Were Reginald 101's originally painted?

[RobbieTimber]

Can't tell if this is soot or paint that is being wire brushed off. Thanks

Actually, are all wood stoves originally painted since theyd rust without it?

 

[D. Hermit]

Yes they were painted. But if anyone through the years put stove paste on it, then the paint cant be fixed. The new paint wont stick to the old paste, and just a wire wheel on a drill or grinder wont remove all the paste to be able to paint.

In that case you would have to sandblast the stove before painting.

You want to use a high quality stove paint, in the industry we use Thurmalox High Temp Stove Paint.