY turned out to be a Papa Bear. I bought it anyway yesterday. It was my wife's first "stove run" with me, and she actually enjoyed it ! Since she helped me get that bad bear up the ramp, I fed her on the way home. All's good. We never discussed your insulation, window glass type, or other factors that may require you to have a larger stove than I originally anticipated. I showed a pro welder friend of mine the close up of your top door chip missing, and he has no problem filling it in, and I can grind it down smooth to not being noticeable. Should be a very fixable thing. Always possible to find a set of nickel plated doors to go right on it, but not likely. They look like this;
Thanks again for giving me the opportunity to acquire one of the stove models I've been looking for!
Paul

 

[dbody1]

Coaly,

It's only mine till it's yours. We have a deal.

Bruce

 

[CamFan]

Coaly that is a cool stove. Is it yours now? I never have seen anything on this model. A double decker coal stove. That is nice.

 

[CamFan]

My current stove

the stove on the left in the pictures is listed as a grandma glass. I was actually a Grandma IV. That was a big model for us. The Grandma III glass the main difference was the glass on the III was flat on the top and had the cut corner and the IV went up before it went to the cut corner. Also the IV had the gasket on the door and not the stove.

 

[coaly]

Here's a thread I started a while back on the Coal Bear.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/72752/

They were big out west, quite a few made in Colorado. Our local fabricator in Factoryville PA never liked them. They couldn't keep their showroom model burning. And this is close to Scranton PA, some of the best Anthracite in the world. They believe they were designed more for soft coal, hence the problem keeping the mass core temp high enough to keep hard coal burning well. They also require cold outside temps to keep enough draft pulling through the coal bed. Like you, they are still in the stove business, and sell coal as well as pellet and gas. So they certainly know the basics of coal burning. Perhaps their showroom chimney 8 inch and needed to be 6, or it wasn't high enough, or it wasn't during cold enough weather. (below 40*f)
The all black models were basement dwellers, and they offered nickel or brass doors if you put them in your living space. The big thing with coal is a reversible grate, so if you overheat the grate by not keeping the ash empty with good airflow under it, the grate will glow, and sag down in time. This way you can flip it over, and use it until it's straight again without needing to replace grates.
The story on this one, is Bruce was originally from PA, and now lives in CT. His brother in law picked him up this stove (owning a scrap yard) in Factoryville PA. When he realized it was a coal stove by the tag, he found some information here, and contacted me. He really needs a Mama Bear for burning wood, so when I find him one and make it nice, we'll trade. This forum has worked that way for me quite a few times and I end up learning more besides.

Thanks for clearing up the III and IV door styles. I used those Grandma pictures to show different feet and the tapered legs that the bear claw feet won't fit. Any "Napa" pictures on this thread are from Napa Calif. from the guy I bought my XL from. He has contacts at a plating foundry to replate his doors and parts to make the nicest stoves on eBay. Here's his polished replated XL on eBay now. Imagine the background painted black on this polished door. Mine measures 33 1/2 across top plate, 21 1/4 depth.

 

[warburtonplayer]

My Fisher baby Bear has a PC on the inside of the door and no numbers any where. I does have the old style solid damper and solid chrome ball on the handle. It does have a solid top plate so I know it is not one of the early fishers. Any help on a idea on how old my baby bear is?

 

[coaly]

The casting had an air bubble in the "C". It's an O , for Portland Oregon. 1975
If it's a stove that was made and brought from out west, it could be a '74, but assuming it was made in Virginia...... '75 was the first year the Dunn Brothers started making stoves in Virginia and WV. Springs appeared on the handles about that time, so it's probably before '76.

 

[CamFan]

Coaly,
At some point GA started getting doors from a foundry in Alabama. I do not remember any location marking on them. Since I only worked there I would not know why the change. I will have to check some out. I have my first Mama and will check it out it would be from 77 or 78. Interesting stuff you know.

 

[warburtonplayer]

I paid $100 for the stove so I think I got a good deal.

 

[coaly]

Coaly,
At some point GA started getting doors from a foundry in Alabama. I do not remember any location marking on them. Since I only worked there I would not know why the change. I will have to check some out. I have my first Mama and will check it out it would be from 77 or 78. Interesting stuff you know.

I cheated , he sent me pics.
I have some with the PO, I bought from Oregon. Early ones before they were made anywhere else. His picture clearly shows a piece missing on the side of the 0. I'm surprised you were still using chrome balls in '77. Most had gone to springs by '76.

Good price warburtonplayer, but I picked one up close to me for $80 ! I was looking for a Mama for a neighbor, and this guy responded not knowing what he had. When I figured out it was a Baby over the phone, I almost said no, until he said "And it has these cool brass feet" ! I said I'd be right over!

 

[warburtonplayer]

I had the mama bear and it was prob from the late 70's early 80's and was great i have never had a baby bear i just hope it is safe and does the job. everything looks ok with it no cracks that i can see. I need to install some new firebrick but thats about it.

 

[spoon059]

Coaly, I want to pick your brain. I just bought a 1981 Fisher insert and want to install a stainless liner. The damper rod is on the exterior of the stove and I cannot think of any way to maintain the damper and install a liner too.
(broken image removed) (broken image removed) (broken image removed)

I love these stoves, my father bought one new in 02/1980 and moved it to his new house 21 years ago. When it was installed in the new house, he had a stainless liner installed but doesn't know where he got the adaptor from, what it looks like, etc. I can't imagine using this stove without the damper to help control heat/burn. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you in advance!

Mike

 

[coaly]

Easiest way I know is to make yourself a short adapter from the liner to inside the Insert opening. A piece of Dura-Black pipe from Dura-Vent works. Unless you want to go with stainless all the way, in which case you'll want to sharpen your snips or use a cut-off wheel. Slot the pipe with tin snips where the rod needs to go through it. Try not to notch it too deep since any hole in the pipe larger than necessary is an air leak into the pipe that kills draft.
I notice your damper isn't fully round. Sort of odd; here's what they usually look like; Can't resist throwing this refurbished Insert in to give you something to strive for. Check out the reflection in the mirror like polished nickel diverter above the stove.

 

[CamFan]

Coaly, I want to pick your brain. I just bought a 1981 Fisher insert and want to install a stainless liner. The damper rod is on the exterior of the stove and I cannot think of any way to maintain the damper and install a liner too.
(broken image removed) (broken image removed) (broken image removed)

I love these stoves, my father bought one new in 02/1980 and moved it to his new house 21 years ago. When it was installed in the new house, he had a stainless liner installed but doesn't know where he got the adaptor from, what it looks like, etc. I can't imagine using this stove without the damper to help control heat/burn. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you in advance!

Mike

If I can jump in I have an idea that may help. Coaly may know of something better but...
If you get a piece of 1/4" thick pipe that fits and it has been a long time but I am thinking it is a 6" on the insert. You can remove the damper bracket on the side of the bend for the handle. Before you take this apart measure the height off the stove the rod is. Get a shop to knotch the pipe at the rod location. You can look at the bracket holding the rod and lower it to the lowest working range this would allow the damper movement and not drag on the stove top. Put the pipe over the rod and tack. Be sure the rod still freely moves. Then weld it solid. Now you can attach your liner inside of the pipe extension. The weak point is the knotch. You can form some stainless to go over the rod to seal it better if the knotch gets to big.
If you mess up your damper rod brackets do not worry about it. I have them.

 

[coaly]

They're a tight 8" and sometimes require a lot of over crimping to get a pipe into the top of an Insert. A heavy duty one like that is great, but remember to leave the damper open Christmas eve. Santa's not getting through that one. Remember these guys built them like tanks. That's what makes them so good.

 

[CamFan]

I do not know why I thought we put 6" on them. Blue prints are at the shop I you use the 8" ID 1/4" wall pipe the adapter will fit right in. I have done it. Many many years ago.