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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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"

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