Building a new door for my batch box

Hi all;  I was unhappy with the first door I built for my shop dragon.  It just wasn't heavy duty enough.
All aluminum with a window, insulated with CF board.  It worked great when new but quickly got sloppy and became a pita to use when hot.
After I test ran the new batch for a week , my brand new Skamal insulated firebrick rated for 1750 F continuous burn.... Failed spectacularly! Seems these batch box's get right with the program !

So now the batch has been rebuilt with heavy bricks, 2700 F continuous burn rated ! That will show the unruly Dragon who is boss!
Of course while test burning with the new bricks the door got progressively worse!
I guess the dragon showed me!
Time for a new door.  
I would have loved to purchase a cast iron door with window but... being a Montana poor boy... I'll build my own, again....

The only thing I salvaged to reuse was the angle iron frame that slides into the box.
The new face plate is 1/4" high carbon steel plate, securely welded to the angle iron frame.  
Cutting a hole for the door required  my sawsall with a metal cutting blade installed.
I have chosen to keep my secondary air separate from the primary air. (newest design's are using a combined air).

Next up the door itself.  
My original design and all other BB designed doors have the "defect" of allowing sparks to pop out the primary intake hole, even when at full burn.
As this BB is in my auto shop, there are to many flammables around to allow that to happen.
So my new door copy's an old design barrel stove kit called a "Sotz"  The primary intake is high up in the door with a C channel on the inside, that warms and directs that air down to the bottom of the door.
There are specific guide lines on the size of primary and secondary air inlets. My primary hole was specifically sized to accommodate an 8" batch . My batch box is a 7" but my riser is an 8", so it was deemed necessary to size it for the riser. My secondary air is also sized for an 8"
I also included a "flapper" that will allow me to shut off the primary air and let the secondary air finish up the final faze of a batch burn. This allows for a more complete burn while keeping the emission level's low.

The door itself is 1/8" plate,with 3/8" square stock tacked in place to hold ceramic blanket as a door seal.
The door handle was previously a chipping hammer who lost its head... a hot bend a  few washers and an 1/8" hole for a cotter pin and we have a handle.
A chunk of 1/2" plate cut and ground makes a solid door catch.

Still fabricating the hinges and then it will be time to take her out for a test flight.

And we have some hinges fabricated.   Get them welded on and mount the frame and I am ready to take off.

And here it is all welded up and set in place. I'll pull it back out to paint it black with header paint.
And then this Dragon is ready for a test flight!

Absolutely beautiful!

And here is the finished painted door!  

That is one kick ass heavy duty door Thomas!    Great job.

I guess you just use a poker to adjust the primary air damper?

That's an interesting design that has the primary inlet at the top but delivers it lower down and diffusing it over a wider area at the same time.

Can't wait for the dragon to roar again.

Thank you Gerry;
If you listen closely around 6 am in the morning I'm pretty sure you might hear her roar!  
I would tell you to look to the sky but I don't think I should risk flying her over the border.... Canada would probably frown if she scorched  a fighter jet or two trying to visit...

Thomas, you're might be in for trouble. I hope not. But with your C channel, you might have forgotten a basic rule of airflow.  Double the CSA in the bends.  On my rocket range,  i've had the problem, not enough airflow was going to the firebox. I have cut two holes in the actual door, but the fascia, which didn't want to modify was hindering airflow.


https://www.kachelofentur.eu/kachelofentur_eu/www/index.php?stilus=webaruhaz&hiv=25



That site exists in French and in German, sorry! Works quite nicely with google translate.

Hi Max;  
Well I hope that is not so.  
The primary at Matt Walker suggestion is already over sized  to account for an 8" riser.  The intake is 3" in dia and C channel is 5".
I guess if it needs more air I can add a second smaller hole below the first. Or just enlarge the upper to 4" dia.

Nice looking door site. For some reason google would not translate.  
Matt put me in contact with northstoneheat.com   they sell  Pisla cast iron stove doors.
Very Very nice doors.  But rather expensive.  Maybe when I build one in the house I'll spring for one.

Well so far so good.   Cloudy and cool at 51 F  stone cold stove and mass.  And she took right off.  
I'll need to wait a month or two before I can really get things warmed up and pulling.
1 hour after lighting and I have a large pile of coals.Brick temp on the mass has risen 10 degrees and the stack temp is 100 F and climbing.
I'm experimenting and I've shut off the primary and I'll let the secondary finish off the burn.
Curious  to see how well it does.

51, that's not much.

Good if it works.

And today I made an improvement!  I even lit a kindling fire @ 70 just to see!

That window adds a whole new dimension to your shop dragon. Great job!  
Does that now make it a cyclops?

Looks awesome! Love the window!
How did you affix the flange to the bricks? Or is it just sandwiched in there?

Have you noticed a difference in performance with the higher temp. bricks?

Nice work.

Hi Nathan;
Thank You!
Right at the moment it just tightly slides in (angle iron frame behind backing plate).
I have Tapcon masonry screws to put in , just haven't gotten to it yet. I'll put in two near the top thru the angle iron.

I haven't been able to burn it but a few times with how hot its been. So I have no proof yet, but here is what I expect.
With the non insulated bricks, I expect at least an hour longer to bring the bell and exhaust stack temp's up to full burn.
With the heavy bricks the fire must heat them first and then can heat everything else.
Ideally I should have purchased insulated bricks good to over 2500 F and used them.
On the plus side once everything is fully heated up it will stay that way a long time.

Gerry;  Thank You as well!  
Cyclops huh...  I prefer to think she lost one defeating a competitor for  her humans affections...
Some girls are jealous you know especially when they are a fire breathing dragon!

The eye is a window into the soul...