"FIRE IN THE HOLE"!
Finally, all conditions were favorable, so altho I'm a little late to the party, (compared to you die hard dedicated members), the 111 is full throttle, and making heat...again.
Oats not expected to rise above mid 30s for highs, and dip sometimes into the single digits for the lows. So the test now, is to see how long I can stay off the liquid fuel, and abuse the black rocks.
Once again, I had to put the pieces of the stove back together that I remove in the spring, to allow easier cleaning. I've always had trouble removing my circular grate, and draw center, and reverse assy, is no different. This time it was as if I actually knew what I wuz doing, 'cause it wasn't too bad going back in. I also replaced the mica,
again and seems I just can't keep it clean. We'll see what happens this season.
And I once again used "generic" Matchlight, (from Stop and Shop...6 lb bag), which when lit drew an .07 draft in about 45 seconds. With both dampers wide open (direct draft) in less than 10 mins I started piling in the LeHigh stove coal. Took roughly an hour to be full and making heat in BH mode, and once again we're off to the races. It's nice to know my base chambers aren't full of ash, and the stove is clean. Lets see how long I can keep it like that.