Antique Stove Wood-Burner Restoration

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A client brought the base-burner in the color photographs (dubbed "Curly") to Friendly Fire for a face lift, and Bill purchased the cookstove you see . . . planning to refinish it for resale. We used both wood-burners to illustrate this section. Here's the procedure:

[1] REMOVE THE NICKEL (OR BRASS OR COPPER) TRIM that can be detached from your stove. ( That'll usually be all the brightwork from heaters, but—again—the trim is a working part of some cookstoves. ) Bolts are apt to be rusted, so use lots of Liquid Wrench to help loosen stubborn ones. Rivets and bolts that won't submit to logical persuasion will yield to a hammer and chisel. (Friendly Fire's expert renovator replaces both hex heads and rivets with brass bolts because, he says, "They're easier to install than rivets and look nice with nickel.")

[2] REJUVENATE THE DETACHED TRIM. If the polishing test you did earlier was positive . . . then go ahead and polish the trim with Brasso and 0-gauge steel wool until all the crud is gone. Then give the metal a second shining with another shot of polishing juice and a soft cloth.

If the trim is beyond reconditioning, you'll have to have it replated. Find a metal plater in the Yellow Pages and ar range for the work to be done. (Most platers prefer that you not remove the rust before bringing in your to-be-refurbished piece.) By the way, if the decorative metal is copper or brass—and you plan to use the stove for more than just eyeballing—consider replating the pieces with nickel. The harder metal is more resistant to oxidation. And don't settle for chrome! It'll start turning blue with your first hot fire.

(As it turned out, Curly's trim did need replating . . . the cost was $76. )

[3] REMOVE ISINGLASS WINDOWS AND FRAMES. If you need replacement panes—and if your nearby hardware proprietor isn't able to locate any—you can order isinglass from Friendly Fire ( see the note following this article for the firm's address).

[4] REMOVE RUST FROM: [a] Stoves with trim detached. If all the ornamentation can be removed from your stove, the best way to derust is to have the surface sandblasted. But not with sand . . . it's far too coarse. Instead, you'll want the blasting done with carborundum crystals. Look for this service in the Yellow Pages under "monument works" .. . since carborundum is used to polish gravestones. Or find someone under "sandblasting" who uses the finer abrasive. Have only the exterior of heaters blasted . . . but if it's a cookstove you're rehabilitating, let the "polisher" blast the oven, too. (Poor of Curly needed a scouring, and paid a $30 visit to the monument-maker.)

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