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Post by mach12 on May 27, 2014 10:30:10 GMT -5
Great website and thanks to all who have posted so much great info! I saw this Chambers with a built in wood burner (or coal - not sure how to tell) on the San Francisco craigslist site and was going to be in the area (relatives live not too far from where it was) so hooked up the trailer and picked it up. I've since seen it listed on a couple of other sites as well. I've never seen one with the wood/coal burner built in but the top is a single piece so it's obviously factory. I'm not an expert on Chambers stoves but have experience with gas stoves in general and have been looking for the right Chambers stove. Looks like I found it. Other than the cast iron cover for the wood/coal burner (we always called them trash burners as stand-alones) it's complete and in very good condition. The seller bought the house it was in several years ago and has been using it daily and tells me that, other than the oven temperature being off a bit from what the dial says, everything works fine. The appearance of the stove supports what he's telling me. He's doing a major remodel and is going with commercial grade appliances so decided to sell the Chambers. Fortunately the remodeling crew was willing to help me get it in the trailer! I'm going to go through it and do whatever repairs, upgrades (like the pilot upgrades), cleaning and painting it needs. I'll also need to convert it to LP gas since we don't have Natural Gas out in the county where I live (Thurston County, WA). I've been researching the particulars but am not finding much on the Model A stoves so if anyone has any recommendations or advice please let me know! Attached is a picture of the stove from the sellers ad and another of the model/serial tag. I can't find anything telling me how to decipher the tag other than a note that indicates that it's a 1936(?). The tag reads Serial Number 6-63592 and Style Number 2IAW1.
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Post by sporko on May 27, 2014 11:12:00 GMT -5
Wow. That's a beauty.
Has it been modified to remove the back? Where does the heat/smoke vent?
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Post by mach12 on May 27, 2014 12:42:46 GMT -5
Wow. That's a beauty. Has it been modified to remove the back? Where does the heat/smoke vent? Thanks. We're really excited. My wife wasn't so sure until she saw it and is totally in love with it. Not that she's all that concerned since I do most of the cooking (I retired a couple of years ago and she still works, plus I like to cook).
The well vent has a funky piece of aluminum dryer vent going over to the oven vent that I haven't removed yet. Not sure what they may have done or how it was vented in the home but I have wire-feed and stick welders, lots of auto body experience, and can take care of anything like that. The Chambers is still sitting in the trailer and I have a 3.0L Toyota V-6 I'm just finishing up in my shop where I plan to do the stove work (for my mother-in-laws motorhome, so the motivation's there to get that done) so I won't be getting started on it for a couple of days. The chimney parts for the wood/coal part are gone but I have 3 old trash burners and one of them looks like the cast iron top and chimney parts are a perfect fit. They're all in good shape though, so I'll look for parts for that brand and model of trash burner before I tear parts off of anything. Worse comes to worse I'll fix the Chambers and worry about the trash burner later.
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Post by vaporvac on May 27, 2014 13:05:30 GMT -5
Welcome!!! AND congratulations. YOU got it!!!! We recently posted about this. Lucky you!!!! I believe these were sold as incinerators of a sort, but can be used to cook with, combining the best of both worlds. I'm a little jealous as this stove has fascinated me. You can reference the "B" manual as it's similar. There are at least three posts going on the "other" site concerning A stoves. They seem to finally be getting the attention they deserve. I think someone mentioned yours was missing a couple of things for the inceinerator, but they may justahave been missing from the picture. Please continue posting. You have a very unique stove.
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Post by lwagne on May 27, 2014 16:41:48 GMT -5
Wow, I saw that stove too. I think many lusted after it. Keep pictures coming and welcome!
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Post by Chuckie on May 27, 2014 19:01:42 GMT -5
Wow. That's a beauty. Has it been modified to remove the back? Where does the heat/smoke vent? Thanks. We're really excited. My wife wasn't so sure until she saw it and is totally in love with it. Not that she's all that concerned since I do most of the cooking (I retired a couple of years ago and she still works, plus I like to cook).
The well vent has a funky piece of aluminum dryer vent going over to the oven vent that I haven't removed yet. Not sure what they may have done or how it was vented in the home but I have wire-feed and stick welders, lots of auto body experience, and can take care of anything like that. The Chambers is still sitting in the trailer and I have a 3.0L Toyota V-6 I'm just finishing up in my shop where I plan to do the stove work (for my mother-in-laws motorhome, so the motivation's there to get that done) so I won't be getting started on it for a couple of days. The chimney parts for the wood/coal part are gone but I have 3 old trash burners and one of them looks like the cast iron top and chimney parts are a perfect fit. They're all in good shape though, so I'll look for parts for that brand and model of trash burner before I tear parts off of anything. Worse comes to worse I'll fix the Chambers and worry about the trash burner later.
Mach12: I FOURTH--or whatever number--everybody's WELCOME!!! Take a look at my old posts & 58limited's too--we both have Imperials, and I believe the frame to be the same size. You can see what our back vents looked liked, and perhaps get a better idea. I dunno how to PINPOINT old posts anymore, since they changed this forum. As a matter of fact, I dunno how to RESPOND to a post anymore w/out QUOTING the original poster--go figure---'tis HELL to get old!! My Imperial is currently in 'limbo'--due to my fear of NOT remembering HOW to put it back together. Gotta put on my "big boy britches", get off my nutz, and get'ter DONE!!Good luck, post pix, and DO ask questions. They may sound stewpid to YOU, but most of us have already been there/done that, so learn from OUR mistakes w/o repeating them yerself! CHEERS! Chuckie
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Post by mach12 on May 27, 2014 23:38:38 GMT -5
Thanks Chuckie. I know what you mean about getting old, though it beats the alternative. The site is a bit clunky for searching compared to others I commonly use but it works and I'm really glad it's here. Putting that Imperial together would make a nice project. I'll be taking stacks of pictures of mine as I tear it down so that I'll have them to refer to as it goes back together. The stove has one broken handle but the guy gave me a bag of extra parts that includes a replacement handle.
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Post by vaporvac on May 28, 2014 14:49:14 GMT -5
You're lucky as I can't search posts from any people signed up prior to the upgrade last fall, including myself. It's totally goofy and very frustrating, but I can usually remember the section a post was in, because I've read them all! It's easy just to look at the titles and only a problem if a recipe or tip was hidden in a post on another subject. Glad you made it across the aisle, but there are some people with older stoves that only post here, so don't give up on the commune.
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Post by cinnabar on May 28, 2014 15:32:01 GMT -5
welcome mach12 .... and yes I feel your pain/fever/excitement.... I have a "pre A " and there is even less out there for my old stove. Luckily, with help here I was able to get it up and cooking in 6 months, after it had been sitting unused for 40 years. They are so basic and easy to work on. I re-live my stoves' journey thru the new people and their projects here. We all can relate. I don't ever want a "real new" stove after using the Chambers. Small as the oven "seems" and heavy it is, it is still the best stove out there. There isn't much I wouldn't try to tackle using the 3241 A WL. I should finish the restore on the cousin stove I have in the garage, a 3241 XWL, someday. cinnabar
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Post by chipperhiker on May 28, 2014 21:29:56 GMT -5
Congratulations on your new purchase, and welcome! I'm so glad to see one of these wood-burning stove finally make it into our little group. I've been curious about them for a long time.
Please do keep us apprised of your progress and questions. Even us "modern stove" folks (my stoves are all Cs from the 50s) are fascinated, even if we can't be of too much use on the specifics.
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Post by vaporvac on May 28, 2014 21:47:45 GMT -5
OK, Cinnabar. I think this is the first I've heard of the "cousin" stove. Are there any pics here?
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Post by cinnabar on May 29, 2014 9:31:06 GMT -5
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Post by mach12 on May 29, 2014 23:11:05 GMT -5
Cinnabar, I'd really have a dilemma if I had that stove! What a beauty!! Can you imagine how exciting it must have been for the original owners when they got it? If stoves could talk...
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Post by mach12 on May 29, 2014 23:37:54 GMT -5
Vaporvac, I just noticed your comment. No way that I'm going anywhere. This is a great site. I'd hoped to have gotten the stove unloaded today but am playing catch-up after the trip visiting our granddaughter and her husband in Northern California. They're both military and stationed there but are headed back to his home state of Alaska this fall, so not sure how many more toy runs there will be.
I set the stuff that came with the stove on an old tarp that I had stuff wrapped in and snapped a picture so am sticking it in here. I'm going to have to learn about the pans and stuff too. I saw a flyer on one site about Wearever pans for the Chambers ranges so need to study up on them. There's a tea kettle in the picture that's recent but was in the ad pictures so I left it in this one, too. He also had some spare parts in the basement and threw them in, which I was excited about.
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Post by lwagne on May 30, 2014 9:40:30 GMT -5
WOW, look at the strainers!! in the triple pots. I don't think I have seen those or the divided strainer. There is so much stuff, we should start a thread titled - chambers pots and take pics of all the strange pots we've found - so the rest of us know what to look for!!
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Post by cinnabar on May 30, 2014 10:04:22 GMT -5
wow, that there is the "motherlode" of bits and pieces, mach12. If you have questions about wear ever, or any other cookware, this is the place to find it. Another member here sold it in younger years, as did my Great Aunt and her uncle in the 1910's, 1930's and 1940's. Unfortunately, I now collect the stuff I sure wish stoves could talk too, but Dainty Lady was my grandmothers stove, so I have a little history on it. Waldo, not a clue. An incinerator stove would be nice to have to be sure, and an Imperial, Duchess......
So many stoves....so little space.
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Post by mach12 on Jun 3, 2014 11:59:44 GMT -5
Well, we got her out of the trailer and into the shop finally. The next struggle will be moving her into the kitchen but that's down the road a few months. As we were struggling with unloading her I made a comment about her being a beast and that maybe we should call her Beatrice the Beast. No one cared for that but they did like "Aunt Bea" and that just might stick.
I bought a set of three-wheel casters from Harbor Freight and those were a total waste of money. The wheels are cheap plastic and as we moved the stove around (smooth concrete floor of my shop) they'd break at the hub of the wheel. I had a couple of platform dollies so used them instead - after unloading the generators they were holding and so on. Anyway, she made the trip just fine with not so much as a scratch. Now the fun part starts!
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Post by mach12 on Jun 11, 2014 11:06:33 GMT -5
I've dug through the files and don't find a lot of info on the A's. One item in particular is removal of the side panels. I don't know whether it's because of mine having the incinerator firebox or if it's typical of the A's but the panels appear to remove different than B's and C's. On B's and C's the instructions say to loosen two bolts at the underside bottom edge of the panel, pull the panel bottom out a bit, and then slide the panel down until it clears and can be pulled away from the range. On my A the panels are bolted to two brackets at the back edge of the panel, one at the top rear corner and one at the bottom rear corner. On the incinerator end of mine the front end of the panel was held in place by the screws for the piano hinge style hinge of the incinerator door and the panel came off easily once those were removed. On the other end I'd guess the panel is the same as on all A's(?). I removed the two bolts at the brackets and the panel swings out about 6 or 8 inches but the front edge doesn't pull or slide out. It looks like I have to pull the front panel, which means pulling all of the gas valve handles. No problem doing that but I want to be sure that's the correct procedure. Can anyone verify, or point me to a post or anything that tells how to pull the panels on an A Series?
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Post by pooka on Jun 11, 2014 14:27:07 GMT -5
A member on the other site recently went thought the same dilemma with her model 12-A. She discovered that the front edge of the side panels wraps around the front under the front panel, so yes, you will have to at least loosen that end of the front panel to free it up. This is one of the odd differences from all similar console style models. On my model 74 & 7141, the sides are held on by two bolts along the back edge & a tab edge along the front that slips under the front panel like the model B & C. The only difference between mine & the B & C are my bolts are at the back & the B & C are at the bottom. I don't know for sure but your side panels may be the same as the Imperial.
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Post by mach12 on Jun 11, 2014 18:59:41 GMT -5
Thanks Pooka. I finally got it off but what a job. Also got the cooktop off and removed the well. The front panel that goes around the oven door is another story. I have is loose and it slides down a good 4 to 6 inches but the bottom won't pull away. I don't want to force it and damage something so will have to play with it some more. I'm amazed at how good of shape everything is in. Some crud buildup and surface rust that you'd expect in something this old but nothing bad at all. No priceless diamond rings or rare coins in any nooks or crannies either...
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Post by lwagne on Jun 11, 2014 21:20:05 GMT -5
Were your sides wrapped under the front panel like mine? I gave up and left it there. Decided I didn't need to see anything.
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Post by pooka on Jun 11, 2014 21:32:45 GMT -5
mach12, there are two bolts that you have to access from the inside of the oven near the bottom of the oven. You can see the holes in this pic of my 7141.
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Post by mach12 on Jun 12, 2014 1:36:43 GMT -5
mach12, there are two bolts that you have to access from the inside of the oven near the bottom of the oven. You can see the holes in this pic of my 7141. I had looked in there earlier and darned if I know how I missed them. I checked again after my last post, this time with plenty of light and an inspection mirror and there they were. Loose as can be, too. I finally have all of the porcelain off and can clean it up and polish it.
Do you happen to have a picture of the latch mechanism for the broiler (the one on the left)? Mine had a real rinky-dink repair and I'm not sure whether it was put back together right. The front handle bracket was broken (knew that when I bought it) and the latch arm that mounts on the broiler shaft is broken, so I'll need to either find a replacement or repair this one. I should be able to weld it but I'll try to find one first since cast that has been welded can be temperamental.
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Post by chipperhiker on Jun 12, 2014 1:56:57 GMT -5
Nice job, Pooka! It's great to have so much experience here on our site. I've been following along and wishing I knew the first thing about the older stove models so I could help.
Mach12, here is a totally unrelated question: I hope you don't mind the quick thread hijacking, but what mountain is in your avatar? I'm pretty sure I've spent some time looking at that beautiful peak, but I can't figure out exactly which one it is.
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Post by mach12 on Jun 12, 2014 2:18:23 GMT -5
Nice job, Pooka! It's great to have so much experience here on our site. I've been following along and wishing I knew the first thing about the older stove models so I could help. Mach12, here is a totally unrelated question: I hope you don't mind the quick thread hijacking, but what mountain is in your avatar? I'm pretty sure I've spent some time looking at that beautiful peak, but I can't figure out exactly which one it is. I agree on the help from Pooka! I'm really pleased with how it's going. I have a couple of busted parts on the broiler latch but they shouldn't be any kind of showstoppers.
The mountain in my Avatar is Mt. Rainier. I think I took that one from up around White Pass on US-12 but don't remember for sure. I do quite a bit of photography and have so darned many pictures I lose track! Which is the one in your Avatar?
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Post by mach12 on Jun 12, 2014 2:29:19 GMT -5
Were your sides wrapped under the front panel like mine? I gave up and left it there. Decided I didn't need to see anything. The right side was but I needed to pull my panels so kept at it and got them off. These thing are really built! Now that I've done it I don't think it's all that bad but am glad they don't have to come off regularly!
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Post by pooka on Jun 12, 2014 2:41:57 GMT -5
mach12, I have a few pics, but my mechanism is more primitive, or should I say simpler than yours, so I'm not sure it will help you. All my controls are on the left side with a big lever to lift open the broiler, & a small lever to adjust the broiler pan height. Here they are anyway. This is the 7141. And this is the 74.
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Post by mach12 on Jun 12, 2014 10:53:02 GMT -5
mach12, I have a few pics, but my mechanism is more primitive, or should I say simpler than yours, so I'm not sure it will help you. All my controls are on the left side with a big lever to lift open the broiler, & a small lever to adjust the broiler pan height. Here they are anyway. Wow - That's way different. What a cool Chambers!! I wish they were more plentiful here in the Pacific Northwest but the majority of the vintage ranges here are electric, the result of years of relatively cheap electricity. Vintage gas ranges are out there but not as easy to find.
I'd hoped that the mechanisms might be at least somewhat similar. I'll have to dig through the patent drawings Model74 posted over on the other site or something I guess. I think everything is there but want to be sure.
These pictures show what I could see when I bought the range (the hose clamp indicating an obvious problem) and what I found when I disassembled it. The spring with the blue tape on it mounts to the end of the broken arm in the second picture. I have one of the mechanism still mounted but need to reduce the size so that it'll post so will add that in a bit (Mama took the day off work and is wanting me to get with the honey-do list so it may be a bit...).
Edit: This is the picture of the linkage before I disassembled it. The top is laying on sawhorses upside-down, so the right side is the rear of the stove. I'm not sure where the loose end of the spring in this picture is supposed to hook up since it was not connected. Some of the pictures that I took before starting disassembly show it just dangling there next to the spring that connects to the end of the broken arm.
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Post by pooka on Jun 12, 2014 16:28:42 GMT -5
First, I am model 74 over there & here I'm pooka. It's kinda schizophrenic, but that's how it ended up. I guess it's apt because I can see more than one perspective on a given thing at the same time. My mechanism more closely resembles the original patent but is an improved design, while yours is the next in the evolution of the IN-A-Top broiler. It was improved again in the model B, & part way through the model C's lifespan there was one more change. Here's the original patent drawings. I have to throw this one in too. It's one of the patent that was never utilized as a real product. In this day & age of rapid prototyping & 3D printers, maybe some day someone might try making some patterns & actually have a foundry cast some of these. Anyway, back to your broken parts. You might contact Don Mattera At Mattera Stove Works & see if he can send you some pics of what yours should look like. He also might be able to help you out with parts. Either salvaged parts or new parts cast from a good ones. There is a seller on eBay names Chambers Queen that might have the parts you need. She always says in her auctions that if you need a part, contact her to see if she has it, she will list it.
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Post by mach12 on Jun 12, 2014 21:14:59 GMT -5
My sides are hurting from laughing! I have a friend who swears that you can't trust anyone who isn't at least a little bit schizophrenic. He says he trusts me a lot.
I'm going to order the safety valve kit from Don and have been talking with him about that but haven't talked to him about this yet. I hate to be a pain and figure he probably gets hammered a lot by people with questions so figured I'd wait until I had the range apart and had a complete idea of what I need.
That second patent is like someone was reading my mind! I have an aluminum Wagner roaster that would be about the right size to sit on the broiler and wondered about how it could be used when I have a bunch of folks over and am cooking for a bunch. Interesting that he came up with it. I'd like to know the reasoning behind not going forward with it. Sure would be something to be able to sit down with some of the original Chambers engineers and workers.
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