Diana 380 Coal Laundry Stove

[hoowahfun]

Hello all,

I have an old coal stove that belonged to my grandmother in KY. My mom remembers burning coal in it to heat their house as a kid. I've got it now and have some plans to get it cleaned and up and running in my house at some time in the future. Probably won't use this for any serious heating of the home (I'm in Georgia, not too cold here and the stove is small), so it will mostly be for used for fun.

Anyways, I'm trying to identify this stove to learn more about it, but haven't been able to turn up any info on it. The front lid says "DIANA 380". Not sure if that's a make/model or just the model of the stove. Either way, none of my searches/inqueries really come up with any useful info. From what I can tell it's a simple coal laundry stove, but I'd like to find out some more info on the manufacturer of the stove if possible. Has anyone heard of this make/model before? There are a couple of other stamps under the eyes, behind the ash door and under the top plate. See pics.

Thanks!



This number looks like a patent number maybe, but I'm not sure. Haven't been able to find anything on that.


This one is hard to tell, but it says "380-CHING".

 

[Goetz305]

I have one just like it and I am using it to heat my shop. I got it from my mother-in-law, who lives in North East Tennessee. I have not found out anything else about it. Have you found out anymore since your post?

 

[hoowahfun]

No I haven't found out anything else. I did see one at an auction online once but they didn't know anything about it either. It is somewhat comforting that there is more than one stove out there. Does yours have similar markings in the cast? I found another under the piece that holds the round outlet to the stove. It broke into a few pieces and I'm trying g to repair it in hopes of getting another casting of that piece made.

 

[Goetz305]

I will look for the markings but it is hot because I have it cranked up right now. It is putting out some good heat. I cooked on it the other day and I just oiled the top with vegetable oil to see if I can season it like a skillet. I am posting a picture I took before I installed it and one I just took. My little 8 by 12 workshop is pretty toasty.

 

[Dune]

What makes you think it is a laundry stove? If that were the case it would have multiple flats to heat irons.

 

[valley ranch]

It's completely flat. Should be able to heat irons on it.

Not quite a kitchen stove is it?

When you google: Wood burning laundry stove, guess what comes up.

 

[begreen]

I would guess it was designed to accommodate a copper laundry boiler like this. We keep our kindling in one now.

 

[Dune]

It's completely flat. Should be able to heat irons on it.

Not quite a kitchen stove is it?

When you google: Wood burning laundry stove, guess what comes up.

The only one I have ever seen had inclined flats surrounding the body, with irons on them. This left the top available for a boiler like Begreen posted.

 

[coaly]

What makes you think it is a laundry stove? If that were the case it would have multiple flats to heat irons.

A "cook stove" predates a "cook range", both having ovens.
The low top is for the correct height to use a plunger in the tub.
Also notice the large eyes are not centered over the fire. It would cook very uneven in the pan. Stove manufacturers made pans to fit their stove eye so the smoke ring sat down in the hole to stabilize the pan. The number was not standard, so a #8 of one brand would not always be the same as a #8 of another. Matter of fact, it was common for a foundry to make their size a fraction of an inch larger as an advertising point to have a larger pan than the competition.



The other styles of antiques would be Base Burner, Cylinder, Potbelly, Parlor, Column, and Box. It's none of those, Laundry is the only one left. (Caboose bolts to the floor, and a Ship Stove has rails)

 

[hoowahfun]

I will look for the markings but it is hot because I have it cranked up right now. It is putting out some good heat. I cooked on it the other day and I just oiled the top with vegetable oil to see if I can season it like a skillet. I am posting a picture I took before I installed it and one I just took. My little 8 by 12 workshop is pretty toasty.
View attachment 129536 View attachment 129537 View attachment 129543

Are you using coal or wood in your stove? I don't even know where to get coal here in Georgia so I've had it in my mind to attempt burning wood in it. Guess I have plenty of time to figure it out since I'm moving on a slow pace in repairing the broken piece.

 

[Goetz305]

Are you using coal or wood in your stove? I don't even know where to get coal here in Georgia so I've had it in my mind to attempt burning wood in it. Guess I have plenty of time to figure it out since I'm moving on a slow pace in repairing the broken piece.

I am using small pieces of wood, shop scraps and tree limbs. I haven't tried coal.

 

[begreen]

I was just perusing through the 1897 Sears Catalog on stoves and found this hot model for sale. Is that an iron shelf on the top front? Also note the price!

 

[Ashful]

Hey, begreen... we keep one of those copper boilers next to each of our stoves, as well! A great place to dump the next load of splits in the morning, so the wife can reload the stoves before I get home. One of ours is very large, the other probably closer to the one you pictured.

hoowahfun, if you need a new casting made, the guys at Cattail foundry can help you out. Just glue back together what's left of your original, and they'll work it over for use as a pattern for the new piece. I've done business with them before, on some of my antique machinery, and their prices are very fair.

http://www.farmcollector.com/steam-...o-all-from-cattail-foundry.aspx#axzz2zB259Al1

 

[hoowahfun]

hoowahfun, if you need a new casting made, the guys at Cattail foundry can help you out. Just glue back together what's left of your original, and they'll work it over for use as a pattern for the new piece. I've done business with them before, on some of my antique machinery, and their prices are very fair.

http://www.farmcollector.com/steam-...o-all-from-cattail-foundry.aspx#axzz2zB259Al1

Thanks for the tip. I initially started out looking for a way to bond the broken pieces together and just reuse the piece. Now, I think I've come to the conclusion that won't work so I'm going to resort to using some JB weld then have it remade. Unfortunately, this piece is so corroded that I have to build up the corroded areas with JB weld (or something else) before I send it off. It's the only part of the stove in such bad shape.

 

[Ashful]

You might want to talk with the guys at the foundry you choose, before you build anything up. They like to do their own build-ups, to account for shrinkage, and you may be hindering them more than helping. They may just ask you to describe the areas you want built up, and let them do all of it.

 

[hoowahfun]

You might want to talk with the guys at the foundry you choose, before you build anything up. They like to do their own build-ups, to account for shrinkage, and you may be hindering them more than helping. They may just ask you to describe the areas you want built up, and let them do all of it.

I'm not up-to-date on a lot of the cast iron terminology. Just so I'm on the same page, what I meant by "building up" was just the spots where things had corroded to bring it back to it's original shape, not to make the part larger to account for shrinkage. Maybe I should have worded that as a repair. That said, are you suggesting that I shouldn't do any build up (re: repair) to bring it back to it's original shape and let the foundry do it all?

 

[hoowahfun]

I was just perusing through the 1897 Sears Catalog on stoves and found this hot model for sale. Is that an iron shelf on the top front? Also note the price!

View attachment 131826

I think what you're referring to as the iron shelf on the top front is a lid to add more coal. At least that's what it appears to be on my stove.

 

[Ashful]

I'm just suggesting you talk with the guys at the foundry. They may be fine with you building back up the areas where corrosion has eaten away at the part, but they might ask you to leave that to them. A 3 minute phone call will make sure you don't waste your time, or apply a filler that causes them trouble with their own build-up process.

 

[hoowahfun]

I'm just suggesting you talk with the guys at the foundry. They may be fine with you building back up the areas where corrosion has eaten away at the part, but they might ask you to leave that to them. A 3 minute phone call will make sure you don't waste your time, or apply a filler that causes them trouble with their own build-up process.

Okay, gotcha. That makes sense. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Ashful]

Let us know how this comes out. Always an interesting / rewarding process.

 

[hoowahfun]

Little late on the reply, but the stove is now in possession of my sister. Thanks for all the help.