Took a gamble on a Baltimore stove

Greetings All -

I have been lurking on this site since about 2008 and in that time converted from an old oil burner to an EFM df520 and more recently added a base burner to my front room. I have to say that could not have done it with out the help of this forum.

I finally ran in to an issue that I could not solve with the search button. I found a Baltimore stove on craigslist in Jersey City...As it was not far from my office I dropped by for a look. The stove was in good condition but it was missing the internal bits, including the fire pot, shelf that holds the fire pot, grates and possibly a couple of other items. I know how rare these are so took it home for 250.00. Now i am in search for pics of the inside and possibly a rusted out donor. I did have a chat with the folks at the Stove Hospital but I thought I would cast I wider net and see what came of a post here.

The name on the stove is Arundel and the attached pics will do a better job of showing what is missing. The diameter of the missing fire pot shelf is 18" and I am guessing a 12-14 " fire pot sat in the center?

I appreciate in advance with any help in finding Pics/parts/leads....

Thanks again,
Scott

Nice find Scott ! I have a few Baltimore heaters but I'm not familiar with the Arundel .

Do you know what foundry manufacturered it ? Also, can you post some pictures of the back of the heater?

Paulie

HI Paulie...Thanks, I thought that my message was going to be forever relegated to the unanswered posts category.

I am at work now but will try to get some pics out tonight. In the mean time the castings around the door frames down to the bottom of the stove seem to most match this one from the good time stove company.

http://antiquestoves.net/dir/parlor-stoves-sold/baltimore-heater-antique-stove-detail

Also I have attached a very poor picture of the manufacturers plate. My next step will be to get the pics of the back of the stove/pipes/baffles and try to clean up the manufacturer plate.

Thanks,
Scott

I have attached additional pictures of the back of the stove...

The name on the stove plate is "The Armstrong Stove and MFG Co. Perryville Baltimore MD"

Thanks,
Scott

Bryant Stove Works in Thorndike, Maine might be able to help. It has a huge inventory of old stove parts.

I searched everything I had available and didn't have any luck finding information on your Arundel and very little about Armstrong Stove & Mfg.

If you are on Facebook look up the Antique Stove Collectors group and ask to join. It's possible one of our members may be able to help.

Another source is to join the Antique Stove Association. https://www.antiquestoveassociation.org/ As a member you can post a free parts wanted ad in the classifieds that go out in their quarterly newsletter.


Carlyle Weiss from Weiss Antique Stoves in Kansas City has restored a number of Baltimore/ Latrobe style
stoves and may be able to help. Here is a link to his website. If you have problems getting in touch with him send me a PM and I'll give you his cell number.
http://antiquestovesonline.com/

If you don't have any luck locating a donor stove or the missing parts the other option is to measure it up , make your own patterns and have the missing parts cast. That is the route I would take if you plan to install the insert and use it. If you go that route, take the extra time to design the fire pot and grates to fit in without modifying the stove.

Cant really tell from the pictures what type grates it had. Is there a slot, door, or hole in the casting for the shaker handle?

Paulie

Hi Thanks NoSmoke and Paulie...

I hadn't tried Bryant Stove Works but I will give them a call...I did talk to Wilson's Wood Stoves, he suggested that I see where this post gets me. If I am still stuck he offered to try to piece something together from his spare parts.

Thanks for the information on the Antique Stove Assoc. and the FB group...I am going to see where they get me.

As for the shaker grate it has a hole in the front just above the ash doors where the shaker handle goes. I am going to have another look at the area where the shaker sits to see if I can come up with a grate design and a pot that would work...I mentioned at the start of this post that I have base burner, I will use that as a starting point for any design that I may come up with if I go that route. I am not the artistic type so the thought of building a gate and pot design is a bit intimidating...

Here is a pic of the hole where the shaker handle goes - It has a fair amount of cement covering the hole that I still need to clean out.

Great Find. Been looking for one myself for my Library. Keep the pics and info coming.

My Grand Social may be close in size and design as yours. It has a slightly oval 12" firepot and a draw grate mounted at three points.

I will get you some detailed measurements later this week.

Paulie

Paulie , I may not need your measurements I was going to put this a way for a while but I had a couple of beers and decided to break the stove down.

I found a couple of planters that I could use as a form for a fiberglass/bondo/wood mockup to send for recasting. I found one of your posts related to fire pot repair and it inspired me. I am thinking of buying a 12 inch King brand round dump grate unless you suggest different design or manufacturer. I found the King grate on Woodman's parts plus P/N 5025.

I have a bunch of pics but as attachments they are not posting correctly, I will try to resize and upload from my laptop in the next few days.

Thanks,
Scott

I had some time this weekend so I took some pictures of the stove breakdown and the fire pot design that I am working on...

Stand by for the fire pot design....

Ok this is where it gets interesting...I will take any suggestions as this is a work in progress.

My design includes the following dump grate which has been ordered. http://www.woodmanspartsplus.com/20469/products/Round-Dump-Stove-Grate-12-inches.html

From what i can tell the stove seems to have a suspended grate system along with a suspended fire pot. I happened to have a couple of planters sitting in the garage so I gave them a test fit and they became the model for my design.

The fire pot looks like an upside down bell. 18" inches measured across the top outer edges and about 16 Inches measured from the top inside, this tapers to about 11.5" at the bottom fingers. My thought is to have it cast in that size and use refractory cement to make it closer to 14" depending on performance.

I know I have a lot of sanding to do between now and the point it would be ready for casting Bondo/fiberglass would not be my media of choice. As I get closer to the finish work is there something easier to sand and will hold up to the shipping/casting(I was thinking Drywall Joint Compound)?

You're moving right along and in the right direction....... and all it took was a few cold beers to get you focused.

The grate from Woodsmans is a good choice and is probably really close to the original design.

No problem at all using joint compound over the plastic filler. If I am filling over 1/4" thick, I add a little plaster of Paris to the joint compound to speed up the drying time.

Paulie

It took me a lot longer than expected but I finally completed the fire pot. After one final assembly check I sent my parts off to Tomahawk foundry. The parts are not perfect but they are functional.

I posted some pics to give you guys an idea as to how it goes together. I started painting and did have a couple of questions on color, Home Depot had BBQ black in Flat or semi gloss, I tried them both as you can tell from the last picture. To me the flat black seems to be historically accurate and to me looks better...I have a few weeks before final assembly so if there is a particular paint brand or opinion on Flat or gloss let me know...

Thanks
Scott

I prefer three coats of high temp flat black followed by a coat of stove polish, or wire brushing the final coat of flat black.

As far as brand of paint and polish........ I tried most and had good luck with Thurmalox , Stove Bright, Krylon, and Rustoleum high temperature paints.

The same goes for stove polish. I use Imperial paste now, but had good luck with Williams & Rutland liquid and paste.

Paulie