Tappan Talk

2011-08-07T23:38:00.000-05:00

I received the following email from Charlie. Any advice readers can offer him regarding restoring the burners would be appreciated.

"Attached are some photos of the stove. We just purchased it off of Craigslist for $140. The guy we bought it from put it together from 2 stoves that he got off of Craigslist - one in Ohio and one in Illinois. Both of those had issues with dents and wear, so he used one for parts to fix the other. He never finished getting it working though and his wife had a change of heart and decided for a more modern stove. Now I have to get it working with no knowledge of how to go about doing it (I tried calling appliance repairmen in the area, but none knew anything about older stoves). I'm going to start by getting the burners cleaned and as you can see, I have some parts missing on the right side burners, so I will try to figure out how to replace those.

Any advice that anyone can give to me on what to do or who to call or where to get parts, I will gladly take.
Thanks again,
Charlie"

My advice to Charlie was.....

It might be worth your while to look for complete replacement burner - it might be difficult to get a old replacement burner top that will tightly fit (i.e. no gas leaks) your existing burner. You have the "contro-lo-eat burner" in front.

You might contact this seller on Ebay: I have purchased parts from him in the past, as have some of Tappan Talk readers and his prices have been reasonable.

This is another resource (I purchase insulation and an oven light socket from them)

Details of a Tappan Deluxe Restoration

2011-07-09T10:15:00.000-05:00

Jerry sent me the following email with great information on how he restored his Tappan Deluxe:

"I just finished restoring a 1948 TV 65-16. I purchased this stove for $100 in Butler, PA just north of Pittsburgh.   I also purchased a TV 662-26 in Pittsburgh that was in poorer condition as a parts stove for $125. I actually combined the elements of both to make one I like. The TV 65-16 was missing one of the white bezels and a knob. The 662-26 lost some screws, the chrome bezels, the chrome handles with the back painted centers, a drip pan, a hinge from the broiler oven, a knob for the oven light switch and the wire rack shelf in the left drawer.   I was able to adjust the pilots and burners on the stove top to work. I also adjusted the oven and measured the temperature with my electronic bi metal thermometer.

The oven doesn't have a pilot light but is match lit.   The thermostat works but was way off and out of adjustment. I suspect this is why this stove was taken out of service, the thermostat was off and it was burning way too hot.. I adjusted the thermostat and adjusted the flame height during the 'hold' position and was able to get the old girl to hold 350-349 degrees for 30 minutes. The flame height on the burner "hold" position was way too high and of course the oven would heat far beyond the thermostat heating.

The back splash and all components were cleaned. The clock took some work, but 60+ years of kitchen grease had jammed up the works. Some spray solvent dissolved the mess after I disassembled the Telechron and then lubricated the gears and turning points with some light oil. It's keeping perfect time now. The Visitimer works great and the Visiminder cleaned up nicely.   New light bulbs in all.

The "OVEN ON" light was not working on the stove. I figured the heat switch was bad. I cut the wires off the switch and touched them together. Sure enough the "OVEN ON" light lit up. I was able to purchase a normally open bi-metal thermal switch on eBay for $1.49. The switch stays open, no current, until it reaches 140 degrees then it closes thus lighting the oven on light. I placed it in the hole where the old switch was up against the back wall of the oven. Now when the oven begins to heat, the light comes on. When it cools off, the light goes off. The TV 65-16 looks brand new now.

What I thought was corrosion was usually old food and grease. I had to strip and repaint the center pieces of the oven and broiler handles. I also repainted the back of the clock face to cover up some scratches and bare spots. This stove was restored to use in the new house I purchased, a 2700 sq. ft. 1909 Foursquare that I'm lovingly going to restore. The kitchen, of course, is going to have a late 40's theme. This old girl should last another 63 years now. I think she's beautiful."

And here are photos of Jerry's beautifully restored stove. I only hope mine looks that good when I am *finally* done with my restoration work!

The Big Move

2011-06-26T15:45:00.000-05:00

Ron and Aiden were some of the first readers to send me photos of their Tappan Deluxe stove. I posted about Mighty Whitey back on January of 2010. Well, Mighty Whitey has done some traveling since we first met her (or is it him?). The Tappan Deluxe has moved from Illinois to Minnesota and has a new home in a kitchen built to her specifications. Note the built in vintage style flour and sugar bins on either side.

Tappan Deluxe Wall Oven

2011-05-28T23:12:00.002-05:00

I received the following photo from Andrew. I've also included our email exchange. Watch for a follow up post on a similar wall oven......

"Hi,

I came across your site while attempting to learn more about the oven shown in the attached photograph. I found the photo in a bin full of vintage photographs at an antique store, so I know little about the background. I can tell you that it appears to have been taken at a trade show in the late 1950's. The company that took the image was Chicago Photographers, once located at 26 E. Huron St. in Chicago, and the file number (if it should ever be handy) is #23463-5.

I don't know the model # (it is a Deluxe), and haven't found any examples online yet that match. Perhaps you know?

Andrew"

"Wow, thanks for sharing the photo. Would you mind if I posted it on my blog for readers to see? It's interesting to me that the oven appears to have the same handles w. a crest as a mid-50's Deluxe model. Behind the men to the left must be the built in cooktop. I wonder is those are some of the Tappan executive.

Very interesting!

TappanTalk"

"Hi TT,

Sure, go ahead and use the photo on your blog. I sent it to you in the hope that you'd share it with your followers.

I suppose the trade show might have been earlier than I'm guessing - I was going by the woman's dress which looks more late 50's than mid. But the guy on the left has on a wild tie more typical of the early to mid 50's. And the guy on the right looks like Dick Clark era stuff. So I was really just taking a stab at the date. Any idea what model it is?

I wonder if there's any information out there on the dates that Tappan participated in a trade show in Chicago.

Andrew"

"Great, thanks. It may take a few weeks before I post, as I have a bit of a backlog in reader's stove pics to post first. [that turned out to be an understatement]

My guess is that if this was a trade show, this was an early prototype model that showed the future of Tappan products. This would explain the older Deluxe handles. It would also explain the round clock, etc. If you hit the "mid-century" label on the side of my blog, you will see late 50's -early 60's versions of this type of model. They have slim oven handles and elongated clocks.

If you look at my Feb 2nd post, that shows an ad for new Tappan wall ovens. It has one similar (except the handles) to yours. If you look close, the cabinets even have the same hardware as your photo. We know that one is from a 1955 magazine. I believe your's is just a tad earlier (because of the handles). Of course, it's all just conjecture.

It would be fun to see if the Chicago show could be tracked down (one reader traced his stove to a state fair exhibit). I keep hoping a Tappan employee old timer will find the blog.....

TT"

Andrew, thanks for sharing this great photo!

In the Basement

2011-04-24T12:43:00.001-05:00

Cheryl in NY sent me the following email and photos:

"Hi

I was searching the web for info on a Tappan gas stove that was in the basement of my house (when the house was purchased) when I stumbled upon your website/blog. I don't even know if your doing this anymore, but I am going crazy trying to find someone out there that can help me.

The stove has been in my basement for 5 years now, and I got to thinking that it would look great in my kitchen, but I need to have it restored. In order to do this, I need to know the approx. year of it and who I would contact about restoration. I saw on your site you have helped some people with their questions, and I am hoping you can help me. I have attached pics of my stove - the model # is 6V 57 3 and the serial # is 40527. I haven't been able to find anything about this stove anywhere on the internet. I would also love to find a owner's manuel if possible!!

Thank you for any help you can provide, it would be greatly appreciated."

Cherly's stove is very similar to Angie's stove. The "cove top" back splash usually indicates the 1940's. The handles on the stove are a later 1940's version (if you look at some of the other 1940's posts, you can see the earlier handles), Cheryl's stove also has that nice pull out cutlery drawer with dish towel drying rods.

As far as restoration companies. There are many to choose from in the south.....but they are pricey. I think most of the folks that stumble on my blog are doing the restoration themselves or piecing out specific parts of the restoration (e.g. reporcelain, rebuilding thermostats). If you look through some of my older posts, you will find links to some of the resources out there.

The porcelain on this stove looks to be in very good condition (with the exception of that lower side panel - which may be hidden by cabinetry anyway). One of my favorite tools to clean porcelain has been Clorox Magic Erasers. They remove all kinds of gunk without scratching. Ammonia water also works well. If you click on the label "cleaning" on the right hand side of the blog, you will find other tips. I usually suggest people start with giving their stove a good cleaning.....and then assess it's condition. It's amazing how a good cleaning can put things in perspective.

Owner's Manuals regularly come up for sale on Ebay for under $10 including shipping. I have also posted (and will continue to do so) pages from various Owner's Manuals on Tappan Talk.

Any other tips for Cheryl?

Thanks Cheryl for sharing your photos!

A New Tappan Deluxe Discovery

2011-04-03T16:29:00.000-05:00

I received the following email from Jon in Illinois regarding his V665-9 Tappan Deluxe....

"I’ve been reading your Tappan blog site for about 2 hours now. Incredibly interesting.

Well, my wife and I bought a house on auction, and this stove was in the basement (gas still hooked up). Based on the model number, I don’t see reference to it anywhere. A lot of people on your blog reference similar numbers, but not this exact one; nor can I find anything on this exact model number anywhere else on the web. I can send a picture of the model number and serial number if it will help.

I’m wondering what is it’s value. After looking at your blog I now want to restore it and keep it (although it’s still in really good shape)."

Jon's stove is a CP model (meaning the oven has a standing pilot). It has a Telechron clock with an interesting twist of having the 3 1/2 Interval Timer. I've added a some info. about how this clock works at the end of the post. His stove looks a lot like mine, but I notice the backsplash light is operated by a knob and not a pull chain which most likely would put it later than 1948. Jon's stove also looks like it has the "gold package" on the backsplash metal.

I spotted one other very interesting thing in Jon's photos that we have not seen in any previous reader's stoves. If you take a look at the photos showing the main control panel & thermostat knob, you will see a little white knob on the left side. I *think* this is a pin for a removable oven door feature. If this knob is what I think it is...there is another one on the other side in the same spot in the storage area. When these are pulled out, the oven door supposedly lifts out for easy cleaning. Hopefully, Jon will let us know.

To address Jon's comment about model numbers. I have yet to figure out how the model numbers work on the Tappan Deluxe. When looking for information about your stove, the only way I have been able to determine model year is to actually look at the features of the stove. There are probably 100 reader's stoves featured on this blog, and I have yet to see identical model numbers between two Deluxe stoves.

Philgas Tappan De Luxe

2011-04-03T00:03:00.001-05:00

Todd emailed photos of his Model 1746 Tappan. I'm guessing this is a 1946 Philgas model. I've learned, by looking through my 1940 and 1941 sales manuals, that in these early models the last two numbers of the model number indicate year. The 1700 series would have been one of the higher end models for that year.

The 1941 version of a stove that is most similar to Todd's stove was called the "De Luxe Model" and was described in the Philgas sales manual with the following:

"Flush-to-wall design. Divided Cove Top with center working space and built-in Tel-U-Set (Chromo-line edge lighted instrument panel with Visiminder, Visiguide and flood light). Toe-Cove base * Four Chromelite Vitamin-Saver top-burners-giant on left front, standard on right front, two Mighty-Mites at rear-all with new Flexo-Flame lock-type simmer valves. Chromelite reflector drip trays. Black porcelain enameled oval grates. Automatic top-burner lighting both sides * Insulated Visualite Flexo-Speed oven with automatic heat control and Sani-Clean chrome lining. Double Tuf-flex glass window. Electric lamp inside oven with exterior "peek" switch. Non.tilt, positive-stop, ribbon racks. Oven-doorstop. Concealed heat control dial and lock-type oven valve * Drawer broiler, smokeless type, with De Luxe Clean-Quick chromium pan and grid * Two utility compartments with trigger-touch door catches--adjustable wire-shelf in left, cutlery drawer and towel drying rack in right * Finished in white porcelain except white Nubelite body sides and black Ebonite base. De luxe Chromo-line hardware."

Todd, thanks for sharing the photos of your 1940's stove!

Thermostat Mystery

2011-02-27T12:53:00.000-06:00

Connie and Tom sent me this email about their Tappan Deluxe...

"We are looking for an age for our Tappan Deluxe. HDV 64 -3 Serial number 254710. My husband grabbed this almost 20 years ago “free for taking”. It is my prized possession…I absolutely love it! We we’re so happy to find your blog…we have searched for years for info On these old stoves! Thanks for any input you can give us!"

The things I noticed about the stove: The model is a later version of the Deluxe...early 1950's. Probably '52 - '54. The broiler foot pedal was a later option. The stove has Telechron clock which is a little unusual for the later models which seems to have the time control clock. The clock also has chrome knobs...which is a nice feature :) It's also a little unusual for this model to be a non-CP (without a standing pilot). These later stoves seems to almost be made to order because there is so much variance in the features. The stove has those very nice chrome burner knob backs...those are special!

Connie and I exchanged a few emails about her oven not working properly. We originally discussed the possibility that their thermostat needed work, and then I received this update:

"Just wanted to let you know… I told you our Tappan oven was not working….not getting hot. We had the oven pulled out, so we took everything apart, Tom wanted To make sure that is was the oven control before we sent it away to be rebuilt. After taking the burners completely out and cleaning them, they did not work right either! If you got one burner lit, and lit another, the first one would go out! So Tom checked the gas line, low pressure! He went down and tried to light the hot water tank… It had low gas pressure. We called the gas company. Our meter was broke, they replaced it. While we have the “old girl” pulled out he is replacing the flexible gas line, then I should be BAKING Christmas cookies!!"

A good reminder to start with the basics when addressing stove problems. And, yes, I am that far behind in posting reader's stove pictures (those Christmas cookies she baked are long gone, I am sure). Be patient, I have many more reader's stoves to share....

Connie and Tom - Thanks for sharing your photos and info.!

A Different Kind of Pilot Light

2011-02-18T21:06:00.003-06:00

I have a treat for you today. I am going to share string of emails I exchanged with Jeff, a Tappan Talk reader. Jeff also shared some great pictures of his new stove and some of his restoration activity. Take a look at the very unusual standing pilot system. Also, notice the nice shot of the foot pedal on the base of the stove that opens the broiler.

"Hi, I love your wonderful blog on the old Tappan stoves.

I found a Tappan Deluxe in [Iowa]. Last Saturday I rented a van and drove from [Wisconsin] to [Iowa] and picked it up. It was in a 1950's brick, ranch style house. It was being sold by the daughter of the original owners. She thought it was a 1952 model.
I spent all day Sunday cleaning it. I have to say, after working on old cars, radios and outboard motors looking under the hood of an old stove is very depressing. Lots of rust and grease. But no matter the stove is hooked up and working.

A few interesting details. The tag on the back of the stove has a date of July 8, 1954 and was apparently sold by The Peoples Gas Light and Coke Company in Chicago. This stove is a CP model but there is no standing pilot in the oven. Instead the oven uses the top right burner pilot and is described a single point ignition on the oven control panel. It has amber burner rings, gold details, simmer burners and pyro-grates. It does not have the chrome window trim however. It has one last test to pass. I need to see if the oven thermostat is working. Cross your fingers!"

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"Wow, that stove is excellent. I'm curious if the tag on the back is indicating that the gas company sold the stove....or the date they hooked it up & inspected it. Very interesting. Also, the standing pilot configuration is something I have never seen before. Just when we think we have seen everything, I get en email with something new :) I was amazed at how much of the "rust" actually washed away on the parts under the top of my stove. Pull out the burners & wash them and it will give you an idea if the rest if surface or not. Also, anything that does not touch a flame, can be touched up with black high heat paint - looks good and also keeps the rust in check. Well, worth the drive to pick her up!!! Tappan Talk"

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"Hello, Thanks for all the work you do to post reader's stories and pics. Your site is very informative and helpful. Now that you mention it, I believe you are right that the tag was probably from the gas company that hooked up the stove. The house that the stove was in is for sale and I looked up the info about the house. It was built in 1957 so I think the daughter's parents must have either bought the stove used or lived someplace near Chicago when it was purchased new. I wrote her today and asked for more details so maybe the date can be nailed down with more certainty. Thanks! Jeff"

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"Well I crossed my fingers but the oven on my Tappan Deluxe from [Iowa] was not happy. My oven has a very complicated safety/ignitor called a Bryant Type JSP Range-Lyter. It controls gas through 6 connections and there are 3 pilots involved in running the oven!! I wish my stove had the simple "push the red button" type safety. I had to remove the safety and send it off [for] a rebuild at $195. I included a pic of the part. Jeff"

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"Too bad that your safety needs to be rebuilt, but I suppose we are lucky that there are still folks available to do it. Tappan Talk"

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"Hello again, Here are some before and after pics of my Tappan Deluxe from [Iowa]. The oven safety was rebuilt [and] the safety is working ok and the oven is baking pizza! I took the top off and cleaned up all the grease and dirt, removed the surface rust, treated it with Rust Reformer and painted it with high heat black paint. I did the same to the front brackets that hold down the top. I'm really glad to know that things are clean and the rust is under control! I removed the oven burner, burner spud and holder and cleaned out the oven. I repainted the spud holder and cleaned up the gas lines. Gallons and gallons of black water have gone down the drain. I ordered some teflon insulated wire from www.bulkwire.com and some ceramic wire nuts from McMaster Carr and my last project is to rewire the burner control back-lighting.

Wow what a project! As you might be able to tell from the pics, the stove just fits into the space. There are only fractions of an inch of wiggle room. I live in an apartment building built in 1916 [Wisconsin]. The counter tops and cupboards in my kitchen are pretty horrible but the stove is working!

I took the Visiminder works to a clock shop to be reassembled after I got in over my head LOL. I will give you an update on that soon."

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"Thanks for the update! I'm anxious to get to your stove, as the pilot arrangement is so unusual. I do have instructions on adjusting the oven burner spud, if you ever need them. TT"

<

Jeff, thanks for sharing your great photos & restoration info!

A New York Tappan Deluxe

2011-02-05T10:16:00.000-06:00

Sara in NY sent me the following email:

"Hi, Stuccohouse.

Here are the Craigslist pictures of my new beauty. She's a CP, model AV 667 9E, and seems, to my untrained eye, to be in pretty good shape. I think now you can see why I believe she resembles Ron and Aiden's stove, but may be a tad newer because our respective stoves have different model numbers and because their stovetop light has a chain pull, which mine doesn't. I don't know where to find information regarding her actual age.

I'm only doing cleaning and other minor aesthetic tasks at present, but one thing I cannot do is figure out whether or not I can remove the chrome Logo/Clock/Timer/Roasting Temp. plaque (for lack of a better description) on the backsplash. It is very, very pitted and decidedly unattractive and if I could safely take it off someone somewhere might be able to restore it. Does anyone know if the thing is actually removable?"

Sara and I exchanged a few emails on starting to restore a "new to you" stove. My advice: The easiest place to start is cleaning, if course. The burners pull out. There are also drip drawers that are directly under the burners that pull out. Most people don't notice these, so they were rarely cleaned over the years. They are at the top of the side storage areas and just slide out for cleaning. Mine were disgusting, but cleaned up to look like new. I find those cleaning "miracle erasers" work really well for cleaning. Also, the bottom plates in the oven lift out for cleaning.

Can anyone answer Sara's question about removing the back splash trim? What do you think the model year is?

Sara, thanks for sharing pictures of your new purchase!

Porcelain

2011-01-30T22:42:00.000-06:00

Another Twin Cities vintage stove owner sent me photos if their Tappan. Cheri sent me this email:

"Hello - I just came upon your website. We have a Tappan Range, Model No. GVD 57 6. We bought our 1947 home in 1980 (which came with the 1947 Tappan). We have been using it ever since and love it!

I was wondering if you knew of anyone/any place in the Twin Cities area that repainted or restored outsides of stoves. The enamel is looking a little shabby and could use a little restoration."

I sent Cheri the following links for reporcelaining. I know these places all have worked on vintage stoves, but have not used them myself. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone that has used them.

Gigi's Hollydale Appliances

Independence Porcelain Enamel

Custom Ceramic Coatings, Inc.

Thanks Cheri for the photos!

Burner Valves

2011-01-23T15:22:00.000-06:00

I purchased burner valve cream from The Old Appliance Club. The cream comes with some pretty easy to follow general instructions. They aren't specific to a Tappan Deluxe, but it's not brain surgery. I was a little intimidated to start this project, but once I had the valves apart it...I had an ah-ha moment when I realized how simply they work.

I used a mild degreaser to clean the parts. You just need to pay attention as you disassemble, so you can reassemable the relubricated parts the same way. My valves turned out well and now turn pretty effortlessly with a satisfying little click. I plan to have them professionally reviewed before I put them into action.

Of course, I started working on the valves themselves a while ago. They were covered in grease and the brass was a total surprise.

Insulation

2011-01-16T17:13:00.000-06:00

I've had the high heat stove insulation sitting around for a couple of months now. Today I finally got around to installing two layers of replacement insulation to the top of my stove. One under the manifold pipe and one above it. If you compare the old photo with this one, you can also see where I treated the surface rust on the tops of the oven walls. The stove top is now ready to be reinstalled.

I still need to replace the insulation in the broiler door.

The Opal Glass Light

2011-01-09T16:19:00.000-06:00

A fellow Twin Cities bungalow owner sent me this email about her Tappan stove...

"Good Morning! We have so much in common! My husband and i live in S. Mpls in a little stucco house too :) This oven was in the basement and we really like it, but it's in rough shape. Do you know anybody who does restoration who we could talk to about getting it restored to usability? Also, I am having a tough time finding this particular tappan model online at all. It's 2622 wv271 Have you heard anything about this particular model? Thanks, really enjoy your site!"

I think this stove is most likely from the late 1930's - early 1940's. We have seen similar stoves from other readers with that great Opal Glass Light. It seems like the oven door handle holds the clue to they year....the more rounded handles, like this one, appear to be later and the longer more squared off handles appear to be earlier. As these stoves moved into the 1940's, the opening mechanism for the side storage cabinets moved from a turn knob to the lift release buttons that we see as standard on the Tappan Deluxe models.

Another Twin Cities reader sent me an email a while back with a recommendation of a local guy that worked on her vintage stove. I have not used him. If you do, I'd love to hear about your experience. His name is Al Ligons, and his company is Absolutely Guaranteed Appliance Service.

Sars, thanks for sharing your photos!

The Design

2010-12-23T22:08:00.000-06:00

This post will interest the Tappan history buffs out there. Tappan Talk reader, Maureen, sent me me an email containing some research she did (and agreed to share with us). Attached to her email were scores of original patent applications submitted by the Tappan Stove Company to the US Patent Office.

I'm going to start us off with a 1949 patent application for the ornamental design of an early Deluxe model. Over the next few months, I'll post more...some dating back to the early 1930's.

A huge thanks to Maureen for all of her research!

Tappan Deluxe on the Small Screen

2010-12-19T22:24:00.000-06:00

I received an email from Jeff with a Tappan Deluxe sighting in the wild....

"A new show on HGTV called Cash & Cari has a Tappan Deluxe in the first episode. Sounds like it gets damaged however.

When: Saturday January 01 at 2pm eastern on HGTV

Also in this episode... Cari agrees to pay thousands for the contents of an entire home. But will she uncover enough treasures to justify the monumental cleanup? A rare vintage stove gets banged up on the way to the warehouse. And, back at the shop, a hopeful collector comes in with an Impressionist painting. But is it a real Degas?

There is also a photo gallery for the episode and there is a picture of the Tappan Deluxe."

I don't have cable, but if anyone watches this episode I hope they post a comment!

A Vintage Replacement

2010-12-11T21:53:00.000-06:00

Maureen sent me a couple of emails about her new Tappan Deluxe. Along with the email info, she included photos of vintage Magic Chef she previously owned. Both stoves seem to be a good fit for her 1920's Tudor style house.

"I found Tappan Talk today as I was waiting for the delivery of the Tappan I purchased.

[...]The Tappan I have is model TV63X16 serial number 203049. It has red rings around the knobs, I wonder if these are supposed to light up. The clock doesn't work, but it looks cool. It is not a CP model so the oven has to be lit each time.

It was built in Mansfield, OH. I bought it yesterday from a used appliance dealer in the West Park neighborhood of Cleveland, OH. I think he got it from an estate sale.

The stove is a replacement for a 1948 Magic Chef which I had since 1976. It finally needed a new thermostat and I am hoping that my money was better spent in getting this Tappan. It now is in the kitchen of our 1929 house - not a bungalow. There are plenty of beautiful bungalows in our neighborhood. Our is more of an English shingle covered tudor (I guess). We've been here since 1986 but are still not finished.

The Tappan has a pull chain for the top light, which works. The oven light works, too. The oven is enamel. There is on wire shelf in the left storage space, and no shelves or racks in the right storage space. It has red glass rings behind the control knobs, but they do no light up. I don't think they were ever intended to light up - I took off the manifold covers and there is no sign of wiring, a switch or a light. I guess it is a 60 series - so it must be late 40s or early 50s.

I think my Grandmother had one like this - I kind of remember it. I need to look through old family photos to verify.(That would have been in the early 1950s.)"

Maureen also sent me a follow-up email with some VERY interesting info. that she discovered (and agreed to let me post). Watch for this in an upcoming post :)

Thanks Maureen for sharing your photos.....and the upcoming surprise!

Open Microphone

2010-11-22T22:22:00.000-06:00

I have been getting a lot of email questions lately. Most of which I can't answer.

What I thought I'd do is start a post that is purely questions (and hopefully, answers) from readers. This way we will have one location for readers to exchange information. I will then make a permanent link to this post and put it on the left side of the blog.

Please post any questions....answers....tips...advice.....etc. as a comment to this post.

Late 1940's Tappan

2010-11-14T20:48:00.000-06:00

Angie sent me the following email about her stove, as well as a bunch of great photos:

"My husband and I moved into an old house that was built in the late 40's to early 50's. In the basement we found an old Tappan 4 burner gas stove with oven. I have looked at other pics of other Tappan ranges and they all have the timer dial in the center ( or at least thats what im thinking it is. Anyway, I have included with my email several pictures of the stove. Maybe you can tell me what year it is. Sorry its not cleaned up yet. We just began discussing the stove recently so I thought I'd try to do some hunting. Thanks for any of your help, in advance :)"

I originally thought her stove was early 1940's. I started looking through the 1940 and 1941 Sales Manuals I have and found a similar back splash and "cove" top, but the vents were vertical instead of horizontal like Angie's stove. Then I pulled out an older Owner's Manual (courtesy of Ron & Aiden) and bingo....found an illustration of a stove similar to Angie's. This would move Angie's stove to the late 1940's (possibly, 1946 -1947).

Also, note the similarities to Dionne's stove. I even (accidentally) hunted down the same Sales Manual picture.

Thanks Angie for sharing the photos!

Gleaming

2010-10-31T18:41:00.000-05:00

Joe dropped this email to me about his shiny Tappan Deluxe...

"I took some pictures of my tappan for you. I bought this in 2006 from the granddaughter of the original owner. It was in good shape but needed a major cleaning. Over the last 4 years, I found the burner covers and the oven racks on ebay, ordered new burner knobs and replaced all of the bulbs. The only thing I have left to do is to rebuild the thermostat, find a pair of pyrex burner trivits and rebuild the clock again. I have attempted to rebuild the clock two times already out of parts I found on ebay, but it dosen't keep time very well. I think the problem is in the coil, because the telechron rotor works fine and the gears turn easily. The inside of the oven is almost spotless as is the porcelan finish on the exterior. We have the stove in our basement kitchen and it works better and is alot easier to clean than the new stove upstairs.
Thanks, Joe"

If anyone has Telechron clock repair advice for Joe, I'm sure he'd be happy to hear it. Check out the Tappan Chef salt & pepper shakers in the top of the stove. And if you peek in the pull out cutlery drawer on the open right storage area, I think I spot the same set of solid white Roman arch shakers that Katie showed us a few months ago.

Also, does anyone have any ideas for reproduction versions of the pyroglass plates that fit on the burner grates of some of the Tappan Deluxes? There certainly are quite a few stove owners looking for them.

Thanks, Joe for the photos. Your stove looks great in that kitchen!

Fabulous 400

2010-10-24T16:40:00.000-05:00

I am going to take a short little break from posting photos of readers' stoves. Don't worry, I still have quite a few of reader's stoves in queue to post.

I ran across some info. on the Tappan 400 Series stoves. Up until now, I have focused on older Tappans, but these all-in-one units are very cool and it's fun to see what features Tappan carried forward and what features changed over time.

Center of Attention

2010-10-16T20:53:00.000-05:00

I received the following email from Joe M. We met Joe's Tappan Deluxe, Precious, last year. At that time, Precious was sitting in Joe's garage. Joe is a commercial designer, so I was excited to see the new kitchen design with Precious as the centerpiece.

"Dear Tappan Talk,

Now that I have been able to move my stove Precious into place I am ready to seriously address some of her operational issues. My Tappan is a 1950 AV669-16 previously posted in your blog and although her knobs are working (glowing red) I found the cove lights do not work nor does the clock. I want to remove the cove containing these components but am wondering if the electrical components will cleanly “unplug” from the stove body in the removal process. Do you have any information? Also I have found your blog extremely helpful regarding my oven pilot light. This will not stay lighted but I found references to this problem under both Thermocouple and Thermostat and will re-address this with a qualified stove technician and hope to fix this as well as regulate the thermostat. Fingers crossed I won’t have to have it re-built!"

And then a quick update from Joe...

"...I have been tweeking the kitchen still further, switched-out the clock for one with a chrome (plastic) frame w/black face & white numbers & this weekend I bought a stainless steel shelf from IKEA to hang below the clock instead of the Victorian one I currently have. I’m trying to add a more commercial look/feel to the stove area to compliment Precious.

My kitchen guy has now added upper cabinets to which I am adding lights as well & with these cheap base cabinets, the kick bases are all the same as the cabinet finish….white…so I’m getting 20’ of black vinyl cove to glue to the kick base. The black will look more authentic and also help diffuse the differences in white between the floor and cabinet. I’ll send pics of this too when I finish."

This kitchen looks like it's out of the pages of a magazine. Thanks for sharing them Joe!

Is It A Standard?

2010-10-06T22:27:00.000-05:00

Karen sent me these photos along with this email ...

"I'm glad to discover your blog. I have a Tappan stove,

The label on the stove says it is model number ZCKV 2662 Lot #2. Serial # H13088. Based on the description of the stove, which I found online, I think it is the 1953 Model 60. A previous repair guy told me it was the Standard model and so not worth saving, like a Deluxe. It came with the house I bought 8 years ago. The previous owner had bought it, fixed it up and installed it. The back lights up like a jukebox. There is a light in the oven, a clock that moves but doesn't keep time and recipies on the backsplash."

This stove looks a lot like a Deluxe, except the clock on the backsplash is rectangular, the door handles are more streamlined, the burner knobs and manifold panels are chrome. It has a pull out utensils drawer and towel holders in the right storage area, but I've never seen a blue drawer before. Finally, the thermostat knob is larger than a typical Deluxe. 1953 sounds like it might be about right.

Any other observations?

Is It a Tappan?

2010-09-05T12:22:00.000-05:00

I have another mystery for you. Mindy sent me photos of this cute stove asking if it is a Tappan.

I don't know.

The stove says "Deluxe" on the back splash. It has some features similar to a Tappan....and some that aren't.

The owners, Mindy and her husband, believe the stove is original to their 1951 house. They tell me the stove appears to be propane. Other than the back splash, they haven't been able to find any with writing on the stove. What do you think?

Thanks for the photos, Mindy! Tappan or not, it's a great looking vintage stove.

The Tappan With Red Handles

2010-08-27T21:07:00.000-05:00

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!

Tappan Deluxe in a Craftsman Bungalow

2010-08-24T19:56:00.000-05:00

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!

Electric Tappan

2010-08-23T18:42:00.000-05:00

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!

Restoring the Stove

2010-07-24T22:58:00.000-05:00

Laura wrote to me about the Tappan stove that was in the kitchen of the house she bought in Tucson, Arizona. It's a Tappan Deluxe model # HAV 668 15G, Serial 206418. She described it as being in fair shape and working, but very dirty inside. She is now in the process of cleaning the stove and replacing some of the missing parts.

She has pryrogrates in the back burners, a nice chrome oven interior, Time Control clock, a foot pedal to open the broiler, a nice set of crisper drawers, both of the burner covers stored in the side doors, a pull out storage drawer and a pull out cutlery drawer. It's a cute stove that should clean up very well.

Thanks, Laura!

Up At The Lake

2010-07-15T22:27:00.000-05:00

I received these photos from Jim a while ago (sorry Jim for the delay in posting them!). He and his wife bought a cottage on a small lake in northern PA five or six years ago. The cottage was built in the late forties. It was in rough shape so they fixed it up on weekends and vacations over several years. One of the few things they kept from the cottage was this old Tappan gas stove. They have been trying to learn the age of the stove but so far have had no luck. There is no serial # only W-A-7 stamped on the plate at the oven control.

I took a look through my 1940's sales manuals and wasn't able to find any stove that looked like this one...or had features like it. By the 1940's the Tappans all seemed to be on a base rather that on feet. I would guess this stove would be from the early to mid 1930's (the charming feet look Deco to me).

Readers.....any observations?

I especially love the chrome top - that is very special. I forgot to ask Jim if the center to the top of the stove works as a griddle.

Thanks for the photos Jim!

Clean, Fast, Economical and Modern

2010-06-09T19:05:00.000-05:00

Anne sent me a photo of her model WX15-2-B2429 Tappan stove. She says that it works great but the clock and glass covers over that and the timer have broken. It has the oven on one side and a broiler on the other. It was purchased about 20 years ago in San Luis Obispo CA and is not original her house.

She has no idea of the age and said she has never seen another one like it. When purchased, it was very dirty but otherwise pretty much as can be seen in the pictures. The only restoration it needed was a little cosmetic touch. The little pieces around the timer and clock were re-chromed, as was the tiny "Tappan" plate. They had been cleaned too many times that the metal was worn off and discolored. The oven temperature knob says "Robert Shaw".

Anne says "It's a very practical stove with some features I really like. Being able to cover the burners is a nice touch. The space between the burners is so handy too, especially for canning. Big pots are no problem. You can also remove the lower trays to clean- no more ugly spills. The back light doubles as a nite lite."

I have a little surprise for Anne if you scroll down to the last picture. This comes from a 1940 Sales Manual....which I believe would put Anne's stove in the late 1930's.

Thanks for the email and photos Anne!

A Southern Tappan Deluxe

2010-06-06T12:07:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I posted photos of an early 1940's stove sent to me by Dionne. As it turns out, Dionne has two Tappan stoves. Here is the email Dionne sent to me with the photo of his Tappan Deluxe.

One thing that caught my eye it that the previous owner said the stove was purchase in 1958. The model number on the Tappan Deluxe is TV62-28 with a (perfectly working) Robert shaw thermostat. If you look at the burner grates, they match those of the later PHADV stoves we have seen from other readers (burner grates). The burner knobs are either replacements or a newer version for the later Deluxe stoves. This stove has a Telechron clock. It would be fun to see a Tappan stove in a custom color. The Chambers stove owners currently have a corner on the colored vintage stove market.

I also obtained a Tappan Deluxe range so now I have the 2 stoves. The Deluxe came from a house in New Orleans where the owner stated that his parents bought the stove in 1958. It is in great condition and I can't believe how clean it is for it's age. I brought the burners, burner valves, and the clock to a place about 30 miles from me that restores antique stoves. I also bought replacement knobs from them. The place is called "Hugh's", and they have a website. I am thinking of restoring the older one also and put it in my outdoor kitchen. I would like to know if you have ever had experience with having an old stove reporcelained by those people who refinish bathtubs. I spoke with someone who gave me a quote of $250.00 and guaranteed the finish for 5 years. I am thinking of doin that to the older one, and changing the color from white to apple green or poppy red. Maybe even thinking of purple and gold LSU colors since this is an LSU crazy town. That would be the one for the outdoor kitchen. I just think that I need to really coat the finish inside and out with something durable if it is going to be exposed to heavy humidity.

Deluxe Cove-Top

2010-06-05T12:45:00.000-05:00

Dionne sent me photos of his early Tappan stove model #BGVD-57 with the following info: The inside of the oven is chrome. No clock, just a visiminder and a guage for cooking times/temps of various foods. It has a pull string light. It does not say "deluxe", just says "Tappan" on the stove backsplash and on the red oven temp knob in the control box. It has a pull out drawer and towel rack on on side with the controls and the other side compartment has a pull out wire basket and drawer. The burners on the stove have one continuous grate over 2 on each side.

The first thing I did was pull out some old Sales Manuals. I do have some pictures of a stove similar to this one in a 1941 sales manual (the 1940 sales manual I have does not have anything similar). The stove in my 1941 manual has the same back splash as Dionne's....(which was called the "Deluxe Cove-Top" with "edge-lighted dials"). It looks like this was a newer back splash that they were introducing.

The stove in this manual was different from Dionne's in that the vents on the back splash do not run horizontally. It's a little hard to tell from the pics, but I think the vents in the sales manual are either vertical..or the stove vents from the back. The knobs on the manual stove are an older style...Dionne's are the same as the later Deluxe. The burners on the sales manual stove are also one unit on each side.

I'm guessing this stove is a 1942 or 1943 model. Your guess?

Good Things, Small Packages

2010-06-03T20:13:00.000-05:00

A reader emailed these photos to me. This 20" gas stove was part of an estate sale and they wondered if I had any information on it. I thought it was adorable.

The stove has pyrogrates. The burner knobs look to be a newer style. Any guesses on age?

Found on A Porch

2010-06-02T21:19:00.000-05:00

I enjoy getting emails from people telling either about their stove's history or how they found & bought their stove. Here's an email I received from Granny Sue.

In 1976 I bought a Tappan stove (although not a deluxe model) and I loved that stove. Then we moved and were on LP gas. The price got so high for gas that an electric stove was a better deal so we got rid of the Tappan--not knowing what a treasure we had.

Since we would have gas again, I started looking for another Tappan, preferably a Tappan Deluxe. My son located one on a porch not far from where he lives with a for sale sign--$50. He checked it out, called me, and bought the stove on the spot. He has it at his house now and has plugged it in to see the if the lights work. All but one red burner light came on; we'll have to check into that.

This stove belonged to the same lady from the time it was new. She passed away and the granddaughter who now lives in her house wanted a new stove. The stove has all its parts--burner covers, knobs, drawers, etc and is in just beautiful condition. I do not know if the oven works properly, and after reading about the themostat issues people have had I'm a little worried about that, but the stove did work fine right up until it was put on the porch about 2 months ago.

If anyone has thermostat tips or info. on getting her red burner knob to light up again for Granny Sue, please comment. Also, I'd be interested to hear what features readers see in these stoves (rather than fill these posts with only my observations).......

Griddle in the Middle

2010-05-31T10:17:00.000-05:00

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the pictures of this stove.

Jeremiah and Leah sent the following email along with the photo of their Tappan stove:

"My wife and I received a Tappan range from my grandmother that they bought in 1960. They only used it for 6 months before my grandfather was transferred overseas and then it sat in storage for 40 years! I have attached a picture of the stove and of the model number plate. The model number looks like OK 30-3. Didn't see any info for this model under the model info on the site. It has 4 top burners and griddle in the center. The oven thermostat is a Wilcolator."

I have heard that the Tappan company was somehow affiliated with O'Keefe & Merrit for a short period of time and produced stoves. I strongly suspect this stove is one of those collaborations. It has all of the earmarks of an O'Keefe & Merrit stove (swoon). I think they used to call them "O'Tappan" stoves as a little joke.

Beautiful, no?

June's Tappan Deluxe

2010-05-30T11:58:00.000-05:00

These photos are of June's Tappan Deluxe with a model number of TV-6219. Her stove is original to her 1950's house and she is only the 3rd owner of the Tappan! June sent the photos with a few questions.

She was hoping to discover what year her stove was manufactured; if the silver burner rings were original or if they once were glass; and what to use to clean the stove.

My response to her included the following observations.

I suspect the stove is a 1950's (or so) model. It has a knob turning on the back splash light instead of the earlier pull chain.

The stoves are amazingly easy to clean. If you look on my blog, you will find pages on how to clean the burners..how to removed the manifolds to clean...how to clean the broiler, etc.

I'm almost certain that the chrome rings are original to the stove. They were typical for your model. If a stove had glass rings, they would have little light bulbs behind the rings to light them up.

I like to use the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers to clean my stove. Goof Off works really well to remove built up grease, ect. A straight edge razoe also is good just to scrape off gunk,

I am very curious about the switch on the far right side of the back splash. What does it turn on? The oven? This is only the second stove I have seen with that feature.

Okay Tappan Talk readers, now it's your turn. What feature do you see on June's stove? What cleaning tips do you have? Do you know what the switch on the back splash does?

1950's Ranch Kitchen

2010-05-29T10:37:00.000-05:00

David sent me these photos of the Tappan wall oven that came with his new 1950's ranch house. I don't have much information to provide about these great mid-century walls ovens other than to say that it was most likely original to the house and to find a ranch with it's original oven is a treat. If you peek at the hardware on the cabinets to the right of the oven, you see those oh-so-hot 1950's concave circle handles that are all the rage with the mid-century crowd.

I love, love, love the control panel and the door handles. I'd be especially interested in learning more about the model names and model numbers.

Anyone?

Torn Between Two Stoves

2010-05-22T12:40:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple photos of Caitlin's new stove.

Caitlin originally sent me an email trying to decide between two Tappan Deluxe stoves that she found for sale.

The discussion boiled down to.... "...what do you personally think would be cheaper to handle, a tappan that needs a new thermostat and has a gas leak in the line or a tappan whose pilot light and oven do not come on at all?"

Here's is an edited version of my response:

"Ok. keep in mind as you read this, I am NOT an appliance pro. So, take whatever I say with the appropriate skepticism and verify it with someone that knows stoves.

Replacing the light bulbs on the burner lights is not a big deal. In fact, I posted instructions on my blog. Do a quick search and the pages of the Owner Manual that explain how to do it should come up. Also, look for a post entitled "Keeping it in the Family."

Thermostats can be rebuilt. There are a number of companies out there that rebuild Robert Shaw thermostats (or sell replacements if the original can't be fixed). It is not cheap. If memory serves me I think it's in the $250-300 range. That said, if your thermostat is rebuilt you are set for a very long time. If the rest of the stove is in good condition, probably worth the expense. Thermostats can also be adjusted. It could be that this is all it would take. I have instructions on adjusting the thermostat on my blog (search the label "thermostat"). You can hand these off to a pro.

A leak in the gas line would concern me. They can be tricky to find. I have read that mixing a soap & water mixture and putting it on suspected areas and watching for bubbles can help you find a leak (they also sell stuff for that). I'm not sure how you go about fixing a leak. If the gas smell only appears when you turn on the top burners, I would suspect the burner valves leaking (the piece behind the white knob). These can also be rebuilt/or regreased - you can have a pro do it or, you can buy the grease yourself ($20 or so) & it comes with instructions (from what I understand it's not very difficult). Or you could have an appliance person do this. This is a pretty common repair (and one I will be doing on one of my burner valves eventually).

If the leak is on the manifold line, this might be a bigger deal....but that would stink even when the top burners are off because gas is always flowing to the burner pilots. One other thought it looking back over our past emails, is that the conversion to propane loosened something. It's my understanding that the conversion involves adjusting the burner valves. So, this kind of makes sense...and might be a good place to start.

On the second stove. The oven pilot line can get clogged. There is a post (Tina's Stove) on my blog where the reader cleaned out her pilot tube and got her pilot to light (she provided a nice photo). I think rust & crud can get into the line. On the stove you are looking at, it sounds as if the top burners work fine, right (?) There is also a "mixer cap/burner spud" under the oven burner (where gas flows in). This adjusts the air/gas mixture. I have some info on adjusting this..and you can show it to an appliance repair person."

A week or so later, I received the following email from Caitlin along with photos of her stunning new stove. She went with the second stove. She was lucky enough to score a pair of both the Tappan Doughboy and the McKee salt & pepper shakers. (Note to self: If I ever sell my Tappan Deluxe, putting silver puts and pans on top really brings out the chrome)

"Just got the "new" Tappan Deluxe CP delivered today with all the bells and whistles (original S and P shakers too!) . I just need to figure out how to fix the light behind the second to right red burner ring and get the oven working, which from looking at it seems to be merely a blocked gas line (she got a new thermocouple and electric start in 1996 when it originally went out), let's hope. I'm making an appt. with a repair guy tomorrow who will most likely steal me blind, but such is life...."

Tilley Tappan

2010-03-30T12:16:00.000-05:00

What are the chances that two readers would send me photos of their PHADV stoves on the same day?! In my last post I showed an unusual ADV-668-7 stove.

Here's the email I received from Rudiedog about their PHADV-664-5 stove:

"Just wanted to send you some pictures of our stove, 'Tilley Tappan'. She is a Philgas Tappan. She has a Robertshaw knob for the thermostat on the oven. I read somewhere on this site that that is kinda rare that Robertshaw is mentioned on a Tappan.

I bake a lot...and this oven is by far the best oven I have ever used. Thing come out evenly browned and cakes rise level and not lopsided from one side hotter then the other. The inside is all chrome and it seems to reflect the heat nicely.

Here is question for all of you, have you ever seen another Tappan with the front burners like ours? The outside is a big ring of fire but the center is a small ring for gentlely melting chocolate or making cheese sauces that you don't want to scorch?

Also, when we bought this cooking marvel from the Goodwill store, it had a cracked front grate. I need another. Anybody got one?

It's fun to receive notes from people that do serious baking & cooking with their stoves. This is probably the #1 question I received about the stoves....how do they bake?

This is another one of these stoves with a combination of interesting features: chrome knob rings, stove top knobs say front and rear (I haven't seen this before, but went back to check Michale B's PHADV stove and his also has these knobs), chrome trim around the oven window, and Time Control clock for the automatic oven. Philgas Tappan appears on the oven door, a nice touch I also have not seen before. It's a Super 60 stove. Also, notice the cute Tappan Doughboy salt & pepper shakers.

As first I didn't pay a lot of attention to the question about the burner. I thought it referred to a "giant" burner that has a ring of flames on the outside & inside, but then I took a closer look. No, this burner was not like that at all. It has a mini-burner inside the large burners. And take a look at the interesting burner grates - with a small circle in the center. This topic inspired a lot of email exchange.....and I'm going to save some of it for another post devoted solely to this type of burner.

Also, take a look at the clock. Compare it to some of the older Tappan Deluxe stoves with the Telechrome and Timer Control clocks. More on this in a future post too.....

Rudiedog also tells us that in replacing the safety, she noticed the date 1955 on the part. This starts lending some credence to the theory that on these PHADV stoves, the final "-#" may indicate the manufacture year. Although, I suppose we have to be careful here as parts can be created before the entire stove. However, 1955 is later than most Tappan Deluxe stoves. So, more research on these PHADV stoves is needed.....

Rudiedog, thanks for sharing photos of Tilley Tappan. Does your Owner's Manual have a date on the inside cover or on the back? And, I just noticed the switch on the upper right hand corner of the back splash....is this for the oven light??

The State Fair Mystery

2010-03-26T15:43:00.000-05:00

I received an email from Michael over at the Cul-De-Sacshack blog with photos of his new Tappan Deluxe stove...and a mystery.

Michael's stove has the model #PHADV 668-7M with serial number 314964. It came with it's original owner's manual. The gentleman that sold the stove told Michael that the stove was a 1958 model. The story that came with the stove was that it was a display at the 1957 Missouri State Fair and that it was purchased there and that the new owner had to wait for the fair to end to take possession of it.

My first reaction in responding to Michael's email was to assume that some of the dates had been remembered incorrectly. Deluxe stoves were essentially made from 1947 to 1954...or so we thought. I guessed the stove was probably from 1950 or 1951. I suggested that Michael look on the inside cover page of the original Owner's Manual and locate the date that appeared below Betty Brown's letter. I thought for sure I'd get an email back saying the date under the letter was 1950.

But, the plot thickened with the return email.

The stove's Owner's Manual did not have a date on the inside cover. However, it did appear to have an issue date on the back cover of the manual - "1040D 1-56." (most likely meaning January 1956). On the cover someone wrote "1958." Note that the manual is for a "Super 60" (which up to this point, I thought was the stainless steel model - I haven't posted about yet).

This date lends credence to the 1957 State Fair story. So we have a mystery on our hands. Here are some of the clues......

This stove has all of the bells & whistles - amber glass burner rings, crisper drawers, the glass pyrogrates on the back burner grates, chrome trim around the oven window. This tells us this was an upper end model or a special build (remember Ron & Aiden's stove that was made specifically for one housing development?). The type of stove that might be put on display.

We know the features on this stove were new in the late 1940's...became common options in 1950. So, they weren't new in 1957. The model AV 669 is a 1950-51 version. The model numbers aren't always in sequence, but it would seem 668 *should* be right around this time. The Deluxe models were being phased out in 1953-54. At that point they started to become much more mid-century modern.

But, there is strong evidence telling us the stove was from the State Fair. Could this stove have been part of something like a "stoves over time" display?

Any info, thoughts, additional observations, guesses?

Thanks Michael for sharing your photos and story.

Odie's Late 1930's Tappan Stove

2010-03-25T15:50:00.000-05:00

I received these photos from Tappan Talk reader Odie. His house was built in 1939 and he was wondering if this stove was original to the house. The stove is a model # WD 11-4

My 1940's company sales manual includes illustrations of the current year Tappan stoves they produced for Philgas....but it also includes some general promo pieces for Tappan that use older versions of stoves (I'm sure these pieces were not updated annually). So, I pulled out this manual and took a look through it's pages looking for an illustration of a similar stove. Bingo.

The manual includes general promo pieces that include illustration of a stove similar to this model. The promo pieces are talking about the new "divided top" work space..and the "ease of cleaning" the burners. This places this stove in the late 1930's.

One thing that makes me think this may be a 1937 or 1938 stove is that the burner handles and oven/broiler handles are more of a boxy shape..and that back splash has a timer & a clock. Compare this to Ron's stove, which is similar but most likely a little later, that has rounded oven door handles and a Visiminder. Both stove have that very nice opal glass back splash light.

Also take a look at the burner covers on this stove.....they slide down in back for storage! Very cool.

The oven window seemed to be an option into the early 1950's. It looks like this stove also came in a two oven body....which makes me think this was at just the time when the switch to the Deluxe (oven in the middle w/ storage on each side) body style was taking place.

I'm curious what is on the floor in the right hand storage. It looks built in. Any ideas?

Odie, thanks for sharing your photos and keep us posted on your restoration!

The Tappan Deluxe Broiler

2010-03-11T12:33:00.000-06:00

I recently received a question from a reader about how the Tappan Deluxe broiler works. Here's some information from the Owner's Manual.

Ron's Late 1930's Tappan Stove

2010-03-09T18:12:00.000-06:00

I received these photos from Ron of his mother's late 1930's Tappan stove. The back splash has the "opal glass floodlight", as well as a timer and Visiguide.

I have included some marketing pieces below from 1940. The 640 model (second to the last picture) is very similar to this stove...except you will notice that the 640 has lift release buttons to open the storage compartments on either side and Ron's stove has turn knobs (indicating it's an earlier model). You can see in the marketing materials, the back splash varies slightly from model to model as the design evolved.

I love the charming red details on the burner knobs and oven/broiler handles! Tappan also must have liked this detail because they used it in a number of the marketing pieces below.

Ron is looking for a new home for this stove. If you are interested, contact him here for details.

Jeff's New Tappan Deluxe Stove

2010-03-06T18:47:00.000-06:00

Jeff and his wife just purchased a 1948 ranch house in Milwaukee that was part of an estate sale. The house had been vacant for 13 years...and came complete with a Tappan Deluxe stove. The previous owners selling the house weren't sure anyone would want the old stove. When Jeff & his wife asked for the stove, the sellers where happy not to have to get rid of it themselves.

Jeff emailed me because he was able to get the oven to light up immediately, but only two of the top burners was working. We did some brainstorming & came to the conclusion that the pilot light to two of the burners was having some trouble lighting. One of the first things I suggested was cleaning the burners (the holes can get clogged over the years). Also keep in mind that because it's a standing pilot, gas is always flowing to the burner. If the pilot is out, turn off the gas until you can get the pilot lit.

After a little work, Jeff was able to get all burners working. He sent photos for us to enjoy.

This is an earlier stove (we can tell by the pull chain for the light on the back splash). Model # TV 65-16. It has a Telechron clock. It's a virtual twin to my stove, except it has a chrome oven interior, a crisper draw in the left storage area and the pull out drawer/towel rack on the right.

The house still has it's original vintage interior. Look at that great wall tile complete with the chrome trim on the corner....and swing out towel rack on the wall.

Thanks for sharing your photos, Jeff!

Pyrogrates

2010-03-03T15:12:00.000-06:00

Tappan created these pyrogrates for their Tappan Deluxe stoves. They claimed that they supported small utensils without tipping and evenly distributed heat. I believe them. These grates typically sat on the back two burners, but can be arranged in any way to be convenient.

The burner grates also came in a version with a glass insert called Pyroglas that were produced by the makers of Pyrex ware. More on these in another post. If any readers have photos of their Pyrolgas to share, we'd love to see them.

A big thanks to Ron & Aiden for sharing photos of their pyrogrates.

Practical as "Mom"

2010-02-28T11:28:00.000-06:00

Another Tappan Deluxe ad submitted by reader Joe M. This one is scanned from Better Homes & Gardens, Oct 1950.

Reader Question

2010-02-25T16:34:00.000-06:00

This afternoon, Tappan Talk received the following reader question:

"I have the Tappan AV 669 CP, just restored to the point of turning on the gas & lighting up the pilots!

In cleaning the oven, I notice a rod, the thermostat sensor, I think? is detached from the oven back wall. The holding clips are still attached to the rod, but I see no way to secure them into the holes provided - they apparently *don't* screw in .. how did these clips attach, anyone?"

First, congratulations on restoring your stove! I've attached photos I have of the oven burner of a non-CP (which may or may not make a difference depending on what part you are talking about) stove. This is the inside of the oven with the oven floor and baffle removed.

Readers: any help/advice to add?

Let me know if this helps. If not, we can try to solicit photos from some of Tappan Talk's CP & AV 669 readers....

Sold!

2010-02-23T17:26:00.000-06:00

Here is a fun bit of history. Tina emailed me a copy of the original 1951 sales receipt for her husband's grandmother's Tappan Deluxe stove. We are lucky grandma was a "saver." Very cool. I'd have that receipt framed and hanging in my kitchen.

Veronica's Tappan Stove

2010-02-18T22:05:00.000-06:00

Veronica sent me pictures of a vintage Tappan she just bought and is planning on restoring. This one threw me for a loop. I looked through the materials I have and the closest guess I can make to a identifying it is a possible Series 70.

I have a 1950 Owners Manual for a Tappan Deluxe that also includes an early Series 70. The series 70 looks somewhat similar to Veronica's stove (except her oven has a window, there is a storage area under the left warming drawer/broiler, it has a Telechron clock and outlet). I'm also interested in the medallion that says "Deluxe." I'm wondering if this was a higher end series 70 model or perhaps a later version. It has a push button light, which on the series 60's mean's its a later model (with the pull chain on the earlier years).

Does anyone have a later 1050's Owners Manual that includes series 70s? Any other ideas?

She hasn't been able to find any model or series numbers (I have heard they sometimes put them under the right, front burner)

Love It and Leave It

2010-02-12T20:59:00.000-06:00

Better Homes & Gardens - October, 1950.

Thanks Joe M for the picture!

At a Theater Near You

2010-02-07T12:55:00.000-06:00

Another Tappan Deluxe costarring in a movie. Disturbia, directed by D. J Caruso and starring Shia LeBeouf, is an updated version of Hitchcock's classic Rear Window. The movie was released by DreamWorks on 2007.

A troubled high school junior is sentenced to home arrest after an outburst at school and starts watching the neighbors out of boredom. This plot line gives us a pretty good look at the interior of a stunning CA bungalow (I could watch the movie just for this)....including the kitchen.

I like the exhaust they have above the stove....

Thanks to Ron & Aiden for the sighting tip.

Betty Crocker

2010-02-05T20:35:00.000-06:00

Another Tappan Deluxe sighting in the wild. Thanks again to Ron and Aiden for a tip that a Tappan Deluxe could be found in the introduction pages of the 1950 edition of the Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Luckily my mom had that same cookbook in her kitchen, so I was able to track down the pages. Check out the "Kitchen of Tomorrow."

Adjusting the Burner Flames

2010-02-03T10:42:00.000-06:00

I received a question on how to adjust the Tappan Deluxe top burner flames. I think there is a two part answer for this.

First, you need to clean the burner itself. They get dirty and I suspect very few people realized over the years that they could be removed and cleaned.

Secondly, you will want to adjust the actual burner.

Mid-Century Tappan Wall Ovens

2010-02-02T17:02:00.000-06:00

Last week I posted photos of Mike's 1959 Tappan stainless steel wall oven and cook top. Mike was hoping someone might have a copy of an Owner's Manual.

Well, no Owner's Manual has surfaced yet, but I did receive a September 1955 McCall's magazine article that introduced the "latest and greatest" of new stoves from Joe M. And the ad includes a stainless steel wall oven and cook top.

A Warning Label

2010-01-30T22:55:00.000-06:00

When I posted photos of Colby's pre-Tappan Deluxe stove, I noticed what looked like a little metal plate on the right side of the oven door and asked about it.

Colby sent me a close up picture of what turned out to be a metallic, bilingual warning sticker that says "...no pilot in the oven." We assume it is not original to the stove (although some stoves do have a warning on the metal control plate in the right storage area).

Has anyone seen a sticker like this before? We had the idea that it might have been added by a previous owner when the house was sold.....or when the stove was worked on/restored....or by the gas company.

Tina's Tappan Deluxe Stove

2010-01-29T21:50:00.000-06:00

I have been really enjoying receiving emails with pictures of blog reader's stoves. A couple of days ago, I received this email from Tina about her Tappan Deluxe (model #AV 669-24 serial # 415105)

It was in my husband's grandmothers house and although some relatives were ready to throw the thing away because it was so filthy, an uncle lifted the door knob and the side door popped open seamlessly.

Grandma wasn't a cook so for all those years it really hadn't been used much. It just needed a thorough cleaning. We've been using it since 1993.

It's now beginning to fail. The oven is burning everything and we suspect it's the thermostat. It cooks everything as if we have set the oven to 500 degrees. We've muddled through all the other issues - like the electrical system shorting out. The clock was buzzing constantly. The oven light popped and went out. However, we can't use the oven if we need to control the heat by leaving the door open! Sigh.

Been thinking about getting it restored but am terrified of the potential cost. On the plus side - replacing it with a stove of the same size might cost the same. It might be a no-brainer. We love this stove and it's had only 2 owners. Grandma and us!

The control panel at the top includes a scrolling menu of cooking times. It struck me as rather funny the first time I saw it. Grandma also left the air freshener canisters that are included in the top of the control panel. Those were a bit nasty looking. The stove has been wonderful these past 17 years and is now in need of some TLC.

It took me a second after reading her email to realize....she had an air freshener on her stove! I had read about these....I had seen a really crappy picture of one when I first became interested in Tappans.....but had not seen one again and NEVER in detail close-up. They are VERY rare. Tina was kind enough to send photos to share (click on photo to enlarge). She has them arrange from left to right to show the entire air freshener unit removed, the inside "freshener" and then the unit in its little compartment above the clock on the back splash. Cool (and notice her blue & yellow Tappan salt & pepper shakers).

Tina also added the following info. in her email that may be helpful to others. Keep in mind, you use suggestions/info. here at your own risk. Shut off your gas! When In doubt, call in a pro.

I don't know if this is useful but a few years ago, the oven kept going out. What we discovered is that the thermo-coupler was having trouble. [We] live in a dusty neighborhood and the gas delivery line was getting clogged. We took it apart, blew it out with canned air and put it back. Running like a champ since.

The photo below shows the pilot light gas line inside the oven where it sits next to the thermocouple (keep in mind that this is a CP stove)

Replacing Light Bulbs

2010-01-28T22:55:00.000-06:00

Here's some handy information on the wattage of light bulbs to use in your Tappan Deluxe.

The bottom section includes instructions on replacing the burner lights, if you are lucky enough to have burner indication lights. The text in parenthesis says it applies only to 669 series, but in reality it also applies to 67, 667 and any earlier model that includes those lights.

Removing the manifold (the little section covering the burner knob areas) is easy.

Mike's Mid-Century Kitchen

2010-01-27T09:53:00.000-06:00

Mike wrote to me asking if I might have any information on where he could find an Owner's Manual or model # information for his 1959 stainless steel Tappan wall oven and cook top.

It *may* be an EOV series.

I'm just starting to learn about the mid-century Tappan models, so I wasn't much help. But, I'd told him that I'd post pictures of his stove in the hopes that a reader may be able to provide some info. or leads

As with most vintage items, the 1950-60 stoves seems to have magically moved from the "That's an old stove we need to replace" phase to the "Wow, that's a mid-century stove that would be perfect in our mid-century house" mode.

Although, I have to admit that I don't think there is any way that Mike's stainless steel wall oven and cooktop were *ever* out of style. Look at the control panel on the oven....does it get any better?!

The bottom photo is of a stainless steel Revco refrigerator/freezer that are also built in the kitchen (catch that woodwork too!)

Any info. for Mike?

Thanks Mike, for sharing your pictures.

Out In The Wild

2010-01-26T13:00:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about an American Express television ad that appeared to feature a Tappan Deluxe storage door. The other day, I received an email from Ron and Aiden that mentioned a few more places that they had seen a vintage Tappan Deluxe stove "out in the wild."

I got to thinking that it might be fun to start a thread of vintage Tappan "sightings." If you have a "sighting," I'd love to get a note from you and I'll try to feature it in a blog post.

So, our second official "sightings" post is brought to us courtesy of a tip from Ron and Aiden.

Born to Be Bad is described as a melodrama starring Joan Fontaine as a conniving woman who will stop at nothing to get what she wants (which evidently is a rich husband and an artsy boyfriend). The movie was directed by Nicholas Ray (of Rebel Without a Cause fame) and released by RKO Radio Pictures (headed by Howard Hughes). It was in production the summer of 1949 and released the summer of 1950 (obviously dating the stove).

A few Tappan fanatic notes: There is a point in the movie where the actor asks the main character to hand him the salt. I watched that shot a bunch of times trying to see if the salt shaker was one of the Tappan shakers we know (I don't think so). There is a shot of that scene below. I was also curious about the cabinet above the stove. It looks like it might have a vent. I also stopped the scene a few times to try to figure out if the clock was a Timer or Telechron (I couldn't tell). The last two photos are of another kitchen in the movie & I included them just because I love vintage kitchen cabinetry.

Without further ado...

Colby's Pre-Deluxe Tappan Stove

2010-01-25T12:45:00.000-06:00

Colby emailed me photos of his stove and asked if I was able to tell him how old his Tappan stove is. The stove was purchased with his 1930's bungalow and has the model # W-55.

The stove is obviously pre-Tappan Deluxe...but has essentially the same body as the Deluxe (it's 38" wide). Whenever I see pictures of these earlier stoves, I pull out the Sales Manuals I have for 1940 and 1941 Tappan Philgas stoves. Sure enough, I was able to find an almost identical stove in the 1941 Ads. Colby's stove is not a Philgas, but it narrows down the year of his stove to the early 1940's.

One item, Colby's stove has that the Philgas (model # 541) stove does not have is a timer on the back splash. Tappan also made a Philgas model #741 that included a back splash timer, but had a window in the oven door that Colby's does not.

The Philgas Tappan model 541 sold for $118.50 in 1941.

Colby, what do you think? Make sense? Also, I'm curious...what does that patch on the oven door say?

Amy's Mid-Century Modern Stove

2010-01-24T22:42:00.000-06:00

Amy emailed me a few weeks ago to see if I had any information about her stove as she was planning on selling it. She was able to find the model number under the right burners - DCV-5776 13 with the serial # K08 1418.

Her house was built in 1948 and the stove was included when she bought it. She described the stove as a gas, four burner stove, white, 36 inches wide. The oven in on the right, with a broiler underneath. On the left is a storage area. There's a large clock on the top front.

I haven't been able to discover too much yet about the Tappan models that followed the Deluxe, but in looking at the back splash and clock, we came to the conclusion that this stove was most likely late 1950's.

My favorite feature of the entire stove is the back splash....especially the clock.

(Amy just sent me an update - she was able to sell her stove to a theater group that is going to use it in one of their productions.) Thanks, Amy!

More From Ron and Aiden

2010-01-21T18:34:00.000-06:00

I've been exchanging emails with Aiden (whose stove I highlighted in my previous post). Ron & Aiden were in the envious position of being able to meet the original owner of their stove, as well as having a friend who worked for Tappan. So, they have a ton of interesting tidbits of information. Information worth capturing.

With permission, I am posting parts of our email conversation here (my comments are in bold, with Aiden's response following).

1/19/10 email:
Wow, great story and pictures! I just put a post about your stove up on my blog. My stove is also a 1948 or 49 model (but without all the bells & whistles yours has).

Thanks for posting us! We just love your blog - AND our great old stove. It just finished a cheesecake in the oven as well as a slowcooker sausage, rice and vegetable thing via the Telechron - now, if the darned thing would only clean up the kitchen....

I love the info. about the insulation - I'll have to remember to post more about that from the Owner's Manual on the blog later. Your time control clock is very cool looking - the chrome knob and edging are nice.

I use the "heavily insulated" oven feature a lot - the pilot keeps things warm, and ours has the light that stays on - not the "peek-a-boo" light on later models - so the oven can always be warm. I use that to soften butter for cookies or other baking - and sometimes leave it in there long enough to be "brush-ready" for toasted cheese sandwiches and the like.

Interesting that you have the Tappan Chef salt and pepper shakers. I had found info. that they were earlier than the McKee blue & yellow shakers, but was never able to prove it.

They were in the drawer in the thermostat compartment when we bought it, so they're 1948. We really like 'em. Don't know if our pictures showed any of the "Vitroc" condiment set on the left of the stove but they're from Ron's family home and in mint condition (and used constantly). Thanks for the comment about the KitchenAid, too - it's a "rebuild" of a much older model, and we had it enameled red to match the black, white and red kitchen tiles in another place we lived. It gets used as much as the Tappan!

Does your Owner's Manual have a date after the introduction? It seems those manuals were printed every few months...I've been trying to keep a list of dates that they were published.

We'll go over it with a fine-tooth comb, but can't find an actual date.

A comment about the Robertshaw thermostat you'd mentioned in your blog: it was our understanding, from someone who worked for Tappan in Ohio way back when, that they USED the Robertshaw quipment, but the Robertshaw firm wasn't "credited." Our thermostat knob does not say Robertshaw - it's very much the usual Tappan knob. But we did look at a stove - from the 1950s - that DID have a thermostat knob that clearly said Robertshaw.

When we spoke to our friend who worked for Tappan, he mentioned that they were built a lot like the old Packard automobiles - by hand. Yes, there was an assembly line production, but sometimes the "details" were a mixed bag as new things were tried. Purchasers were always encouraged to fill out the reply card (those folded, stamped envelope things that one filled out and then licked and mailed), because that's how they knew what was working. After we purchased and installed this stove, we sent pictures to our friend not long before he died - he IMMEDIATELY identified it without a second guess. He said that Tappan always took great pride in their work, and they listened to housewives and others about what was convenient and would WORK - like the Telechron stuff.

1/20/10 email edited for Tappan Info.:
Ah, it sounds like you have the cream colored (with aqua writing on the cover) Owners Manual. From what I understand, your clock would be the Timer Control Clock (the Telechron Clock didn't work the stove & has two knobs w/ a plain timer).

Yup. Our mistake. You got it right. However, our late "Tappan guy" said that the movement is Telechron - sealed oil movement - it's absolutely silent and never skips a beat.

Wow, what a great resource! Here's the funny thing..I follow a lot of old car restoration sites because I find their process is very similar to stove restoration. When I bought my stove off of Craigslist, I brought along a friend of mine (safety) who is really into vintage cars. I was surprised at how interested he became in the whole vintage stove search. There is something very similar between the two machines.

And organs and trains. It seems like all the really GOOD American stuff is gone: Packard motor cars, Kimball pipe organs, the Burlington Zephyr (now in a museum) - and those great old Tappan stoves.

All of those things were American engineering at its finest and most clever - engineers had to sit down and physically DRAW all that stuff, and then pattern makers and tool-and-die guys had to get busy. That's why they're built like tanks. As our "Tappan guy" said - "a lot of material that went into that stuff was good wartime production metal." Not like today. Plastic and paper.

Your stove *really* must have been cutting edge at the time. My stove is a 1948-49 and is non-cp, has the Telechron clock (no oven control), and no crispers (which Sales Room brochure I have says first formally introduced en masse in 1950). Even your all chrome backsplash is special....in all of the Deluxe I've seen, I haven't seen an all chrome one (Except the Super 60 model). Your stove must have been very high end.

We were given to understand - from the little old lady who learned to cook on it as a bride - that a special deal was worked out with "the stove people" (her words) for all the stoves in "the circle" - the area where she lived. A contractor busied himself scrambling to build about 30 G.I. loan bungalows and they were all outfitted with these stoves. So - indeed - our "Tappan guy" even suggested that the company may well have seen an opportunity to try out various features before they became standard. It is truly sad that - literally - this is the ONLY one of those stoves we can find that survived. That same lady also told us she could never figure out the clock and how to set it to use the oven. Admittedly, the first couple of times, it's a little confusing - but after it's been done once - we find ourselves using that feature and the "auto" outlet and just about everything else all the time - the thing is a wonder.

Incidentally, we notice that one owner calls his "Precious." We call this old girl "Mighty Whitey."

So, your oven light turns on/off by the brown knob at the bottom of the main control panel?...but doesn't have the mechanism that turns it on and off when the door is open and shut?

It turns on and remains on via the knob, yes. There's no mechanism for on/off through opening and closing the oven door. The lady said that this was a feature she used, and is reminiscent of the ad slogan (which she knew): "Watch it happen in your Tappan."

I wish your friend was still alive....I've been dying of curiosity trying to figure out why my oven light socket was never installed (it just was packed in the insulation).

Our bet it was a goof on somebody's part. That happened. Our guy used to laugh about a couple of stoves that made it out of the factory without several things every now and then. It happened in those days when manufacturing was more "hands-on." Truly, we miss our buddy - he was the source of many a good story and a lot of history.

Aiden, again, thanks so much for letting me share this information on Tappan Talk!

Ron and Aiden's 1948 Tappan Deluxe Stove

2010-01-19T17:23:00.000-06:00

This afternoon I received an email from Ron and Aiden regarding their 1948 Tappan Deluxe Model AV667-12 named "Mighty Whitey".

Their Deluxe stove has the red burner knob backs (I love that the Kitchenaid mixer matches), a pair of the Tappan Chef salt and pepper shakers (which match their burner covers), the Time Control Clock has a chrome center knob (which I haven't seen before) and their back splash light has a pull chain.

They also have a great story.....

Greetings:

We encountered this on a CraigsList ad in St. Louis. It was a one-owner: a war bride who had a veteran husband, a G.I. loan bungalow and this as the stove she learned to cook on. We grabbed it for thirty bucks, hooked it up and it works flawlessly, even to the Telechron clock and the set-it-and-forget-it timer mechanism, used almost daily for the oven or for the "clock" plug - such as for the slowcooker.

Attached are pictures of the beast. It IS a CP model. The only "addition" we've made was to locate the burner covers, which apparently came with the stove but disappeared many years ago - we located a perfectly pristine set on e-bay.

This thing is built like an aircraft carrier and NEVER lets us down. It came with THREE oven racks, so batches of cookies in perfect condition come out every time! And the owner's manual is entirely right: the oven is so heavily insulated, we often have the clock (or manually) turn off the oven and let the residual heat finish baking for us.

When we bought the house, it had a two-year-old "cooktop" electric stove, which Ron (who cooks constantly) hated, so we disconnected it, gave it to Aiden's mother for Christmas (she's scared of gas) and hooked up the Tappan. It LITERALLY cut our energy bills by a full one-third.

Just thought we'd chime in!

Thanks for sharing both the pictures and the story!

Joe B's Tappan Deluxe Stove

2010-01-18T17:11:00.000-06:00

This is Joe B's stove in Chicago. He just rediscovered this Tappan Deluxe in a former tenant's apartment. The Model # is STV 62-1. This stove is very similar to mine except that it has chrome oven/broiler handles, as well as chrome burner knob backs. The chrome burner backs seems to be on the rare side; I don't see them very often.

You can spot the original white burner covers stored in the side storage doors. This is an earlier Tappan Deluxe so it is a non-CP model. you can also spot the chain hanging down from the back splash to turn on the light (later models have a switch). This stove has a Telechron clock (you can tell by the two white knobs). The Robert Shaw thermostat knob is a little unusual - I'm still trying to learn about those, so I can comment too much other than to make note.

Joe is currently working on getting the burners and burner knobs back in working order. The last shot is particularly interesting because it shows the burner knob taken apart (note the spring).

Oh, a get a look at that oh-so-cool ceramic hex floor tile!

Thanks Joe B - keep us posted on the burners.

More of Chaz's Tappan Stove

2010-01-07T16:22:00.000-06:00

Chaz sent on some additional pictures of his pre-Deluxe Tappan stove for our enjoyment. We figure this stove was just pre-Deluxe. You can already see the Deluxe design. You can read more directly from Chaz on his blog.

According to the vintage sales material I have, the handles on this stove's burners and storage compartments were just changing over to the Deluxe style around 1940.

I particularly like the back splash on this stove with the "opal glass floodlight" (as the sales brochure calls it). The metal sign showing how to turn the burner knobs is charming. I also like the written instructing how how to light the oven pilot. I think the white switch above the thermostat knob on the main control panel is a "peek switch" to turn on the oven light.

At first we thought this was a Tappan-Philgas stove, but the more I look at the photos, I think it was a Tappan stove propane that was made at about the same time as they were making gas stoves for Philgas. It doesn't have the typical "Philgas" badges, the model number doesn't seem to follow the Philgas-Tappan system (which would make this a 1943 stove), and the badge on the back splash says "Tappan" alone. Chaz, what do you think? Possible?

Again, thanks for sharing!

Restoring the Clock

2010-01-01T11:44:00.000-06:00

There is a lot of interest in restoring the Telechron clocks found on some Tappan Deluxe stoves. With the help of one of the folks on twitter @clockhistory, I was able to track down an excellent video on reviving a Telechron clock rotor

@clockhistory says NOT to turn the gear with a pliers like they do in the video....and the NOS H and S rotors are still available - if coil hums but gears doesn't turn, the rotor is the problem. For rotors go to timesavers.com, search for "rotor", you'll see S (the smaller type) and H rotors.

I have not tried the steps in the video, so try it at your own risk (although I can't see much that could go wrong) I am very interested to hear from anyone that does get a non-working clock going again. The video is actually quite good to watch, even if your Telechron clock is currently working.

In Need Of a Good Home

2009-12-29T22:22:00.000-06:00

In the Twin Cities?

Looking for a vintage Tappan at a very good price?

This stove is currently being offered for free on Craigslist. He says he even has the original manual.

The owner says if he doesn't find a taker soon, the stove is going to the dump.

It looks like maybe a Series 70 (the model after Deluxe)

You know you want it. Give him a call.

(UPDATE: I exchanged emails with the owner today. If you are seriously interested, mention TappanTalk and he'll hold the stove for an appointment)

(UPDATE: No takers came forward. Stove ended up at an appliance recycling place. I'm a little sad about this.)

Adjusting the Oven Door Spring

2009-12-29T01:03:00.000-06:00

I've found three versions of instructions for adjusting the oven door spring. The first instructions below are from a 1949 Owner's Manual. The second set of instructions are from a 1950 Owner's Manual. The final set of instructions is from an early 1948 Owners Manual.

I'm posting all of them because they each give a little different information...and starting in 1950, it looks like the spring mechanism changed.

The photos are from my stove. My stove does not have a wing nut to adjust on the bottom edge of the broiler, but it's an earlier stove...so I'm not sure what to make of that. I've also noted that none of the manuals show the insulation that is stuffed into my spring compartment. I guess that's the ideal vs the reality.

Chaz's Early Tappan Stove

2009-12-27T00:02:00.000-06:00

Another reader has volunteered to let us see his stove. Chaz has a 1934 Tappan (pre-Deluxe). You can definitely see the Deluxe model starting to emerge. The metal plate on the top of the left storage compartment makes me think this stove is a Philgas-Tappan stove. The right burner shows one of the early burner covers. It looks as if the little box in the center of the back splash is an "opal glass" floodlight (?)

Chaz's stove looks a lot like Model 640 from my 1940's Philgas Sales Manual (could it be a model 634?). The turn handles on the side compartments must have been changed to "trigger touch" lift release knobs about 1940...because there are also photos in the same Sales Manual that show the turn handles.

Chaz - thanks for the photo.

Someone's In Trouble

2009-12-26T17:51:00.000-06:00

Here is a page out of a 1941 Sales Manual for Philgas-Tappan stoves.

Keeping it in the Family

2009-12-23T13:23:00.000-06:00

Photos of another reader's Tappan Deluxe AV-669 model for you.

"Max" was discovered in blog reader Charles' grandmother's basement. It had been untouched for many years since his grandfather passed away. His grandfather had taken apart the thermostat and parts but never got around to replacing them. Charles was able to replace the thermostat with a Robertshaw 2200 and get the stove hooked up in order to use it for Thanksgiving.

The Robertshaw 2200 is a non-CP thermostat, so Charles is now on the hunt for a Robershaw 2200-s that has both manual and automatic operation.

Max also has a replaced light fixture inside the oven, reconnected wiring to make the light on the top operable, and has newly functioning illuminated burner knobs (thanks to some creative soldering).

On the "to do" list is rewiring the clock. If anyone has tips on rewiring the clock, please comment.

This Tappan Deluxe will eventually be the focal point in a retro/modern kitchen in an renovated apartment in an old sweater factory that was a speakeasy during prohibition (1931-33).

Charles - thanks for sharing your photos!

Another Version of White

2009-12-22T16:17:00.000-06:00

This set of salt and pepper shakers came with a Tappan Deluxe stove purchased by one of Tappan Talk's readers. She was told that they originally came with the stove.

Has anyone else seen this white version of Tappan salt and pepper shakers?

Notice that they have little "roman arches" similar to the blue and yellow McKee salt & pepper shakers.

Thanks Katy for the photos!

Tappan Accessories

2009-12-20T16:23:00.000-06:00

These pictures were taken out of the 1940's Sales Manual for Tappan Philco stoves. The manual also includes a number of non-Tappan Philco stoves (the mentioned Model 440 isn't a Tappan).

I thought it was fun because it shows the Tappan Chromelite cast iron griddle sold as an extra for the early Tappan stoves. It also shows a similar non-Tappan cast aluminum griddle. In 1940, the list price for both of these griddles was $4.50.

The "Thrifty-Maid" Economy Cooker was sold as an accessory to all of the Philco stoves (Tappan or not). List price for the Thrifty-Maid was $8.50.

Working the Clock

2009-12-16T13:55:00.000-06:00

The Tappan Deluxe has two different versions of clocks.

The first is the Telechron Clock, generally found on non-CP stoves. It functions as a clock and has a timer that buzzes. Pretty simple.

There appears to be a few different versions of this clock. Mine has large red numbers on a face plate (and does not say "telechron" on it), but I have seen older stoves with smaller numbers with intervals for timing. If anyone has more info. on this, I'd be interested in hearing it.

The second style is the Time Control Clock. This is the clock style found on CP stoves. It has three knobs on the right side (black, red and metallic or white). It functions as a clock, but it also works as a timer to turn the oven on and off. Tappan advertised that you could set this clock with your full meal int he oven and then leave the house. I don't think I'd be brave enough to try that, but a handy feature nonetheless.

P.S. I realized that I had the blog comments accidentally set so you had to register in order to comment. Oops. That has been fixed. If you tried to comment before and it was a huge hassle, I apologize.

High Heat

2009-12-11T19:19:00.000-06:00

As I've been working on restoring my stove, I've amassed quite a collection of paints and sprays.

I've used Rustoleum High Heat paints in black to repaint parts that were originally painted (not porcelained) and are exposed to heat, but not direct flame (e.g. brackets, screws). I've been removing the light rust with steel wool & painting. I'm hoping to prevent further rust, as well as, and make them look good.

I've found Liquid Wrench to be the solution to locked bolts and screws. I was also able to get the little wheels on my new pull out cutlery drawer to roll freely again using Liquid Wrench.

Finally, I've used Rustoleum Appliance Paint in the inside panel of the side storage doors. Mine were in quite bad condition, so I removed the chipped porcelain and rust and then painted them. I was very worried about doing this, but they turned out well.

I've spent the summer painting pieces on wax paper out on my front lawn and sidewalk. I'm sure my neighbors are wondering what I'm up to....

Smile

2009-12-06T18:24:00.000-06:00

Watch this ad closely and you will see something you recognize....

Care of Oven

2009-12-05T14:07:00.000-06:00

I was surprised at how easy it was to clean the oven. Following the diagram, you can lift out the oven bottom and oven baffle for cleaning. This also makes it pretty easy to clean both the oven and broiler interiors.

Watch it Happen in a ...Tappan.

2009-12-04T11:04:00.000-06:00

In 1950, Tappan introduced the Deluxe Model AV 669. This model was "CP", so it had a standing pilot light in the oven. In reading the ad, we learn that this was the first model that contained the Crisp-Chest in the left hand storage area.....a nice clue when trying to figure out the date of your stove. This model also has the medallion insert on a chrome oven/broiler handle. It also appears to have a chrome interior oven.

Thanks to blog reader Joe M for providing the ad....and tips on model year.

Katy's Tappan Deluxe Stove

2009-12-02T17:35:00.000-06:00

I have another set of blog reader's photos to share today. This time photos are of Katy's Tappan Deluxe stove. She currently has it installed and in use in her kitchen - check out Thanksgiving dinner. We "met" when she emailed me about her stove's oven pilot light (she's also the one who supplied me with the parts I was missing for my stove).

The stove is an AV 669-16 model, similar to Joe's stove in yesterdays post. After a long search, Katy managed to track down vintage red glass burner knob backs to replace those missing on her stove. A few of the pictures below show the burner lights on...with the red glass glowing.

There is a very nice close-up of her Time Control Clock. You can see the three knobs - one of which controls the timer that can be set to turn the oven on and off automatically.

Her stove is also a CP model. It has the gold package medallion on chrome oven and broiler handles....and the chrome base. Her back splash light turns on with a switch. She also has the chrome crisper drawers on the left side storage and the pull out drawer/towel rack on the right side storage.

Again, thanks for share your photos!

Joe's Tappan Deluxe Stove

2009-12-01T16:30:00.000-06:00

One of Tappan Talk's readers emailed photos of his stove to share. Joe's stove is a model AV-669-16 named "Precious" :) His stove has all of the bells and whistles - red glass back plates on the burner knobs, three chrome crisper drawers, and the "gold package" on the clock and handles.

He recently hunted down a replacement for the missing broiler handle trim piece in the photo.

You can see the sign on the far right side of the back splash indicating the stove is a CP stove. The clock has three knobs. The stove has a chrome base. Note the burner cover trays stored in the side compartment doors.

Thanks for sharing!

Treats

2009-11-30T16:54:00.000-06:00

Over this past long weekend, one on my blog readers dropped off some parts I had been missing for my Tappan Deluxe :) And one I wasn't missing, but really wanted.

The first photo is a shot of the orignal bracket that sat on the front corners of the top of the stove & held the top in place from underneath. Part of mine had rusted away.

This next photo is of the freshly painted replacement bracket. Looks much better.

One of my stove burner knobs was cracked in back and I kept meaning to order a new one. I now have a replacement.

And finally, I always thought it would be fun to have one of the pull out drawers with towel holders for the right side storage compartment. I spent the weekend cleaning up this vintage drawer...took the wheels off to clean them...and used Liquid Wrench to get them rolling again. Because all of the bodies of the Deluxe are the same, it's a pretty easy matter to install this on my stove, even though my stove did not have this part originally.

If you are looking for a vintage Tappan Deluxe parts, I have added Katy's contact information to the left sidebar (yellow shaded box). Shoot her an email and ask her is she has the part you need for sale/exchange.

Tappan Model #

2009-11-28T20:48:00.001-06:00

Below is a chart that I pulled together with the info. I have discovered so far regarding the different Tappan Deluxe model numbers. I have also included some models just prior to the Tappan Deluxe (some of them share the same body). I've added some information provided by Tappan Talk readers - Katy & Joe M.

If you have any additional information, I'd love to hear it. Post a comment with your info. and I'll add it to the chart with an attribution to you.

I'm hoping that we can "crack the code" of the Tappan Deluxe model numbers.....years sold...and features.

Model #	Years Made	Features
	I've put the earliest yr, I have been able to document.	Info. documented by written materials or seeing stove.
Pre- Series 60

L7243 (PKV-25-1)	1934 (?)	Chaz's stove. Somewhat similar to Philgas-Tappan Model 640. "opal glass floodlight" Pre-Deluxe. Window in oven. Has smaller slit knobs on burners and side storage doors, oven/broiler handles slimmer.

141	1941	Philgas model -Called "E-cono-maid"
540	1940	Philgas model - Looks like later Deluxe models, but no window in oven door. porcelain oven interior, plain back splash. This is the first year they mention Philgas-Tappan. $94.50
541	1941	Philgas model - 38", no window in oven, looks like later model Deluxe models, back splash is plain except for a small dash light and a vent on the far right & left.
W-55	1941?	Colby's Stove - 38", no window in oven, looks like later model Deluxe models, back splash is plain except for a small dash light and a vent on the far right & left. Veticle back splash vents.
GVD 57 (69275)		Hoizontal backsplash vents - 38" chrome oven, oven has window, left storage has a wire rack, right storage pull out towel holder/drawer.
640	1940	Philgas model - Looks very much like later Deluxe models, Center oven with door window, two side storage compartments, porcelain oven interior. Philgas-Tappan. $109.50
641	1941	Philgas model - 38", window in oven, looks like later model Deluxe models, back splash has a small dash light and a metal timer blow it.
740	1940	Philgas model - Looks like later Deluxe models, but no window in oven door. porcelain oven interior, Servatray burner covers stored in doors. Philgas-Tappan. $129.50

840	1940	Philgas model - Looks very much like later Deluxe models, Center oven with door window, two side storage compartments, chrome oven. Came with Chromelite groddle. Servatrays burner covers stored in doors. Philgas-Tappan. $149.50

940	1940	Philgas model - Oven with side swing out broiler with door window. Came with Chromelite griddle & white condiment set with centered "P" and "S". Philgas-Tappan. $189.50
941	1941	Philgas model -
V952	If follows earlier Philgas model numbers, 1952.	Philgas model
953		Philgas model - "Coolite" feature - non-CP Looks like a Deluxe. Small clock. Black Base. Chrome handles.
1040	1940	Philgas model - two ovens (no door windows), two broilers. 6 top burners. Back splash has air frashener, white salt & pepper shakers (When put together the S & P form a circle). Called "Quality" model. Not sure if this is a Tappan? $199.50
1041	1941	Philgas model -
1141	1941	Philgas model -
1440	1940	Philgas model - Looks like two ovens, but is actually one oven & a kitchen heater (can be converted to coal or wood). Porcelain oven interior. Plain back splash. Is called a "bungalow range" Called the "Hardwick" model. Not sure if this is a Tappan?

1540	1940	Philgas model - Looks like two ovens, but is actually one oven & a kitchen heater (can be converted to coal or wood). Porcelain oven interior. Flood light & timer in back splash. "Quality" model. not sure if this is a Tappan? $174.50
1641	1941	Philgas model - Called "De Luxe Bungalow"
Series 2	Included in July 1 1949 Owner's Manual	38" wide and has an oven to the right with storage drawers on the left. Has a dome light over the back splash.
Series 70	Included in Nov. 1, 1950 Owner's Manual.	Oven to the right side with storage compartment or high broiler or second oven to the left.


*Series 60*

62

HLTV 62-15 (189447)		Amber (?) burner rings, two knob Telechron clock, Visiguide & Visiminder. Pull chain for stove top light. Chrome oven/broiler handle w/ white trim & red crest. "Tappan" & "Deluxe" on the backsplash are red on white. Pyrogrates on back burners. Flip switch for light at bottom of main control panel. Porcelain oven & broiler interior.

STV 62-1	Control panel indicates the "-1" following model # is the "lot #"	Joe B's stove, chrome burner rings, non-CP, black porcelain oven interior, Robert Shaw thermostat, black stove base, left side storage area has a rack shelf, two knob Telechron clock, Visiguide & Visiminder. Pull chain for stove top light. Chrome oven/broiler handles. "Tappan" & "Deluxe" on the backsplash are red on white.

PTV 62-15		Large clock unit. Medallion on white oven/broiler handles. Chrome burner back rings. Visichart, Visiguide. Philgas model. Telechron clock (two white knobs). Porcelain oven interior. Rack shelf in left storage compartment. Black stove base.

MVKK63		Small gold clock panel, Telechron clock, gold oven/broiler handles with a white trim in the center, burner rings may be gold (?)

O 63-13		Small clock panel, white burner rings, non-CP, black porcelain oven interior, Robert Shaw thermostat, black stove base, left side storage area has a rack shelf, two knob Telechron clock, No oven window. Oven does not appear to have a light bulb (main panel is missing brown knob)

TV 63-X13 (346066)		StuccoHouse stove, white burner rings, non-CP, black porcelain oven interior, Robert Shaw thermostat, black stove base, left side storage area has a rack shelf, two knob Telechron clock, oven light turns on/off when stove is opened, brown knob on main panel also turns oven light on/off. Visiguide & Visiminder. Pull chain for stove top light. White oven/broiler handle w/ aluminum trim. "Tappan" & "Deluxe" on the backsplash are red on white. Oven light was not initially installed (but the socket was buried in the wall of the oven & wiring was installed/not hooked up/brown knob missing.

VK 6313 (103680)		CP model, chrome stove interior

MTV 63 14 (119030)	Original Owners Manual is dated October 1, 1949	Exterior identical to 63-X13 above

VK 63-16		Small clock panel, crispers, pull chain light, aluminum trim on white stove/broiler handles, pull out cutlery/towel drawer in right compartment.

VKK 63-25	Per ebay - came with Nov 1, 1950 Owners Manual.	Small clock, entire gold metal on clock, burner knob rings, stove/broiler handles. Handles have medallion trim. Rack shelf in left hand storage compartment. non-CP. Pull chain for back splash light. Pull out cutlery/towel drawer in right compartment. Black stove base. (May have a non-Robertshaw thermostat - knob is unusual)

PHDKV 662-7 (309315)		Small clock, chrome stove/broiler handles with white trim w/ red medallion, chrome burner back rings, CP, Telechron clock, porcelain oven/broiler interior. Chrome trim around the oven window.

VK 663 14

VK 663 18		CP Model

NOV 64 (244856, Lot# 2)		Mike G's stove - Model # off of the control panel doesn't seem to follow trend. "Tappan" & "Deluxe" on the backsplash are red on white, Visiguide & Visiminder, two knob Telechron clock (chrome knob), chrome broiler/oven handles, chrome burner knob backs (different burner handles with a chrome strip down center - may be original)

PHADV-664-5		RudieDog's stove - chrome knob rings, stove top knobs say front and rear, baking sheet storage, chrome trim around the oven window, Contro-lo-heat front burners, Visichart, Visiguide, Time Control clock (later version) for the automatic oven, handles in chrome and white w/ crest, roll top in white w/ red letters, Super 60 series, switch on far right of back splash to turn on oven light. "Tappan" & "Deluxe" on the backsplash are red on white.

65	1948	Oven on indicator, convenience outlets (right outlet controlled by Visiminder timer)

TV 65-16		Chrome oven interior. Telechron clock, white broilers/oven handles, white burner rings, non-CP, Robert Shaw thermostat, black stove base, left side storage area has a rack shelf, two knob Telechron clock, oven light turns on/off when stove is opened, brown knob on main panel also turns oven light on/off. Visiguide & Visiminder. Pull chain for stove top light. White oven/broiler handle w/ aluminum trim. "Tappan" & "Deluxe" on the backsplash are red on white.

665	1948	Oven on indicator, convenience outlets (right outlet controlled by Visiminder timer)


67	1948	Oven on indicator, convenience outlets (right outlet controlled by Visiminder timer)


667	1948	Oven on indicator, convenience outlets (right outlet controlled by Visiminder timer)


V-67	1948	Top burner indicator lights, pyroglas top units


V-667	1948	Top burner indicator lights, pyroglas top units

AV667-12	1948 - Old version of the Owners Manual with insert pages. Came with Tappan Chef figure salt & pepper shakers.	Ron & Aiden's stove - Red burner knob backs, Time Control Clock (red, chrome and black knobs), three crisper drawers on left side, pull out cutlery/towel drawer on right storage, white oven & broiler handles with aluminum trim, pull chain back splash light, CP, brown knob on main panel to turn on oven light, backsplash has convenience outlets, Visiguide and Minute Minder, "Tappan" * "Deluxe" on backsplash are in chrome, porcelain oven interior, black stove base. A lot of 30 made for a GI housing development.

AV 66711E

ev68-3 (1222)		Electric. 3 burners and built in pot. chrome oven/broiler handles with gold trim. White burner knob backs. Time control clock.

AV-668	ebay (ebay ad calls this a "Super 60" but that does not match the info we have on other documented Super 60s)	Amber burner rings, crisper drawers in left storage, pull out cutlery/towel drawer in right storage and pull-out bin below that, CP, Time Control Clock, gold trim on chrome oven/broiler handle & burner knobs, Visiguide & Visiminder (these have gold plate), broiler foot control "Pres-toe", chrome stove base, two burner grates for pyroglas, top light switch, "Tappan" & "Deluxe" on the backsplash are red on gold, burner covers have wheat decoration interior of stove is porcelain,

PHADV 668-7M (314964)	Original owners manual. Has "1-56" on the back cover.	Michael B's stove - Amber or red burner knob backs, crisper drawers, Time Control clock (later version), oven window trimmed in chrome, gold trim on chrome oven/broiler handle & burner knobs, stove top light switch, chrome stove base, pyrogrates on back two burners, Tappan" & "Deluxe" on the backsplash are red on gold. Right storage has cutlery/towel drawer and pull out basket below that, Said to be from a display at 1957 Missouri State Fair. Burner knobs says "front & rear."

669	1950 - 1951? (based on when reference to 669 started to appear in Owners Manuals in connection w/ burner lights)


AV-669-16 (112853) (112949)	1950 - 1951? (based on when reference to 669 started to appear in Owners Manuals in connection w/ burner lights)	Katy's & Joe's stove - Oven light turns on/off when stove is opened, brown knob on main panel also turns oven light on/off. Visiguide & Visiminder. Top burner indicator lights, chrome stove base, CP model, red glass burner rings, gold trim on chrome oven/broiler handle & burner knobs, stove top light switch, chrome stove base, "Tappan" & "Deluxe" on the backsplash are red on gold, time control clock.
AV 669 (93574)	1950 - 1951? (based on when reference to 669 started to appear in Owners Manuals in connection w/ burner lights)	Chrome oven interior, red glass burner rings, CP model

AV 669-24 (415105)	1951	Tina's stove - Visiguide & Visiminder, top burner indicator lights, black stove base, Time Control clock, air freshener on the top of the back splash, chrome oven interior



HQKV-82-12 (181771)		All Chrome back splash, chrome stove back, chrome manifold covers. Chrome "press toe" broiler foot release. Pull out cutlery/towel drawer in right compartment. Small Telechron clock with no outlets. Has a metal pyroglas plate on back burner grate.

HQKV 62-15 (191529)		(Chrome looks brushed) All Chrome back splash, chrome manifold covers. Chrome oven/broiler handles with cream trim piece. Porcelain stove interior. Pull out cutlery/towel drawer in right compartment. "Press toe" broiler foot release. Non-CP, Robertshaw thermostat. Rack shelf in left hand storage compartment. Small Telechron clock with no outlets. Oven flip switch on bottom of main control panel.





Misc. Info
	1952	Broiler foot control introduced. "Pres-toe"
	First reference to lit burners appears in 1948? Owners Manual in connection w/ v-67 and V-667	Red glass burner rings
		Chrome burner rings
	Same as red? Earlier/later?	Amber burner rings
		"Gold package" trim on handles & clock.
		Tappan chef salt & pepper shakes
		McKee Blue & yellow salt & pepper shakers
		White salt & pepper shakers (McKee?)
	1940	cast iron Chromelite griddle - two burner griddle
	1940	cast aluminum two burner griddle
		One burner griddle
		Visiguide "cookbook on wheels"
		Visiminder
	1940	Insulated Thrift Cooker
	1940	Serva-tray - without decoration on server side
		Serva-tray with Tappan Chef
		Serva-Tray with wheat wreath
	1950 (per showroom ad) - first appears in 1950 Owners Manual for models 65, 665, 67, 667	Crisp Chests
	1949? appears in Owner's Manual	Cutlery Drawer w/ Towel Drier
	This is the older of the two (three) clock types. Earliest reference 1948 manual.	Telechron Clock - "telechron" on the lower half of the dial face.
		Time Control Clock - three knobs
		Robert Shaw 2200-S thermostat (seems to be the most common)
		Grayson thermostat
		American thermostat
		Wilcolator thermostat
	1953? Owner's Manual	Lift off Oven Door
	Advertised as new in 1951 ad.	Air Freshener

Post- Deluxe Stoves

No. 2 Series	1949? Owners Manual	38" wide - oven w/ no window on right with storage drawers on the left. Combination valve and thermostat (non-cp), Small hooded light on back splash. Smaller oven than the Deluxe.
Series 70	1950's? Owner's Manual	Right side oven on right said w/ no window. Storage or high broiler or second oven on the left. Combination valve and thermostat (non-cp), smaller oven than Deluxe.
85 "Greenbrier"		Has the huge oven with door window - with one storage drawer below
86 "Greenbrier"	Celebration of the Tappan Co Diamond Jubilee Year (75th yr)	Has oven on the right and broiler on the left - both with door windows - storage drawers below each. VisiMinder and VisiGuide. 4 in-line burner arrangement - 4 burners in a row running across the back (advertised as increased work space & child safety). Crisp Chest in storage drawers. 40" wide.
AV886 "Greenbrier"

DCV-5776 13 (K08 1418)	Mid/late 1050's (??)	Amy's Stove - Very midcentury - stove as a gas, four burner stove, white, 36 inches wide. The oven in on the right, with a broiler underneath. On the left is a storage area. There's a large midcentury clock on the decorated blacksplash.

	1959	Mike's built in stainless steel wall oven and dual cook top.

Contributors: StuccoHouse, Katy, Joe M, TappanTrailerTami, Chaz, Mike G, Joe B, Ron & Aiden, Colby, Amy, Tina, Jeff A, Michael B, RudieDog

Lighting The Oven Pilot

2009-11-27T12:12:00.000-06:00

Here is information about lighting the Tappan Deluxe oven pilot flame. Follow the directions for the Series 60 Non-CP or CP models, depending on which you have. Ignore the "No. 2 Series" information which is for another model of stove.

White Salt and Pepper Shakers

2009-11-25T22:13:00.000-06:00

Here's one more page out of a 1940's Philgas Tappan sales manual. This is double oven, double broiler model 1040 that sold for a whopping $199.50. Note the white salt & pepper shakers on top of the back splash.

(Later - as I look through the Philgas-Tappan sales manual, I've come to realize that this model may not have been made by Tappan even though it's a Philgas stove. I'm going to leave the picture on the blog....just be aware this may not be a Tappan)

Adjusting The Thermostat

2009-11-19T15:17:00.000-06:00

This document provides instructions for adjusting a 2200-S Robert Shaw thermostat. The Robert Shaw thermostat was used very often in the Tappan Deluxe stoves. My stove has this thermostat.

I do not want to hear any stories about people blowing up or burning down their houses, so use these instructions only if you know what you are doing. If you don't, pass them on to a professional appliance person.

All I ask is that if you use this adjustment guide, you add a comment below....and then report back on how it worked out...and any tips you discover with a comment.

Before the Deluxe

2009-11-18T19:32:00.000-06:00

Here's a sales manual picture of a precursor to the Tappan Deluxe. It's a 1940's model 840 that was a collaboration between Philgas and Tappan. Notice the griddle on top of the left side burners. Also, catch the stove price label on the bottom.

Care of Porcelain

2009-11-17T12:03:00.000-06:00

Thermostat Hook Up

2009-11-16T11:01:00.000-06:00

Some close-up shots of how my Robert Shaw 2200 thermostat is hooked up from behind that main control panel.

Crispers

2009-11-15T17:22:00.000-06:00

The crispers (if your model has them) are found in the left, side compartment. most of the ones I have seen have been shiny chrome, but I have also seen a few models with brushed aluminum.

Serv-A-Tray

2009-11-14T14:44:00.000-06:00

Clocks

2009-11-11T10:02:00.000-06:00

The Variety of Main Control Panels

2009-11-08T10:53:00.000-06:00

Cleaning Top Burners

2009-11-08T10:36:00.000-06:00

Removing The Manifold

2009-11-08T10:34:00.000-06:00

Advertising

2009-11-07T15:23:00.000-06:00

The Griddle

2009-11-07T11:34:00.000-06:00

This griddle fits on the burner grates of my Deluxe, but I believe it actually belongs with an earlier 1040's Tappan Model. Based on illustrations I have seen, I believe the Tappan Deluxe griddle fit over only one burner.