One of the reasons I bought my house was the 1950s Wedgewood stove in the kitchen. The enamel has cracks, the chrome is rusted, I haven't tried any of the electric, but it cooks well and it's still a beauty.
I found myself with some extra time, and decided to get some of the visible scunge out from under the burners. My putty knife sliced through years (decades?) of detritus, and it was pretty satisfying. I looked online for some advice on getting the last layer of crud off, and wound up in a deep internet hole of people who have restored (or at least deep-cleaned) their own vintage stoves.
I found the awesome blog Desiree's O'Keefe and Merritt Stove, and learned much there, supplemented with some other online research and YouTube videos. I've compiled a few tricks specific to my stove and am sharing them on this blog.
 |
| Restored 1950s 40" Wedgewood Double Oven |
I found the awesome blog Desiree's O'Keefe and Merritt Stove, and learned much there, supplemented with some other online research and YouTube videos. I've compiled a few tricks specific to my stove and am sharing them on this blog.
Some basics
- My stove is a 1950s 40" Wedgewood Natural Gas Double Oven. Mine has equal-size double ovens without windows, double broilers, a chrome top and chrome drip trays, 4 burners, a wide center griddle, a cook light, a clock and timer with 2 electrical outlets, and a folding shelf. It looks similar to the picture on this page, except for the grease, missing bits, dents, scratches, and worn parts. When I started this, I had never tried plugging in the electricity. But it cooks beautifully!
- I plan to organize posts by stove area, so will continue to add to posts as I revisit certain parts of my stove.
- I keep track of screws and small bits by placing them in paper cups and writing exactly where they go on the cup. All the cups are in a larger container that's easy to tote around.
- As suggested many places on the internet, baking soda slurry seems to dissolve most of the gunk on and in my stove, and leaving it on for a bit and warming it works even better. Don't use it on aluminum though (I found out too late that the rings around my knobs are aluminum!)
- If you are having a hard time figuring out how to remove a part, look at Grapevine Sally or other sites that offer parts, and look for pictures showing how the part attaches.
- If you are ever in doubt about putting something back together again correctly, stop and take pictures or video of what you are looking at before you continue.
- Although they are tough materials, you can scratch and bend chrome and crack enamel. Before screwing metal fasteners onto enamel consider finding tiny neoprene or silicone washers at your hardware store. Be gentle when scrubbing and scraping.
- Follow basic, sane safety practices. Don't work on anything electrical without unplugging the stove. Be careful around pilot lights and hot parts. Watch out for sharp edges. Wear gloves.
- Don't blame me if my processes don't work for you. I'm not a professional. My stove is dented, scratched, and worn already. If yours is pristine, be conservative and get professional advice.
Topics I hope to cover
- Knobs
- Kickplate
- Surface under the stove burners
- Stove burners
- Oven and broiler interior
- Oven lights
- Oven burners
- Trim/backsplash
- Clock and timer
- Folding shelf
- Oven handles