Soapstone stove faded any solutions?

[KevinS]

Hi i purchased a Hearthstone II Soapstone stove and the top is a nice green but the sides have faded or oxidized to a grayish white. While i was taking the stove apart and cleaning it, oiling the latches i noticed when i get oil on the gray areas it turns back to a nice green. I removed one of the slabs of soapstone and rubbed it with mineral oil and it looked really nice but i was wondering what would happen when it heated up so i put it in the oven and left it for a while and it went back to gray.

Is there any way to get the gray areas to stay green or to make the green turn gray so the stove is uniform in color? I probably shouldn't complain i know its only cosmetic and i only paid $200 for the stove but the it just doesn't look right.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Motor7]

I don't know of anything that won't get "cooked" out of the stone once heated. You can sand the stones with 220 or higher(finer) sand paper, that will make the stone even lighter at first , then they will darken with stove use.

How did you "remove a slab soapstone" ? They are supposed to be cemented in place, so if any are loose, order a 5lb tub of Hearthstnone cement & re-attach them.

$200....that's a score!

RD

 

[cycloxer]

Yes. There is a guy who just did a great job rebuilding his H1 and he sanded down the stones to return the finish to new. Check out the thread because the stove really looks kick-a$$ after his refurbish:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/45727/

 

[KevinS]

I don't know of anything that won't get "cooked" out of the stone once heated. You can sand the stones with 220 or higher(finer) sand paper, that will make the stone even lighter at first , then they will darken with stove use.

How did you "remove a slab soapstone" ? They are supposed to be cemented in place, so if any are loose, order a 5lb tub of Hearthstnone cement & re-attach them.

$200....that's a score!

RD

I have tried wet sanding and event went as far as buffing, The slab i removed was one of 3 that are on the top of the stove they have metal ribs in between them. when i lifted them out i didn't see any remnants of cement just the metal skeleton below them. Looking at the way the stove is set up if i cement them in i don't see how i can ever get in to that portion of the stove to clean it out. I dont have any other stoves for comparison, mine was made in 1982

The only thing that has me baffled is i keep reading web sites where people say their stove is getting darker as it gets older and this one seems to have gotten much much lighter going to grayish white from a forest green.

 

[KevinS]

Yes. There is a guy who just did a great job rebuilding his H1 and he sanded down the stones to return the finish to new. Check out the thread because the stove really looks kick-a$$ after his refurbish:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/45727/

That looks amazing

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Soapstone stove faded any solutions?

Faded soapstone is "beautiful."

Really.

Ask around.

 

[Motor7]

Hmmm, 1982. I had a Heritage in '83-4...all stones cemented down tight. Yes, the metal rib connects each stone to the next. I am almost certain that they were cemented in at one time. Loose stones can cause you some problems, they let air in & smoke out where it's not supposed to be. The air thing will make it less efficient and can casue an overfire, the smoke...well you know. You are cleaning above the baffle, it is only accessible from the flue collar, which means removing the flue to get to it(yes a pain), or removing the baffle(another pain). Cleaning above the baffle is critical because creosote falls down on top of it when brushing the flue, if a big pile of it ignites, then you get what happened to my H-1(before I bought it)....a nice big hole in the baffle and runaway flue fire.

I say if it it is running fine with loose stones, then keep an eye on things & have some cement on hand if needed. I sanded mine with just 220 for now & will do 400 later. Once sanded, you have to clean the stone....the dust makes it look white and chalky. I was watching a Canadian video on Soapstone countertops & they wipe them down with mineral spirits, can't see that hurting anything so that's what I did after sanding. I just didn't use a ton, just enough to wet the stone & wipe it off with a clean rag.

RD

 

[JerseyWreckDiver]

I'm not sure at all how it will react to heat but, if you go to a tile supply house and buy Marble/Slate Enhancer (not sealer, enhancer) it will bring out the color and you can reapply it as often as you want.

Also, just thinking... I don't have a ton of experience with soapstone stoves but, isn't there supposed to be a heat shield under the soapstone to temper the heat it gets from the fire? Like the one in the other restoration thread that has the hole burned through it and is warped all to hell.

 

[Motor7]

Jersey, yes that's the baffle. It runs from the middle back of the stove & curves up & over to the top front meeting the damper. The rest of the stones are all directly exposed to the frebox...no shield

 

[KevinS]

Hey Motor7 your stove looks very similar to mine the inside is almost identical except i have an ashtray that slides out from under the left door, my front door is one piece and the stove vents out the back instead of the top. The plate on the back says it was coal or wood burning. The only other difference is you have a lot more stone tiles than i do, most of mine are huge.

I already replaced the back plate inside the one with the huge H on it and the secondary air tube. I couldn't tell in your photos but did you have any cracks in the stone where the tube exited? My secondary wasn't bolted up when i bought it the tube was hanging and the stress cracked the stone on that side. Im going to have to post some photos tomorrow.

I guess ill cement those top stones in tomorrow as well

 

[Sparkster]

Polishing is the thing that won't bake off. Work your stove down to 0000 steel wool and see if that's dark enough for you.

 

[Motor7]

Yes mine was spider cracked around the secondary & 5-6 other tiles had hairline cracks. One corner was loose. I used a razor blade to work the cement into the cracks and smooth it out. Once dry & sanded, most cracks disapeared. Get the Hearthstone cement, is matches perfectly & is made from soapstone.

If you have a rear exit, why do you need to clean anove the baffle....it shouldn't get "dirty". Does yours still have the bi-metal coil on the primary? I looked everywhere for one, but since Hearthstone switched to a manual primary control, they are hard to find. I had the bi-metal thermo on my Heritage...loved the thing.

Oh, and I was reading up on soapstone cookware. They use regular cooking oil to seal the cookware. Try it on the rear & see how it looks & lasts. A benny may be the smell of popcorn evry time you fire it up!

RD