Jötul Black Bear Secondary Combustion

Things to mention I forgot while filming! Camera cut out due to overheating.
2nd hand fire, sort of abused a bit and I was going to say, door glass pitted and so can soot up easier. Won't soot when running right, but, 'easy to run wrong'. It's like a sports car, or racehorse,.. it needs fettling!
As mentioned, the fire breaks down completely. And for convenience (ie when I want to move it, or move house) I put it back together with fibreglass insulatioin which does a fine airetight job. (it took quite a while to clean up the old fire cement.)

The top can be fixed in place with 4 long bolts. I've kept the bolts but don't use them. You don't need to screw it down. The weight of the iron is enough to make the seal / it's not going anywhere.

The larger piece of wood on top is Frene (in french), a.k.a Ash. Great wood! and been in the back gargen for 18months after I bought it already 'seasoned' (though was a bit green) Now, spot on.

The design of the top baffle. It would expand, contract, sometimes split in the front middle. The central 2ndairey air pipe (that you can't really see) bends also as it is attached to iron baffle with a couple of lugs in the baffle that fit into holes in the top of the pipe. You can remove this pipe completely ... I didn't bother but might in future. I did block two side tubes (with rockwool) just after where they feed into the centre top pipe. a) i've never seen and 2ndary combustiong from this front transvers pipe b) blocking it will give better pressure in the middle and back of the fire.

If you have this issue with the split baffle, depending on how bad ... if not too bad, all you need to do to get it out, (so you can then grind some of that extra width off.) ..

Disassembly.
Fix a cord, click click tensioner type best, around the fire (front, back, two sides).
Remove top plate, remove top box.
The cord will stop the door and back plate 'falling out'/in place.
Unscrew the 4 10mm bolts at the base of the side plates.
Use the top box to lean the back plate onto. Put the top box on its end, and prop it against the back plate. slacken the cord somewhat, and allow the back plate to move out of the upright-mated-to-side-panels and let it rest against the tilted forward top box.
Gently pull forward the front door and remove.
Having already slackened the 4 10mm bolts (u don't need to remove them) with one hand under the baffle plate to catch it, push out from the top the two side plates. This will free the stuck baffle plate. If like mine the plate has warped up at the front you'll have to assess if you can salvage it with the grinder. I took enough off to enable me to slide it back in. It was curled up at the front end, about half an inch.
A new baffle plate is ... $200? So if you can salvage, great.
I used fire clay and tin foil to 'seal' the split in the front of the baffle. You can see it (the tinfoil) I think in the video (it's not finished uploading so not had a good look myself yet)

Key to the fire is: use good seasoned wood. Don't put in more than I have (although ok to have longer wood, this was only 30cm. Can go up to 55cm no problem.
Use front primary air for first 20 minutes after restocking. And leave door open a crack post loading to pick up a flamer faster. Close door, close down to.
You can close it down and use 2nd airy fully open (pull lever below door, fully drawn out position)

The fire kicks out a superb heat. Having my hand where it was, 6inches from fire, Afer 15 seconds feels uncomfortable! Now nearly 2 hours since I filming, and body of fire still giving off great heat. Nice bed of embers. The water on top is not boiling but must be near 90 degrees.
A fantastic fire: economical, clean AND with a tremendous output, and a body that retains that heat long after the fire has died down. But it's a stove that demands thought about what you put in it and how you run it. Sensitive to over-firing (with pine, soft wood, pallets, etc. or just too high a wood stack).
As with any fire, you want heat, use seasoned wood. And with the design of this firebox and the air flow set up, seasoned wood is more critical with than with most traditional longditudial fire boxes. I don't like: the primary air control, fiddly, too small in movement, gets hot. also ... a slightly larger door space wouldn't go amiss.

Get the wood right, this fire really delivers. After that, you need an insulated house. You can have the world's greatest fire, but if you live in a barn as soon as it goes out it'll get cold again!