Kelp I don't know if you've figured this out since this is a somewhat older post but the air control should have been hooked up when you bought it. In the Tribute there is a 'doghouse' located near the front of the stove where the air comes in. In EPA stoves this is actually a pretty small area and will be under the firebricks.

I used to have a Hearthstone Phoenix and it was hard to get going too. The best thing to do is do a small break-in fire, then add some larger kindling and let that get going to very hot coals. Then start adding more wood. Once you do then let the stove get cranking, char off the wood and gradually start giving the stove less air. On the tribute you will start with the air lever all the way to the left and then gradually move it to the right.

There may be a couple other things going on. In a new soapstone stove, there is a fair bit of water that needs to be driven out of the stones or your wood might be less than optimally dry. I hope that helps.

Thanks, nhyankee. I've got the stove working properly now, but I fear it's just too small for the area I'm trying to heat, considering the fact that the room I'm trying to heat is mostly windows -- and louvered ones at that. We'll see come this Thursday and Friday, as it's supposed to be cloudy. (The room actually gets pretty warm, even in winter, if it's sunny.)

Just a quick follow-up. The problem of not enough heat was solved by a 2-pronged approach: Removing the double-walled stovepipe, and replacing it with a single-walled one, (except for where it runs through the roof) and installing a small fan behind the stove. Fortunately, most of the time, that fan isn't needed, as I prefer a quiet heat.