Painting a old cook stove.

[Flathill]

I will be painting a cleaned up old black cast iron cook stove. What color high temperature paint should I use. I notice that Stove Bright Hi Temp has a few different colors in black. Satin, Flat, Metallic, and Charcoal. I kind of wonder what paint and color are used on those professionally restored beautiful cook stoves and parlor stoves.
Maybe I should start painting at the back side first and see how it appears ?

 

[begreen]

Satin black should work. But do a test on the firebox side first. Many of these old stoves had coats of stove black polish applied. If so that can make it hard for the paint to bond and a fresh stove blacking may be preferable.

 

[Alpine1]

And post pics of the restored stove!

 

[Flathill]

Don't have the restored stove yet. I am trying to restore a cook stove that is in pieces. After wire brushing and maybe some media blast I will try a couple of black colors on the back side cast iron pieces.

 

[coaly]

Was it an enameled stove or blacked??
Wipe parts with soapy water to see if it comes off extremely black. If so, that is stove black which allows water and water vapor through so the surface eventually rusts under the coating. Polish is not impermeable to water. Wire wheel and re-black is the easiest and original finish. You'll find there is so much polish in the metal as you wire wheel and wipe, it is finished. Touch up with new polish in areas that look light, but many times enough comes out (over and over) and not much more is needed. Depends on the care and how often it was blacked. You "can" remove stove polish to paint, but if you heat parts hotter than they have been since cure, it opens the pores and comes out of the iron. I have wiped with mineral spirits, lacquer thinner, hit with torch, still black when wiped with a wet cloth. It's a mess. Satin Black is closest to stove polish. Polish will give you the best finish, but requires reapplication occasionally depending on use. If you're not going to use it, or is in a humid environment, paint is the best protection.