Woodstove conundrum and cob maybe fixit?

[notasnowballs]

Hubby bartered and bought a smaller woodstove from neighbor last year for about $40. It works fine, except that they had drilled a hole in the front below the door to help with air intake. Apparently that plate that is hooked to that handle below the door that pulls in and out to control the air intake flow to the fire is rusted shut. We don't have a way to weld it or cut it. It's too thick for the sawzall. So when the fire is burning, if you have the door cracked open, it pulls in air just fine. Close the door, the fire gradually chokes off from lack of air.

Since we are putting cob behind the stove anyway for a fire backer or that stone barrier thing back there (so the wall doesn't get too hot and house burn down), I thought maybe we could do like some folks and surround the stove with cob. I thought, surrounding the entire box with cob but leave about an inch or two of air space all around the box, except where the door hole is. Where the door hole is, I would make the cob meet the door hole (take the door off the iron box) on the bottom of door hole but not side so it could suck in air. Then I would use rebar or fashion some hinges to hang the door on the outside of the cob structure, thus closing in the fire for safety, but allowing the fire to now suck air and function normally.

My Plan B modification to this thing would be to close in the entire door hole, put a pipe of some kind going down from the door hole going to the outside near the floor with a screen to prevent coals from dropping down into it, and an adjustable flap or lid on the outside end of the pipe on the edge of the cob, to adjust the air flow.

Plan C was to rip the woodstove out, and just make a cob fireplace, or maybe a cob rocket stove.

None of it is code, I know, but we are taking into account for safety, and also, we are on a massively tiny budget. That's why I'm actually looking at cob. Cob seems virtually unable to burn, and it holds the heat and then releases it later, but is also something you can sit on or snuggle up to. I like that idea.

Thoughts?

[haypoint]

Please explain cob.

[dlmcafee]

Cob or cobb or clom (in Wales) is a building material consisting of clay, sand, straw, water, and earth, similar to adobe. Cob is fireproof, resistant to seismic activity,[1] and inexpensive. It can be used to create artistic, sculptural forms and has been revived in recent years by the natural building and sustainability movements.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cob_(material)
I assume it is this

[vallyfarm]

Think this thru....You are gong to start a fire in the middle of your house and want people to tell you how to not burn down to he ground? You call that $40 a learning moment, sell it for scrap, and get a stove that works 100%. Pass this off to the next sucker and you live with wondering if the new owner lived through the house fire at their place. Really, never ever play with fire. I can't imagine trying to explain that to your insurance co. Mike

[rambler]

I only knew of corn cobs, so this thread was looking real exciting to me as to how you gonna build a fire enclosure out of cobs - until I see the explination of what cobb is.....

I'd think working on the stove to get the plate to move again would be easier, rust can be busted or heated loose. But then I can work with iron, I'm not much of a sculptor so the idea of coating the stove with sawdust & straw & mud just seems not real easy - or good?

If the plate is so far shot as to not be repairable then I'd drill another hole or two, and build a new plate - or bolts - to regulate those holes, so you can control the fire. There are times you want more air, and times you want no air, so just leaving an inch gap in some stucco would be a problem for me?

--->Paul

[Bearfootfarm]

A hammer and a chisel will get the rusted part moving again.
The other ideas are a recipe for a disaster

[meanwhile]

Oh no! Don't do it. Find a safer alternative. Do more reading and research, learn more about Cob and how to build a safer stove.

Have you tried greasing the plate to allow it to move? Or can you just use the stove with the door slightly open? I know that uses much more wood but if you have plenty of wood, just use the stove as-is until you can get a safer stove.

Start reading and learning more and you are sure to find a good safe idea.

Chimney and Fireplaces questions page:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Chimney-Fireplaces-3286/

Masonry Heater page / just to give you ideas and learn from their library section:
http://www.mha-net.org/index.htm

Go here and then into the manuals and learning section about each area:
http://www.etowahfireplace.com/stove_pipe.html

More learning here. Yes, these are too expensive but learning about the safer stoves will give you ideas and inspiration for a safe way to set up your own heating. For example, we picked up stones on our property and cemented them into a 10 foot wall on two sides behind our stove. The stones hold the heat and release it later. It was cheap and works great. It is not "fancy" like the photos but it works good.
http://www.tempcast.com/

Good luck - If you start a thread/post asking folks for links to Cob plans then I bet they can give you some links. Stay safe.

[texican]

I question the idea that something is too thick for a sawzall... it might take a long frustrating time to do it, but with perseverance it'll get er done.

I once was 'hungry' and took a plumbing job a plumber friend recommended... he didn't want 'the bother' of it... an 8" cast iron pipe had to be cut out in two places under a very narrow crawlspace. I got special blades, got 'comfortable', and 3 hours later, had one cut done.

You 'can' get portable cutting torch rigs (can probably rent them at rental places) and cut anything. Or, if you know a welder (who doesn't???) they'd probably cut it for a couple of cold beers.

If your planning on living on the 'homestead' from now on, having a cutting torch rig and welding machine are pretty much 'have to have' tools.

[jennigrey]

Kroil.