old woodstove salvage question

[woodrat]

I'm looking at an old L. Lange woodstove that needs new liners and a top baffle. It looks like I can still get those parts, but they're extremely expensive. It's a really nice, big stove that would heat my place better than the little Jotul 602 that I have now, and the Jotul needs some repairs, too. 

What I'm wondering is it's reasonable to replace the side and back liners with firebrick, and possibly replace the top liner by cutting a piece of plate steel to fit in its place.

Does anyone have any experience with making an old woodstove useful again like this?

Thanks!

[beenthere]

What is the expense? How does that compare to a new stove?

Have a pic of the Lange that  you have?

[woodrat]

The stove as it sits they want $400 for. All the interior pieces that need replacing add up to about $1400 plus shipping. 

Still less than a brand new quality stove would cost, especially of this size, but a bit out of my budget right now. 

Which is why I was wondering if I could get away with some firebrick for the sides for a while until I could afford all the factory replacement parts. 

[beenthere]

Nice stove. Go for the firebrick and see if you can make that work. 

Since we don't know what parts are worn out and what their function is, we cannot tell if the firebrick will be adequate. Your decision.

[woodrat]

This is the only pic I've seen of the inside. She's supposed to send me more detailed pics in the next day or two. 

It's a gorgeous stove and quite a lot bigger than my little Jotul. 




here's the parts diagram. I'm assuming I'll need new top baffle, sides and rear liners based on what I can see in that pic. 

Lange 6302A Wood Stove

[beenthere]

woodrat
Is that sunlight shining through a hole in the upper right corner? Or maybe it is the flue opening. 

If you like that stove, maybe get it and try a wood fire in it to see how it does. 
If needing a liner, maybe a fab shop or welder could cut some steel plate to fit and get by for awhile. 
Or just an offset slave baffle to keep the high temp from a fire from reaching the knarled-up baffle in there now. What I've done in my old boiler. 

[woodrat]

It's light through the flue opening... That would be pretty bad if there was a hole that big in the actual stove...  

[bluthum]

I don't understand how that stove is designed to work at all so I'm unqualified to give any advice on its restoration beyond saying go for it. Many of the old stoves had open cracks where you could see the blaze, it just required being very attentive to make it work.

I've heated with a wood stove for many decades and I try to remember you are actually building a fire in the middle of your house so you should never take it casually. Still my complete preference for heating tho... 

[charles mann]

I agree with having welder/fabricator build a new Top baffle. As for the side and back liners, 1” hard brick and refractory cement should suffice. I cant find the website, but there is a company that sells high temp fire board. 

[woodrat]

So, I ended up buying it because the outside was in perfect condition, only the liners are the problem. The right side liner is fine, the left one damaged and warped but it's not cast iron so I think I can remove it and heat it a bit and straighten it out.

I think I can get away just fine with the firebrick in the back, this is such a huge firebox I have plenty of room. 

The top piece is kind of particular, and it might end being best to just buy the replacement part there, I'm not sure yet. 

I accidentally overheated my Jotul 602 when I first got it and didn't have a thermometer on it yet, and it is also missing its rear liner, so it has a crack in the back plate now that has grown over time. Don't want to make that mistake with this one.