Hi Perry, Here is the stove, The other items are already in the lye bath, I plan on cleaning the stove eventually, My plan is to disassemble it and clean piece by piece, My question is about the valves, can they be cleaned in the lye bath or should I use a less harsh cleaner, I will of course remove and polish the porcelain handles, Anyone have any idea of what the original finish on these were, enamel, Japanned, oil?
I was thinking black enamel on the legs and body, just cleaning and seasoning the burner inserts, Polishing the valves and actual burners.
Now the question I have is did Union Mfg Co make the entire stove or did they just make the burners, I am thinking they made the complete stove
On a side note while researching the "Union Mfg Co Boyertown Pa I found some info about the cast Iron trivets with the initials JHZ and the date on them, I was always curious about them and assumed they were made by the PA Dutch but they were not, They were made by the Union MFG Co.
Trivets marked "JZH" were made by John Zimmerman Harner (1872-1965) at the Union Manufacturing Co. of Boyertown, Pa. Union Manufacturing made a series of alphabet trivets in cast iron from 1944 to 1958. Designs were reproductions of antique trivets. Each was marked with a letter of the alphabet, the date and the initials "JZH." Some of the company's popular designs were reissued.
http://www.jsonline.com/features/home/112524629.htmlI also found this little bit about the Union Foundry and I am not sure if this refers to the Union Mfg Co or not but it appears the foundry was established in 1893
http://boyertownpa.org/history-of-boyertown/scroll towards bottom of Boyertown timeline
