Cleaning black cast w/o rust..

[Warm_in_NH]

I have no issues wiping down the outside of my stove in the winter with a slightly damp rag to dust it because i know the residual moisture will be burnt off when it warms up.
However, now that I don't plan to have a fire for a few months, will a damp rag rust the stove up? Is there a preferred method to dust off the exterior?
Thanks.

 

[begreen]

Vacuum with the dust attachment?

 

[Warm_in_NH]

Guess that's the best it'll get. Tested a small spot with a damp rag, combined with high humidity, it wants to rust up. Don't feel like putting stove polish all over it, guess a quick vac with the fuzzy thing will have to do.

 

[Parallax]

Here's where having enamel or rolled steel might seem a good option.

 

[Warm_in_NH]

Yeah, but my buddy has a Jotul (about 5 years old) and there's a crack in the enamel and every summer it bubbles up and blisters when it get's humid.
He works for me and the other day I told him of my cleaning concerns and said I should've spent the extra $400 and I wouldn't be worrying about this, that's when I heard about his issue.
Whatever, it's all worth it either way when winter comes and it's 78 inside 0 outside and the propane heat is set to "off"!

 

[Parallax]

Yeah, but my buddy has a Jotul (about 5 years old) and there's a crack in the enamel and every summer it bubbles up and blisters when it get's humid.
He works for me and the other day I told him of my cleaning concerns and said I should've spent the extra $400 and I wouldn't be worrying about this, that's when I heard about his issue.
Whatever, it's all worth it either way when winter comes and it's 78 inside 0 outside and the propane heat is set to "off"!

Well that (a crack in the enamel) would suck. Big time!

What bubbles and blisters? Water that gets trapped in the crack?

 

[Warm_in_NH]

Well that (a crack in the enamel) would suck. Big time!

What bubbles and blisters? Water that gets trapped in the crack?

Yeah, aminbient humidity gets in there and rusts up and blisters the enamel. Only a couple times a year when it's super humid out. However, while I know he makes good money, he's too cheap to buy an enamel touch up kit from Jotul and keeps trying other ways to fix it, so.... probably at least partially his fault.

 

[Parallax]

Yeah, aminbient humidity gets in there and rusts up and blisters the enamel. Only a couple times a year when it's super humid out. However, while I know he makes good money, he's too cheap to buy an enamel touch up kit from Jotul and keeps trying other ways to fix it, so.... probably at least partially his fault.

One wonders about Jotul's quality control too. I would not be happy if my enamel cracked. Presumably the stove's made to stand up to heat. Did he accidentally drop a bowling ball?

 

[Warm_in_NH]

I think it was inflicted by him one way or another. He loves the stove, but owns up to putting a couple of chips in it over the years, sound like the crack extends from a chip caused by a unintended impact at some point.

I KNOW I would chip an enamel stove in no time. I'm like a bull in a China shop and if it escaped me the dog would get it for sure. Black cast and when it gets bad I can put some polish on it and it'll look like new again.

 

[BrotherBart]

I had a guy buy a Jotul blue/black enamel gas stove from me a few years ago. I was going to meet him two days later and hand off the stove. I loaded it in the back of the Suburban that night. The next night I opened the back of the truck and went into shock. The stove was completely covered with white spots. I finally figured out that it was mildew in the enamel from being closed up in the hot truck in direct sunlight during the day and cooling off at night.

Tried everything to fix it and ended up scrapping a brand new stove and luckily I had one more just like it left. Very costly for me. Got three dollars for the scrap cast iron.

 

[Parallax]

I had a guy buy a Jotul blue/black enamel gas stove from me a few years ago. I was going to meet him two days later and hand off the stove. I loaded it in the back of the Suburban that night. The next night I opened the back of the truck and went into shock. The stove was completely covered with white spots. I finally figured out that it was mildew in the enamel from being closed up in the hot truck in direct sunlight during the day and cooling off at night.

Tried everything to fix it and ended up scrapping a brand new stove and luckily I had one more just like it left. Very costly for me. Got three dollars for the scrap cast iron.

Is that a product defect? Shouldn't a stove be designed to get hot and cool off?

 

[BrotherBart]

Nah. Dang thing sat in a hot humid truck all day and got cold that night. Stuff stoves don't do. The sucker just mildewed in record time and the stuff did it into the enamel. Not ever gonna happen to anybody else ever again.

Just if it had been flat black paint it would have been rust. A can of paint would have fixed it.

That enamel on Jotul stoves is good stuff. Don't ever be afraid of buying one with it.

 

[Parallax]

Fortunately, I should be set with stoves for a while. I tend to keep my toys a long time.