If I find a crack in a 'steel box' stove, I can weld it, or if a replacement part is needed, I can get a piece of steel from my scrap pile or choose from 3 different steel suppliers in a 15 mile radius, and have my 'steel box' stove back in opperation in one day or less.
As for the perfect design of the base burners.. just asking now.. how do you load one of those so that you can leave it for 3 or 4 days?? and how do you hook it up for central heating?
You see, while the base burner MAY be the 'ultimate' in coal burning for it's type of stove.. it doesn't fill or fit in many applications. And while I love history, and old designs.. I don't drive a Model A or T pickup. I drive a modern pickup. I decorate with and ocassionally use Federal Period furniture and decorative arts. But in my room where I 'live'.. I use a LazyBoy recliner, and a glass topped coffee table.. WHY? 'cause they are improvements over the easlily damaged antique furniture.. no matter how much I like the looks.. the Federal period furniture is usually very uncomfortable, and easlily damaged.
As for the original topic here,, Cast iron has problems.. it HAS to be made cast right, inspected, and carefully and skilfully assembled, because a cast iron stove body will be composed of 4 legs, 2 sides, 1 front, 1back, 1top, 1bottom, and a door composed of what? at least 3-4 items.. All of these parts MUST be assembled correctly, with great care to assure proper fit and sealing. Can you imagine paying for the skill and careing needed to build one of these stoves at a livable wage for the USA?? the stove would cost $5000.
Now, a steel body stove is welded into one piece.. some have bolt on legs, the door is still several pieces.. but the fit and sealing is taken care of in the stove body by welding it into a one piece box with a doorway. This is a much more marketable piece of hardware.. The cost is much less, the safety greater, and the skill level [cost of manufacture] is much lower.
Now: is a nice 1890's-1930's stove a work of art?? probably, is it worth restoring ? probably, and most certainly for the right application. But is it the where-all and be-all in coal burning.. nope.. it is for some applications.. If I were retired and had a home that could be heated well by a central stove, I'd probably find an old stove, rebuild it, and tend it every day, just for the entertainment.. and sit near it in my LazyBoy and read a book.. but for now.. well: I haven't even looked at my boiler today, I'll look at the ashpan tomorrow morning, I did turn up the house thermostats this morning, and turned them down this evening,, and I will even program the auto-setback thermostats once I get the rebuild done.. but.. new and automation has it's place.. My 'new' boiler is a 1950's model, all steel, I expect it to outlive me.
Greg L
I'm not unfamilar with antique: the newest clock is around 1845, the Bed is 1850 or so.
The sofa is 1825-1830ish, the banjo clock it 1820ish, the rest of the furniture and clocks early 1800's,, but the coffee table?? All 'new', well in the last 20 years, except for the decorative cast iron under the glass, that's from a demo'd house after the Detroit Riots in '67. The table made around it in about '85 or so.