How do you clean a damper?

[pweber]

I've got two Lopi stoves - an Answer and a Patriot. The damper on the Answer travels smoothly and draws air like a champ, but the damper on the Patriot is stiff and doesn't seem to allow much air. At first it barely moved at all so I sprayed it with lubricant when I first got it and installed it (it was a used stove). When I light my stove in the morning I have to leave the door cracked until the first couple of logs are burned down to coals, and even then it's really hard to fine-tune it. I fight it all day. What's up with that? Can it be plugged up? I don't see any way to break it down and clean it out if it is bunged up. All the fire bricks are installed correctly and the chimney is a simple straight shot up through the roof.