Refurbishing Wood Cookstoves

[Paul_H]

Loghead's thread in the food section regarding cooking on a woodstove got me looking again for a 1920-30's style cookstove for our guest cabin.We looked around and found this one on Craigslist in fairly good shape but needing a overhaul, which turns my crank anyhow.

This here is a picture of a similar model and vintage built by the same company-Fawcett in Sackville NB.

 



and this is the one we dragged home

 



 







All the parts are there including the tools but the panel on right hand side of the stove is rusted through the porcelain enamel.The other side where the draft control is,has some bubbling.

I spoke to John Ballantyne at this site and he could do the fix at a reasonable price but we agree that shipping from BC to IL could put the cost over the top.The panel is 15x20"
He seems to be a good guy and when he told me to call if I need any help,I believe he was sincere

Link

I figured I'd start this thread because there must be a few of you with experience in overhauling these things.

Can I replace this cast iron panel with a duplicate built out of steel?Will the expansion cause any issues?
It's the plate below the cooking surface that forms the top of the oven and it's rusted through at the edges and the lumps you see are the stove cement used to patch it.I'm confident I can make a new panel from steel if there is no problem with cast iron/steel fitting together with the heat involved.

 







Any advice or stories,experiences are most welcome.If different angle pics are needed let me know.

[thecfarm]

Here's a place that would know.

http://bryantstove.com/

I doubt they have a stove from Canada,but they could answer your question.I bought a stove just like the one my Grandmother cooked on.It's quite the place to go into and see the stoves they have.They do some casting right there too.

[SwampDonkey]

Don't know if these guys can help, but they are dealers. May not offer much help, don't know.

BRITISH COLUMBIA
Supreme Appliances Ltd.
http://www.supremeappliances.com
Vancouver
1492 Kingsway
supremeappliances@telus.net
Phone # 604-879-4723

Here is the company info
Enterprise Fawcett
73 Lorne Street
Sackville, New Brunswick
E4L 4A2
Canada
Phone: 1 (506) 536-1160


Aerial view of the foundry in the 30's.

[Paul_H]

Thanks SD,

I spoke to Supreme yesterday and they might have grate parts if I need but nothing else.I've got the bolts all saturated with Rust Reaper and the stove is sitting nice and dry in the heated crawl space til nicer weather.
I was applying the RR last week and was wearing a black sweater while reaching carefully down through the bowels of the stove.Went in the house later and sat down in the light coloured armchair in the livingroom and was reading.Later Carla was asking why there was a big black smudge on the cloth of the right arm of the chair.

I think it was one of those rectal oral questions so I didn't answer 

[pigman]

Paul, you had better get that stove fixed quick. You will be needing it to cook on when you are asked forced to live in the guest cabin.

[Sprucegum]

Was that oven top welded on or bolted? If its bolted you can use steel for sure. Movement in the bolts will take care of any differences in expansion.

[Don_Papenburg]

Call   John Wojnowski   1 815 422 0176  at Can-Do-Metals.  John can cast your parts               He is located in StAnne Illinois      that panel could be replaced with steel but cast would be much better.  
  

[Ironwood]

My wedding gift from my best man was a Copper Clad cookstove. We use to have Saturday morning waffle parties in my old woodshop. Nothing better than waffles, perclator coffee, and homebread from the cookstove.
 
         Enjoy! Ironwood

[sawdust]

My post did not make it in I guess.

Paul there is a company in Airdrie AB that rebuilds stoves. My aunt had grannys stove fixed there and then she took it to Oliver BC. She cannot use it, it is not CSA approved and they don't like stoves in the valley! I would like it when she dies, I remember Granny cooking me dollar size pancakes right on the lids when I was small.

david

[SwampDonkey]

No pancake griddle? Usually they took a stove plate off and placed the griddle over the fire. Rubbed a little beef or pork grease on and the hotter the iron the better. My uncle can't stand me cooking my pancakes on a fry pan with corn oil.

[Paul_H]

Thanks all for the hints and information.It's nice to be able to come back to it for reference.

Sawdust,

is this the company? Vintagestoves.com

They have some great pics of restored woodstoves and if you run the mouse over you'll see the before restoration pics.Sent an e-mail off to them this morning asking about re enameling.We go to Calgary a few times a year so a trip up to see the showroom might be in order.
We know our the stove is a run of the mill but we like the style for the cabin that it will be in.The trick is to get this thing functional and safe with out spending more than it's worth.

I spoke to this fellow,Mike Strong in Kaslo,BC.  Canadian Antique Stoves

I gave him a call the other day and he was kind enough to return it and spend a bit of time with me and gave a few pointers.He was a bit guarded but he doesn't know me from Adam so it's understandable.He suggested that if re enameling wasn't feasible,high heat flat black paint might look okay.When I think about it,he may be right and it could look just fine framed in between the cream coloured sides.
He thought the Frontenac model might have been sold by a department store in Vancouver such as Woodwards or Eaton's.

Sprucegum and Don_Papenburg  ,

the cast iron panel is bolted on with 6 stove bolts.Mike Strong told me there is a foundry in Surrey BC that does work for him.It's around a 3 hour drive from here.

Bill,

I didn't know you liked pancakes.Any particular kind or anything made by bisquick? Do you like a side of McCains hash browns with em? 

[SwampDonkey]

Locally grown buckwheat and whole wheat, goes into mine. It's made by Grant's in Speerville, NB. They call it Speerville Flour Mill. Stu Flyshaker started the mill and is now retired. He is a forester by the way and I think from Washington state, one of them back to the earth fellows of the 60-70's. Dad used to grow his wheat for the mill, and Albright's did to. Now Albright's started a potato chip plant this winter. As far as McCain's hash browns, well they would be fine if you want to buy processed hash browns, but I don't eat them. I usually have an apple sauce sausage, it's quite lean sausage compared to most and put out by Atlantic Superstore. They make sausage just down the road here, but I never buy it as I don't really care for it I guess. I've tried it, yes. Some people love it. Everyone has their own taste. I don't buy McCain stuff, I don't want to be reminded of that out fit. Their stuff would be as good as anyone's who processes food, but I just don't want anything to do with them.

[Paul_H]

I don't buy McCain stuff, I don't want to be reminded of that out fit.

I knew that 

[SwampDonkey]

Too bad you didn't live around here, you'd get that stove fixed up in no time. About a month ago, I had to replace the bearings and shaft in my furnace fan. The guy came up with a shaft that was too short. He told me that shaft was $40 bucks. I called over to Piper's to see if they had 3/4" steel rod, "YUP". Went over, got a piece cut, ground a flat section on the end for the hex screw, $5 bucks. Came back and my furnace man had the old shaft off and ready to slap the new one on. Good for another 20 years.

[jpgreen]

Awesome stove Paul. I've wanted one of those for years. ..