Coalpail.com Forum

This will be a beauty when you finish. I can tell your detail minded and it will show in your restoration. Good luck with the surgery and a speedy recovery.

What your finding with the fasteners is not uncommon, it's an indication of the times.
Go back not much farther in time and just about every blacksmith made his own taps a dies for thread sizes that often would only fit his work.

Standardization of threads and better machinery to make screws and bolts was slow to catch on with many companies. We see hold-overs of that thinking today with English and metric systems still in use - sometimes both on the same piece of machinery.

Even with over 20 years of autos being mass produced and there being hundreds of different auto manufacturers in this country, the SAE was still struggling to get standards accepted in all the auto industry in the late 1920's.

Paul

Ok, here's my story about fixing the latches. I want to have the knobs re-nickled but not the latch arms, which are inside by the fire so that would be a waste of money and wouldn't be correct because they weren't plated before. I ground off the riveted part of the knob and separated the parts. The cast iron welding rod I have in the shop is far too large to do a delicate job like this so I substitute an old piston ring, holding it with some vice grips and using it the same way I would use regular cast iron welding rod and an acetylene torch. A tig welder works too, but I'm more comfortable with my old torch.

The tools I'll use are a simple Victor torch with a 00 tip, some cast iron welding flux, a pair of vice grips and a cast iron piston ring.
The torch will preheat the knob and the piston ring which is dipped in the flux can while it's cherry red. With the knob almost to melting, I wipe the piston ring down with the torch right over the knob to make the flux flow down to the knob on the part I want to build up, then I carefully add heat to the knob and bring the welding rod in at the same time. They flow together and I back off with the heat to let it slightly solidify and add a little more, stacking until I get the height and shape I want. I can fine-tune the shape of the knob a little with just the torch, too, if it needs it.

preheating the part and welding rod, then dipping the rod in the flux.

With the rod coated, heat it over the knob and let the flux flow down. Stack the weld up on the knob as needed, finish up the look with just the torch.

After the knob has been built up and rough-shaped, it is squared on a grinder to fit the latch arm. After it fits nice and tight, the length of the built-up knob is adjusted to make it just right for riveting the knob back into the latch arm when the knobs come back from the plater. I could have used bronze, too, but was afraid it would soften when the stove is at working temperature and get weak. Jerry

Nicely done, building back what was ground off the stem.

I much prefer the control of a gas torch. I even prefer it for sheet metal patch panel butt welds rather then my mig welder.

Good tip too, using the ring as rod. I've got lots of old piston rings that usually just go in the metal recycling bucket.

My replacement ash door handle was headed out to the bead blasting cabinet, but I just found that the still-plated original handle still has enough metal left at the end of the shaft to peen over and retain the latch piece that Bryant stove just found for me. I lucked out there with one less part to need plating.

Paul

You are doing an excellent job. Make sure you give equal attention to the fit of all the doors and dampers.
It is always a treat to see someone with knowledge and skill doing something like this.
Please don't forget to continue to show us your progress as you move along.

Thanks William and Paul! I noticed when I took the doors apart It looked like they had gone through some sort of hand-fitting process when the stove was built because each of them had an extremely good fit between the stove and the door frame. I want to duplicate that good fit when I put it back together. I've also noticed that each of the door latches has a slightly differently-sized square hole where the knob comes through, so each one of the knobs is going to have to be hand-fit to each latch, and also each door to its frame. I want to make the stove fit together at least as well if not better than the factory did it. It will take extra time, I'm sure, but I'm also sure it will be worth it. I've read some of the threads you guys have written that mentions the dollar bill test. I'm paying attention to you, too. I've really enjoyed the thread by Mr. Nortcan. That was great information! Jerry

As you do this, you will develop a deep understanding and respect for our craftsman ancestors. And after you learn to use the stove you will also find it a marvel of efficiency and brilliant design.
These wern't just heaters, they were statements.

Ok... now Jerry is showing off and I LOVE IT! great technique (makes me thankful for heliarc) lol.
Im sure back in the day they most likely had these layed out on a contoured table to allow the doors/hinges/levers to be done right their on the stove itself (thereby making each stove its own custom fit, so to speak) ... great stuff Jerry keep it coming bro

I'd like to find out what kind of formula was used for stove polish on old stoves like this at the factories. I want to put something as close to it on this stove as I can. I realize there are modern paints that would look real nice and withstand the heat, but since I'm trying to make a decent attempt to make it look like it used to, I'd like to use a formula like they did. I don't care if it might take more maintenance...that's not my point. I'd assume whatever it was, it must have been easy to get and plentiful, considering the number of stoves there were. I wonder if it might have had a petroleum base with graphite mixed in it? Is there a stove polish manufacturer out there who has been using the same formula for 100 years? I hope I'm not opening a can of worms with this question...it could be like asking "what's the best oil for my motorcycle?" Jerry

Williams Stove Polish. It's all I ever use.
Paint on a stove fades quickly with use. Stove polish is easily applied at any time to touch up a spot if you need it.
Rutland Stove Polish has wax in it which smokes when first heated.
Williams is the exact stuff that has always been used.

Thanks, now all I have to do is find a supplier around here. Jerry