A relative of mine is looking at the Avalon Arbour with an enamel finish. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge on these stoves, particularly the enamel finish and longivity?
Enamel Stoves
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8 you've got one of the best enamel processes on any stove out there. It will take 24/7 fires the same as once a year burning.
No doubt that ANY enamel will eventually crack and craze a bit - but that often adds to the character.
How may of us would still be hooked up if cracks and craze did not add character? :lol: Really, I will post something when I get my first chip or crack, something along the line of...Son of a .... my stove chipped
I've got a used 20 year old VC Intrepid with black enamel. While some might consider the poor condition of the enamel on the top due to VC's quality, I think my stove suffered from poor maintenance. Enamel requires slightly more care than a normal finish. I think the previous owner used to keep a water steamer on part of the enameled top and that caused some deterioration. There's also numerous small chips on the doors and edges near the doors. I haven't found any way to fix all these areas, since it's too much to fill in with a VC touch up kit. The stove looks like it has leprosy.
I love the look of the enamel, but I'd probably go with a stove paint finish if I was buying new.
I love the look of the enamel, but I'd probably go with a stove paint finish if I was buying new.
One thing I have seen ruin the enamel. Someone had a yosemite and burned some not so nice wood. Coated the inside of the stove with creosote and all the moisture in thew wood made it kind of liquidy. It leaked out the side door and sat on the porcelain mahogany for who knows how long. It gave it kind of a duller darker look. Luckily it was an easily replaceable ash lip and not the whole side panel.
Water or cool liquid spilling on a hot stove will crack most majolica porcelain enamel. The Jotul and Hearthstone ivory and blue-black porcelain finishes are different and seem much tougher. It's thinner and more paint like. It should stand up a lot better, but I didn't want to test this with cold water.
Enamal is much easier to clean and maintain than other materials. It also keeps its shine and looks nicer in my book.
A picture of our 18 year old J3 which was burned most of its life 24/7 with no damage or cracks. Sold it this spring for $400.00 and installed an updated Yosemite.
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A picture of our 18 year old J3 which was burned most of its life 24/7 with no damage or cracks. Sold it this spring for $400.00 and installed an updated Yosemite.
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BeGreen said:
Sure do BeGreen. This was a very nice stove and only reason to upgrade was for something different. I kept this a lot longer than most.
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I have a Dovre Aurora # 700 in black enamel that I bought in 1993. There are several spots on the top that have crazed and peeled; I just fill 'em in with porcelain touch-up paint. The dealer said that there must've been a problem when they primered and painted the top because the rest of the stove is fine. I do use a steamer on it, but I figure that this is just something that happens and I'll just keep repairing it. I really like the shiny finish of enamel and would buy it again if I had the chance, but that's just my opinion...
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