e-mail info@stovehospital.com
About Antique Stove Hospital
Wood and coal stoves returned to day one condition. All stoves are totally disassembled, cleaned, parts welded or replaced as needed, caulked, reassembled, painted, new grates installed and nickel replaced. Our stoves are rebuilt one at a time from good original stoves and guaranteed to operate as they were designed. Kitchen ranges and parlor stoves are available. We carry 1850 to 1930 stoves of these types.
Wood/gas combination ranges were the top of each manufacturer's line. They combined the advantages of both the wood/coal winter range and the gas fired summer range. We restore the solid fuel fireboxes to either wood or coal. The gas fixtures are completely rebuilt for propane or natural gas depending upon the planned use of the stove. Gas ovens and broilers are insulated if needed and thermostats and safeties are added to the unit.
We are not a large operation that is restoring stoves on an assembly line. Each stove is personally attended to by Mr. Pineo and will not leave the shop until it is ready. We do not sell stoves as decorations or curios but for everyday use in your home. I am not a broker. With the exception of castings and nickel plating, all work is done here at the hospital. Some dealers subcontract work to other dealers. We do not do this.
We maintain an inventory of about 200 stoves at all times. Call and we can discuss your wishes and the availability of the stoves. I prefer not to accept deposits on sales, but rather ask for payment when you are happy with the stove.
Emery Pineo "Paleostoveologist " and "Stove whisperer"
Information
I can probably help with questions about stoves made in New England and general information about restoration etc. Information about non-New England stoves can be gotten from David Petrieka of 823 Lincolh Ave. SW in Sarrabault, Minn. 55021. Please send a SASE ifyou want a mail reply. His phone number is 1-507-210-4304. David has anextensive collection of original material about most of the antique stove
manufacturers.
Changes in business; People used to come in and buy stoves for occasional use and nostalgia. No more! I'm seeing folks that realize that some winter there will be a shortage of fuel and lots of cold people. They are preparing by having a coal/wood range or a parlor stove. Both run on fuels that are available locally and can be stored. Coal can be bought years ahead and stored in the cellar(I buy mine in July , in plastic 40 pound bags on a pallet.I'm still using some that I bought several years ago). When we loose power I often don't know till morning when I try to brush my teeth.--no water!! Most modern stoves use electricity, or worse --a manufactured product like pellets! This year many dealers got their pellet supply in March--almost spring!! I like my winter fuel supply where I can see it.
My wood and coal restoration has reached the point where I will be doing mostly the coal/wood end of the business and less in the gas area. We send our gas work out to a man who specializes in that work only.
Our business has expanded greatly this year. Let's face it, things are pretty uncertain right now. I am currently swamped with folks that are worried about winter heating and the availability of various fossil fuels. My son has even taken a year off from teaching in order to help here. If you are thinking of a wood/coal range or heater, please do not wait till the last minute. Order early if you plan to use a stove this winter. We will do our best to meet everyone's needs.
Also;
1. I've turned sixty five and I have started to bury my friends. My very best friend of forty years died on election day. Two others in the month before or after.
2. My insurance has taken a quantum leap that means , in effect, I would be working to support them. I now know why they own the large buildings like the Prudential Center
3. These stoves seem to be getting heavier. I need help now to haul even the smaller ranges up a flight of stairs.
4. Time is much more important than money right now . Someone else is catching the fish, I have cars to restore, dogs to walk, and sunsets to be viewed.
You will see that many of the stoves on this site are sold. I do have around 250 right now in stock and we are restoring as fast as possible but cannot catch up. Folks have realized that a wood range may be very important one of these days and are buying now. If you see one you like you can order now and pick it up when it is done. Deposits; We do not take deposits. You tell us what stove you want, we restore it, then you decide if you like the stove. If you do not like the stove you are free to walk away.
Gas or Electric Conversion of Antique wood Ranges
I have been getting calls about conversion to gas or electric for stoves orginally designed to burn wood.. I do have lots of ranges that are good candidates for this. Best deal for you seems to be to buy a range from me and I will arrange for the conversion. Call and I will give details.
Shipping:
I do ship stoves all over the country. I am forced to charge for crating as it takes time and pallets, particle board, ,a trip to Home Depot, etc. Recently I have developed a relationship with a broker that has allowed me to get discounts in the 70% range. The trick is that I must pay up front to get the discount. I usually crate the stove, get the price, then have you pay by credit card before pickup. The difference is enormous. A $1000 shipping charge will be more like $300. Delivery to your home by liftgate can also be arranged if you wish.
This is a typical Glenwood gas range from the late 1920's. I have several at this time in various flavors. Most are light gray with white inserts but I have one in black and one that can be almost any color you wish. These are exceptional stoves with great insulation and one of the best thermostats ever made.
One of the best things about these old stoves is that we occasionally find something totally new and unexpected.. This is a Fairmount E model wood/coal range that someone purchased new around 1920 or so. They added a gas sideshelf and the upper gas oven and broiler. In Thirty years of restoring stoves I have never seen another stove with this combination. I did find it in a 1922 catalog and the price at that time was $140, or about 1/3 the cost of a new Ford automobile. Most wood/gas combinations are really gas ranges with wood/coal added. This one is a complete wood/coal range with the gas added. A very rare and quite nice configuration.the stove is in superb condition aside from being preserved in old grease. The firebox was used with kerosene which also helped preserve the stove. A very rare oportunity to purchase a great year round stove that will be a knockout when restored.
Coal versus wood in ranges.
I own a 7 acre wood lot but I burn coal. In places where wood is plentiful like Maine, wood makes lots of sense. In my area I have a choice and have tried both. Coal in a rebuilt range will burn for 8 - 12 hours at a time without any tending. There is no dust or odor if you are using it properly. It does take practice but once mastered is great to use.. If you just light the stove for cooking or special occasions then wood is your best bet but if you heat full time think a little about coal .
Railway King 16
I have just picked up several number 14 and 16 railway king station heaters. These were very popular in general stores, stations, and large shops. Once common, today they are getting hard to find in good condition. The 14's are a good size for the average home and the 16's are impressive from any angle. 14's=$1800, 16's=$2100
Sold out
Glenwood 508E.
This one is fresh from the recovery room and set up for wood only with a 24 inch firebox that feeds from the front. I heated my home for two winters with a similar stove. One of my personal favorites. I have four more of these great stoves in stock. $2800.
We can restore your antique stove.
I will need to know the brand and model and size of the stove. Wood/coal stoves require complete disassembly, sandblasting, welding or parts, caulking, reassembly, paint , and firebox work. Nickel is done by a local shop and I charge what they charge me in most cases. It is very high quality and I pay accordingly. Firebox parts like grates need to be recast at a foundry. I have grate patterns for several hundred ranges. I charge $1400 for a wood/coal kitchen range rebuild plus nickel and parts. The process usually takes a month or more due to the wait for nickel plating, longer in Winter because we cannot sandblast below 32 degrees F. Parlor stove rebuilds vary in price due to the difference in size and complexity of the stoves. I do have parts for stoves but could never have everything for every stove.
Cost increases
We are being assaulted from all sides. My sand was $3.50 per bag and has gone to $15.00. Nickel work is very high right now and in many cases it is of dubious quality.( I have switched shops for this reason). Paint has gone up again and my good nickel welding rod is now in the $70.00 per pound range. A sheet of stainless that was $30 two years ago is now around $170 and the price changes from day to day. I have had to slightly increase prices to take all this into account but I will try to limit increases to as small as possible.
Planning to visit?
Ptolemy has passed away. He lost his battle with lymph cancer on November14, 2008. He did his best with the help of Doctor Mutty( real name). The world is a little less fun without him.
This is Ptolemy, my director of security at the hospital and he is friendly without mercy. His favorite things are exploring the woods, the drive thru at Burger King, and greeting visitors. If you have a friendly dog, Ptolemy will show him/her the very best places to play and probably get wet. The hospital is a working shop and you should not overdress for a visit. Fall and Spring are sometimes muddy. It is also good to call ahead as I have been known to occasionally leave for business reasons or bass fishing. Looking forward to seeing you.
Ptolemy is training a security assistant named Magellan. Just twelve weeks old in this photo he promises to be a large golden in a few months.
My security staff hard at work protecting the stove hospital from squirrels. What better way to spend a cold snowy afternoon? Incidentally, at the sight of a squirrel they turn into velocigoldens. 4 down so far this season and one skunk!!
Quality Gas range. This is one of the oldest gas ranges I have ever seen. There are 4 gas burners on the cook surface and an oven and broiler above. I think I would take the oven and broiler and turn them into one large oven with a broiler in ELECTRIC. That would make a dual fuel range with none of the problem woth codes that can come up with a gas oven. This stove is about 30 " wide and would be the most unusual possible stove in your kitchen. I do not own this stove but my good friend Bob has it his number is 1-413-245-7396. Talk price with him and all the work to restore this stove will be done at my usual gas shop in New Hampshire.
US Army Cannon heaters.
Number 18 and 20 sizes in stock at this time. Number 18=$1600, number 20=$1800. Sod out
In New England many folks never throw things out.
This garage is one example of someone that could not part with the old stoves. Over the years it developed into a small collection of stoves. The place is now sold so they had to go. This is the third such garage I have been in this year. Two truckloads came from here to my barn. They will all be restored and put back into use.
Just a word about ranges.
When they were originally sold, you purchased the base range which was the base and the body. Then you added options till you arrived at the stove that met your needs. These options included the gas side car (left or right or both), gas side shelves, overhead gas ovens, water tanks, internal water heaters of several different types, a choice of 6 or 8 different grates, through the floor shoots for ashes, cabinet bases, colors, warming ovens (above and below the range), kerosene set up, left or right firebox, and many more choices. If you can think of it---somebody built it. Sometimes we have a difficult time finding some configurations as they may have been very unpopular at the time of manufacture or proved to be less durable than other choices. If you have something in mind I will try to find it for you.
Combination wood/gas stoves
Some of these are illegal and cannot be made legal to use today. Call and describe the stove and I can help identify the ones to stay away from.
Barstow coal recirculator 1851
Chilson Trio stove 1851
These are both odd ball stoves from the 1850's. I collect stoves that are old enough that they will never be called on for heat again. Many of these are close to unique and all of them reflect the best thinking of their time. These were the high tech implements of the past and should be saved. I have perhaps 50 or so and I will continue to collect, repair, and store them. My son, the history teacher, takes a new stove each week to his schoolroom and displays the best ironwork of each era.
Eventually they will go into some museum for future generations to appreciate. If you have a strange old stove that is probably too old for use. I would like to know about it. I do not sell these but will eventually donate them somewhere where they will be safe.
Lowe Art Tile stove 1880's
UL Listing
Many times an inspector will say a stove must be UL listed. This rule only applies to stove manufactured since Jan. 1, 1981. Any stove made before that time is grandfathered but must be looked over for damage etc. The rules are found under the BOCA codes or the ASME codes, " solid fuel room heaters" in the exemption section at the end.
Why New England Stoves?
We prefer stoves made in this area for several reasons. One is that many stoves manufactured in the mid-west are part sheet metal and part cast iron. The pieces are riveted together and a rebuild requires drilling out all the rivets, removing lots of asbestos sheets, and putting all new rivets in when assembling the stove. The parts that wear are usually buried under the oven or in the back. I would rather eat a worm. Stoves in this area are plentiful and come apart easily. We can disassemble, replace parts etc., and reassemble without worrying about whether the parts will fit or not. If we have defective parts, they can be replaced or recast as needed. You end up with a better product.
Rebuilding Services
What is involved in properly rebuilding a kitchen range?
I have seen many examples of shoddy work in what was supposed to be a rebuilt range. Examples include just taking the cook surface off and sandblasting the stove whole to just a good washing with detergent.
Here is how I rebuild
This is an example of a Glenwood 508E range that spent many years in a barn and at least two or three outdoors. It looks to be complete with no breaks but it needs a complete rebuild.
RUSTJACKING
This is my son's name for what kills old stoves. There is caulking in the joints of the stoves. Over the years the stove heats and cools many times plus it sits around all summer and gets damp every day.
When the stove heats up, the metal expands and any loose caulking or rust tends to slide downward in the joints. That puts pressure on the lower corners of the stove. Dampness adds more rust and the rust grows and
expands. eventually it breaks the corner brackets and panels begin to move around which breaks more tabs. In the end the stove falls apart in a heap.
Rustjacking is one reason why a rebuild is so important.
1. We disassemble to the last nut and bolt. Everything needs to come apart so we can inspect all the parts and replace missing or badly damaged parts.
Most dealers don't do this but claim they do.
Notice that even the base has been broken down. I do this so I can paint the inside of the legs where they touch the side rails. If I don't do this there is a chance that rust could form in the joint and travel under the paint. It isn't that bad for the stove but it is ugly.
2. It is at this point that I usually find a number of cracks , broken pieces , or worse yet, something that was fixed years ago by that uncle that knows everything. I usually end up unrestoring these parts before I continue.
3. Everything goes into the sandblast room and is sorted and set on the blast table. I use a system that recirculates the sand so I use it several times. It breaks done into finer pieces and actually works better after it has been used a couple times.
4. After blasting , any broken parts go to the welding area and are welded, fishplated, or both. I also usually need to replace corner brackets by welding or fabricating new
ones. Certain models seem to break in certain places so I try to reinforce these points. Lids often need to be welded because they leak around the lifter holes.
5. The stove parts are painted in some cases. The front frame needs to be painted now so I don't paint the inside of the oven later. I like the paint the oven walls before assembly. They are a 1200 degree silver paint that makes it easy to see the food in the oven. Painting while the stove is apart assures that there will be no overspray in the oven.
6. The entire stove is assembled in the assembly area , painted (3 coats), and closely inspected
7. The firebox is put in place. This can be a wood bottom, coal/ wood grate, or coal only bars. New grates can be gotten but my foundry work is done in Wisconsin. They do great work but I have to pay shipping both ways plus the cost of the work. We then line the box with refractory material appropriate to the application.
8. The ash pan is built to fit the stove. The thermometer is fixed or replaced
9. Nickel is replaced on the stove. I have a very good shop. Not cheap, just good. A kitchen range will run from about $300 up depending on the complexity of the nickel for that model. The price also seems to vary with golf scores, wind direction etc.
10. The whole job now runs $1400 plus nickel and parts but will last a decade or two and will keep you from breaking the stove through misuse. The cost reflects my expences for diesel fuel, parts, paint, refractory, welding rod etc.
Barstow cylinder stove. This little cutie was, at one time, quite common in this area but they are now gone. They were used in shops and smaller work areas with coal for heat. This one is totally rebuilt with new grates, liner etc. and ready to go $500 SOLD
Village Crawford Royal 8-20. This is one of my personal favorites. I had one in my kitchen for several years. This one is set up for wood only and feeds from the top or from the front. About 10 years ago my son and I were in a "junk barn" in Searsport, Maine. He found tucked under a bench a new old stock Village crawford firebox extender. I have had several made and one is on this stove which gives it a firebox length of 23". Very large for a medium size stove. The oven is the 20" model and this is just a great stove. $2700 SOLD
Glenwood 308 Home grand with warming oven.
In 35 years of collecting and restoring stoves I have never had a chance to pick up a Glenwood Home Grand with the warming oven. They are just very rare. The stove was the top of the Glenwood line and the double mantle back was very impressive. The warming oven was infrequently ordered and are exceptionally rare today. This one was put in a dry cellar around 60 years ago and just came to light last week. IT has lots of dust and assorted crud on it but it will clean up beautifully. The stove is complete, not broken up, and not pitted as many are. This is an exceptional example of a rare stove that I have never had a chance at before. I would like to set this one up for coal or wood burning. I used a similar stove without the warming oven but removed it because it made the house too hot. Don't let the photo trick you. The stove is 56" long and very subtantially built. If you have the need for a great stove and lots of heat, this may be the ticket. Call if interested.
Magee kitchener. Believe it or not, this is the small kitchener. Magee also made a HOTEL model of the kitchener and I have the only one of these currently known. It has 10 lids rather than 8 and is simply enormous. When we purchased the stove we had to remove two windows and a wall under the windows to get the stove out of the building. If you are looking for a unique, very large stove to convert to gas/electric yopu may ant to look at the hotel kitchener from Magee. It looks similar to this one but is about a foot wider. the small one is sold