Old Coal Stove Construction Question

i looked at an old coal stove yesterday, im only looking to restore something and am not planning on firing it up. my question is that the sides of it are built out of thick tin. the stove is a parlor type kinda like the round oak type stoves. the legs are cast as well as the front plate (door area) and the top. is it common for the barrell part of the stove to be thick tin? and the stove wasnt very heavy either. heres a pic

That is not Tin. It is Russian Steel. Yes, using Russian Steel in the construction of stoves was standard practice. It was done as a maintenance feature. The steel barrel is easy and inexpensive to replace plus it radiates heat quickly from the fire.
Plus, I'm not sure if that is a coal stove either. The lack of viewing windows and a large secondary air damper in the loading door indicate it is most likely a wood stove or less likely one made for Bituminous coal. What is the brand of the stove?

the name of the stove is wherle #156. it has a shaker grate in the bottom of it along with an ash pan. if that helps

It's a stove made for Bituminous. Wherle was one of the biggest stove makers in the country. They made stoves under the Wherle name and for Sears and other large houses.
This stove is made for Bituminous coal. You can burn Anthracite or even wood in it just fine though if you wanted to. A Wherle No 100 base burner is one of the most sought after collector stoves right now.

do you think its worth the 100 dollars the guy is asking for it?

Sure if everything is complete and nothing is missing. If the stove is in reasonable condition without any major cracks in the fire pot, doors or iron castings. If the barrel is rusted out that's no biggie, that is easily replaced at any metal fabricator's shop. The only thing that looks like it is missing or damaged is the finial. That might be a little bit expensive to replace.

Looks like a Great Project for a $100 investment to me .
She will need a TOTAL disassembly and some sand blasting on the really rusty parts ...but ya will end up with a nice stove for a minimal investment. I.M.O.
Look on E-Bay for a finial ...ya can get some at a decent price , it may not be Factory correct but it will still work and look great to set off the top...and keep your Build in a decent budget since you are looking to have a STATIC PC...NON OPERATIONAL ANY WAY ..a nice Finial off any stove will look better than none at all.
Good Luck!

wsherrick wrote: The only thing that looks like it is missing or damaged is the finial.

What is a finial? It's a new word to me so I'm curious. Lisa

Finial is the top decoration on the stove, (or architectural device or detail).

Here are some good examples
http://www.barnstablestove.com/html/parlor.htm

Thanks, Lisa

the stove looks to be in great shape other than the missing finial. im just gonna go buy it today. it will be my first stove resto so ive got nothing to lose. thanks to everyone who helped me

RLB112 wrote:the stove looks to be in great shape other than the missing finial. im just gonna go buy it today. it will be my first stove resto so ive got nothing to lose. thanks to everyone who helped me

You're welcome, let us know how you go about the restoration. Of course with pictures. The more information that gets posted about restoring stoves, the more help we can be to others. Maybe someday we can get a catagory on the Forum devoted to restoring stoves so all the tips and info can be easily found in one place.

great idea about the restoration catagory. and once I get going on the project ill post pics