Production Woodstock IS

I do not think so- soapstone countertops do not require sealing as granite does so I believe it is <not> porous and should not absorb moisture. At least under any normal (read: not left underwater for centuries) use.

Brian

Or you could just believe what billb 3 said while we were apparently typing at the same time.

 

So should I assume that heat is the culprit for the crack and not moisture?

 

In my own stove, the only stone that has cracked is located in the back wall- I would think the cracking is the result of wood split impacts. I am not violent with the stove but that said, the splits are often heavy and often shift while loading, sometimes pretty sharply. So while I do not think my stove has taken a literal beating, it definitely has been bumped more than a few times, sometimes by pretty heavy pieces of wood.

It also seems that all the soapstone on stoves that is cracked is in a place (inside or right on the top) where it does get bumped- I have not seen soapstone crack, say, on the side of a woodstove for example.

Brian

 

The goog shows this as one answer.

 

GLO! <good looking out>

 

Oh yeah, and another thing: soapstone is used to make 'Scotch rocks': pieces of soapstone about 1" cubed that are put in the freezer and then added to drinks to cool them without diluting them. So they must not absorb liquids or Scotch rocks would all be sand by now from absorbing liquid and rapidly brought down in temperature. Probably why we do not have 'Scotch rocks' made out of granite.

 

The only thing I had a problem with was tolerances, the stone was very tight before the fly ask made its way into the cracks. Removing the pieces after 5 years was difficult because of that. After the top row was removed I was able to remove the steel brackets and the bottom row was hard to pull apart.
Had the stone had another 1/8-1/4 if an inch it may have come apart better

 

Impacts and/or thermal non-elasticity.

 

Visit the Peterborough area, it's very nice, lot's of culture and lot's of country all in a beautiful affordable location. One thing to know about all of NH is that Property Taxes are generally high as they do not have a lot of other taxes like sales tax, excise tax etc.

 

Just got done changing out my cat., cat. gasket and radiator. Looked pretty carefully all the way around the sled / stove sled support and did not see any warping or obvious damage. Note that I did not take the sled out so there may be warping that I could not see- I find the set- screw mounting of the sled to the sled handle to be touchy and did not want to risk breaking it (again) this late in the year. I will check more thoroughly next summer / fall when I have the time to R&R the sled if that screw is seized, which requires cutting the operating handle off and installing a new sled :-(

Also installed a new support for the front of the radiator. This turned out to be a bigger task than I anticipated and I am not sure the thin angle steel I used will be adequate. I did come up with another even easier fix though: drill and tap two holes, one on each side of the cat. thermometer hole, and insert a fairly heavy bolt that the radiator can rest on when it is forward or in the 'closed' position. If / when the bolts warp, just replace them. I am thinking of using 8mm bolts as I have the drill and tap sitting on my desk next to the stove.

Will post again with photos of what I found and what I did to the radiator before installation.

Brian

 

I love the bolt idea!!!

 

Stainless? It would take the heat better...especially if you got 316 SS bolts...but even 304 SS better than steel.
Not sure if this is before the cat or not, but some nickel antiseize on the bolt threads would keep the bolt from ever seizing in...NAS is good for 24-2500* F. If it is before the cat you may still be able to use it SPARINGLY on the first couple threads so that the NAS does not end up external to the hole. Could maybe dab a bit in the hole with a small artists paint brush to make sure none ends up external. Just an idea...

 

Gold colored anti seize is good stuff!

 

It is...but nickel anti seize is good for about 25% more temp (1800* vs 2400* ish)
https://www.permatex.com/products/l...i-seize/permatex-copper-anti-seize-lubricant/
https://www.permatex.com/products/l...i-seize/permatex-nickel-anti-seize-lubricant/

 

Most of my use of anti- seize is either between SS / SS or SS / Al and I find nickle based works better on both of them. Plus, for some strange reason, I find the copper stuff to be..... er, sloppier and it gets everywhere. Not that the nickle stuff does not / can not but I can seem to manage this.

OFFTOPIC: funny story about anti seize. About a million years ago, my brother picked up a steering linkage rod from a friend who worked at a dealer. The guy coated the threads with anti- seize and told my brother to not get that stuff on ANYTHING or it would be EVERYWHERE and NOTHING would ever clean it up. He is on his way home and a guy and girl are hitching a ride (this is back in the olden' days when that was just a bad idea, not a death sentence): he is holding onto the linkage rod, picks them up and hands the rod to the girl who sits in the center of the front seat along with the admonishment not to get the anti- seize (the 'silver' stuff) on her or anything else. Well, a couple of miles later, the girl hands the tie rod to the guy and starts rubbing her hands on each other, her pants, etc, all the while spreading the 'silver stuff' further and further. When my brother drops them off, he notices the guy's hands are covered in the stuff too- as he pulls away, he watches them in the rear view mirror trying like hell to wipe the stuff off on everything, anything but it ain't working. We still chuckle about this today (more than 30 yrs. later). That tie rod did not seize and I assume that couples hands never did either.....

Briam

 

Honestly, I doubt it would make much difference as they are easily changed from outside the stove, even while it is running. I would just plan on changing them every year and if they sagged along the way, no problem 'cause the new ones will be straight.

The problem is just that- the extreme temperature makes them pliable and that is what will allow the radiator to also sag- no matter if carbon steel or stainless steel, they will all become very maleable at those extreme temperatures. Perhaps Iconel would hold up longer but I do not know anyone that could afford Inconel (or Monel, etc.) bolts in the first place

Brian

 

Finally got the stove and chimney cleaned today, 2 years on the chimney and got this 32oz cup. Other than the radiator I don't see any obvious warpage.
Stupid question, on the cat, welds up or down. I can never remember.
Thanks
Stephie

 

I just sat down for the first time in a few hours. I got the stove back today! My ride up started at 6 am and I got back at 1. Since then I have been cleaning, painting and reassembling. WS had it for 2 weeks, plenty to share. I have pics and some news. Spent a good 1/2 hr with Lorin and we chatted about the IS from the production to 5 years later.
My grandson is on his way over, having pizza with him and my daughter. I'll get back on afterwards and start this thing up again.

 

Pretty quick turnaround considering the season! Nice job, WS.

Enjoy Grandson time, looking forward to hearing any and all details regarding your stove that you may elect to share with us!