Stove Types and Keys to Efficient Heating

Wood burning stoves can be classified generally into three kinds:
1. free-standing fireplaces in which the atmosphere of an open fireplace is the most important feature,
2. enclosed fireboxes which are used primarily for heaters, and
3. cook stoves which are used for some heating as well.
Some stoves are combination fireplaces and heaters. In the US, the well-known Franklin fireplace is he best known example of this type.


The free-standing fireplace that is sold as decorative furniture and for warmth and atmosphere is usually not chosen for utilitarian reasons. However, a room can be warmed b these fireplaces especially if the fireplace is constructed of metal which will radiate heat into the room. The Franklin fireplace can be closed to improve somewhat the heating capacity. Unfortunately the firebox of the Franklin stove is not tight enough to control the flow of air for efficient wood operation.


For efficient and economical heating, three design criteria are important:
1. the stove should have a tight firebox with an adjustable draft to ensure the wood to burn slowly.
2. there should be a large mass of cast iron to collect the heat and radiate it into the room, and
3. the stove should be designed so that baffles and heating chambers direct smoke through the stove to achieve as much heat transfer to the stove surfaces as possible rather than have most the heat lost up the chimney.


The quality of wood burning stoves in an important criterion.Cast iron stoves are not only better than sheet metal stoves because they give a more even heat, but also because the sheet metal suffers from metal fatigue if stressed by repeated opening and closing of doors and vents. Some stoves are available which are enamel on top of cast iron. The enameling is much easier to clean than is cast iron and it is not necessary to use stove black to keep the stove attractive.

“Up flew the bright sparks in myriads as the logs were stirred. The deep red blaze sent forth a rich glow that penetrated into the furthest corner of the room, and cast its cheerful tint on every face.” From Christmas at Dingley Dell, By Charles Dickens

We agree with Dickens in the sentiment that there is no more enchanting time of year to enjoy a fire in an antique stove than at Christmastime. Christmastime is one of our most beloved times of the year here at the Good Time Stove Company and we cherish the holiday moments shared with family, friends and customers.

We love baking Christmas cookies in an old Glenwood and sharing holiday memories with friends and family around the Round Oak Cylinder Stove. Reading a good book like “The Christmas Carol” by the parlor stove in the den, roasting chestnuts in the open hearth of a Franklin stove, or heating hot cocoa on the cooklid on the box stove in the bedroom before snuggling up and watching a classic Christmas movie on TV are some of our favorite holiday traditions.

From our family at the Good Time Stove Company to you and your loved ones, we wish you a very happy holiday season with much comfort, joy and good will in the new year.

Favorite Base Burner Stoves - The Finest Heating Stove in the Wprld

Favorite BASE BURNERS

The highest order of workmanship and materials are used in the manufacturing of Favorite Base Burners.The Favorite manufacturers are pioneers in flue construction and increasing heating capacity of Base Burners. Favorite craftsmen used skill, originality and science in constructing the Base Burner. This construction makes the largest circulating flue capacity ever built into a heating stove – and the hottest. The Favorite Base Burner is a beautiful stove with exquisite decoration and ornamentation. The Favorite Base Burner was one of the most economical and powerful heating stoves of the day. It had the greatest sale of any heating stove manufactured at the time, because it brought comfort and satisfaction into the home and saved folks up to one half the cost on fuel bills. A Favorite Base Burner features the most amount of surface space radiating heat into the room, which provides great heating efficiency at the minimum cost of fuel. The Favorite is the only Base Burner with a three flue construction, a series of three flues on the back and on the bottom, which allows for the most amount of heat to radiate into the room. An original feature of a Favorite Base Burner is the separation of the bottom flues from the main body of the stove. This separation provides more square inches of hot surface bared to the air, and allows for more space for the ash pan. The Favorite Base Burner not only has more radiating surface, it is also more carefully and tighty fitted. Favorite manufacturers constructed patented planing machines, the only kind in use by stove manufacturers at the time, to make the stove parts to fit perfectly true and tight. The perfect fitting enables the Favorite Base Burner to produce an even, equal temperature throughout the house. With a perfect fitting, control of the draft allows for a swift heat up or cool down as desired. The Favorite Stove Company’s thorough inspection insures that every single Base Burner manufactured is guaranteed to be absolutely paper tight. The Favorite Base Burner features a deep fire pot that insures perfect combustion and does not crack. An ample sized space for the ash pan ensures that the draft from the register is free to flow. Bottom flues where built into Favorite Base Burners so that the floor region could be heated more completely. The doors, registers and mica frames on the Favorite Base Burner are fitted paper tight. The Favorite Base Burner features a valuable tea-kettle arrangement and a one piece, perfectly constructed elbow that does not clink and prevents the accumulation of ashes on the outside. The Favorite craftsmen use a special polish and burnish, which makes the beautiful carved ground work in the nickeling glitter as brilliantly as the smooth nickel. All the nickel parts, the foot rail, hearth and jacket, lift on and off without bolts so that the nickel parts can be easily cleaned and replaced. The four nickel wings found on every Favorite Base Burner aid in the circulation and output of heat into the room.

Nothing Like Christmas in New England - Make a Trip of It!

Christmastime is a wonderful time to visit the Goodtime Stove Company. You’ll witness the function of our stoves in action and feel just how warm and welcomed a stove can make you feel.

While in the area, there is much to do and see in honor of the holidays…

Our neighborhood features Christmas tree farms where you can pick your own tree from an enchanting field or forest of trees. pickyourownchristmastree.org/MAxmastrees.php, www.christmas-trees.org/retailers-county.htm

General stores, small town Main Streets and mom and pop mercantiles are ideal locations for picking up unique, one of a kind presents and handicrafts while supporting local merchants. www.wgstore.com, www.shelburnefalls.com, www.explorenorthampton.com/visitor/whattodo/shopping.htm, www.christmasloft.com

One of the top visitor locations in the area is Yankee Candle, featuring a Christmas village and an unlimited variety of candles and fragrances. www.yankeecandle.com,

The quintessential small-town Christmas Norman Rockwell made famous in his Saturday Evening Post illustrations is alive and thriving in Stockbridge, home to the Rockwell museum and to the artist’s inspirations. See Main Street as Norman Rockwell did when he painted the famous “Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas.” www.stockbridgechamber.org,
www.nrm.org

A memorable family event is the annual production of the Nutcracker Suite by the Pioneer Valley Ballet in Northampton at the historic Academy of Music Theatre. www.pioneervalleyballet.tix.com,

We hope you will enjoy this special time of year. We look forward to hearing from you, and seeing you.

Season’s Greetings,
Stove Black and Sara the Stove Princess

Share Your Christmas Memories with the Stove Princess

No other time of year conjures up romance, magic, and enchantment the way Christmastime does. There may be a chill in the air in most areas of the country, but the holiday warms our hearts and souls. We all have our favorites movies, memories and traditions that are at their best when shared and celebrated.

One customer told us how she first kissed her yet to be husband under a ball of mistletoe that hung in the parlor not far from their baseburner stove. Another customer shared her mother’s favorite gingerbread recipe - she can still smell the baking bread coming from the old cast iron wood burning kitchen range. We heard from a movie buff customer when he caught a glimpse of an antique stove in the movie “Meet Me In St. Louis.”

We invite you to share your special holiday memories and traditions with us. Do you have a photo of a stove in a decorated living room? A tasty fruitcake recipe? Do you remember holiday preparations happening in the kitchen with the old range the heart of the event? We’d love to hear from you, stove enthusiasts, history enthusiasts and holiday enthusiasts, and we’lll post the submissions on our blog before Christmas for all to share and enjoy. Please feel free to contact us by email, snail mail or phone. We’d love to hear from you.

We sometimes daydream about our antique stoves and kitchen ranges, wondering what special times and fond memories that they have witnessed. And we always hope that the stoves in our care will find new homes where they can be a part of new traditions and share again in family celebrations.

Model Ranges - A Catalog from the Barstow Stove Company

The following is a stove catalog from the Barstow Stove Company, circa 1915. Founded in 1836 by Amos Chaffee Barstow in Providence, RI, the Barstow Stove Company manufactured fifty different kinds of stoves. The original Barstow building still stands in Providence, RI.


This catalog features Barstow’s Model Ranges - both wood heated ranges and gas/wood combination ranges. Every single Barstow range features a kick pedal that opens the oven door with, as stated in the catalog, a “slight pressure from the foot.”


Click Here to Read the Entire Catalog

Thanksgiving Stove Stories and Photos

Thanksgiving is the time for gathering around the hearth with loved ones, enjoying harvest-time meals and giving thanks for our many blessings.

Do you have any favorite Thanksgiving recipes ideal for cooking on an antique stove or family holiday photos featuring your antique stove that you’d like to share with us? We’d love your contributions, via email or snail mail, and will post them in honor and celebration of the holiday.

It’s not too late for a drive in the country and a visit to the Good Time Stove company showroom to check out our collection of antique stoves – the treasured heirlooms are ideal for enjoying the holidays and would make a warm and inviting addition to the home.

There are still a few leaves on some trees and a drive in our neck of the woods in November will conjure up images of going over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house. There are numerous Saturday church craft fairs and bake sales all around the area this month, and some roadside stands are still open and selling homegrown turnips, pumpkins and squash.

We welcome you visit, stories, pictures and recipes and greatly appreciate your contributions. We count our customers and stove enthusiasts as some the many blessings in our lives.

Grandma’s Recipe Book

GRANDMA’S RECIPE BOOK THERE is nothing so dear to memory as the days of long ago. The passing years and the parade of daily events that crowd our lives may dim their scenes, but the sweetness of memory lingers on. All of us, at some time or other with a sigh, have summed it up in the oft-spoken words: “Ah, those were the good old days!” Yes— the snows were always deeper, the summers hotter, the corn grew taller, and the food tasted better . . in those “good old days” And the grandmothers too —they had a way that was different, in those good old days. They were always “the best cooks in the county!” It seems those old time grandmothers knew how to cook things just a little bit better than anyone else, how to give their foods that dash of flavor that makes a body remember for a long time how good it tasted. Well, the truth is that most of those old time grandmothers were good cooks because they knew just the right things to do to prepare a delightful dish.

THANKSGIVING SECRETS FROM AN OLD TIME KITCHEN Push open the door a mite and peek in! There is grandma bending over the old wood range. Smell the fragrant tang of spices— ginger, cinnamon, cloves. She stirs with her long handled spoon. Then she stops and takes a taste—smacks her lips and says: “Just right!” That was grandma in her old time kitchen cooking in the good old way, practicing an art that is almost lost. But grandma, with all her traditional sweetness, comes to life again in the pages of this little book to tell you how she prepared those grand old dishes that were a delight to all who tasted them.

TURKEY STUFFING Take stale or very dry bread and cut off brown crusts (to make about a pound). Place in pan and pour lukewarm water over crusts. Allow to soak for a few minutes; then with hands squeeze out water and place moist crusts in a large bowl. Add a teaspoonful of salt, and pepper to taste, and about a teaspoonful each of savory, ground sage and minced herbs; then add a half cup of melted butter and a beaten egg. Stir thoroughly and stuff turkey. (For an 8 to 10 lb. bird.)

STUFFED EGG PLANT Select a medium large egg plant and cut in half. Remove insides and put them in a pan with a cup of minced veal; add water and boil until egg plant is soft. Then drain off water and mix with a half cup of cracker crumbs, a tablespoonful of butter, a small chopped onion, salt and pepper to taste. Put the stuffing back into the egg plant halves; place a pat of butter on top of each and bake 15 to 20 minutes. Garnish with parsley and lemon slices if you prefer.

NEW ENGLAND INDIAN PUDDING Take two heaping tablespoonfuls of Indian meal (corn meal), and one quart of milk, 4 tablespoonfuls of sugar and one of butter; 3 eggs, one teaspoonful of salt. Boil the milk in double boiler, and sprinkle the corn meal into it, stirring lowly. Cook for 12 minutes, stir often. Beat together the eggs, salt, sugar and one-half teaspoonful of ginger. Stir the butter into the meal and milk. Pour this gradually over the egg mixture. Bake for one hour in a slow oven. Should be served with a heated syrup sauce and butter. Delicious with cream.

PUMPKIN PIE Press one quart of cooked pumpkin through a sieve; beat yolks and whites of 9 eggs separately; mix together with 2 quarts of milk; stir in one teaspoonful each of mace, cinnamon and ground nutmeg, and 1 1/2 cups of light brown sugar and a tablespoonful of brandy. Bake in an open crust until firm. Excellent served with a coating of whipped cream. This is a real old-fashioned pumpkin pie.

HOWLING HOWARD

If you happen to be out walking near the outskirts of the quiet village of Buckland Vermont on a dark night, legend has it, you can smell the smoke from the potbelly wood stove and hear the howling. The potbelly stove belonged to Howard Twittleford, and so did the howling.

Howard was a hermit who lived in a ram shackled cabin in the middle of the woods. His closest neighbor, well, human neighbor, lived over five miles away, and that neighbor, Pete Culver, said on a still night he could hear the howling as if it were right outside his window.

Howard at one time lived in town, but was such an odd duck, scared his neighbors. He’d never speak to any humans, but would bark at the neighborhood dogs and caw at the crows. One day, to the relief of all, Howard packed up some clothes, his potbelly stove and a big bag of bird seed and headed out to the forest outside of town.

Howard lived happily for many years, never venturing back into town. Pete Culver would bring Howard some supplies and food now and again. Pete never saw any animals close by, but said the cabin was covered in black feathers and gnawed on bones.

In the warmer months, Howard kept a bowl of seed on his potbelly stove top next to an open window. The window sill was carved up with claw marks. “In all my days, I’ve never seen claw marks that big.” Pete marveled. “Must have been some pretty darn big birds.”

One October moonlit night the air was dead quiet. And that’s when the howling began. The howling was so loud and ominous it sent shivers down Pete’s spine. “I knew something must be wrong.” Pete figured.

The next morning Pete headed over to Howard’s cabin. There he found a sight which he won’t soon forget. Howard was dead on the floor, covered with wolf hair and surrounded by black crows. Pete buried Howard next to his cabin and sprinkled seed over the grave.

Pete went back home, got his mules and wagon, and then went back to Howard’s cabin and got the wood stove. Years later, Pete, who by then was an old-timer, sold the potbelly to Stove Black Richardson.

“I still hear the howling at night.” Pete told Stove Black. “And I know it’s Howard, it sounds too human, or maybe, not human enough.”

Howling Howard became a legend in the county. You ask any school kid about Howard Twittleford and they’re likely to tell you…

Howling Howard howled at night.

Howling Howard was a fright,

Howling Howard’s now dead and out of sight,

But Howard’s howling still packs a bite.

Family Halloween

Would you believe that the lovely little girl in this photo is our beloved Sara the Stove Princess? I’m the witch and the darling Lil’ Gypsy is my sister Meg.We are ready to go trick-or-treating with older brother Jaime, the Grim Reaper. We are standing in front of Glenwood Oak heating stove. This stove has been heating my mother’s 12,000 square foot house of their mother for twenty-five years. (We do have the powerful heater in stock for anyone looking to warm trick-or-treaters for next Halloween.)

Notice the small red broom Sara is holding is the actual broom use to sweep up the stove’s ashes.

Also notice the turn-of-the century Hoosier Cabinet in the background.

Jaime used to scare the liver out of us before trick-or-treating.

We would march in the Williamsburg Shag Rag Parade. This is a smalltown, New England tradition. Costume-adorned children parade down the Main Street of town, often to the local firehouse for halloween games, races and other fun. And of course from there, we trick-or-treat the town.

With full bags of candy, we would return home where we would sort and trade candies. The Glenwood Oak would warm us up after our Hallow’s Eve adventure.

We here at the Good Time Stove Company wish you and your loved ones a safe and Happy Halloween filled with special treats and treasured memories.

Happy Treats,

Sara the Stove Princess

& Stove Black Richardson

Celebrate Pumpkins: A New England Tradition

It’s that time of year, at least here in western Massachusetts, when “the frost is on the pumpkin.” The days are still fairly warm, but the nights are getting mighty cool. Cool enough to start the wood stove.

There’s still plenty of time to get a wood stove for the winter and a couple of cords of wood. There’s also still time to come and enjoy the fall foliage in western, Massachusetts and to pick up pumpkins for Halloween.

Our neck of the woods knows pumpkins. If you take a drive down the scenic route 5&10 from Northampton to Greenfield, you’ll pass by numerous roadside stands selling pumpkins, apples, cider, maple sugar, and Autumn produce like squash and turnips.

We not only know pumpkins, we CELEBRATE PUMPKINS. Our good pals in Whately, near the scenic route 5&10, will be hosting their 21st annual festive pumpkin carving party this month.

And on Columbus Day weekend we here at the Good Time Stove Company hosted our annual pumpkin party, complete with a delicious potluck supper, live music, and dozens of carved, candled-filled pumpkins that lit up the gardens.
See some photos of the fun below. Click Here for Pictures of the Party!

So why not come on by for a visit, pick out an antique stove to keep you warm this winter, and a couple of pumpkins to celebrate the season. We’d certainly love to show you our collection of stoves – and carved pumpkins.

Cheers,
Stove Black Richardson
& Sara the Stove Princess

4th Annual Pumpkin Party - Good Time Stove Celebrates Autumn’s Arrival!

On Columbus Day weekend we here at the Good Time Stove Company hosted our annual pumpkin party, complete with a delicious potluck supper, live music, and dozens of carved, candled-filled pumpkins that lit up the gardens.
See some photos of the fun below.

Halloween’s Haunted Stoves

Halloween is just around the corner. And it’s the perfect time to share ghost stories. There are many inns, museums, taverns, bed & breakfasts, old houses and homesteads that are steeped in history – and hauntings.

Many of these locations also feature antique wood stoves and antique kitchen ranges.
Visit:http://www.oddinns.com/index.php/pages/hauntedbedandbreakfast.html to find one list of top ten B&B’s in America. (We’re betting most have an antique stove in their establishment.)

The Spy House in New Jersey is a great example of a haunted house that features a wood stove. Check out, http://www.angelsghosts.com/spy_house_museum_haunted_place_story.html to learn about the ghost of Thomas Whitlock who could be heard “banging and clanging around the old pot-belly stove.”

Do you have a good ghost story involving a location with a wood stove? Have you ever been to a historic place that’s not only haunted but has a wood stove?

If so, we’d love to hear from you. We invite you to submit your ghost story, and any links to locations that are haunted and have antique wood stoves and kitchen ranges. The week of Halloween we’ll post the tales on our blog.

Please send the items to stoveprincess@goodtimestove.com and put in the subject line GHOST STORY.

Happy Hauntings!
Stove Black Richardson

letterheads 2

Antique Stove

Letter Heads & Bill Heads

Good Time Stove Company has a huge archive of stove related literature, ephemera and paraphernalia. My father has assembled an amazing collection of antique stove letterheads.

These elaborate drawings depict factories and foundries where stoves were produced by the tens of thousands. Skilled artists drew factories, portraits of the founders, logos and illustrations of the stoves with perfect accuracy, size and detail down to the minutest detail. These drawing were incorporated into letterheads, billheads, catalogs and trade cards to promote the industry.

We are sure you will be taken with the breadth and depth of this collection. We are always looking to expand our archive and invite any comments or contributions you might be able to make to this collection.

CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE

Albert Noyes Stoves Manufacturers of Stoves, Iron Hollow ware & Tin Ware A General Finding Store For Kitchen Utensils Bangor, ME. September 17, 1814.

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The Art Stove Company Manufacturer of Laurel Stoves and Ranges Detroit, MI. Jan 28, 1896.

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The Auto Stove Works Manufacturer of Auto Stoves and Ranges New Atehns, IL. March 18, 1922.

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The Bellaire Stove Company Ranges, Cooking & Heating Stoves Manufactures of the Star Stove June 23, 1902.

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Belleville Stove & Range Co. Manufacturers of Malleable Ranges, Steel Ranges, Gas Ranges, Cook and Heating Stoves, Gas Stoves, Hollow Ware St. Clair Stoves & Ranges Belleville, IL. December 12, 1911.

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E. Bement & Sons Manufacturers of Heating & Cooking Stoves, Agriculatral Implements and Bob Sleds Lansing, MI. January 10, 1896.

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Broadway Foundry Company Successors of Pohlmann & Kohlmann. Sole Manufacturers of the Walter Ranges and Stoves with Walter Rotary Grate Also manufacturers of General Gray Castings. Buffalo, NY. December 29, 1896.

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W. H. Buckius & Company Manufacturers of and Dealers in Stoves, Grates, Furnaces, Mantels, Tin, Copper and Sheet Iron Ware, Furnaces and House Furninshing Goods Canton, OH.

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Butler & Diel Wholesale and Retail Dealers in Stoves, Furnaces, Ranges, General House Furning Goods and Specialties Syracuse, NY. May 2, 1888.

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P.A. Canfield Manufacturer and Dealer in Stoves, Tin, and Sheet Ironware Rondout, Ulster County, NY. 1872

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Chamberlain Stove Company Manufacturers of Stoves and Hollow Ware Anchor Iron Works. Cincinatti, OH. October 14, 1892.

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Cole Manufacturing Company Manufacturers of Cole Hot Blast Stoves and Ranges and Cole’s Air Tight Wood Stoves Chicago, IL. June 13, 1913.

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Cribben, Sexton & Company Manufacturer of Universal stoves and Ranges Minneapolois, MN. April 15, 1897.

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Crown Air Tight Stove Company Louisianna, MO. October 13, 1897.

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Culter and Procler Stove Company Manufacturers of Stoves, Ranges, Hollow Ware & SinksPeoria, IL. April 1, 1903.

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Detroit Stove Works Manufacturers of Jewel Stoves and Ranges Chicago, IL. June 16, 1913.

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Chas L. Willard Manufacturer and Dealer In The Empire Wrought Iron Furnaces, Stoves Agricultural Implements, and all kinds of textiles Hartford, CT.

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Florence Stove Company Stock Certificate. Apirl 26, 1940.

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Gold Coin Stove Company Gold CoinStoves and Ranges Troy, NY. Jan 30, 1910.

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Great Western Stove Company Manufacturer of Banquet Cooks and Ranges Leavenworth, KY. December 16, 1895.

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H.E. Hessler Company Manufacturers of General Hardware, Stove Range and Furnace Repairs, Water Fronts Syracuse, NY. January 24, 1914.

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The Home Stove Company Stove Makers Indianapolis, IN. April 10, 1918.

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Hudson Stove Works Manufacturer of Hudson and Alaska Stoves and Ranges Hudson, NY. Nov 5, 1900.

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The Huenfeld Copmany Manufacturer of Boss Ovens, Steel and Cast Ranges Heating Stoves, Gas Ranges, Gas Heaters, Mecca Lustre Stove Pipe and Elbows Cincinatti, OH. October 1, 1924.

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Joliet Stove Works Manufacturers of Moore’s Stoves Joliet, IL. December 7, 1906.

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Marvin Smith Company Manufacturers of Stoves and Ranges Chicago, IL. January 5, 1910.

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The may-Fiebger Furnace Company Formerly May-Fieberger Company Manufacturers of Ath-A-Nor and Akron Airblast Furnaces Successors to the May Fieberger Company of Akron Manufacturers of “Akron Airblast” since 1867, Athanor and Solid Comfort. Newark, OH. August 31, 1921.

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The Michign Stove Company Manufacturers of Garland Stoves and Ranges. Detroit, MI. July 1, 1889.

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The Michign Stove Company Manufacturers of Garland Stoves and Ranges. Detroit, MI. July 1, 1889.

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Monitor Stove Company Manufacturers of the Pipeless Caloric Furnace Cincinatti, OH. December 27, 1920.

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North Dighton Stove Company Makers of Oakland Stoves and Ranges North Dighton, MA. June 6, 1924.

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Oakland Foundry Company Manufacturers of Ranges, Heaters, Gas, Coal and OilBellville, IL. January 12, 1948.

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Peninsular Stove Company Manufacturers of Peninsular Furnaces, Stoves adn RangesChicago, IL. November 1, 1892.

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Peninsular Stove Company Manufacturers of Peninsular Furnaces, Stoves adn RangesChicago, IL. August 4, 1920.

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Perry Stove Company Manufacturers of Stoves, Hollow Ware, Etc. Albany, NY. October 31, 1865.

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Perry Stove Company Manufacturers of Stoves, Hollow Ware, Etc. Argand, NY. June 31, 1890.

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Phillips and Clark Stove Company Manufacturers of Andes Stoves and Ranges Geneva, NY. January 29, 1900.

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J Pinten & Brothers Dealers in Harware, Iron and Steel. Manufacturers of Tin, Copper, Sheet Iron WaresHancock, MI. June 1, 1883.