Ginger Creek Antique Stoves

A Stove Restoration in Progress – King Arizona

gingercreekstoves — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 05:37:50 +0000

This is the King Arizona, not yet restored

King Arizona

The King Arizona is an unusual stove in that it is basically a cast iron furnace inside a cast iron filigree jacket. It’s similar in design to the Moore’s Air-Tight Heater 403B, except smaller, and has four large mica windows.

The entire stove was spray painted with silver paint, including the mica windows. Actually, that may have helped to preserve the cast iron from rusting.

On the other hand, it does make the sandblasting a bit more difficult! It’s either the rust or the paint, it would seem!

One of its other unique features is that it has an image of a leaping fish in the middle of the filigree design on both sides of the stove.

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King Arizona jumping fish

In the center on both sides of the stove, a jumping fish is part of the design in the filigree cast iron jacket.

This part of the stove was never silver or nickel to begin with. Originally it was black cast iron.

We can tell, since when Russ sandblasts the parts, it goes down through the layers of whatever was there originally.

The stove will need to be disassembled entirely, in order to restore it properly. In that process, we find lots of things that might not be evident on first look at the stove…

For example, the fire-pot of the stove is in bad shape. It is badly cracked. And the stove cannot be used safely ever again with a fire-pot in this condition.

King Arizona firepot

So, what to do? It cannot be welded as the cast iron of the firepot is seriously depleted and won’t take a weld that would hold. So, it must be re-cast.

This is done by filling in the cracked areas with bondo, sanding them out and sending to a foundry to be re-cast as a new cast iron piece, which will be as good as the original as far as its usage as a fire pot.

The one thing to consider with re-casting is that there will always be some shrinkage due to the casting process. So, it will be about 1/8 ” less overall dimension than it was before. Sometimes, this will require some additional grinding or welding to fit on the apertures of the stove to hold the fire-pot properly.

Without this essential issue being addressed, this stove would not ever be operational again. The fire pot is the heart of the stove – it must be in good working condition.

The King Arizona disassembled

King Arizona disassembled

Here are some of the pieces of the stove disassembled, minus the trim pieces which were already sent to be plated.

These will be sandblasted and painted, separately, and then re-assembled with high-heat stove cement between each seam, and bolted together using the proper hardware.

During this process we may find more info about the condition of the stove, such as hairline cracks which were covered by the heavy paint. Or, previous repairs that were made to the stove, which were not readily visible when the stove was assembled.

For example, we knew there was a large crack in the base, which had a repair, but was not welded:

Crack in base

Very interesting to see how resourceful this repair was!

Done very simply with four hand pounded rivets; it worked very well to hold that large base together, probably while the stove was still being used.

Here is a picture from the inside of how the riveted original repair was made:

Original crack repair

Very impressive and also a very strong hold for the base.

We will weld this crack, but we are going to leave the original riveted repair. It made the stove permanently stronger, and deserves to be preserved, as well, as a testiment to the ingenuity of the person who made it so perfectly, and with such a minimum of materials or advanced technology.

Arizona furnace and base

The furnace top of the fire pot and the base, before sandblasting and re-painting.

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At this point, the pieces will all be sandblasted and painted with high heat stove paint, the fire pot will be sent to the foundry to be re-cast, and the nickel pieces are being re-plated.

King Arizona pieces painted

It is important to paint the pieces as soon as possible after sandblasting because without the protection of the paint, the cast iron will begin to rust immediately.

side panel detail painted

Sometimes there are little ridges in the cast iron from the original mould when it was cast. They may appear to be cracks, but upon closer inspection it is clear that they are just ridges.

furnace piece painted

base painted

Assembly Begins!

Now the pieces are painted and we have the fire pot back from the foundry.

recast fire pot

The fire pot is now brand new cast iron, however, it has undergone about a 1/8 inch overall shrinkage, due to the casting process. So, now it must be adjusted to fit back in the stove. The fitting process usually involves some grinding, and sometimes some welding, as well. And, of course, the fire pot is then painted.

grinding recast firepot

And, our nickel pieces are back from the plater.

nickel plated pieces

So now it really is time for assembly. Here is the fire pot, furnace and base assembled. The seams must be lined with high heat stove cement and the bolts attached before the cement sets.This is the heart of the stove, and everything must be right with it.

fire pot and furnace assembled

Now things start to go together rather quickly. Here, the front panel is assembled to the stove.

front panel assembled

And here, the side and back panels are assembled to the stove.

side and back panels assembled

Putting it all together

Time to set the body of the stove on its base. The body, or main part of the stove, is not sealed or bolted to the base, and can be taken off the base again for shipping.

set on base

Next: the boot rails and nameplate. The nameplate is bolted on and the boot rails fit into slots on the sides of the stove, and can simply be lifted off at any time. (which may be why so many antique stoves are missing their boot rails!

boot rails and nameplate

Adding the doors, swing top and finial. The main door has had its mica windows replaced and its exterior grid plated; the ash door has its nickel-plated vent; the swing top has been plated and the finial restored to its original copper and nickel.

The King Arizona restored – Yay!!

King Arizona restored

Visit us at gingercreekstoves.com to see our complete inventory of antique stoves.

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New Globe Hot Blast

gingercreekstoves — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 23:07:54 +0000

The New Globe Hot Blast No. 718 is still a marvel of thermodynamic engineering, even though its design is at least 100 years old. Probably at least 110 years old, as of this writing in 2011.

New Globe Hot Blast No. 718

Made by The Globe Stove & Range Co., of Kokomo, Indiana, circa 1900 -1910, the New Globe Hot Blast is an exemplary heating stove, for any era, and also very handsomely designed.

Standing 70″ high, it is a commanding presence, and even more so when it is fired up, with the fire visible through its eight mica windows, and reflected on the upper reflector and two side wing reflectors.

It is certainly capable of heating a large area. In its past, it may have been used to heat a church or meeting hall, and today, it would be an excellent heater for an open concept home with a high ceiling, or a large recreation room.

There have been some questions about understanding the ‘hot blast’ feature of this stove. Here is a picture of the interior of the New Globe Hot Blast:

Interior of New Globe Hot Blast

While you can’t see the hot blast fire holes in this picture, you can get an idea of how the fire pot is supposed to be.

The wall there is the interior wall of the fire pot, with the grates below it. Of course it was originally intended for use with coal, and burning it efficiently. In the original advertisement, the New Globe Hot Blast is said to be much more efficient than the Globe Hot Blast, as it “has been subjected to over eight thousand rigid and severe ..tests..and was proclaimed the victor in each and every instance.”

New Globe Hot Blast_firepot

Here you can see the holes in the fire pot where the extra hot blast air comes through to enhance the fire.

The original ad says: ”We claim that our new heater will burn any kind of fuel more economically, will consume the smoke and soot more completely, will heat the base, floor and room more thoroughly, and will hold fire just as long as any heater ever made”

And, here is the special ‘hot blast door draft’ to open in order to engage the hot blast feature:

The Hot Blast Draft Door

Hot Blast Draft Door

This is the special door which opens by a lever to the right.

As you can see, it says right on the door, “Pull the lever to open hot blast draft”.

The original ad says: It can be operated by a novice with better results than the old-type stove can be operated by an expert with his bound volume of rules for operation.”

The Hot Blast Draft Door, open

Hot Blast Door Open

Here, you can see the door opened by the crank lever. There are several notches on the lever to allow more or less air into the intake draft.

When opened, the air goes directly into the double-walled fire pot, and feeds in around the inside of the fire pot, directly to the fuel.

It is sort of like having an automatic interior set of bellows fanning the fuel, and without any smoke or soot coming through, outside of the stove at all. It burns the fuel as completely as possible, meaning that your heat is staying in the stove and radiating into the room, and not creating smoke going up the chimney, and the fuel is completely and efficiently used, and not left half burned.

New Globe Hot Blast

The New Globe Hot Blast was offered in two different versions.

With a Steel Jacket and with a Cast Jacket.

It was also offered in several different sizes, from a 14″ fire pot, to a 20″ fire pot.

The weight of the stove from smallest to largest went from 210 lbs. to 470 lbs.

They usually transported these stoves by horse and wagon. (off the railroad)

(And, we thought the USPS and UPS was bad enough, right? : )

Well, the stoves got there, and were used. Glad there are some left for us to appreciate!

Nothing like this is being made today. And, it is a gift from our collective ancestry in this great nation of ours to still have some of these wonderful stoves to be restored and employed as they were meant to be.

Once restored authentically, these stoves are in original working condition for the next 100 years. What a legacy! And a truly great heirloom to give to posterity.

Stella – 1882 Parlor Stove

gingercreekstoves — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:28:05 +0000

Stella Parlor Stove 1882

Presenting the Stella, an 1882 Parlor Stove, which is in really excellent condition, and hand-painted to highlight all of its beautiful decorative design.

The Stella is an early parlor stove made in 1882 by Favorite Stove Works of Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Stella also has a very unique lower front door, with photographic imagery of its namesake, Stella.

This is a one-of-a-kind stove, and a nice size parlor stove: 56″ high by 28″ wide, with original finial.

Here are some close up pictures of the Stella:

Stella - loading door

It has a wing motif above the vent door, and an Egyptian lotus motif below it.

Very authentically enhanced designs in high-heat stove paint, by Brian and Brianna Spandl.

And lotuses and reeds below that.

The ornate door hinges are nickel plated, as is the handle for the loading door.

What a very special antique parlor stove the Stella is!

Here is a picture of the photographic imagery on the front of the stove:

Stella Parlor Stove - front door image

There are not many stoves made with this much detail attached!

Favorite Stove Works was a large stove manufacturing company.

Click here to see their factory in Cincinnati, Ohio.

And, yet, they seem to have dedicated this particular stove to ‘Stella’.

I would love to know what was behind that. Maybe she was the woman who inspired the stove, and perhaps even worked on the design of it.

And more detail:

Stella rooster

I think it was also about their everyday life, and how much they appreciated the simple blessings of every day.

Just like this rooster, waking you up at the break of dawn! – Ok, that could be a blessing, or not…depending on your schedule!

No matter what time you get up – this stove is an inspiration!

And, there are not likely any more of these around!

Stella Parlor Stove 1882

So, this is the Stella, restored by Brian Spandl, and available on Ginger Creek Antique Stoves.

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Pilot No.55:——– a pot belly stove with history!

gingercreekstoves — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 00:01:43 +0000

Pilot No. 55

This is the Pilot No. 55, just restored after about 127 years! Lookin’ pretty good, huh?

We couldn’t find anything about it, except what it said on the stove itself: “Penna Stove & Range Co., Spring City, PA. “ So, what’s it doing here in N. Carolina? And, why does it have a railroad spike for a door handle?

Ok, it is a large potbelly stove, standing 52″ high, and with a big 19″ fire pot – the type you would expect to have seen in a general store, back in the 1920′s? That’s what we thought at first glance, but, this stove has more history to it, even than that. Just a matter of finding it!

Well, here is what the Pilot looked like when we got it this past September at auction:

: Pilot – unrestored

The unusual mica windows had been painted over, and it was missing part of the vent door slider at the bottom, (which had a little daisy flower patterned into the cast iron). But, it did have all its other parts, including its bootrails.

We later found out from its original advertisement, that nickel plating for the bootrails would cost the buyer an extra 75 cents…! These days it is way different, as nickel itself has become rather expensive, and preparing the cast iron for plating is a very specialized art.

We also found, from the Historical Society of Royersford and Spring City, PA, that the maker of the Pilot was the Yeager Hunter Stove Company of Spring City. The original stove foundry was built in 1843, and after several different owner/manufacturers, was then destroyed by fire in 1856. The people of the town of Spring City got together and rebuilt the stove factory in 1860, on the same site.

The foundry changed ownership a few more times, until finally Oliver Keeley owned it completely by the Spring of 1881. Unfortuately, once again the foundry was destroyed by fire in July of the same year. So, Mr. Keeley continued operations across the river in Royersford. But, in January 1882, he was killed in a train accident at age 36. The towns of Spring City and Royersford, had both the Pennsylvania RR and the Reading RR serving their locale.

After that, the people of the town got together once again, formed the Spring City Iron Association, and rebuilt the Spring City plant that had burned, on the same site. In 1883, they built a large 4 story warehouse and foundry with a machine shop and offices. Yeager and Hunter leased the plant for the next seven years, from 1883 – 1890. In 1890, they bought it and incorporated it as Yeager & Hunter, Spring City Stove Works. Today, it is known as “The Spring City Electrical Manufacturing Company”. They make cast iron lamp posts and use electrical power for the furnaces.

Many thanks to Bill at the Spring-Ford Area Historical Society for the historical records about the Pilot. Their website is: http://springcitypa.net/sfahs/ Bill Brunner can be reached at wcb604jlb@aol.com.

We thought it might have been used to heat a railroad depot in Spring City. Bill sent us the picture of the Spring City railroad station:

Spring City Station

The interior pictures didn’t show a stove such as this. But, maybe someone from there would remember it.And, in its restoration, we kept the railroad spike that was made to be a handle for the main door – for a couple reasons – it is smaller than a normal railroad spike, so we think someone at the foundry made it special. And, it is a railroad town, and that is part of its history. Also, it was put on with a rivet, which had the same amount of original rust as anything else on the stove, and lastly, it fits perfectly to open and close the main door. So, it will stay, as someone intended a long while ago!

Bill also sends the original catalog page of the Pilot:

Pilot Catalog Page

It is slightly different in a few little ways, but, it is definitely the Pilot.

Great to see it, as it was originally displayed for sale.

As it says, the Pilot was originally offered for sale for $26.00. And,

75 cents extra for nickel on the bootrails…!

And, the stove also has a little extra door, just for poking the coals.

That door was completely gone, but Russ, who restores all our stoves at Ginger Creek Stoves, was able to make a new one, which functions perfectly. Yay!

Thank you to Dave Petricka, who helps us exponentially with our research on antique stoves, and also to Brian Spandl, who does all our nickel plating and whose beautifully restored stoves are represented on our site along with our own.

Well, now we have another stove mystery to solve – because recently acquired a smaller pot belly stove, also with mica windows, and made in PA, by the Keeley Stove Co. — one of the owners of the original Penna. Stove Co, which was later -Yeager Hunter… so – this one is even older. Would have to be 1881 or 1882 , as that is the only time it was called The Keeley Stove Co., – before it burned…. Here we go again!

We don’t know of a link between The Keeley Stove Co. in Spring City, PA (1882), and The Keeley Stove Co. in Columbia, PA, which we know was operating in 1909- 1910. Columbia is about 70 miles west of Spring City. If anyone knows what the connection is, please leave a comment.

For more info on the Pilot , and all our other wonderful antique stoves, visit us at: - http://www.gingercreekstoves.com

Welcome to Ginger Creek Antique Stoves!

gingercreekstoves — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 22:20:20 +0000

What’s going on at Ginger Creek Antique Stoves!

We are all about antique wood and coal stoves. We authentically restore unusual antique stoves to their original state. (And also, some not-so-unusual ones, too)

We have a great selection of restored antique stoves for sale, and, at the best prices available, as well. Check our website: http://gingercreekstoves.com

History and Mystery!!

We will be presenting the history of some of these grand stoves, and trying to shed some light on the mystery of antique stoves. Every stove is unique, and has its own ‘reason for being’, its own functionality, personal history and appeal. The ingenuity in the design of these stoves is also of continual interest and inspiration to us. We started this blog to share that inspiration.

And, as usual – just talkin’ about stoves…!

We got the ‘stove fever’ awhile back, - started with just one stove, which led to another, and another.. and we just kept going!

So, what happens when you get the stove fever? You turn into a ‘stove nut’ ! Each stove is an adventure; to find, research, restore and ultimately enjoy. They all have their own stories, and those stories link us all together through our ancestors’ ingenuity in designing them so artfully, and our common interest in preserving them for posterity. –and for ourselves!

Check back when you get a minute – we’ll still be talkin’, and we hope you’ll feel free to post a comment .