Acorn Wood Cook Stove

Thanks for the digging Randy. I'm not saving R&S info, but Chris might be interested in having a copy ?

Paul

I want to thank everyone for all the helpful information on the Acorn,I have checked out the 1880 catalog as well as the 1890 catalog but still having trouble identifying the stove, even cross checking pictures still nothing. Pauls theory on the numbers seems to be right on as in most equipment now a days just now more numbers but they seem to change every month (Briggs and Stratton) for example. Cast iron stoves might have been the first to start the Model# Part# and year.Just to change the subject myself personally I got into stoves a few years ago and now learning as much as I can, so is my girl friend Teresa the Acorn was to be a surprise for her but word got out I do think she has the "stove fever" also. I live in Asheville, NC but raised in Syracuse,NY, I travel up there about two times a year and try to pick up stoves to rebuild mostly parlors,I am enclosing a before and after picture of a Dickson Oak 116 just completed new mica has not been installed as of yet but it turned out not to bad. She wanted a small pot belly so I picked up a Magic Armstrong #214 that she also fell in love with witch is in my living room not installed but still looks nice. Could I have created a monster?

Christopher wrote:Could I have created a monster

Yes, you could have. So that means you may have to move north so she can use the stoves 9 months out of the year like Paul does

Nice job on the other Stoves, Chris.

That Acorn sure is an anomaly. As some of the guys say, it looks like an older style. But then there's the part number sequence that is like other makers that put the year last. And it has that front access ash pan replacing the oven ventilator damper of the earlier style Acorn ranges. I don't remember seeing that on any earlier ranges than those in the teens.

And R&S ranges did tend to have more elaborate decoration than many ranges of the same era.

Maybe Emory, or Wilson will pop in and can help nail down the date better ?

Paul

SWPaDon wrote:

Christopher wrote:Could I have created a monster

Yes, you could have. So that means you may have to move north so she can use the stoves 9 months out of the year like Paul does

I don't think he'd love the stove that much to put up with our long winters.

Paul

On my Clarion, the numbers are a bit different. Most of the parts say 8 20, I know my stove was from 1904 or 1905. Bryants stove confirmed that...unless they are mistaken. I believe that on my stove that #20 is for the oven size, which does measure 20" wide.

Just food for thought.
Randy

After my last post I thought I should clarify my comment on Bryants estimation of production. To be fair to Bea, she did not actually see my stove but was estimating based on the fact that it had a cast iron roll top warming oven. The numbering system they used may even show that it was made in 1908?
Randy

Yes, Clarion was not the only maker to use that system of round cover size and oven size as a model number. Carol's Fairmount in the Cookin With Coal thread is another.

The 8 means the approximate size of the round covers on the cook top, and the 20 means oven width, both in inches.

BTW, 8 inch round covers were the most common size round covers of many range makers. And those 7, 8 and 9 inch round cover sizes carry over to this day. If you measure the bottom contact areas, many pots and pans fit perfectly on those sizes.

Glenwood used a three digit number with most, but not all of their ranges model/part numbers - such as my Sunny Glenwood is a 208. They also had the same models with 108, 208, 308, 408. And often you could order larger or smaller round covers for the same model, such as a 207 or 209. So far, I've not been able to find out what the Glenwood's first two digits stand for of the three digit range numbers. Obviously not the oven size, because the Sunny's had an 18 wide oven. And it's not because mine has the water reservoir, because I've seen 208's with and without a reservoir, and same for the other three digit model numbers.

While we're at it, I need to make a correction of what I said about Glenwood part number sequence. It's model name - sometimes just in initials, then the year, followed by the part number.

And the numbers can be further confusing because some parts were used on more than one model thus contain more model numbers/letters.

The mantel shelf on mine is marked 207-8 on top because it fits both a Sunny using 7 inch covers and one with 8 inch covers. But underneath that it is labeled "SG 1903 35". Which translates to, a Sunny Glenwood, model of 1903, part #35. Inside the firebox loading door it says, SG 208 1903 24. They added the "208" so that door likely only fits a Sunny Glenwood 208 model. All of the parts labeled with that sequence have a different last number. And that number only duplicates if more than one of the same part is used, such as the two matching door handles.

Other parts added confusion by not following that sequence and had even more models added. The same lid for the water reservoir on my Sunny Glenwood was used on many models. It just reads, Glen A.S.E.F.H without showing the year, or part number.

So as you see, there doesn't seem to be craved-in-stone rules to antique stove part numbers, just some general trends. And as such, it can get confusing.

As an antiques collecting friend once said, the only rule that applies to antiques is, "Never say never ! "

Paul

Chris, great job on the Dickson 116! Where did you get the nickel plating done? I just picked up a Mountain Oak in pretty good shape, but am thinking about refinishing it before I use it. Any info you have would be greatly appreciated! Curt

I have some more information on the Acorn stove apparently it is a "Belle" Acorn #6384, I am not sure if that is help full about trying to figure out its age, Just picked up the Acorn last week going over it for cracks and problems. A few but I think it is worth doing to restore. Bottom and top of oven box needs to be replaced as for most of the cook top eyes and round cook plates, it still has original oven grate with the acorn logo. The two new pictures I have show the "Belle" Acorn on the side the second picture shows the draft control arm on the opposite side. Sorry about the side way pictures.

Curt, I live in Asheville, NC and I use Asheville Paint and Power Coat for my sandblasting and Asheville Plating for my nickleing. The Dickson was not replated but polished to save a little cash. Here are two pictures of the Mountain Oak 116 I just purchased does yours resemble this? The Dickson and the Mountain Oak both have what I call double barrels inner barrel and a outer barrel to trap heat and allow it up thru the top vent above the flu and below the barrel to force heat down wards toward the floor and the belly plates. The Mountain Oak was built by the Buckwalter Stove Co. Royersford, Pa. You will have fun restoring it a labor of love. Sorry about the blurryness of the second pic as well as being sideways

Doing a test with posting photos from my phone
Randy

Photog200 wrote:Doing a test with posting photos from my phone
Randy

Randy .... Ya passed with flying colors !

Paulie

Randy and Paulie thank you gentleman

Chris, I turned your other two pix to get a better look.

In the first picture, I noticed something interesting. Just to the left and below the broiler door and above the ash drawer door, at the hearth end of the stove, I see what may be an round inlet and outlet for a "water front". Looks like they are plugged with ash or refractory cement. I wonder if there is a water heating jacket in between that end plate and the firebox wall ????

BTW, what we think of as the left end of the range is technically the "front" of the range. It's a hold-over term from much earlier "cook stoves" - long before ranges came along. With a cook stove, the fire and ashes were tended from the "front" and you stood to the left, or right sides of the stove to do the cooking. When ranges came along, most of the operating and cooking was down from what is technically the "left" side of the range, but we think of it as the front. Even later ranges did away with the hearth and the ash drawer door on the end of the range and made it so the ash pan came out what we now consider the front of the range, but still kept the primary and secondary slide-dampers on that end for many years more.

And a "water front" is a cast iron water jacket that fits in along that front side of the firebox. Some were longer and wrapped around over the firebox loading door end to gain even more hot water making capacity.

Paul