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How to Restore and Refurbish an Antique Stove

Once a fixture in every American home, antique wood stoves (barrel and pot belly styles) all but disappeared from the scene with the coming of modern heat sources like gas and electricity. But old wood stoves are making a comeback and when they are restored and refurbished correctly, they are very valuable--monetarily and for their decorative and historic value. So if you just found one of these neglected relics in a garage or estate sale, rusted and forgotten, now's a good time to bring it back to life again.

Things You'll Need

Camera
Dust mask
Goggles
Scrub brush, small and medium
Mild soap
Rust remover
Steel wool, rough and fine
Fine steel bristle brush, medium
Stove cement
Small trowel
Stove black
Brushes, 2 to 4 inches
Stove polish
Soft cloths

Instructions

- 1
  Take lots of photographs of the the stove from beginning to end so you have a record of how the stove was restored. They will serve as reference photos for you while you are putting parts back together again.
- 2
  Put on the goggles and dust mask. Take the removable parts off the stove such as the doors, chrome inserts and top stove plate. The doors are easily removed by lifting the cotter pins on the hinges straight up and then lifting the doors off.
- 3
  Clean the stove (and separated parts) with the scrub brush and mild soap. Use the medium-sized scrub brush to do general cleaning, followed by the smaller brush to clean more detailed areas. Clean the stove inside and out. Allow to dry completely.
- 4
  Take any chrome or nickel parts to a professional chrome plater to have them replated.
- 5
  Brush the rust remover on areas where the rusting has accumulated. The rust does not have to be completely removed, just treated so that the entire surface is fairly even for the stove blackening in Step 9.
- 6
  Scrub the stove and the separated parts with steel wool. Use the fine steel bristled brush to clear any rust that is remaining in the detailed areas
- 7
  Patch any small or medium-sized cracks with the stove cement and trowel. If there are very large cracks or holes in the barrel of the stove, take the stove to a welder to have the cast iron brazed and sealed.
- 8
  Inspect the stove grates to see if they are operational. Repair with stove cement if necessary or replace them with reproduction parts available through online antique stove part dealers.
- 9
  Brush the stove black paint on the exterior (and separated parts) of the stove, making sure to fill in all the low relief detailed areas. Allow to dry and apply a second coat for a deeper black surface coloring. Let dry overnight.
- 10
  Apply a coat of stove polish over the stove black. Use a soft cloth to polish the entire surface. Polish until you achieve a bright shine, especially to the raised relief areas.
- 11
  Reassemble the stove. Pick up any chrome parts from the plater and reattach them to the stove. Light the stove and let it burn for about an hour so the stove black and polish will cure and become permanent.

Antiques