Comments on: Mystery Vintage Stove Restoration Project

By: kamitera

kamitera — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:08:01 +0000

Hi Jayke,

Wow, the Dwyer company DOES still exist.
Thanks for the link to retro site too.

Unbelievable that there is a whole movement around pink bathrooms now…Read about it in NY Times, and this site does have a big pink bathroom fan base…

Best,
Kazumi

By: Jayke

Jayke — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 08:30:44 +0000

The company is still around (http://www.dwyerkitchens.com/Pages/default.aspx) and believe it or not, there is an entire site dedicated to retro metal cabinets (retrorenovation.com). Good luck!

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:55:44 +0000

I bought a combination stove and refrigerator in 1976 at an auction. It was working and I jus rented a studio apartment so it was perfect for me. I paid $12.00 for it and it ran good up until 1997 when my partents had it in there basement using it for cold drinks. Anyway I have tried to find out about thecompany with no Luck. It was made by General Air Conditioning Corp. Los Angeles ca. in the early 50′s I believe. Have you heard of this company? The brand was General Cheff. I would love any information you have on this unit.

Thank You,
Chris

By: kamitera

kamitera — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:09:09 +0000

> Hi Mike

I’m not a professional stove restorer and can’t help you with that one… Googling “vintage stoves” will get you to some restoration professionals such as:
http://www.antiquegasstoves.com/pages/rebuild.html

By: kamitera

kamitera — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:06:28 +0000

>Hi Lois

I totally agree with your sentiment: “I have seen many appliances from as far back as the 1920s–ovens, refrigerators, wringer washers, etc.–that are still in working order, but I cannot imagine a single appliance made from the 1980s onward that will even be around 100 years from now”

If the home appliance & consumer electronics industry is serious about “greening” their products, they need to re-think how long their appliances last. Making something last 100 years, would be just as green or even greener than simply making it from recycled and reclaimable metals, non-toxic materials, etc. etc. Make it right and make it last. After all, the gigantic pool of broken down plastics floating in the middle of the ocean that we hear about in the news, is probably mostly from discarded CE and home appliances!
Having a reliable appliance reclaiming system still in place after 100 yrs would be an interesting business challenge to ponder.

By: Lois

Lois — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:02:42 +0000

I recently cleaned one of these in a vacated apartment while doing some work for my landlord. If I were rich, I would pay any price to own it! The refrigerator unfortunately does not work anymore, the broiler pan is missing, and there are some areas that need repair. I will be posting pictures somewhere soon and will send you a link if you’re interested. I had a hell of a time cleaning the mass of gunk at the back of the oven. There are still some baked-on stains that I cannot get out, despite hours of scrubbing and using oven cleaners.

I, too, am curious to know more about these marvelous appliances. When were they made, and how many were manufactured? How many are still around? How many still work? I went online to try and find more information, and that is how I found your web page and Flickr account.

It is a shame that appliances are now made to be so flimsy that they don’t last long. I have seen many appliances from as far back as the 1920s–ovens, refrigerators, wringer washers, etc.–that are still in working order, but I cannot imagine a single appliance made from the 1980s onward that will even be around 100 years from now, let alone still be usable.

By: Mike Egan

Mike Egan — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:37:45 +0000

We recently obtained two very old Murphy Cabranettes from Cabins in Drake Colorado that are in great condition. They were on LP Gas and we want to convert them to Natural Gas but need to change the Orifices in order to do it. We need information on how we can purchase these Orifice parts. Thank you