Antique stove, or not?

[Noah]

I acquired a Washington Stove Works Olympic Franklin 26 when I purchased our house. It was rusting away in the back yard under a birch tree. Although I don't plan on using it to heat a structure I think it would make a nice fireplace and cook top for my patio as well as a nice conversation piece. My plans for it do include refurbishing it and apply some color of Stove Brite to help preserve it and make it look a little nicer.

I was wondering if anyone here had any information about these stove such as dates of production. Also if anyone has any tips for refurbishing it I would like to hear those as well.

I have found two similar stoves on the internet. One is here http://www.goodtimestove.com/heating_stoves/franklin/olympic_gar-fk1263.html# and the other here http://www.vogelzang.com/fs260e.htm.

Mine has almost all of the features of the original antique except for the draft vents in the doors which are identical to the Vogelzang version. The pattern cast into the back panel is also a little different. I am pretty sure this is not a knock off Taiwan model because of the ornate feet and the words that have been cast into it in various places.

Here is some pictures.

http://homepage.mac.com/noahlmil/images/stove01.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/noahlmil/images/stove02.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/noahlmil/images/stove03.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/noahlmil/images/stove04.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/noahlmil/images/stove05.jpg

 

[webbie]

Here is a similar stove which Good Time Stove claims is from 1890-1900
http://www.goodtimestove.com/heating_stoves/franklin/olympic_gar-fk1263.html

BUT, they also made either the same stove or updated versions up until about 1979 - so I don't know how a person would tell the age of a particular unit. There are some links to antique stove forums and sites at:
https://www.hearth.com/partsplace.html

Some history of WSW:
When Ralph Mackey sold Washington Stove Works in 1981 to the Goldbelt Corporation, he became the last of four generations in his family to own and run the firm. Ralph's great-grandfather, William Mackey, Sr., had founded the company in South Haven, Michigan, in 1875. But the stove works' connection to Washington began in 1903, when Everett's civic leaders, wishing to build a diverse industrial economy, lured the company to the Northwest.

BTW, if anyone lives in Southern Ca., here is a great deal on another Wash Stove works stove:
http://slo.craigslist.org/hsh/386436862.html

Restoring depends on what you want for the end result. Just a good cleaning and repaint may be good enough for a conversation piece. It is a different story if you need to get matching parts to replace castings, etc.

 

[senorFrog]

I wouldn't waste my time on it. I had a stove exactly like yours, except mine mine had no branding on it. I used it for two years, mostly in the evenings between 4 - 11 PM. It was def not a 24x7 stove: ate wood up quickly, no secondary burn, steel construction didn't retain any latent heat. This stove had been refinished once by the previous home owner, who was very meticulous. However, unless you send it out to be sand blasted and professionally painted or powder coated I think it will look old again in a few years.

I considered renfisihing it my Franklin, sure glad I didn't. After doing some research and checking in here I decided to replace it with a Jotul Oslo. Saved a lot of money on my oil bill. The glass creates a real nice ambiance for fire viewing. There is no comparison in the performance between this style stove and the new designs. I got that feedback from many folks and treated it with skepticism. However, in my experience, it is true.

I know the new stoves are expensive, but do yourself a favor and check them out before committing to restoring that old franklin.

Check out this thread for pics...

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/2965/

Do a search on my name of you want some more info/pics on the Oslo.

Good luck!

 

[Noah]

Thanks for the comments.

After posting this I found the FAQs and some of my questions were answered there as well.

I mentioned before that I had no plans of heating a structure with this stove and I realize that it is very inefficient compared to the stoves of today. Instead I intend on using it as an outdoor fire place on my patio (which is made of concrete and block) and since it will be rather close to my grill/smoker I might cook on it from time to time if it works well enough. Before getting this stove I was going to build a fit pit table with a tile surround. I think this fireplace will serve my needs even better though because I can pipe the smoke out above my head so that you won't smell like thy just got back from a camping trip. It also adds the possibility have having another outdoor cooking surface.

As far as refinishing goes, I just want it to look nice and not continue to rust since it will remain outside in the weather. I already have it completely disassembled and in the next few days I'll begin removing the rust with a wire wheel and on the spots I can't get to I'll sand blast. I do have a question about the painting process though. Since I have the thing apart should I paint it before I re-assemble it and caulk it or should I put the whole thing back together first and then paint it?

My thinking was to paint all of the pieces before assembly so that it is well protected since it will be outside most of the year. Also I was going to paint the inside with a flat black to help prevent rust and I am wondering if I should use the Stove Bright high temp primer since this area will be exposed to direct flame?

 

[senorFrog]

Sorry, missed that part. I guess Alaska is cold enough where you need a wood stove outside too.

 

[hearthtools]

Stove bright will not inhibit the rust.
The best way to keep it from rusting is powdercoat

 

[Noah]

I didn't realize that powder coat would withstand the high temperatures. I'll have to check with a few local power coaters and see what they say.

Otherwise I'll be touching it every now and then I guess.

 

[karl]

Noah,

I don't know how well it would work on something as big as a stove, but maybe you could try oiling it with olive oil. Don't laugh. You oil cast iron pans when you're done with them so they don't rust. And the next time you heat them up the oil turns black and creates a protective finish. In the midevil times, blacksmiths did this to swords to keep them from rusting. I don't know what happens to the olive oil but it sure makes a tough finish. This site calls it Choji. http://www.swordforum.com/sfu/primer/oiling.html They say use mineral oil instead of olive oil. So why not just clean it up, oil it down real good, use it, and then oil it down again when you're done? I bet after a few uses it have a really tough finish on it.

 

[Gooserider]

I can say from experience that Stove-bright paint will NOT stop rust. You might do better with one of the Rustoleum Hi-Tem BBQ paints, but I wouldn't bet on it. Oiling and stove black might work, but only if you burn it just about as often as it rains. In short, I would figure that it will probably rust if left outside unless you build some sort of roof over it (which might not be such a bad thing).

What might be better is if you were to build an outside "Rumford" style stove out of masonry - such as This link offers. This would possibly be better for heating you and your friends, w/o heating the rest of the world, and can be made out of materials that won't be harmed by exposure to the weather. You could even build an oven into it for extra cooking, or do colonial style stewpot cooking with it.

Gooserider