The Eclectic Cottage: vintage stove

So, the Bengal doesn't look all that bad in the listing photos, but when we got there, we could see it could use a good cleaning. I did some research on cleaning an older stove, and some looking into natural cleaners and came up with a vinegar water cleaner. I mixed it about 75% vinegar and 25% water because the grease was really cooked on and thick. I also mixed a 25% baking soda 75% water mix to neuralize the vinegar after cleaning.

Here are some photos, BEFORE:

And AFTER:

It took about 4 hours and I'm not done yet! I forgot to take a photo of the black cover that the burner grates sit on, but that was about 2 of the 4 hours worth of work. I used a straight edge blade to scrape off layer after layer of scum and grease, and followed it with a Brillo pad. I still have to finish that also.

What I did:

I mixed my vinegar solution and wiped it on with a soft cloth. It broke up the grease almost instantly. I then wiped where ever I had cleaned with the vinegar with a soft towel soaked in the baking soda solution. Finally, I wiped everything down with a damp cloth with just plain water, and dried with a clean soft towel. I am by no means an expert, but I wanted to use the baking soda water to neutralize the acid in the vinegar since I've heard vinegar can stain and I know that my stove's finish isn't in perfect shape as it is!

Stay tuned, I still have more cleaning to do on the outside, AND inside the oven and broiler too! We still have to tear out the kitchen floor to do some repairs and find two replacement burner grates so the stove is not yet hooked up. I am also still looking into converting it into propane.

As I had mentioned before, the kitchen range that came with the Cottage is in poor shape. The burners function well, but the oven...well...it's scary. So I undertook an extensive search for a replacement. I started off looking at new stoves, but decided circuit boards belong in my computer, not my kitchen! I've been wanting a vintage 50's era stove for many years.

Originally I wanted an antique wood style stove, but figured insurance companies might not really prefer that (they did make ones with gas burners and a gas oven, as well as a "wood side" so we wouldn't have to over heat the house to cook in the summer).

So, I checked out all the great O'Keefe and Merritt stoves, the Wedgewoods, the Tappans. I decided I really liked the mint green Chambers, and thought the griddle and Thermowell were pretty cool too.

I found a 1951 Tappan Deluxe Doughboy with the great chrome oven and light up burner rings. I was excited. It even had the chrome crisper trays! Then we remeasured the area we were going to remodel a bit to fit it, and found here was NO way it would fit :(

Then the stars aligned. An unusual stove showed up on a nearby Craigslist. A 30" 1950's stove!! Anyone that has searched for vintage stoves knows it's rare to find a 30" stove that's from that era. Typically they are 36"-40" or the smaller "apartment" stoves (21"). But, just listed only 2 hours away (one way) was an honest to goodness 30" stove!! It's a farely rare maker too. You'll find O'Keefe and Merritts, even Western Hollys and Magic Chefs, but search for a Floyd Wells Bengal, and there aren't many hits. I have yet to locate another 30" gas Bengal in all my web searches (if you know of one, I'd love to hear about it). All I've found are the larger wood/coal and gas combo stoves.

It doesn't have any of the typical bells and whistles of the era. No bbq side, no thermowell or griddle. There isn't even an oven light. Just a cute little white and chrome stove. Has a great cover for the burners though. It's PERFECT!

Here it is (these are the listing photos, we haven't installed it yet):

Those two chrome "trim" pieces below the knobs are crumb trays, they pull right out for easy cleaning.

And the data plate:

It appears to be style AA-1.0.

We've got some work to do before we take out the old 30" Hotpoint and swap in this sweet little vintag beauty. Two of the burner grates are cracked, so they will need to be fixed. It needs a good, through cleaning. All four of the burner knobs are cracked, so we'll need to replace or repair them (I prefer repair). The biggest issue is it has been running on natural gas and we only have propane. I've struck out with a local company to have it converted, but might have found a valve that can be switched from NG to LG with no orifice changes. I'll be looking into that.

In the mean time, we've still got the good ole Lopi to cook in and the Hotpoint has working burners. I am not in a huge hurry to rush into converting it to propane, I'm just happy to finally have it!

This is a photo from when we bought the Cottage. Look to the left, you can see the burners from the Hotpoint. This is where the Bengal will be going: