> they sold "Stove Shields" at the hardware store and advertized them in
 > the catalogues of the day.  They were an asbestos-like (if NOT asbestos)
 > sheet covered with thin sheets of embossed metal. (Decorative I
 > supposed at the time.)  Kept the red hot little tin stoves of the day
 > from roasting the wallpaper.
 > 
 > People burned "Pine knots" in those little thin stoves, and I've seen
 > 'em red hot for two or three foot up the exposed "Stovepipe". 
Yes, I've seen those stove shields, too. Firing practices like you describe 
is exactly why so many of those houses burned. You probably remember how many 
of those shacks sported a ladder TO the roof, and one ON the roof (hooked 
over the peak) so you could put out a chimney fire. Like many other bad 
things, a chimney fire is better prevented than experienced.
Of course, firing conditions like you describe will probably not lead to 
creosote buildup anyway. ;-)
I'm often asked "How long with that barrel stove last?"; the answer seems to 
be "indefinitely". The trick is to keep it painted and dry during the off 
season, and clean it out in the Spring. My barrel has been in use for at 
least 12 years and looks like new yet. The stove in the other bay of the barn 
was never painted nor given any TLC and has some small holes rusted through 
it. Overfiring like you describe will shorten the life of the stove a bunch, 
but the stove kits I use (Sotz Mfg, now out of business) have a special draft 
control arrangement that they claimed prevented running the stove red-hot.
--- FLAME v1.1
---------------