rekindle morning fire

[chasechimney]

You do know opening the ash pan is a bad idea right?

For a little extra air for start up it's not ...

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[HomeinPA]

It shouldn't affect the fire at all, but it will help move some heat. Try running it in reverse (blowing upward) in the winter.

I run ours in the basement pushing air down and pushing the cooler air towards the stove and the ones on the first floor at the top of the stairs drawing up to help pull the warm air up the stairs.

 

[begreen]

For a little extra air for start up it's not ...

It's not, until the expensive repair bill comes in for replacing the cracked base of the stove. That's why the manual explicitly says - Don't do that. However, in the OP's case this is a moot point. There is no ashpan on the Montpelier.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

I rake the coals together, place some smaller splits on the coals and use this.
I made this from a piece oh 1/8" pipe, heated the end in my forge and tapered it down on my anvil tell the hole was about the size of an 8 penny nail. Turned a piece of hedge for a mouth piece.
Blow on the coals and away you go.
View attachment 221671

I have been looking at these on amazon but feel they are probably of cheap craftsmanship. That’s awesome you have a forge and anvil and the skill to use them. I am jealous.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

• On the night load, especially on cold nights, I include some dense (oak, Osage, black locust) wood splits that coal well into the morning.
• Rake coals forward and open primary to get air underneath the fuel.
• Spread coals apart N/S (north/ south) creating a pillar or mound of coals on both sides of the doghouse/ primary air to create a air flow channel directly in front of primary air OR as begreen suggested, lay short sleepers N/S. The idea is to get air flow underneath your fuel.
• For even quicker ignition chuck in a bit of tinder (crumpled dried grapefruit/ orange skins; fatwood; twigs; small, splitting scraps/ chunks) in depression, in front of the primary air.
• Place splits E/W (smaller diameter, lower MC wood for quicker ignition). For my stove I place long splits (20"+) up front so they are braced behind the stove's integral andirons that prevent wood from rolling forward into glass as it burns down.
• For cooler bed of coals have a ready source of kindling (sawmill trimmings, branch wood from spruce) for restart

Friend of mine works for the cabinet making division for U of M. He brings me a pickup truck load of scraps when I need them. I almost feel bad burning some of the nice oak and maple pieces. Almost.

 

[nola mike]

I made this from a piece oh 1/8" pipe, heated the end in my forge and tapered it down on my anvil tell the hole was about the size of an 8 penny nail. Turned a piece of hedge for a mouth piece.
Blow on the coals and away you go.
View attachment 221671

That's awesome. Keeps you from getting a snoot full of ash. I don't blow on the coals anymore, makes a mess. I trick I discovered is that when everything in the stove is hot, a real quick shot with a propane torch sets everything off better than blowing on it...

 

[Osage]

I have been looking at these on amazon but feel they are probably of cheap craftsmanship. That’s awesome you have a forge and anvil and the skill to use them. I am jealous.

You can use your stove for a forge to heat the end of the pipe. If you go easy a paver brick on edge to hammer on to form your taper.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

You can use your stove for a forge to heat the end of the pipe. If you go easy a paver brick on edge to hammer on to form your taper.

I will have to fire up the Fisher in the barn and give it a go.

 

[blueridgerider]

I throw in a few pieces of kindling and a smaller split or two and close the door (open the air and bypass). Then I walk my dogs. By the time I get back it is ready to fill'er full.

 

[Osage]

I will have to fire up the Fisher in the barn and give it a go.

Odd that you go out too the barn to fire up the Fisher.
Here is my setup when it is to cold to work outside on the my forge.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

Odd that you go out too the barn to fire up the Fisher.
Here is my setup when it is to cold to work outside on the my forge.

That’s awesome. Your Fisher is in much better condition then mine. I will have to post a picture later when I get home.

 

[RFarm]

I have been tinkering with a loading setup called the "Green Grate". When building a top down fire, I put 3-4 small "fresh/green rounds (rolling pin size) on the bottom of my load, I then build my fire on top of the green grate (using the good dry wood, of course). By the next morning the green grate is buried under ash and contains perfect tubes of super hot coals. I will rake them around to loose the ash then toss in a few handfuls of dry sticks onto the coals to establish a draft. Once drafting strong and the pipe hits about 350-400 F, I will toss a couple dry splits on to get me through the morning. Works like a charm.

 

[savageactor7]

After 40+ years of wood burning ...the wife, just this year has placed next to the wood rack a milk crate of shed bark.

The crate looks out of place and ugly but after I shovel out a few scoops of ash, rake the barely surviving coals forward and throw on a handful of bark with seasoned logs a fire is guaranteed.

For clarity I'm talking shed bark as long as the logs.

 

[canboy]

To restart the Montpelier from coals in the morning:

1) Push all the ash away from the front of the box;
2) If possible clear any ash out of the three primary air supply holes that run on the front inside of the firebox (my poker has a reverse hook on the end that I use for that). If you don't have a tool to clear the holes, do it manually next time that the firebox is cool. The primary air supply is always open, so there is no lever to adjust it;
3) Rake all the red and black coals to the front centre of the firebox, spreading the remaining ash to the sides;
4) Put a couple of pieces of kindling on top of the red coals and then stack wood as discussed earlier in the thread to get air channels to your fuel;
5) Make sure that the air wash lever is fully open;
6) Push the door shut and then if you need additional air to get the fire going, lift the door lever up(instead of down), this will hold the door open a crack. You need to stay close to fire when the door is cracked open in case a spark flies out the crack. Also note that if a log falls against the door when it is cracked open this way, it's only friction that holding the latch in place, so the door may open fully and let the log roll out.
7) Once the fire is fully engaged, latch the door properly and start closing down the air wash, as needed to achieve the desired result.

 

[bcrtops]

Odd that you go out too the barn to fire up the Fisher.
Here is my setup when it is to cold to work outside on the my forge.

--Love that Fisher. There have been times we have wished we'd kept the old Fisher. Those things were "tanks" & burning simplicity.

I have been tinkering with a loading setup called the "Green Grate". When building a top down fire, I put 3-4 small "fresh/green rounds (rolling pin size) on the bottom of my load, I then build my fire on top of the green grate (using the good dry wood, of course). By the next morning the green grate is buried under ash and contains perfect tubes of super hot coals. I will rake them around to loose the ash then toss in a few handfuls of dry sticks onto the coals to establish a draft. Once drafting strong and the pipe hits about 350-400 F, I will toss a couple dry splits on to get me through the morning. Works like a charm.

--This works & I have done it many times. However, it does smoke a lot when it gets down to the green sticks. Now, I use one (1) NIEL compressed log to one side of the stove when building my night fire & always have coals from it in the morning to start the fire. A good pc. of real hard hardwood would do the same -- we just don't have any good hard hardwoods in this area. A pc. of slow growing, tight ringed fir is more apt to hold a fire overnight than our ash, maple, cherry, alder we have around here.

After 40+ years of wood burning ...the wife, just this year has placed next to the wood rack a milk crate of shed bark.

The crate looks out of place and ugly but after I shovel out a few scoops of ash, rake the barely surviving coals forward and throw on a handful of bark with seasoned logs a fire is guaranteed.

For clarity I'm talking shed bark as long as the logs.

--A good idea. In the house, though, is not a good idea locally, as most all the bark here has some type/form of bug(s) living it it. Stored dry outside still works though.

 

[Durantefarm]

To restart the Montpelier from coals in the morning:

1) Push all the ash away from the front of the box;
2) If possible clear any ash out of the three primary air supply holes that run on the front inside of the firebox (my poker has a reverse hook on the end that I use for that). If you don't have a tool to clear the holes, do it manually next time that the firebox is cool. The primary air supply is always open, so there is no lever to adjust it;
3) Rake all the red and black coals to the front centre of the firebox, spreading the remaining ash to the sides;
4) Put a couple of pieces of kindling on top of the red coals and then stack wood as discussed earlier in the thread to get air channels to your fuel;
5) Make sure that the air wash lever is fully open;
6) Push the door shut and then if you need additional air to get the fire going, lift the door lever up(instead of down), this will hold the door open a crack. You need to stay close to fire when the door is cracked open in case a spark flies out the crack. Also note that if a log falls against the door when it is cracked open this way, it's only friction that holding the latch in place, so the door may open fully and let the log roll out.
7) Once the fire is fully engaged, latch the door properly and start closing down the air wash, as needed to achieve the desired result.

Thank you so much ! This helped a lot !