"Finnish Fireplaces" book by Heikki Hyytainen and Albie Barden - available for download from Albie

Jan 24, 2026 15:59:37

For any who are interested, a PDF of "Finnish Fireplaces" by Heikki Hyytiainen and Albie Barden (with translation by Aila Rapeli) is available for free download from Albie Barden's (of Maine Wood Heat) blog site:
https://www.albiebarden.com/albie-bardens-blog

This book has been long out of print and has had very limited availability on the used market from the usual suspects.

"Finnish Fireplaces" is a survey of historic and modern (as of the 1980s, that is!) Finnish masonry heaters, most of which feature some form of fireplace, whether open or with operable doors. Some are of the contraflow design, others merely having smoke chambers (and heat accumulators) above the fireboxes. Some designs shown also offer black ovens or cook tops, and a couple of cook stove designs are reminiscent of the Cabin Stove from Firespeaking or Matt Walker's cook stoves.

Even if you are sold on the rockety type of masonry stoves, this is a good reference (though I am still nosing through it, so may be offering a hasty endorsement).

Many thanks to Albie for making this difficult-to-find reference available!

Jan 28, 2026 11:01:03

That's a cool posting. Read the book last night. Finns don't seem to use steel as a radiant surface unless for cooking, they believe it strips the air of negative, healthy ions (of what I don't know). If the terror of formaldehyde keeps you awake at night, then steel radiant surfaces should be lurking in your subconscious as well.
I knew of the wait to enter the traditional sauna of my ancestors, but did not know part of the wait was to allow air to stabilize, helping the stones to impart their negative generating magic.

Jan 28, 2026 15:03:19

Tommy Bolin wrote:Finns don't seem to use steel as a radiant surface unless for cooking, they believe it strips the air of negative, healthy ions

I read a better explanation in an older masonry building book - steel surfaces heat to temperatures high enough to burn the dirt particles and the fumes created pollute the air. It makes sense, taking into consideration that dirt will be partially composed of organic compounds like skin, hair, food remnants, microplastic, etc.

Feb 01, 2026 07:47:33

Be aware, there are a couple of pages missing from the scan (there's only one page between numbered pages 90 and 94, but I can't tell which 2 page numbers are AWOL). I would assume this was merely an oversight (stuck together pages or whatever) when the scan was made and the PDF compiled.

If ever I come across a paper copy, I'll scan the pages which are MIA and post them. They may be relevant to the "Modifications" section (which includes cook stoves), but I infer that they may more likely pertain to installation, including (I would imagine) things like structural support and setbacks. Since these details are likely to be generally relevant, irrespective of what sort of masonry heater one constructs, I think the missing pages should be publicly available. I thought I'd found a copy at a reasonable price on Amazon, but the sale was cancelled after the transaction was completed, so I assume either someone beat me to the punch on another sale platform (or bricks-n-mortar) or someone's inventory system showed a non-existent book. Either way, I'll keep looking. I'm old fashioned, but I really do prefer a dead trees book to the digital sort. Unfortunately, it seems that the preponderance of stuff I am looking for is only available digitally.

I guess could also ping Michele (Albie's partner) from his website and ask her. She may be able to help with the missing pages. Maybe I'll do that, and post up any positive updates.

OK, back to snow removal and roof clearing (we are on pace for a record year, here)...

Feb 01, 2026 08:32:33

I don't know which Finnish invention I'm more grateful for. This or Linux.

Feb 01, 2026 11:19:36

Tyler Grace wrote:I don't know which Finnish invention I'm more grateful for. This or Linux.

Nokia.

Feb 13, 2026 10:34:15

Kevin Olson wrote:Be aware, there are a couple of pages missing from the scan (there's only one page between numbered pages 90 and 94, but I can't tell which 2 page numbers are AWOL). I would assume this was merely an oversight

page range 76-77 as well, forgot to add.

cristobal cristo wrote: I read a better explanation in an older masonry building book - steel surfaces heat to temperatures high enough to burn the dirt particles and the fumes created pollute the air. It makes sense, taking into consideration that dirt will be partially composed of organic compounds like skin, hair, food remnants, microplastic, etc.

Sure, agreed, but that seems an incomplete answer. The accumulation since prior use burns off, then what, remaining settling dust burns as well? how much of that can there be?
The volume of air in contact with steel ( the source of 'ions' ) is immensely greater than any airborne solids, which obviously have to have a mass less than air to float onto stove in the first place.
Another point I've not heard made. Traditional steel woodstoves likely contribute more fine particulate to inside air. Masonry of whatever form seems more airtight.

Regardless, the historical observation remains the same. No hot steel in the house, wait for the sauna to stabilize before jumping in.
Hot rock good, hot steel bad.
Finns have a colloquial name for sauna, 'poor man's pharmacy'. Positive ions, really hot air and bit of steam jump start the immunity

Feb 13, 2026 10:45:55

I wonder if you could build a masonry fireplace with Nokia...

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