Dexter #5 Coal Stove

half-pint · Post by **half-pint** » Thu. Jun. 07, 2012 5:50 pm

My father called today to ask if I had any knowledge on a coal stove he found for sale. The person running the ad said it was a Dexter #5 PotBelly Coal Stove. It was used in a building on the Military base where they currently live. He says it's aprox. 4.5 ft tall and 24-28 inches in diameter. That's all the details I have at the moment.

Jason

freetown fred · Post by **freetown fred** » Thu. Jun. 07, 2012 6:24 pm

Apparently the #'s 5 & 6 are similar--wodsman parts has a couple parts--shaker grate--about 8 1/4" in diameter & top lid--not much more info I could find--don't worry, some of these old pot-belly fanatics will know a lot more then this old farmer.

half-pint · Post by **half-pint** » Sun. Jun. 10, 2012 12:45 am

.JPG | 51KB | Dexter4.jpg

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As for the Dexter #5 my father found here are some pictures of it. Anyone with some more information about these stoves please message me as I'm wondering if it's worth buying.

wsherrick · Post by **wsherrick** » Sun. Jun. 10, 2012 1:44 am

That stove is not a good candidate for restoration or use in your home. Nope on this one. These were meant to heat big open spaces and they are not suitable for use in your home. This stove would be appropriate if you lived in a Round House. It is also in very, very poor condition. Be patient, a good stove will come along.

half-pint · Post by **half-pint** » Sun. Jun. 10, 2012 2:21 am

wsherrick wrote:That stove is not a good candidate for restoration or use in your home. Nope on this one. These were meant to heat big open spaces and they are not suitable for use in your home. This stove would be appropriate if you lived in a Round House. It is also in very, very poor condition. Be patient, a good stove will come along.

Thank You William,

I wish I did have an old roundhouse converted into a home. That would be a dream come true for me as a rail-fan. Going to try and see how low I can get him on the price. It would at least be good for a stove for me to work on as I've never restored one. It'd be something fun to tinker with. I might could get it useable enough to use in my shop building as it is 4200 sq ft. I haven't sandblasted or anything like that in years. It'd be good to practice on as it is rough. The pictures I posted on here today was the 1st time I'd seen it as well.

samhill · Post by **samhill** » Sun. Jun. 10, 2012 7:37 am

If the price is right why not, a bit of sand blasting can make a lot of difference. If it's mostly cosmetic work it may just be a fun project & could be just what someone else would want if it doesn't suit you.

LsFarm · Post by **LsFarm** » Sun. Jun. 10, 2012 8:35 am

From the photos, I didn't see any cracked cast iron parts. And since you do have a big shop to heat, I agree to get it if the price is right.

It's grates look like they are intended to burn large lump Biturminous coal, Since you are in Kentucky, make sure you have access to good lump [fist sized and larger] coal..

If the price is right it's worth the $$ just to learn from a first restoration.

Greg L

half-pint · Post by **half-pint** » Wed. Jun. 13, 2012 3:00 pm

LsFarm wrote:From the photos, I didn't see any cracked cast iron parts. And since you do have a big shop to heat, I agree to get it if the price is right.

It's grates look like they are intended to burn large lump Biturminous coal, Since you are in Kentucky, make sure you have access to good lump [fist sized and larger] coal..

If the price is right it's worth the $$ just to learn from a first restoration.

Greg L

You are right there. Sadly I couldn't get him to come down any on the price and with it being a 480 mile round trip to go get it I'll just pass on this one and move on to something else. One thing I don't have a shortage of here where I am is coal. I can get the good KY low sulphur Bit coal for $100 a ton and Blaschak Anthracite for just a little more. I prefer the Anthracite though as with 2 bad knees the less I have to clean the chimney the better.

Post by **franco b** » Wed. Jun. 13, 2012 3:40 pm

half-pint wrote:I prefer the Anthracite though as with 2 bad knees the less I have to clean the chimney the better

I agree with you. I would rather burn wood in a modern wood stove than to put up with the smoke and soot of Bit coal unless I had a stoker designed for it that burned clean.

I have seen a lot of Warm Morning stoves for sale. The larger ones hold 100 pounds and can be bought cheaply. Far better stoves than the one you were looking at. Keep looking in craigslist, this is the time to buy when there are a lot less lookers.

samhill · Post by **samhill** » Wed. Jun. 13, 2012 3:46 pm

Half-pint I hear ya on the knees, don't know your age or anything else but I had mine done winter before last & never regretted it except that you can't really kneel without pain, I do but it smarts like hell. I'll be 65 shortly & after I retired I thought I wouldn't need to kneel much but it's something to think about. Best of luck in your stove hunt.