Restoring rusty cast iron wood stove, painting it

A. Hi, Janis.

1. Depending on how heavy the rust is, you can scrape some off with a putty knife, then remove the rest with sandpaper. The suggestion for the drill meant that if you have an electric drill, you can get a wire brush or sandpaper attachment of some sort.
that fits in the drill and will save you some elbow grease.

2. After you've removed what you can, you can apply naval jelly [on eBay or Amazon]
which turns the remaining rust into a more stable form. This is just brushed on; it doesn't require heat.

3. Stoves get hot, so high temperature stove paint [on eBay or Amazon] are more appropriate than general purpose paints.

Regards,

A. Hi Mary. There is no essential difference in the results obtained from brush vs. spray. Use whichever is most convenient for you for the circumstances.

Regards,

A. Hi. I just came across your stove restoration questions, many of which were my own, and then discovered this link to an article from MotherJones called "Wood-burner Restoration." Maybe it will help: http://www.motherearthnews.com/menarch/archive/issues/059/059-024-01.htm

Ed. update Dec. 20112: Sorry, that link is no longer functional, but thanks to the fabulous 'Wayback Engine' at archive.org, here it is :-)

A. Well I have read most of the posings and have come to the conclusion that everyone is mad. First of all the most direct approach is to assess the stove and take corrective action. If it is rusty, so what? It will burn off with a good hot fire. If bolts are in bad condition, replace them. No matter what the problem is, it is only a matter of getting dirty and taking the dirt by the horns. I have restored stoves that looked like they should be sold for scrap. Answer, hard work and perseverance. Good luck and quit whining!

A. No sense in going overboard if your stove isn't in real bad shape. Taking the whole thing apart and sand-blasting it takes a lot more time and money, not too mention it's messy (which means you can either get sand all over your house, or you can lug that heavy stove into the yard -- a real pain either way). A drastic overhaul is only really necessary if:
a) The stove is completely covered in thick rust and looks like it was sitting in saltwater for the last 10 years, or
b) You get your advice from someone who is in the business of reconditioning stoves and wants your money.

If it just needs some basic refinishing, don't spend all that time and money! You just need 3 things:
1) Steel wool (start coarse [on eBay or Amazon] if needed, then go with more fine wool [on eBay or Amazon])
2) High temp paint (One brand has already been recommended in this thread)
3) Good old fashioned ELBOW GREASE (the rust isn't just going to come off like magic, you've got to work at it and show it who's boss. Accept that fact and deal with it).

Most of us like the magic answers. Good to hear the ones with experience. I myself was given a Glacier Bay wood stove that is not really bad with rust. Just want to clean it up, and protect it so I get many years of use. Plan on trying the steel wool, & stove polish [on eBay or Amazon] . Makes the most sense for the level of rust I'm dealing with.

A. Regarding finishing old cast-iron stoves, most of the general information herein is correct. From personal trial and error, I can say what has worked well for me and what hasn't.

I live in the Ohio Valley, very humid summers, damp winters. The stoves I have worked on have had moderate to severe rust, from surface rust that is powdery to deep, scale-type rust. Steel wool works best, if you have time and want a long term project. Sandblasting is cost prohibitive, in my opinion, unless you have the equipment and time. I have found that an angle-grinder mounted wire brush or drill-mounted wire brush is best. Go with stiff one first over entire area of the stove, and then go with a more flexible wire brush. Then, quick rub down with steel wool.

I am a fan of old fashioned stove polish (black) that uses waxes and pigments to cure and seal the surface. I guess you can use high-temp paint, but I never have on cast iron. I have used high-temp paint on pot-metal stoves, but I think they smell really bad when first lit in the winter, and they tend to smell for several burnings. The classic finish that one is used to seeing on cast iron comes from black stove polish or paste (Rutland seems to make a good product). Fire the stove after applying polish and the stove will cure itself (a little smell, but it's non-toxic per label).

Any steel bolts or nuts can be used to replace worn ones. Non-stainless stove pipe rusts easily too, so check your stove pipes frequently for holes, weak joints, etc. The next important restoration or maintenance issue is the firebox, the seals, and air controls. Make sure inside is relatively free of rust scale (not necessary, but looks better), and check firebricks for cracks. Don't overfire any stove, and burn only what's meant to be burned (i.e. don't burn coal in a wood stove). Only burn wood that is cured and has a low moisture content. Good luck.

A. I have an old cast iron wood heater that was given to me because my fireplace wasn't putting off enough heat. It had to be installed immediately because we were freezing. We didn't have the time to clean all the rust off and refinish it properly.

Well, my cast iron pans are easy enough to refurbish, just cover them with cooking oil or grease and heat them up several times. So we employed the same principal with the wood stove. I just spread a thin coating of used peanut oil over the stove while it was hot and now it's beautiful. I have pictures of when I started and after I worked on it for about 15 minutes.

It did smoke a bit after applying the oil but not much. I think the results were well worth the bit of smoke we had to put up with.

A. Hi everyone! Just wanted to share some tips that I used in restoring my first cast iron wood burning heating stove! It was a Cribben & Sexton. (I am currently working on my second-a Round Oak) The best way to do it right is to take the stove totally apart. It might sound like a huge job but it is worth it to do it right. On the first one I took the time to remove all of the nuts & bolts etc which took a lot of time & most were not salvageable anyway. On this stove I just broke all of the bolts & will replace them. I then took a big plastic bin & filled it with vinegar [in bulk on eBay or Amazon] & let the cast iron pieces soak for at least 24 hours. vinegar is very cheap! The rust comes right off! If there is some stubborn rust, scrub it (I use a Dremel [on eBay or Amazon]) and put it in the vinegar again. Only use this on the cast iron parts! For the parts that need polishing I sand them until the pits are gone & then continue to use finer grits. I finish it all off with Simichrome [on eBay or Amazon] & the final result looks amazing!

A. I lived in the Ohio Valley for many years and have restored a lot of wood stoves as I used these for both heating and cooking. Now I am a boat captain and have been working on a submarine for 5 years here in Hawaii (who knew?) we deal with a lot of rust due to the salt water and need to keep all the metal parts looking shiny for the tourists. We use what we call 'Ospho' (Metal Primer by Jasco) .
comes in 1 gal. bottles. For the old stoves I used to hose them off and scrub with a stiff brush for all loose rust, then let dry and use the recommended wire brush and sandpaper. Problem with this is, it also works rust particles into the metal to propagate more. However, penetrating stove treatments and regular use of the stove keep this at a minimum.
With the Ospho, wait until the stove is thoroughly dry (hot sun or starting it up) and spray into every crack and crevice. This chemically changes and dissolves the loose rust. Then wash and use again a wire brush. I agree that a good penetrating lubricant is a good idea to soak bolts and joints with, then burn off the excess. Some bolts (or all) will need to be replaced. An old stove can last indefinitely if well treated (and occasionally retreated as necessary) with a good penetrating treatment. Good luck! Nothing like wood heat!

A. My father-in-law recommends cutting a potato and rubbing it on the surface every once in a while to keep the surface pretty. I may try this after the complicated solutions above.

A. If you wish to maintain that antique look (patina?), the best way to clean/restore an old cast iron stove is by using:

1) Wire-wheels and buffers on both electric drills and a Dremel [on eBay or Amazon].
2) Large and small wire brushes.
3) Wax-based stove finish.
4) Elbow grease & nearly unlimited amount of PATIENCE.

Depending on how filthy the stove is, I usually vacuum them out with a shop-vac & blow out any remaining debris/loose sediment with an air compressor [adv: air compressors on eBay or Amazon]. Then I tear them down. Locate the bolts and screws and figure out how to best remove them. If they are rusted in place use a Metabo or similar hand-held grinder to shave them off, and again, patience & a steady hand are key to prevent serious gashes in the metal. If you think they can be cajoled into loosening, then heat up each nut with a torch and hopefully you can twist them off with ease.

You may have to use a hammer or screwdriver to knock/pry the stubborn pieces loose, but once they are off you can start cleaning in earnest. Don't worry too much about the old fasteners, as they can be cheaply and easily replaced.

Scrape off everything you can and give the stove a once-over with a wire wheel, focusing on any trouble areas. Repeat as necessary, but keep in mind that they are made of parts cast from boiling iron, and are rarely flawless. Patience is also key here, because I find going over a piece lightly, many times, gives it the best finish.

Repeat this process on the finer/detailed areas with a Dremel or similar. Hopefully you wind up with a rich, black cast iron. If you wore through the old finish/patina and the iron-grey is showing through, you are best off continuing until the entire piece matches.

Once you have eliminated all rust there are a few things you can do. Quite often I polish them using the buffers and they are ready for sale, but occasionally, having invested the time, I decide that it needs additional finish. There's no real trick to it, it either looks good or doesn't look good enough. I'd rather have a black stove than a splotchy or dull one.

When this happens I employ a combination of wax-based finish and buffing. Wax-based finishes will require the stove to be lit & heated up, so after application I balance it on cinder blocks, light a fire inside and wait for the wax to cure, feeding the fire if necessary. Then, when it cools down, I buff it, depending on the finish I'm going for.

This is the same way people maintained their stoves in the old days, minus the electric buffing.

I would like to note: What I've described requires using potentially dangerous items. Simply put, if you don't know what you're doing, don't do it. And wear proper safety gear, i.e., don't inhale airborne mouse droppings.

With a good eye and patience you just might be able to hit your mark.

A. WD40, WD40, WD40, WD40, WD40, WD40 [on eBay or Amazon] ... ENOUGH SAID! Takes the rust off with little effort.

A. I am an amateur. I just finished my first and only wood stove which I bought last weekend at a local antiques dealer. It's a lovely Wood & Bishop stove with a "thing" at the top that looks like the Holy Grail. It was badly rusted, but I took it home anyhow because it was only selling for $150 and I was desperate for a stove. I live in Maine, and the cost of oil is beyond what I could ever handle.

I used WD-40 [on eBay or Amazon] . I used to work with a locksmith, and this is what we used to remove dirt, rust, whatever, and also lubricate stiff locks. It was also good for my old furnace, when the screws were so rusty they would otherwise need to be cut off. But WD-40 took all that off, and also cleaned and lubricated the screw threads. So I thought I would try it on the stove. It was worth a shot before I tried sandblasting or a blow torch.

It worked. The rust, which was like tough orange barnacles, absorbed the WD-40, which softened it and then it came right off with paper towels. There were lovely embossed decorative patterns on all sides, and the WD-40 was absorbed into all the angles, and made the rust soft and easily removed.

Last phase was that after I wiped the WD-40 off, I noticed some of the smooth rounded moldings were pitted. So I sprayed WD-40 on them, and let it sit, and then wiped it again, and all of the pit marks were easily removed.

The "Holy Grail" at the top was entirely covered with rust to the point where I could not see what it looked like, and again, sprayed it heavily with WD-40 and all of the rust came off. I did the same to rusty patches on the inside of the stove, and the screws that hold it together are now clean also.

The whole process took minutes at a time, though I did have to wait for the WD-40 to sink in before rubbing.

Seems to me, this is a good and gently way to clean off the rust. Now, I need to find out what to do next for blackening and also, if there is a way to re-nickel the "Holy Grail" on top [Ed. note, please see thread 13218, "Restoring Nickel Plating on Wood Cookstove"].

Erika Donneson
- Saco, Maine
2007

A. Hi Marilyn. It's probably fine to paint them with the high temperature paint, but they might be prone to easy scratching (it's only paint). Some readers suggest that you use stove polish instead of paint for such a situation. Good luck.

Regards,

A. Hi Kevin. I run this site, but I am not an expert in all these subjects. I re-painted my own steel wood stove a couple of times, but that's the limit of my personal experience :-)

Sorry, I've never used the stove polish.

Regards,

A. The very easiest way to remove rust is with a coarse wire wheel on an angle grinder . Use Eye protection [on eBay or Amazon] just in case and maybe an old long sleeve shirt . If you are getting into awkward places you might want to wear gloves ... I've hit my hand with the running wire brush and it doesn't feel good. If you don't own an angle grinder [on eBay or Amazon] , borrow or rent one ... you'll be amazed at how well it works . A 4 inch wheel is about 7 dollars .

  Hi Adam. The 3-legged design and the porthole front are really attractive! It would be great to have a lighted glass aquarium behind the porthole, or a banana plant growing out of the porthole, or something like that. Super cool looking; a design star would absolutely love this unique object!

But to try to get it airtight and safe enough to contain a hot fire inside your home? I absolutely wouldn't even try.

Regards,

A. Very good info on stove polishes and pastes --
http://historiccookingschool.com/formula-for-stove-blacking-polish/
Hope it helps and good luck!

A. You would need to send a sample to a lab for examination by polarized light or electron microscopy.

Is the insulation flaking, or is dust from it falling out? To do harm, asbestos needs to be what they call "friable." Frequently, the best thing to do is let it be, or coat it with some kind of stabilizing coating.

A. Hi Steve. I don't know what finish Findlay applied and, although you're welcome to ask, we don't get a lot of good historical information on the subject posted here :-)

There are 3 finishes that I know of to put on a wood stove ...
1. The ideal one is porcelain/ceramic, which is much closer to melted glass than to paint. It's applied with a gun that melts ceramic grit at temperatures of thousands of degrees as it shoots it onto the metal. But there is no possibility of doing this yourself; finding someone who can will be difficult and it's very expensive.
2. The second option is high temperature paint. I've used this on my own wood stoves, but it's not going to be glossy like a ceramic stove top, it's just a matte black, and it's certainly not a cooking surface if that's what you had in mind.
3. The third option is stove polish, which other posters have suggested, but I don't have any hands-on knowledge of it.

Regards,

A. Hi Fred. For galvanic corrosion to occur requires metals with different electromotive potential, metal-to-metal contact, and a wet conductive solution to conduct ions. The latter requirement probably won't be present to any great degree in a controlled environment. I don't think it's much of a concern.

Regards,

A. Hi Omar. I've heard of no dangers from fumes from rust. Obviously if the stove were rusted all the way through to where it had no structural integrity, and logs and coals could fall out, or flames could lick out, there could be a fire hazard -- but your stove does not sound like a problem.

Regards,

A. Hi Gary. As far as I know you use plain low carbon hot rolled steel of the same thickness as the original. You probably won't find it in a hardware store but will have to order it from a steel distributor/warehouse like Ryerson Steel or Steel Warehouse.

Regards,

A. Hi again, Gary. You need to measure the thickness from a remnant of the existing part, and look up what gauge that thickness is (I'm sure there are many charts on the internet, but
http://www.metaltrone.com/metalgauge-chart.pdf
was the first one that popped up for me). Good luck.

Regards,

  Hello Ted,
It measures about .045" (about 18 gauge), but, it's rusted and scaling. I think I'll go up to 16 gauge.
Thank you for your help, Gary.

A. Hi Kathy. It may be neither here nor there, but my cast iron wood stove uses no firebrick at all, whereas my welded steel one used firebricks on the bottom, the sides, and the top.

As for the bottom, I remember that, because it made shoveling out the ashes a pain ... you might find the same recollection in your memory if you think about it. Or if you have some kind of grill the ashes pass through on the way to an ash collection box or drawer, obviously you can't have firebricks on the bottom blocking it.

As for the sides and top, there should be some sort of channels or angles that suggest where they go, sort of a back and front edge to support the bricks. Guessing is no substitute for researching it, but if no info is available ...

Regards,

A. Hi Chris. You can see here what just sunlight, let alone the heat of a wood stove, can do to paint, turning the red to greyish-white, and the white to greyish-black depending on exactly what dyes and pigments and metals it contains:

Although I suppose it's vaguely possible that someone put an antiqued wood grain finish on an unheated idle wood stove as a decorating feature, it strikes me as highly unlikely. More likely I think is that this is just a mix of rust, discolored paints and/or stove polishes. I think you can steel wool it to a more or less consistent finish and then apply either black stove paint or stove polish. Good luck.

Are you sure that legs aren't missing from that stove? I'm not so sure it's safe sitting directly on a linoleum-topped wood floor if that's what I'm seeing.

Luck & Regards,

A. Hi Larry. Although I haven't used it myself (my wood stoves were newer and painted), many readers here think 'stove polish' rather than paint is the way to go, and have even included good directions.

Luck & Regards,

A. Hi Laura. I doubt that cast iron pans would remain rust free for very long outdoors. But the corrosion resistance of paints is more dependent on good prep work than the particular paint. Wire brush it and steel wool it as thoroughly as practical, then apply a rust converter [on eBay or Amazon] (naval jelly for example), then two coats of stove paint or high temperature engine paint; touch it up when you see rust spots, and I think you'll be happy with it.

Luck & Regards,

A. Cast iron can be enameled but that is probably very expensive. Stove polish must be good option if your stove is protected from rain and snow. There are many formulas for stove polish on web. Hope it helps and good luck!

Thank you, Ted! Thank you, Goran! I'll look into this :)