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Friday, August 27, 2010

The Tappan With Red Handles

I received these photos from Keith of a Tappan stove that has been in his parent's summer cottage since the 1950's.  His grandfather bought it from an older lady in the mid 1950's who had purchased it new. The woman had only used two of the burners, so it was a great deal.  The black knobs are replacement. The charming red knobs are original, but on their last leg (any suggestions on where to buy replacements of this style?). Serial# C8729 Style WF-11-3

Keith was wondering how old the stove is.  My guess based on the raised feet and door handles, is the  mid-1930's.  Also, note the unusual Robert Shaw thermostat knob...and the burner covers that swing down to the sides of the stove.





Thanks for sharing the photos, Keith!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Tappan Deluxe in a Craftsman Bungalow

Tappan Talk reader Jack sent me the following great email (excerpts) and photos.  How perfect is the Tappan Deluxe for his wonderful craftsman bungalow?!

"First of all, I moved in to a 1916 craftsman style house about a year ago.  Two ranges came with the house — a GE Electric circa 1970 with push button controls, which was in the kitchen, and a tappan deluxe that was in the basement.  I was in the house for several months before I realized that the gas stove in the basement was hooked up.
About three weeks ago, the GE went out on me, so I decided to move the Tappan to the kitchen.  The plumber disconnected the Tappan in the basement and ran a gas line to the kitchen. I had my electrician replace the cord in the back with a grounded cord, so now all the electrics work.  Well, mostly work.  The oven light is a little idiosyncratic.  Sometimes it goes off when I close the door and sometimes it does not.  The “peek light” knob works fine, but the catch for the oven door-closed shutoff does not always turn off the oven light.  I love the “oven on” light behind the far right “philgas”   951-X18 is my model number with serial number 3504.  It was made for LP gas, but I think that the nozzles must have been switched at some point.  Anything you can tell me about the age of the stove or how to research based on the model and serial numbers would be helpful.  
But my biggest question is how to work the auto plug, or where to get a manual for the stove.  The clock works fine, as does the timer, and I have plugged in a little night light in the auto plug to see when it comes on or turns off.  It was on for a while, is now off, but I cannot figure out for the life of me how it regulates.
I doubt whether the Tappan has seen active service since the 1960s or so, but an oven thermometer shows that the temperature is spot on, so I am pretty confident that things are mostly working correctly. 
The Tappan is not only a great conversation piece but cooks like a dream and fits in well to my home. "











Thanks, Jack for the great pictures!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Electric Tappan

Leah sent me a photo of an unusual Tappan she was thinking about buying. It's an electric model with a coveted griddle in the center. Leah was hoping for advice on how difficult it is to find an element for an electric stove if the original goes bad.  I've never owned an electric stove, so I don't have any advice to offer on that issue. Readers?

My guess based on the back splash and the oven door handles is late 1950's or early 1960's. What do you think.



Thanks, Leah!
 
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