I am so excited!!! I read your instructions and adjusted my burners, even my piddly little one that has never had more than a simmers worth of flame for the last ten years. I was a little scared to do it, because to put it mildly, I am not that mechanical. But the instructions were so good, and the stove did look so much like mine that it absolutely empowered me. I didn't even have a wrench (let alone know what size it would be if I had one) but I used a short pair of pliers and it worked great.

Thank You so much!!! You are the best. If they ever have a meme for "the other food blogger who has helped you the most" you are hands down the winner for me.

xoxo
Kalyn

P.S. Watch my blog tomorrow for me raving about how wonderful and thoughtful you are, and maybe even a photo of the flames if I can get it to come out with my limited photography skills.

Hey Kalyn,

Yeah, I am pretty amazing.

And it was easy huh?

Those old stoves hold all kinds of little secrets like that, it's fun.

Biggles

Good golly; way to go, Kalyn!
For my house in Mill Valley, we bought an old Wedgwood with red plastic trim. The folks who had reconditioned it (flame adjustment, thermostat, rechroming, etc.) had found a set of old Robert Shaw red knobs for the front. So pretty. Sale made. Asking price.
I think I had that stove 15 years before I noticed the brand names didn't match.
But the happy ending: When we put that house on the market, the buyers wanted to know if the stove was staying with the house. Ka-ching! Sale made. Over asking price.

Sigh.....If I only had gas :(
G.

Greg, I'm gonna let Biggles handle that comment.
:D

hey Biggles, been a while since i rapped at ya. But not being the most mechanically inclined person in the world I have to to ask:
what might one do if one's sweet-ass Viking range is making a constant clicking noise, even once the flame is lit. I adjust the knob from low flame to high flame, and where once it would stop when the flame was reduced, now 4 of the 6 burners keep clicking. Ever had this problem? The main reason I'm concerned (apart from it being annoying) is that one of the burners quit last week altogether. Maybe it's related, maybe it isn't. Any thoughts?

sorry can't answer, I'm listening to Georgy Girl.

Hey Monkey Boy,

It's really good to see you about. I didn't like the fact you took off and decided to do other things. Even if you think you're smart enough to be a damned LAW_YER.

Hey, that clicking noise is most likely the flint striking the box. Modern gas ranges have a START portion on your knob, but once you select something further it should STOP.
I don't know, truthfully and if it were my range I'd take off the knobs and start digging around and figure HOW that clicker works and why it doesn't go back off.
And by burner quit, how exactly did it quit? No clicking or no gas coming out?

Biggles

Antique Stoves is in Michigan. Where's a local place for a Wedgewood? My sister's stove is on a waiting list for a place in Stockton, but it's been months and it sounds like it'll be months more.

i've got a wedgewood cooktop and just had it hooked up by a professional today. worked fine while they were here, but an hour later all 4 pilot lights were out. we relit them (so it's definitely getting gas), but the flames are teeny tiny and the burners won't come on at all. tried adjusting the nut on one rear burner, and it came on! thought we were in the clear, but when we turned if off the pilot went out, too. any ideas? it was working fine, with giant flames, earlier today.

anyone know how to get the oven going on a '53 wedgewood? i turned off the gas to clean one of the upper burners and lit the range pilots fine, but i forgot the oven pilot. a day later i remembered to light the pilot (in the back) but the over won't fire up now--so i must be missing something.

anyone?

Hey Todd,

YES !!!

These old rigs have a safety valve that needs to be reset after you turn off the gas.

Take the burner covers and griddle out and search for a RED BUTTON on a valve somewhere in there. OR maybe in the compartment next to the oven. You may have to search around, but you'll find it.
PRESS the big red button and that will reset the valve and your oven will pop back to life!

Biggles

My newly purchased home came with a Wedgewood stove with knobs by Robert Shaw. Consequently, I have limited information about the stove. If it helps there are five knobs on the right and two on the left.

One of the five knobs reads "heater". I have tried every way possible to turn this heater on to no avail.

Does anyone have suggestions or point me in the right direction.

Thank you.

Hey Ixora,

The heaters are usually on the left side and the ovens are on the right. If you open the door on the left, get down on your knees and look for a RED button, waaaaaay down, maybe towards the back, press it. If it doesn't come back, pull it back up, they get sticky when old.
Now you gotta find the pilot light. Get one of those butane lighter wands and find the hole in the steel where there are some gas lines, the pilot light area. If the pilot light doesn't pop on, someone has probably turned OFF the heater. This is a good thing because the rumor is they're leaky old things that should be turned off and not used. Sorry about that! Don't worry too much though, with all the pilot lights in that range it'll keep the kitchen toasty warm.

Biggles

Hi there -- Renting a house with a Wedgewood stove that is really neat but seems to heat the entire house even when "off." Called PG&E and they turned off the range pilot for me (so now I use a lighter to light the burners) because I thought that would help the stove not leak so much heat, but am still spending an outrageous amount on gas bills. Landlord not helpful. Any ideas about how to turn the oven pilot WAY DOWN; or does anyone know if there is a way to turn the oven pilot off and just light it when I'm using it? Thanks!

Hey Kelly,

Hmmm, well the pilot light shouldn't be burning that much gas. It's usually a gas heater/dryer/hotwater heater that are the hogs in the home.
Even so, you can adjust the flame height easy. Don't turn it off because lighting a gas oven by hand is not only tough to do, it's dangerous. I've done it with a 1920's range I had years ago. It'd jump so hard when it lit, the entire range would lift up, not good.
The pilot light adjustment for the gas range is where the burners are. Take the top off the range, griddle too. If you spend some time looking at the gas lines, you'll find the big supply line that comes in. You'll see where it comes to the knobs and at some point you'll find the lines that end up going back and DOWN to the oven, probably on the right hand side in the BACK. In that line there will be a little nut that you can put a wrench to and turn it. You'll want to pull the oven racks out, pull the bottom of the oven out and NOTICE the pilot light when you do this. Don't make the pilot light too low. If it is too low, it may not light the burner or it'll go out when someone opens up the back door.
But I wouldn't worry too much about the pilot light. Try turning down the temperature on your water heater, is it insulated?

Biggles

Biggles or Kaylin,
I am also having problems with my Viking range. Not only do the ceramic clickers continue to click once the flame is lit, but sometimes, even when the stove is off, the clicking will commence by itself.

I couldn't find the original instructions you had posted for adjusting the flame level. Would you be a luv and repost? Thanks!

NICE TIP ON ADJUSTING PILOT LIGHTS, BUT WHAT IF YOU CLEANED ALL PILOT FEEDS AND ONE OF 4 PILOT LIHGTS NEEDS TO BE ADJUSTED HIGHER BUT YOU WANT TO KEEP THE OTHER THREE THE SAME...

YOUR SOLUTION SEEMS TO MAKE THE LOW PILOT NORMAL, BUT THE NORMAL PILOTS LIKE MINI FLAME THROWERS.

PLEASE EMAIL ME ANY SUGGESTIONS?

JASONCHUSFO@GMAIL.COM

Hi,

I,m having difficulty with my circa '50's Wedgewood stove. It has four burners, a griddle, two ovens and two broiler pans. I performed some work on the floors, having to disconnect the stove from the gas line, afterward reconnecting. I was able to light all four pilot lights. Although all stove-top burners and griddles work well, neither of the ovens will go past the pilot light stage after I turn the Robert Shaw knob to broil... I pressed in the red safety button, hoping this would help. But, the button stuck. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Bruce

Hi there,

What a great thread! I just moved into a rented house that has an old Wedgewood stove. The pilot light for the heater doesn't seem to be lit. When I turn the heater knob, I smell gas, but no heat comes out and I don't see a flame. So I am concerned that it is leaking gas. We tried pushing the red buttons, but that didn't do the trick. So I'd like either to light the pilot to the heater, or more preferably, just turn the whole heater off so we don't have to worry about any leaking gas in the future. Does anyone have any suggestions? The rest of the stove (the oven, the burners and the griddle) are all working fine.

Thanks!
Robin

Hey Robin,
You've got a few things going on here. If you turn the heater knob and you smell gas coming out, it means your pilot light for the heater isn't lit. Open up the door to the heater and see if you can find the hole where you stick in a long match or lighter wand and light the pilot light. If the pilot light doesn't come on? It was turned off on purpose and they should have cut the gas to the heater as well. It's easy to turn the pilot light back on, but don't.

I've had two different technicians tell me the heaters on these things are leaky old beasts that need to be turned OFF and not used. Mine is turned off and not used.

Please scour your yellow pages for someone who can come turn that off for you, or call your local Gas & Electric Company to see if they'll do it for free.

As long as your knobs on the front is in the OFF position, you should be safe. But for the future, it should be permanently turned off. Maybe in the coming weeks I'll see if I can't figure out how and post about it.

Take care and thanks for stopping by!

gp

I have a 1943 Magic chef single oven gas range and I would like to know how to adjust the oven.

Hey Mike,

I'd need a little bit more to go on. What exactly is the problem? Generally speaking, you adjust your oven using the knob on the front of the stove. I'm not trying to be an ass, but that's how it works. If your oven has problems holding temperatures or wildly fluctuating temperatures? You probably need a new thermostat.
If your knob and oven temp don't match? Such as when you turn your oven on to 350 and it's at 325 or 375? This you can adjust by REMOVING the knob on the front of the stove. Just carefully wobble it off, gently now. There should be a good sized spring there, remove that too.
LOOK right on the middle of the bare section coming out, where the knob was? Look CLOSELY and you'll see a little set-screw and gauge with a metal pointer. You can adjust that to your knob markings will match your oven temperatures. Neat eh?
I hope this helps,

Biggles

I have a 1988 Tappan gas range and oven combination. As I was preheating the oven to bake pumpkin pies on 12/24, it simply stopped working. I can't hear the gas "hiss", it doesn't light with a match and I haven't a clue what to do next. The pilot light has never been visible, so I can't tell if it's on or off. Ideas?

Hey Susie,

Dang, 1988 is quite a bit newer than what I'm used to. It may not even have a pilot light.
And if you're not hearing gas rushing out, then the pilot light isn't the problem. Some safety valve has probably been tripped, for some reason or another. You'd have to poke around and see if you can find a reset button, either around the burner section on on the back somewhere.

I would think if it was a safety valve that was triggered it was probably for a good reason. Call a repair person!

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

So what's the deal about the pilot to burner connection? It seems to be that I get enough flame in use with the knob on high but sometimes the burners have trouble lighting initially - if I'm not careful, I'll leak gas fumes especially on the front right. My wife only likes the front left burner almost exclusively as it's more reliable in lighting. Pilots themselves are reilable in that they never go out. And the burners light best on low gas flow and most likely to fail to light at full throttle.

And I'm curious about those butterflys in the gas feed to the burners just behind the adjusting nuts you have so elegantly outlined in the main article. What do they do and why are they adjusted so more of less of the little window is exposed to the interior of the feed pipe? I keep thinking they're what needs adjusting for the initial lighting problem.

And then there's the back burners that we seldom use because of the grates having the solid center section. I assume they are like that because of the lack of aluminum clad stainless cookware back in the days of yore helping to spread the heat to thin pot bottoms. Does anyone trade in parts for these old Wedgewoods where I could get the backs like the front griles?

Thanks for the great lead article Dr Biggles

Hey Robert,

Thanks for stopping by, excellent questions.

On your first question about pilots, lighting and so forth. It's tough to know because I'm not there. But there are pilot tubes that faciliate the lighting of your burners. These aluminum tubes get holes and can basically just wear away. I would investigate this first, maybe they're misaligned? Mine usually are. Over time you can do some collecting and maybe find some replacement parts. During the mean time, use matches to light the stove, no biggie.

In regards to the second question about the butterfly valves. Those are for the air to fuel mixture. I have some excellent technical notes as to how to adjust those and I have no idea where they are. I'm looking for them so I can post the information. Feel free to play with them, just make damned sure you take note of where they are originally. This way you can return them to the way they were before you screwed them up. At least that's what I do. They could give you a hard time for the lighting of the burners, but I don't think that's your culprit.

In regards to your third question. Those two pesky metal discs as your grates are called heat diffusers. You can buy ones from your local fancy pants kitchen supply, I have several including those built in to my stove. No, it doesn't have to do with the lack of thick aluminum discs on the bottom of cookware. Cast iron and standard aluminum cookware from the time does just fine. It has to do with finicky cooking/baking. Those discs are the best when simmering soups & stews for long periods of time with literally no scorching, this is especially good when simmering beans. I've found them great for delicate sauces as well, nice. These old stoves were built with real home cooks in mind, where it was necessary to really simmer things low with no scorching.

Embrace your range, it's your friend.

Biggles

I just purchased and installed an O'Keefe & Merritt, one of the 600 models (4 burners, a center griddle, grillevator and glassless oven), from the 40's/50's. We have been looking for a long time for an affordable O'Keefe & Merritt like this to replace our spent Wedgewood 3-53. I want to use it NOW, but I have 2 problems when I turn the gas valve on.

1. I can't figure out how to light the stove top pilots. I see the little boxes where the pilots are but can't seem to get them to light. I know the burners are working because I can manually light them.

2 - When I opened the grillevator to light the pilot it sounded and smelled like there was an awful lot of gas coming out. So much infact, that I was afraid to even attempt to light the pilot. Also, there is a little triangular door, near where the gas begins its ascent to the grillevator burner, that is open. Is this ok?

Do you have any advice . . . please?!

Thanks,
Brian

Hey Brian,

Hmm, let's see. Regarding question #1. If you've found the pilot light for the burners and putting a match to them doesn't ignite them, they've been turned off. There would be several reasons for that, one of which being they're leaking and were shut off due to a safety issue. Or, people turn them off to save money on gas or they don't like the top of their stove so damned hot.

Regarding question #2. I don't have any experience with the Grillevators in O&K stoves. I can tell you this though, you should NOT be getting massive amounts of gas coming from anywhere with all your knobs turned OFF.

You need to do one of two things. Either find a local place that will come out and repair it or call your local gas & electric company and see if they'll come do a gas check on the stove. Our local gas company will do it.

I hope this helps,

Biggles

The flame height adjust info has already been tremendously useful. Thank you Dr. Biggles !!!

I have two questions for you and the group;

1. As regards the rear burners that have circular iron plates on them (as in your pictures above). What are they intended for? What are they NOT so good for? I modified some old burner grates in the meantime so as to get 4 'normal' burners--- due to my naivety in how to use these!

2. How can I get my oven to stay lit? --- basically to cycle on and off under control of the thermostat.

I've used it for 5 years sucessfully. Usually it makes a single loud "boom" as reaches terminal temp. I've always lit it by hand at a hole at the center bottom of the oven-- inside the door.

I don't believe there is any oven pilot light-- but there must be some way for it to relight, no? Recently I light the oven, it comes up to temperature then the oven burner cycles off and never roars back on again. Then my bread -or- cookies never finish baking. Yikes!

My range top pilot lights work fine and stay lit-- no issues there. I've never found the "RED KNOB" that you referred to above in the post asking "how to get the oven going on a '53 Wedgewood".

Mine is probably a "cheapo" Wedgewood and is in a rental duplex of the same age. It has 4 knobs for burners and an oven knob for the Robertshaw thermostat. Has an electric light on the rear, "pie safe" storage area left of the oven. Only one gas line per burner (vs. 2 each as described above). Have been down on hands and knees with a lamp. Pie safe storage area is empty. Nothing in there. Hmm... I've wirebrushed and cleaned up all parts of the oven/broiler burner. Have run out of things to try.

Any ideas?

Hey Bill,

Welcome and thanks for the kind words.

Let's see, question #1 - Those solid grates are heat diffusers so you don't burn your melting butter or pot of beans. You can use them for anything, even boiling water. It'll just take longer to get the job done. I agree, one of those would be plenty, I don't need 2 !!! Since you're in Palo Alto, you should be able to find some nice replacements. Apple Appliance in Berkeley, Reliance Appliance in Berkeley and there are others. Or even CraigsList might be a good place to start.

2. Well, if your oven is popping on at least once, even lit manually, your Red Knobs are working and don't need to be found at the moment. It sounds as though your pilot light isn't working or has been turned OFF. Sometimes people do this to save on gas or because it needs repair and they don't want to bother. Howver, your oven shouldn't be completely going off! You really should call Apple Appliance in Berkeley and see if they'll come out. They don't charge an arm and a leg and it'd be nice to know everything is cool. My guess is that you need a new oven thermostat and the oven pilot needs to be looked at and checked. I had Apple come out and replace my oven's thermostat maybe 3 years ago and it was only 170 bux total. And now? It's within about 3 degrees of what the knob says !!!
You could also call PG & E, they'll come out for free and check it out.
Yeah, call PG&E first, that's free.

Biggles

Ah, gotta love the 'net! I have a near identical W'wood (w/all chrome top!) and stumbled on your posting and comments, just as I was about to dive into my "new" stoves' lack of enthusiasm. Seems it was set up for LP rather than natural gas, and I have to open the orifices on the sucker and let it breath a little better. Nice to see some pictures and text for guidance and reassurance. Thanks!

Dear Dr. Biggles,

It's nice to see an online resource for the use and care of these great old stoves.

We have an old late '30s-early 40's Wedgewood that looks exactly like the one in the photos above. It has four burners, a griddle, two ovens, and two broiler pans. Everything was fine until a little fire in one of the broiler pans (too much grease don't you know). It burned itself out and the pilot light as well (I turned the gas off). Since then, even though I've relit the pilot light and pushed the red button safety valve, the oven and broiler on that side don't work. Everything else: the stove burners, griddle, and other oven and broiler are fine. I thought that perhaps soot had clogged up the gas holes but that doesn't seem to be the problem.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hey Overbroil,

Just so you know, I'm not a technician, just an avid fan. With that in mind:

That was a little fire, right? Not something we need to be concerned with, right? Cause if it is, it's time to call a real technician or your local gas company.
Since I'm not familiar with the 2 oven rigs, I don't know exactly. I would look for a 2nd safety valve. I just have 1 oven and my stove has a separate safety valve for the heater and oven. But where would it be? Maybe just the one then.
Have you tried pressing the button several times and making sure it isn't stuck?
Have you looked behind the range to see if there's a second button in the rear?

Biggles

We bought a red 1940,s stove and had it restored, I cooked on the griddle and now I can't get the griddle clean. I have tried baking soda, etc, do you have any suggestions and how would i avoid this in the future

Hey Red,

To answer your question directly? Don't use it.

I had mine rechromed 4 years ago and it looks worn now too.

There are several things you can do.

Clean it with Bon Ami (NON abrasive) when it gets cool enough to clean. Attempting to clean a griddle when cool is too hard.

Or do what I do and use Bar Keepers Friend on all surfaces.

If there are some tough spots, such as cooked on oil? Heat up and scrape clean, easily.

Don't use standard bleach cleaners with harsh abrasives, it'll wear off your enamel and chrome.

Biggles

Comment:

Hi, great site. I have an O'Keefe & Merritt 4 burner, I've turned off the pilots to save propane and stay cool. I have adjusted the flames in the past, and they're fine, except that every morning when I go to light the burner under the kettle it lights, then pops and goes into some kind of blowback, with a hollow, deep hissing sound, like Darth Vader taking a deep breath. I turn it off, light it again and it's fine. Any way to prevent this?

Hey Paul,

Sounds cool, yet probably gives you the heebie jeebies.
I don't have any experience with propane stoves at all. Could be a weak pressure regulator, but I just don't know. Sorry mang.

Biggles

thank you thank you for how to adjust the anemic flame for my lower right burner on my 1950 O and M. When the top gets back from rechroming and I turn it back on I'll do this right away. Great site!!

this is a great thread. i found exactly what i wanted (flame height adjustment) while looking for "butterfly" gate adjustment...to increase my flame heights!

and my (probably overlong) addition hereto:

two weeks ago i bought a 1953 western holly continental 37 stove, with porthole and broyl-oven. while i didn't take it down to *every* component part, i took off all the porcelain and cleaned it before putting it back together. took the doors apart and off, cleaned the entire stove inside, and all the chromed parts. got it all back together without a hitch, and the clock is even working (mostly, the timer part doesn't work, but i'll get it working soon).

saturday we roasted a chicken, and it was outstanding. the heavy metal and thick porcelain reradiate heat such that it browned all over, evenly. yesterday my wife said we needed to figure out how to get the flame to come on higher, so i started looking today...and found this thread!

some things:
1. baking soda mixed with vinegar (white or cider, makes no difference except for odor) makes an outstanding cleaning solution for 50 years of baked on grease and grime. a thin paste of the stuff (beware of the foaming!) applied with a toothbrush scrubbed off with a green 3M pad and robert's your mother's uncle (altered britspeak for "you're in good shape").

2. an open plastic container of ammonia (purchased at the local drug store) in the oven overnight, followed with an application of the vinegar-baking soda solution cleans the oven perfectly well. i still have to go over some spills on the face of the oven with easy-off, as i did on the lower edge of the inner oven door (when it was off the oven).

3. new insulation is a good thing, too. the outer skin of our oven gets pretty hot, but the insulation is grease-soaked, 50-year-old fiberglass. i've ordered some new 2" insulation (range insulation from mcmaster-carr) for half what antique gas stoves charges. i'll try it in the doors, and will be able to tell how it works by comparing with the sides of the oven...should make the oven bake more evenly as well.

and, 4. the pilots for both the broyl-oven and the main oven/broiler have three "parts". the first is the ever-on pilot, the second is a gas jet lit by this pilot, and the third is a gas-mixing area that lights upstream of the first two. if your oven isn't lighting, make sure the jet is clean...it throws out flame to make contact with the gas coming out of the racetrack. i think the third pilot is heating the thermocouple (as part of the safety system) that will open the gas only when the thermocouple gets hot enough (if the ever-on pilot is not lit, it won't open the gas; if the jet is clogged and not throwing properly, it will turn on the gas, and eventually light, but you'll hear a mild explosion in your oven that's rather startling...actually, you don't want this to happen, so clean your jets!

and, finally, a question. you say there's an adjuster to make the temperature inside the oven the same as the temperature markings on the knob...how about if the temperature difference increases as the temperature increases? ie, at 200degF on the knob it's dead on, at 300 it's 10degF low, at 400 it's 25degF low, and at 500 it's 50degF low. anything to do about this other than have the thermostat rebuilt?

thanks for a great thread!
best,
bill kasper
felton, ca

Hey Western,

Thank you so much for taking the time to lay that down. Excellent reference material.

Nope. The thermostat will have to be rebuilt and set by a pro. If you mess with the adjuster screw that's recessed there on the front of the oven thermostat you'll make a real mess of it. If your oven temperature is steady, just make a note of what knob reading means what oven temperature, you'll be fine. If however, you set your oven temp to 350 and it flucutates from 200 to 550 every 30 minutes, you'll most certainly need a new stat. That's what mine did and the new stat is wonderful.
Even so, I'll put the Taylor Oven Thermometer in every 5 roasts or so, just to see. It's not so critical for chicken, but for bread? You bet.

Biggles

yep, it's the first way. we'll keep charting it to come up with known accuracy, and have an oven thermometer inside to insure it. maybe have it rebuilt at some point for s&g.

great site, btw. has anyone actually made a meathenge model? some short ribs, a slab of filet, and maybe some sausages...mmmmmm.

w

Hey Western,

Meathenge model? I don't think so, nope. Sparklewitch (MH fan) did up some jewelry:

http://www.cyberbilly.com/meathenge/archives/000786.html

And my uncle gave me his Dodge van. My brother inlaw is wanting to paint the meathenge logo on it, that's a good start for sure.
You make models?

Biggles

i was thinking a literal "meathenge", aping stonehenge, but made out of various cuts of meat. maybe set it on a wheatgrass (mown, of course) base. matchbox cars and a little parking area/interpretive center made from old take-out containers.

could be a laugh...but i don't make models, much. maybe if i get the right cuts of meat together, i would do it...

Hey,

That's how Meathenge got started and is kinda outlined here:

http://www.cyberbilly.com/about.html

Down towards the bottom there.

I've got a picture somewhere of the Meathenge we made out of 9 lbs of ground beef, it was a lot of fun. Maybe this summer it'll come around again, one never knows.

Biggles

Hi!

I just bought an awesome late 40's model Wedgewood. After scrubbing for 40 days and 40 nights to get the dear ol' lady clean, we lit her up and she is wondrous! The only challenge I now face is to either repair or replace her knobs. She has the kind that have the metal ring around the back describing what the knob turns on. I HAVE the knobs, the the piece that holds them onto the metal piece that turns the burner on has broken. Can they be repaired? Or do I have to replace them? Thank you SO much for any information you may have! BTW, I purchased this chrome-topped beauty from a woman who had her for 25 years for all of $50.00! I am over-the-moon happy!! Again, thanks!!! Cynthia

Hey Cynthia,

You'd have to send me an image of the piece that needs repairing, I'm not quite getting the picture. My oven knob is the only one that has a metal ring around it that tells what's going on.
If it isn't a deal breaker, I would stick with what you have for the moment and keep your eyes open in the local paper to see if anyone is tossing an old range out and see if you can grab what you require. Or contact www.antiquestoves.com / www.classicstoves.com and see if you can buy what you need. Surely they can lead you in the right direction.
If you are in a large metropolitan area, maybe there is a local antique stove repair person that might have a stash. I'm in the San Francisco area and there's quite a handful of them locally. Take care and enjoy!

Biggles

Hey! Great site. I've learned a lot.

Do I need a new thermostat? With a thermometer inside the oven, the inside temperature and the intended temperature (that indicated on the knob) conincided for about 45 minutes, and then the temperature inside the oven rose to an incinerating level. Is there a feedback problem?

Thanks!
Debbie-Doo

Hey Debbie,

YES, you need a new thermostat. If the knob and oven temp don't match, that's fine. Just take notes. However, if your oven temp goes from 275 to 550 in 35 minutes and back again, you need a new thermostat.
It's not a big deal and shouldn't cost much. Please find a local place or dial in www.classicstoves.com or www.antiquestoves.com. It's worth every penny to restore your old range versus buying new.
To get something even remotely close would cost you over 2500 dollars if not double that.
Take care and good luck,

Biggles

Thanks for your help - I am new to the wonders of these beautiful beasts. I just inherited one upon move-in.

I just want to clarify: I left the knob at 350 degrees and the oven cooperated for awhile and then the heat rose very high; it did not drop.

Is it possible to do enamel repair? There are several sections on this O'keefe & Merritt that have chipped and someone has gobbed over the areas with some porcelain repair that is the WRONG color!

Hey Dr.

Well, hmmm. What you're going to need to do is to sit down and figure out what temperatures you use on your range. I use 300, 325, 350, 375 and 450, usually.
Put a good quality, Taylor brand is good enough, dial thermometer in the oven and set your knob to 300. Wait 30 minutes and check the temp, mark that down on paper. Continue and see if you can get the oven temp to where you want it no matter what the knob says.
If you can maintain an oven temp that works for you, such as if the knob says 425 and the oven sits at 450, then you're okay.
However, if you notice that even when you set your knob to 425, hoping for a 450 oven and THIS TIME hovers over 475, then you have a problem.

You can get items reporcelained. However, it's not as sturdy as the first time. And least this is the rumor I hear. I would search around and see if you can find some stuff that's the right color. Again, contact those urls to see what they can do for you. One of them has an antque appliance club you can join. This might be a good idea because they will then hand out free valuable advice! In any case, it's a labor of love. Take your time and it'll come together.

Biggles

We just connected a Wedgewood stove in our kitchen, turned the gas on and the pilot lits for the top burners, but cannot figure out how to light the ovens, any tips? I have pictures if this would help.

Thanks for a great series of threads and lots of very useful info.
I have a wedgewood (came with the house) stove with heater. Like most, the heater on this unit is disconnected. A technician will be coming out to connect it back up. From the posts that I've read, it seems like it would be best not to as they tend to leak -- are there any modifications that can be done to prevent this? It would be nice to have a heater in my cold kitchen.
---- appreciate any thoughts. Thanks!

Hey Bruce,

I haven't stuck my fangers in to the heater portion, so I don't know from hands-on experience. Two technicians from 2 different repair places (use Apple in the East Bay) and they both said not to hook them up and wouldn't entertain the idea of working on them. I asked if they knew of a modification to remove them so I could USE the hole for storage. No luck there either.
The only way I'd have that thing reconnected is if myself or some trained technicial fully inspected it. And even then you'd have to keep a close watch on it. On second thought, I think I'd buy a small space heater.

Biggles

Hello! I found lots of great tips, but not the one I'm looking for. On the one that mentioned the stove pilots that did not work, you said they must be turned off, but didn't mention how to turn them on. My college aged son and friends moved in to our old home with an old O'Keefe, and when the gas company came out, they noted that only the right side stove pilots lit. Oven, grill and broiler pilots all lit. That was a month ago, and now none of the stove pilots light. Lighting with a match was fine when I was the one doing all the cooking. But with college kids in and out, I wouldn't trust one of the "guests" not to try and heat something up, and not recognize how to light the burner. My son, of course, would assume EVERYONE lights their stoves that way. So, how to turn the pilots ON, and/or how to adjust them is what I'm looking for. Thanks so much!

Hello! I found lots of great tips, but not the one I'm looking for. On the one that mentioned the stove pilots that did not work, you said they must be turned off, but didn't mention how to turn them on. My college aged son and friends moved in to our old home with an old O'Keefe, and when the gas company came out, they noted that only the right side stove pilots lit. Oven, grill and broiler pilots all lit. That was a month ago, and now none of the stove pilots light. Lighting with a match was fine when I was the one doing all the cooking. But with college kids in and out, I wouldn't trust one of the "guests" not to try and heat something up, and not recognize how to light the burner. My son, of course, would assume EVERYONE lights their stoves that way. So, how to turn the pilots ON, and/or how to adjust them is what I'm looking for. Thanks so much!

Thanks for the great info! I'm surprised there isn't some fan page that details all this stuff in an easy to use format. I have a Wedgewood that is nearly identical to yours, but the top is all chrome... well, it was once, anyway.

Just a quick note to say that I've successfully calibrated the knob for the oven by using the adjustment screw. Basically, you want to calibrate it to 350, because that's the most common temperature. This was a long time ago, but if I remember right, I just stuck an oven thermometer in there, and played with the settings. It wasn't all that hard to do... well, maybe I just got lucky.

The area under the top of the stove is incredibly disgusting with old congealed grease and whatnot on my stove. I've done some cleaning, but I'm a little concerned about cleaning all the tubes and so on. Is this worth doing? Will I screw something up if I try to do this?

BTW, I would LOVE to see the adjustment procedure for the butterfly doodads on the wedgewood. If you find it, please post it.

Paul B.

Hey Paul,

I'm still searching each week for the booklet I have on the butterfly adjustment thingies. I've only had it for 3 or so years, can't believe they've gotten THIS lost.
Not sure how to answer whether the under the top area of your stove is worth cleaning. While it doesn't need to be spotless, I think it should be relatively clean.
Checkit. Your burner assemblies are simply RESTING in place. You can actually just lift them out and slip them off the gas attachment. Those aluminum feed tubes need to be handled with care though. Start by lifting up on the rear part of the burners first, you should be able to figure it out. Once those are out, you can clean up a little easier.

Biggles

wow, i cant express how glad i am to have stumbled upon this site.

here's the deal:

my boyfriend and i just moved into a beautiful, very old apartment building, it has a FANTASTIC tiny wedgewood gas stove in the kithen. its small, four burners.. very cute..

the problem.

i dont know ANYTHING about gas stoves!

the stove TOP works fine, but when you turn the knob for the oven all we get is GAS!!
no heat, just gas audibly pouring out..
lots and lots..

i dont know how, or if it needs to be lit!
and the boyfriend would be really angry if i blew up the new apartment, any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!

thank you!!

Hey Amy,

Well, this could be an easy one.

Open the oven door and completely remove the wire rack, set to the side.

Remove the pan that IS the oven's floor. It should just lift right out, probably even a finger hole or notch to help out.

Now you're looking at the guts of the oven's burner assembly. Most likely towards the rear of the oven, down behind the large burner assembly is the PILOT LIGHT. Follow the gas lines with your eye balls, take a moment. Follow the gas line TO the burner assembly, some place close should be the little pilot lite. Put a lighter or match to it, WITHOUT THE OVEN BEING TURNED ON !!! Move the match around a bit until you find it, should just pop right on.

Or call your local gas company and they'll probably come out and do it fer free.

Biggles

Great site! My stove is just like the one pictured. Didn't know so many people were so in love with old stoves like mine. Just got mine back together after 3 months of cleaning, but I can't get the pilot in the oven to light. I'd like to see a closeup picture and/or some detail of the pilot, to know how to be sure the orifice is open.

Your info is very helpful--I plan to use it on our circa 1952 Wedgewood. It may be time for a "frame off" restoration after all these years (oven light/clock/etc. don't work), but it will be worth it. Gas! It seems so, so... right! Looks like I'll need to have the safety valve for the oven and broiler rebuilt, but that's not so bad after 50+ years of continuous service. The only other thing I can think of with that kind of lasting performance is me. ;-P

Hey Rock,

Mine is a 1952 as well. They're amazing ranges and can do a wonderful job, even when in poor condition.
You'd be surprised what a lot of cleaning and adjusting and rechroming can do for it. It'll take a little time and some effort, but you'll be glad you did.
Have fun!

Biggles

Hi Dr.Biggles, we have a 40"Wedgewood Double Oven. Not sure of the year. It looks as if all of the pilot lights are lit but we are smelling a little more gas than usual. Could you identify where all the pilot lights are on this type of stove? We think we may be missing one and are new to these types of stoves. Any thoughts? Thank you!!!

Hey Rachel,

Each oven should have its own pilot light, the right & left side of the stove top burners should each have their own pilot light. Unless you have a heater or some other accessory that would require a pilot, that should be it.
I would turn off the gas and call your local gas company. They'll usually come out for free and sleuth it out. Don't mess with gas baby!

Biggles

I have new tappan. I am a rookie cook. But I was cleaning the range. For some reason, I feel heat coming out of the oven? The manual stated to just turn the knob to off position. I still feel the heat. I also the saw the bottom of the oven lite up. Well the "flame" at the bottom is down. But i still feel the heat. Is it still on? I new to gas ranges....so i am learning as i go....any info would be appreciated!

Hey Roland,

A new tappan?

Then you have a manual. Please read through the manual to see if you have a PILOT LIGHT. If you do, then your gas range will be warm 24 hours a day. If not, please consult a technician to make sure you and your family are safe!

Biggles

I have a vintage tappan 1950 stove and cannot get the pilot light to stay lighted. I push in the red safety button in the back but as soon as I let it go the pilot goes out. What am I doing wrong?

How do you repair light in vintage tappan 1950 stove oven

How do you repair light in vintage tappan 1950 stove oven

I have an old wedgewood stove that the oven doesn't work. The only number I have is 842blk -T. Can someone help me with this?

Hey Charlene,

You're going to have to give me more to go on than, "oven doesn't work".

Is the pilot light going?

When did the oven stop working? Or did it never work?

Did you read through the comments here and check for the RED BUTTON safety valve that needs to be pressed?

Please inform.

Biggles

This is a great thread...but where are these elusive instructions everyone keeps raving about? I'd love to see the instructions (with pics) that Kalyn used...I think I have the same problem! Could you give me the direct link?

Thanks!
Soñita

Also having problems with my Wedgewood oven Pilot Light. This is my second Wedgewood so am familiar with "Red Button", but have looked everywhere and this model doesn't seem to have one. Before I go crazy looking for it some more, do you know if there were any models possibly made without this feature?? Can light oven pilot manually, but is very scary. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks

The Red Button only stops the oven from coming on. The pilot lights should come on when the gas is turned on.
Maybe some of the older ranges didn't have the red button, it should be nestled in with the burner assembly up top, somewheres.
The oven's pilot might need adjusting. I'll send you over an image.

Biggles

I have a Magic Chef Stove older model, the oven do not heat up although the pilot light is on and i could smell a little gas.

Question - I have a 22 inch Wedgewood 4-burner plus oven. Oven has started sooting which tells me it's not getting enough air. How to check this and adjust. (I'm nowhere near a service center so must do it myself.) Thanks

Hey Ted,

Is it sooting up when the burner is on? Or is the pilot light doing the sooting?

The oven isn't anywhere near air tight. There should be plenty of air getting in there. Is the exhaust from the oven blocked, choked?

The oven on my '50's vintage Wedgewood has started to shut down during use. I can hear the safety? valve tripping when it does this. Pressing the red valve button will allow restart, but only after the oven cools a little it seems. I've seen this problem mentioned in the thread, but no definitive solution. Anyone successfully dealt with this problem before? It appears the valve is the culprit, or could it be the thermocouple?

Hey T-bone,

This problem is beyond what I know.

If I had to guess, it'd be the safety valve. Since that's most likely the less expensive of the two to replace, I'd opt for that one first, heh.

Sorry I couldn't be of more hep. Take care,

Biggles

My apartment has a tiny little apartment sized Wedgewood. Don't know the year, though that'd be interesting to find out. I have very much the same situation as Little Miss Amy, the range has a pilot and all the burners work fine but I have to match light the oven every time I use it. I think the oven just doesn't have a pilot light at all. There's a sticker on the front of the oven that says "WARNING NO PILOT Adviso sin pilot So. Cal. Gas Co." I don't like match lighting it every time I use it. This worries me greatly, especially because I have to lay on my stomach and stick my hand into the broiler to reach the hole where I'm supposed to light it. Did Ww make hand-light ovens or is it likely someone turned off their pilot and I can turn it back on?

Hey Valentina,

I don't know, it would depend on the year of the range. I know I had a '30s range years ago that was a hand-lit oven situation. Scary stuff.

If you'd like to send pictures of your range, I could probably have a look, for sure.
But you'd be better off seeing if you have a local antique appliance company that could come out and have a look. Or call your local gas company and see if they'll come out, it's usually free!

Biggles

I have 1950's Wedgewood, double oven, wide grill in the middle. I want to clean it under the top. I figured out how to take out the burners and clean them, clean and adjust the nuts and oxygen intakes. But I cannot figure out if I can somehow just lift the top off or at least up far enough to clean it well. I called one of the stove places and the person couldn't tell me if it would lift up or not.
BTW, I found mine in a yard sale, in brand new condition-looked like it had never been used for 50 dollars.

Hey Doe,

You're killing me! Holy cow, and I thought I got a good deal.
Well, as you know the griddle lifts out along with the cover plates around the burners. Then the burners lift out. I believe the rest of the top is just screwed down. And you may have to unscrew the back off as well, where the clock and timer is. It isn't tough, but it can get tedious and it's quite a job. Especially if the screws have rusted tight. I would consider just doing what you can with the way it is. Those stoves can be taken to pieces, completely. So, it all comes apart.

Biggles

I have a "Char glo" mfg. by Waste King Universial some time in the 70's. It is a built in Bar B Q in my house. The firm has appartenly gone out of business. And since the Bar B Q is built with used brick and has it own chemminy i would like to get it working like it did in the old days. Problem being it has cold spots and the flame does not seem to travel the full lenth of the metal pipes. They in turn heat the grill which is a heavey metal. Not sure how to proceed. Is anyone familiar with this unit and can you give mae any advice. I should mention that it has a pilot light. It also use the rock bricketts.

Hey Bill,

I don't but maybe someone who reads this thread would know.

It sounds as though you may want to turn off the gas to that unit and start removing pieces to see if you can clean, adjust and figure out how it all goes together. Maybe if you took pictures of the installation and took it to a local hardware store, they might be able to lead you in a direction. Or find an antique appliance company online and ask them. www.antiquestoves.com or www.classicstoves.com?

Biggles

sticky knobs...

we've got a '53 wedgewood stove and one burner suddenly takes A LOT of effort to turn off. details below:

turning ON: counterclockwise from 12 to 7 o'clock positions. it is a little tight turning on, once past 10 o'clock turns fine.

turning OFF, it glides from 7 to 10 and then from 10 to 12 it is a real bear to turn off.

never had this problem until recently. i lifted up the hood to see if anything was sticking, but i couldn't really tell by looking.

Love the thread, Dr. Biggles.

My question is about adjusting the oven burners on vintage (40/50s) Wedgewood (2 oven, 6 burner unit). I recently switched from LP to Natural Gas...and using your helpful guide, successfully adjusted needle valves for top burners. But the oven burner flames, while working, are not as high as they were with the propane. Seems they need to be "turned up." But is there an adjustment for this? I see notes on thermostat setting in previous posts, but this would not change actual flame size, correct?

Thanks for your comments.

Hey Todd,

DAMNED MAN !!! I missed your post, I'm SO sorry.

The lube in your knobs has gotten old and needs to be cleaned, lubed and put back together.

I did it on my range, but it isn't for the light of heart. You have to turn off the gas, disassemble the front of your range and really dig in there. Plus you can only use SPECIAL lube. I bought online 4 years ago and now cannot find.

You need to contact www.classicstoves.com or www.antiquestoves.com and see if they have it and some instructions. The best thing to do would be to call a technician, if one is available.

Sorry I missed you!

Biggles

Hey Dave,

Yeah, propane is under higher pressure than natural gas. I have some jpg images for you, please find my email address from the front of meathenge there. I think it's on the bottom left. I'll send them to you.

Biggles

Hey Dr. Biggles: Any thoughts on the adjusting the oven after switching to Natural gas from LP? My previous post was July 10.

Thanks for any info.

Dan

Amazing list--thank you! We have a classic "Slattery" stove, circa 1960 or so. I haven't been able to find out much about the brand, except that they were made in Brooklyn. I'm wondering if you have any advice for the problem we're having, which I didn't see on here already...

We've been using all the burners and stove on a near-daily basis for about three years (the previous owner bought it original and almost never used it). Over the past month, though, we noticed the oven temperature keeps getting lower, even though we have the guage cranked to the maximum. The flame itself is now barely staying lit, even when set to broil, and appears to be getting too much air mixed in (it goes a bit yellowish here and there). We tried adjusting the set screw/gauge behind the oven knob, but it doesn't affect the flame height at all. We weren't able to find a red reset button anywhere under the lid or in the back of the pots and pan storage cabinet, so perhaps this model doesn't have one?

Any thoughts or advice would be *greatly* appreciated. Or, if you think I should call in a repairman, do you know of any good resources for finding a good one (in Brooklyn, NY?)

Thanks very much!

Hey Kate,

I'm sorry, but I don't know how that stove is put together. I don't know of anyone local to you that would be able to help, I would start asking around.
I've found that the repair people for these older stoves are pretty cool people. They know you don't want that new crap and are here to make sure your old equipment keeps on going. I would expect to have your oven's thermostat replaced. Sure it'll be a few hundred bucks. But what's the alternative? A new range? For 1800? No, spend a few hundred bucks and get your old unit back in tip top shape. It's worth every penny.

xo

Thanks for your quick response Doc! I appreciate your advice, and will definitely look into getting it repaired.

Hey. Great site. Thanks for all the info.

Here is my problem. I have a Universal stove circa 1959. I disconnected it to clean but now the oven pilot won't go on. The burners work. I pushed the "red button". No soap. If I push the red button and hold it down I can light the stove, but the second I release the button the gas shuts off.

I read in one of your postings that the gas to the pilot should be on all the time but mine seems not to be. It is directly connected to the "red button" assembly thingy.

Any ideas on what's going on her. It worked great before.

Thanks RoseMary

Hey Rosemary,

Tough for me to know from here, but it sounds as though you have a bad safety valve. Call your local gas company to see if they'll do a free inspection and may be able to get it going again, for free!
It does sound like a bad valve though. What you're describing is exactly what it'd do, or not.

Biggles

Thanks for getting back so quickly. I really appreciate it.

I'll call the gas company to do an inspection. But then what?

If the saftey valve is shot, can it be replaced with a modern one, or would I have to find an old part somewhere?

RoseMary

Hey Rosemary,

You may want to start hitting your local yellow pages and see if you can find someone who repairs antique gas ranges. It may take a little digging, but will well be worth the effort.
Also remember you have www.classicstoves.com and www.antiquestoves.com at your fingertips, give them a call and see what they say about your stove.

Biggles

I have a 1949 Wedgewood. The model number has a 63 stamped over two of the numbers. It is either a M8638A05 or a M8?58A05. Any idea why the stamped over numbers? It is a 40" with dual ovens, 4 burners with gridle, chrome top, but doesn't have clock or large back like some.
Also, we got it home and the right oven doesn't work. The pilot light lights, but even after pushing the red safety button a few times, the oven doesn't lite, I even tried with a lighter.
I did notice when cleaning it that the right oven is much cleaner, so maybe it hasn't been working for awhile. Any ideas? Maybe a bad safety switch?
And have you found the tech sheet for the butterfly valves yet on the burner tubes?
Thanks for all your help. This is new to us and we love it so far.
Does the griddle always stay hot because of the pilot lights?

Thanks for your help,
Gary

Hey Gary,

Ack, no idea for the stamped over numbers. Unless it was a floor model that never sold and could have been upgraded. It's tough to know.
40" with dual ovens? You stinker! That's the one I want!
Yeah, could be a bad safety valve. It could have also been turned off by the previous owner. See, many people are all freaked out about old gas ranges being leaky and dangerous. So, they spend time and money having pilots turned off and unused portions of the range turned off. If I were you, I would call my local gas company and ask if they have someone who can come out and take a look, usually for free. If not, it'd sure be worth paying someone to get it up and going again. I do have some images that show you how to adjust the oven flame height and so forth. But you REALLY don't want to be screwing around with such things unless you know what you're doing or have nothing to lose. That 40" range is a true gift from the oven gods and should be cared for like a rolls royce.
And no, I haven't found the tech sheet yet. I thought I knew where they were in the garage, but NO. If I get a hold of them, I've got your email and will contact you directly.
Yup, griddle and basically the whole stove stays warm because of the pilot lights. It's a lot nicer in the winter, for sure. But it also makes a GREAT proofing area for baking breads. You're going to LOVE it. Also keep in mind, if you fry or cook something in the evening and don't clean up the range before bedtime, the warm stove will cause those aromas to permeate the kitchen and house. Try to wipe it down quickly each night!

Biggles

I have and use a beautiful 40's O'Keefe & Merrit gas stove with a chrome top and griddle in the middle. I sware I can taste [and smell] a [metalicy] chrome fumey odor in the kitchen [while the stove is not in use] generated from the pilot lights hitting the chrome, [which I'm sensitive to], unless it is simply the pilot light fumes [which are lit now]. The oven is vented. Can I safely shut off the gas for the pilot lights [stove top] and light the burners with a match when I turn them on?

Thanks, Fumey

Hey Fumey,

I know EXACTLY what you're talking about. To me, it was more of a kerosene smell, but yes. And it isn't a reaction from the chrome, that isn't possible with a pilot light.

My smell was solved when the technician came by and adjusted the height of the pilot light in the oven, I had it too low and it was smouldering (manky fumes).

Yup, you can turn off the pilot lights for the burners. Pull off the cover plate on the right side burners. Find the butterfly valves, close to you there. Look at the pair one over from the far right. Just to the left, should be a smallish slotted screw. I believe if you turn that to the right, the pilots will pop right off.

Take care and good luck!

WOW, what great information!

My friend just bought a house that has a 1940-50's Wedgewood... with orignal S/P shakers, and working clock!

The only thing that's not working is the griddle. The griddle knob turns, but no gas can be heard to the griddle. Verified using a match that no gas is coming through the valve. Took apart the griddle, and no obtructions... did not remove the griddle valve.

Is there a separate safety valve (red button) for the griddle? All other gas ignited burners/oven work. Pilots are lit.

Also, the front burner only has flame at the base (before the simmer cap) but never lights the rest of the burner. Air/fuel "butterflies" didn't make a difference. Can the above trick using the 9/16 wrench open it up to light easier from the pilot? It lights fine from a match.

Great tips! I'm bookmarking this one.

Hey Trevor,

If the burners are working, the griddle should also pop on. Someone at some point in the past most likely had the griddle turned off. And the only logical reason, I believe, would be that for some reason the griddle is leaky and dangerous. Or they didn't use it and figured it would be best if turned off. In any case, when I get home I'll take a look because I can't remember how it all comes together.

As far as the burner not lighting, is the aluminum tube that goes from the pilot to the burner intact? Check for holes and maybe being off kilter a bit might do that.
Jacking up the burner may help, but if it looks fine when lit from a match, then it's something else.

Biggles

ps - I'll stop by again later with more info about the griddle.

I have a question about pilot lights on new stoves. Can they be turned off in favor of match lighting? Or are there new safety features that prevent this? Do brands differ on this feature?

Thanks,
Sheri

Trevor,

Safety first! You may want to call your local gas company and see if they can come out for free and turn it on for you. They can check for leaks and make sure it's safe. Someone turned it off for a reason, we want to make sure it wasn't because it was bad.

That being said ...

The griddle burner is a simple beast and has the same adjustments the burners do. Grab a wrench and see if you can open the sucker open a bit per the instructions above.

Take care,

Biggles

Hey Sheri,

When you say NEW, do you mean brand spanking new? Or just newer than a 1952 wedgewood?

New stoves have electronic striker thingies that ignite the gas flame. Neweer stoves vary and you'd have to open up your stove to see if there are ways to turn off the pilots. Each stove will vary a bit and over the years things change and regulations get stricter. Depending on the year and quality of stove I would have to say probably not. Standard consumer model gas ranges just got cheaper and cheaper and cheaper. This is why we hold this older ranges so close, they're awesome!

Biggles

I bought a Oden/BeautyRange for $75 at a house sale.It has 6-burners 2-glass door ovens 2-broilers fold-up covers for the burners.Was being used until the occupant passed and the gas was turned off.We are in the process of putting it in the kitchen.Also picked up an old ventahood off of E-bay that will picked up on a ride to Georgia.The stove itself is in very good condition.Oven temp-control knobs has the Robertshaw script on it.The model # is A-11164.Would anyone happen to know what the year is and where I can get some info please. Thank You

Hey Jerry,

Heh, you used passed and gas in the same sentence, excellent.

Well, you got me. I've never heard of such a beast, but that doesn't mean much. You may want ot visit www.antiquestoves.com and join their Old Appliance Club. I was a member years ago, it's nice. They have a newsletter and most certainly you could write in and see what they know.
Somewhere on that gas range is a little metal tag that could very well have the year it was made on it, most certainly a serial number. Try taking the top cover off where the burners are and look around inside there, that's where I'd start.
I'd love to see a picture of it when you get it installed and working. Thank you for stopping by!

Biggles

Hey there,
Thank you for having time to help mankind with the union of flesh and taste buds.Picture, Man with snack tray.
well I hope you are not tired of answering requests to crawl behind your wedgewood.
However, if you please....
I have a damn near twin to yours and I've a question, ER three. The stove is working great and is clean as can be. The oven and broiler are not working. The pilots are on, and I've adjusted the flames, but almost all the wiring has been removed. Is there a flame safety switch magnet thing behind or inside your oven? I've traced out the oven door switch and it tested OK but beside that, all the wiring is missing..
DO you know if the oven needs any AC to work??? I have a basic diagram in my head.
(1)AC from outlet splits to stove top lamp switch and oven door switch.
(2)A. stove lamp switch to stove top lamp to neutral.
B. oven door switch to oven lamp socket to neutral.
Could you please check if there is a porcelin flame safety switch mounted to the back cover or in the oven. If there is more wiring to some thing I don't know about? I moved into a house and a friend gave me his stove and I love it, but almost all the electrical harness has turned to dust and/or has been removed.
The stove top switch,oven door switch and oven lamp socket are here, without the wires. The serial plate model numbers are as follows. All the writting has vanished and just the stamps remain. M# N8358AG12
then the BTU's are 24000/9000/19000
Then at the bottom is 23231. I do hope your not out enjoying life and in need of another trip behind your wegdewood, DID that come out wrong? Sorry, either way Thank you in advance for any help.

Hey Wookie,

Well, the wiring in those things were had all cloth insulation or at least something similar. And it was probably removed for safety reasons and not replaced cause they prolly didn't know how or didn't care.
Broiler and oven use same flame, so that narrows it down.
I don't have any oven lamp or switch on my door to activate such a thing. And no, the oven/broiler action don't need no power to activate. I'll bet you dimes to dollars that it's the gas safety switch for the oven/broiler.
You need to find that pesky shiny red button in your stove somewheres. It's either in the compartment somewhere hidden to the left of your oven or located with the burner assemblies some place. Push it firmly and release. If it doesn't come back, grab it with your fangers and pull it out.
If that doesn't do it, the valve itself is bad and needs to be replaced. You'd want to contact www.antiquestoves.com or www.classicstoves.com to see if they can get you a replacement.
As far as rewiring your rig, I'm not much help. I haven't done that yet on my stove and have no pointers other than you gotta use heat resistant wires. But it sounds like you could take care of the job easily enough.
Thanks for stopping by man!

Biggles

Great site!! I have learned how to adjust the burners' levels on out 40's vintage Wedgewood, but the problem is that on the left side the rear burner works fine (so the pilot must be good), but the front burner will not light without a match. Once it is started it works fine (although a bit small in flame size). Should I just continue to adjust front burner or is there some possible problem with the "connection" to the pilot for just the front burner?

Hey Carl,

Get the burner lit and adjust up a bit, until you like it. Then turn off and try again to light without a match.

If it don't light, you'll need to inspect those aluminum metal tubes that go from the burner to the pilot. Check for holes, mal adjustment and make sure you HAVE one. There should be one for each burner.

What do you see?

I really enjoy looking at your site! I have both foodie friends and photo friends that I will give your URL to. Me, I am quickly becoming a stove person. We recently bought a stove just like yours, but with a chrome top. It is in great shape and I have been told it is in perfect work in condition. Because we purchased it for when our house remodel is done I haven't been able to hook it up yet. I have taken the opportunity to take all the chrome off, remove the burners and send everything out for re-chroming or to be reporcelained (sp?).

I have two questions. The people that we purchased the stove from had a chimney that came out of the stove and into the wall duct. Since we are planning on installing a exhaust fan over the stove in the new kitchen can we skip the chimney?

Also, I am going to replace the oven door springs. One is broken and the other just old. When I removed the broken spring the bottom metal piece with the holes that the spring hooks onto came out of the slot in the door. The metal piece doesn't look broken, and I cannot figure out what kept it connected to the door. Any suggestions on how I reinstall the spring and the metal piece?
If it helps, I can send pictures.

Thanks for hosting such a great site.

- Y
I a

Hi Dr B

Finally, some useful info on the web about old stoves. Your thread answers some great questions, and makes me feel less in the dark about using this beautiful old stove we've gotten.

My problem isn't so much with the hardware, everything seems to work - it's in knowing if how we're using it is the way it's meant to be used.

It's an old 22" Wincroft of indeterminate age. It doesn't have any of the whistles and bells this post mentions. No thermostat, no little red buttons, no gas pressure regulator. It does have a pilot light for the 4 top burners, though it lights only the rear two. It's basically a pipe coming in, and then it lights on fire in the respective places that should light on fire. We light the oven burner manually, it clearly doesn't have a pilot (unless I'm really missing something.) Pretty much, if you turn the gas on to the oven accidentally and don't light it, it turns into a bomb. There's no way to regulate the temp in the oven except turning the gas down - is that normal?

Should I be putting a regulator on it? What kind of safety systems are available for old stoves like this? Should I revel in the fact that I can boil water almost immediately, or should I fear the day our kitchen explodes?

Jay

Hey Yvonne,

Sorry for the delay in responding. I was off-planet for a few days!
Thank you so much for the kind words. And that new stove sounds GREAT. OH CRAP !!! Did you pop out the temperature device in the griddle before you took it to the chrome people? Call now !!! They're notorious for losing those things. Mine is long gone, sniffle.
You can skip the chimney. But you should have a few feet on there to point it up in to your exhaust hood, that's what I've done. But you may want to do some research about your hood. Some have multiple inputs and you may be able to have both!
As far as the door springs go, that apparently is a tricky situation. I have 1 broken one as well and haven't torn in to it yet. So I am NO help there. If I run across any info, I'll post it up!

Biggles

Hey Jay,

Have you ever read the magazine, Mad? Ever read Spy vs Spy? Then you know what a bomb looks like and brother, that right there is a hugeass time bomb from hell. Turn the gas off right now and call your local gas company to come out and inspect the stove.
I think it's time to hit the local paper for a new antique stove.

Biggles

This might seem like an odd question, but what is the origination address of this blog's website. I can't seem to find any of the posts, instructions, photos that people are commenting on. I'm about to undertake a restoration task on an O & M 5850 Aristocrat stove and this seems like the perfect site. I can get to the food portion of your site, but can't find the stove portion.

Thanks.
Savvy

Hey Savvy,

I know you're going to be disapointed, but this is it. The images people are talking about are at this post:

http://www.cyberbilly.com/meathenge/archives/000916.html

I do have some jpg images that show portions of the oven thermostat and what the adjustment screws do. You're welcome to those. Sorry hey.

Biggles

Not disappointed at all.
Never saw that before.

Great site!
As soon as my stove arrives from New Mexico, I'll start at it. However, my tried and true O&M 4 burner, oven, broiler, trash burner as all of a sudden become tempermental. Oven won't stay lit. Pilot remains but burner goes out....just started tonight..........I think she knows!

Hey Savvy,

Excellent and glad.

Dang, that's kinda creepy. Maybe you should roast a nice chicken or turkey in her to let her know all is well.
The new 5850 range you're receiving, I was wondering. Is it funky and in need of restoration? Or you just need a new project?

Biggles

Hi. Wow, great site. Who knew this stuff could be so fascinating?

We've got an O'Keefe & Merritt Scultura that came used with the house when we bought it in 1985. The model number is A7? or A7-36? or A7-367273... Anyway, it has pilot lights, four burners with a griddle/5th burner option in the center.

Everything has been great all these years, but 3 last weeks ago the oven wouldn't light. A few days later it worked fine. Since then, nada.

It looks to me that when the pilot light extends it doesn't envelop the sensor bulb. I don't see how the sensor valve could have moved out of position, but I gather that is a possibility. I also gather that if the pilot is dirty, it would limit the flame size (short of the sensor bulb).

Could you please tell us all how to adjust the position of the sensor bulb, and how to clean the pilot?

Thank you for your help and interest. Love your site. --David

Hello,
I just came across your thread and appreciate all of your shared info. I want to adjust the height of my oven pilot or turn it off altogether. Can you show a picture of where this adjustment would be? I own a 40-50s O'keefe-Merritt. Thankyou so much. Judy

Hey David,

Dang man, I've never had to clean my pilot lights or adjust any bulbs. Sorry sorry eh, I've failed you!

Biggles

Hey Judy,

The adjustment screw is behind the knob on your oven thermostat there. But I left my schematics telling you what screw is what at work. Please email me at the email address listed at the front of meathenge.com proper and I'll get that right to you first thing Monday.
I don't suggest you turn off your pilot light due to the fact your stove wasn't meant to be lit manually. Unless you only use your oven twice a year, than that would be okay. Let me know. The pilot shutoff screw for the oven is located on the top of the range where the burners are. Take care,

Biggles

Hello!
We have a problem with our Wedgewood Gas Stove, which we've had for over 20 yrs.
It was in the home we bought some 20 yrs ago. The model # is N9166A-3, Oven # 24,000, and Serial # 45227B. For some reason the gas regulator (at least that's what my husband calls it) has stopped
functioning completely. Up until yesterday, I was able to get it to work by
manually pushing the button...but this no longer works.

I did a Google search and came across your awesome site, and found another site that is loaded with all kinds (antiquestoves.com)
of very cool stuff...but dit NOT see replacement part for Gas Regulator....

Could you offer any advice, please?

Thank you for taking the time.

Desperate in Corona del Mar - Lost Without my Wedgewood...................

I forgot to mention that I can send you pictures of the part I'm refering to...and of my actual stove. I'd need your direct email address though...tried going to www.cyberbilly.com but got an error message from my computer about "could not perform this functio...", which has to do, probably, with installation (done by hubby).

Thank You ;-)

I have a Wedgewood Stove that I've been using for about a year now. I think it is a 1953 model. Everything has worked just fine until recently when my oven quit working. I was pre-heating the oven a few days ago and it just went out and would not light again. I can't even get the pilot to stay lit. I tried lighting the pilot and it will stay lit as long as the red button is being depressed, but as soon as the red button is released, it goes out again!

I purchased a new thermocouple and installed it, thinking that it might be the problem, but nothing has changed. The pilot still goes out as soon as I let go of the red button. Any ideas on why I can't get the pilot in the oven to stay lit. The stove burners are all still working as they should. It is only the oven that I am having trouble with. Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

Hey Francoise,

It sounds as though both you and Neal have the same problem. Your gas safety valve (not sure if that is the technical term for it) is bad and needs replacing. It's lost its ability to function properly and shuts your oven down. You need to contact the fine people at www.antiquestoves.com or www.classicstoves.com and get a new one.
I suppose when mine goes out, I'll see if they can be opened up and cleaned.

Biggles

Hey Neal,

No, shouldn't be the termocouple. But something is going wronge because the safety valve shouldn't stop the pilot from staying lit. In any case, your safety valve (the red button thingy) needs to be replaced. Please contact www.classicstoves or www.antiquestoves.com and see if they can get you what you need. Take care,

Biggles

Wow, great site! Can't wait til you find that tech article about the butterfly valves. I bought a 30" early 50's O&M offa eBay about a year ago. It was in fantastic shape, I thought, "all I need to do is clean the oven and it'll be perfect!" So I did. But then I noticed that the area under the top was all greasy rusty yucky etc. I kinda tried cleaning it but... well suffice it to say, withine a week I had the entire stove disassembled down to the last screw. I took that rusty under the top panel to a sandblaster and then had him powder coat it. I sent my burners and grates to california and had them reporcelained. I had the knob rings and crumb tray handles rechromed. I spent almost a month (whilst waiting for that stuff to get done) derusting all the little hidden spots where rust forms (the places you can't see, like behind panels). I used wire brushes on a drill. I carefully painted the bare spots that were left with high temp paint. I went over my oven and pilot valves with wire brush and steal wool until they gleamed. Then I took them apart, cleaned them, and put em back together with the magic stove grease. I mounted them on my powdercoated plenum with gas thread seal goop. I polished all my knobs with plastic polish until the shined, and I repainted all the numbers. Lucky me, the porcelain on the stove was just fine. I even found new metal strips for the centers of the knobs. Then I bought a bunch of stainless screws and washers and rubber washers of the same type as the rusty ones that had been on the stove. It took about 5 hours to go from a pile of parts to a FABULOUS new old stove. Hooked it up, and it's worked perfect ever since. So why do I tell you this? If any of your readers even have the slightest bit of mechanical inclination... (like me, I'm one notch above mechanic-bozo) it's very low tech and very fun and easy to do! There are some good web resources for parts and info (like this one!), and of course, the gas company can inspect your work if something goes awry. Thinking about cleaning up that old stove, and getting her ready for another 50 years of service? Do it! Biggles, let me know when you get that tech sheet! Thanks! Mike in Seattle.

Hey Mike,

Ebay, ain't it great?

I lucked out with my range. I bought mine off CraigsList and placed an offer before I sawr it. The picture they used turned out to be a stock image and NOT the stove I bought. But I took it anyway and even under the burners was clean. Someone's gramma had it in the original house and everything. It's been exceptionally good, so far. Thanks for stopping by and congrats on all the hard work!

Biggles

Lots of good info on this site! Thanks.. My problem is we came across a free O/M 1953 stove, My husband was so excited to be the first person to get to it , he failed to ask questions. Well we have a beautiful original, but its fitted for LP gas , we have natural. We did find a local to sell us new orfus caps, all top pilot work, all burners accept right front work, i hear no gas coming to it when turned on. PG&E was no help here. Also oven pilot won't light, but we can light oven, by holding in red button, holding match to pilot for a minute, then turning on oven knob, when we here the gas , can light oven with match, then it bakes well. Takes all of 3 sets of hands and a brain to light it.... can you help here....Pleeese.. PS. not yet gotten around to see why broiler doesn't work. PG&E also thinks there should be little pins behind the orfus caps to adjust gas flow, there not there. is there a kit I can buy for this and where?

Hi, I read numerous queries on your site about oven temperature. My husband and I purchased a cottage that has a Real Host gas range. We cleaned it up and the burners work great as do the pilots. The problem is that no matter how we turn the oven knob, the flame around the oven burner does not get bigger--even on broil. Is this because of some adjustment or does it mean we need a new thermostat? The oven temperature gets to around 350 degrees but not much higher. The price of rebuilding that thermostat is huge. I am hoping the problem is just an adjustment--a recalibration of some sort that we can do on our own. If the temperature sensor is that metal tube at the back of the oven then perhaps our problem is there because that part is rusted. Is it possible to replace that metal tube and not the rest of the thermostat? Lori

I have a 50s O'Keefe and Merritt range with the cover shelf. Double door but no window for the oven. I recently called the gas co. because of odor. He check it thoroughly but said there was a leak that would require taking the range apart bit by bit. Said it would be costly. So he red-tagged me. Cannot use my range. I want to keep it. Can you help?

Hey Jeannie,

There are screws on the top of the stove, down in with the burners that will turn on and off your oven pilot light. It's near the right set of burners, towards you, on the far right handside where the burners attach to the main gas line there. Look down and you'll see a tiny little screw. Turn that ever so carefully and see if you can't get the oven pilot to come up.
Don't know about the broiler section, sorry about that. Please find the kind people at www.antiquestoves.com or www.classicstoves.com and see if they are of any help.

Biggles

Lori,

You could try some adjustments. I just sent you an email to see if it was okay that I send an image over that may be of some help.
That being said, the rumor about you and I calibrating a thermostat isn't good. "They" say it isn't possible for us to do and to let a trainted technician deal with it. But since it already doesn't work, give it a shot.
You may need to replace the thermostat and probe. I had someone come out and do it for about 170 dollars. That's a tiny fraction of what a new range would cost, eh.

Biggles

Hey Rachel,

Whull, that sucks. You need to do a search in your city or town to find somone capable of repariing such a beast. It shouldn't be that big of a deal, they aren't that complicated. Sorry to hear about your plight, the gas company is usually such a great help.

Biggles

I just bought an old PREMIER propane stove. I can't get any gas to the pilot, even with a new line.Also when I press in on the knob and I can light the oven with a match, but when I let go of the knob the flame goes out.
please help