# P&B wood stove



## Riclav81 (Jan 12, 2018)

Bought at an auction last Friday.
Anyone know anything what I got?


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## begreen (Jan 13, 2018)

Looks to be a turn of the century small parlor stove made by Phillip and Buttorff Mfg. in Tenn. It may be a coal stove. 

The best way to find out about the stove is to contact antiques stove restorers and sellers.
https://gingercreekstoves.wordpress.com/2010/11/13/welcome-to-ginger-creek-antique-stoves/


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## Dan Duval (Apr 18, 2018)

I just picked up this stove and was wondering if anybody could give me some information on it. It has a 8-84 echo cast in the bottom. Thanks in advance!


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## coaly (Apr 22, 2018)

Typical 8 inch Laundry Stove.
That is the size of the coal burn pot.
These stoves were built low so when a laundry "boiler" was on top it wasn't too tall to be able to plunge the clothes with an agitator type plunger.
Removing the two lids as well as center cover allows direct contact with heat (from coal) to bottom of boiler.
Normally used on an open back porch during summer when the extra  heat was not needed in the house.

3 things to clean; 1). chemical or soap Dwell Time; 2). Heat, and 3). Agitation. The less you have of any of the 3, the more another must make up for the one missing or deficient. So bringing it up to a boil reduced the need for soap and agitation.


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## begreen (Apr 22, 2018)

For those that think of the good old days, laundry days were not.


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## coaly (Apr 22, 2018)

That was Monday here as the railroad had to run a "clean stack" in and out of town with everyone hanging their wash out that day.


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## Dan Duval (Mar 7, 2019)

coaly said:


> Typical 8 inch Laundry Stove.
> That is the size of the coal burn pot.
> These stoves were built low so when a laundry "boiler" was on top it wasn't too tall to be able to plunge the clothes with an agitator type plunger.
> Removing the two lids as well as center cover allows direct contact with heat (from coal) to bottom of boiler.
> ...




Thanks for the reply!  I pick the stove up last summer. I put it in a small cabin that I have out in the woods 100 miles outside of Nashville, Tennessee.  When I bought it I didn't have the intention of using it necessarily. I just thought it was neat.  It looks to be never used or a real nice refurbish.  For now it just sits on that stone hearth looking like it belongs there. People always ask how old it is and I can never answer as it looks like it was made yesterday. Do you have any idea?


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## coaly (Mar 7, 2019)

This stove was probably made in the early 1900's. (possibly could be August of 1884 since that is within the time frame of the company name. Prior to 1900, there was normally more scroll work and Victorian style) Could be right around 100 years old making it "antique" right now.

Incorporated in 1881 (succeeding Phillips, Buttorff & Company) and a long history of consolidating with and absorbing many businesses, Henry W. Buttorff started out as a sheet metal worker (tin knocker) and became a business mogul known nationally. Involved with steamboats, railroads, stoves, furniture, pottery, coal, real estate..... he had his hand in anything Tennessee.
Amazing history of this family and business starting with his Grandfather from Holland moving to PA where his father and himself were born.

Published 1913; a history of Tennessee and Tennesseans ; the leaders and representative men in commerce, industry and modern activities;

http://files.usgwarchives.net/tn/davidson/bios/buttorff19nbs.txt


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## Dan Duval (Mar 7, 2019)

coaly said:


> This stove was probably made in the early 1900's. (possibly could be August of 1884 since that is within the time frame of the company name. Prior to 1900, there was normally more scroll work and Victorian style) Could be right around 100 years old making it "antique" right now.
> 
> Incorporated in 1881 (succeeding Phillips, Buttorff & Company) and a long history of consolidating with and absorbing many businesses, Henry W. Buttorff started out as a sheet metal worker (tin knocker) and became a business mogul known nationally. Involved with steamboats, railroads, stoves, furniture, pottery, coal, real estate..... he had his hand in anything Tennessee.
> Amazing history of this family and business starting with his Grandfather from Holland moving to PA where his father and himself were born.
> ...



 Thank you so much for the information! I am honored to own such a great piece of Nashville history. I will take great care of it. At one point I considered firing up some coal in it for the novelty but decided it is just too nice of a piece.  In my opinion it has never been used.  Here are some more pictures of it for anyone's curiosity. Thanks again, Dan


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## coaly (Mar 8, 2019)

The first sign of little to no use is the little steel "post" across the handle recess in the lids. On the outside, that is the first to show wear. They are usually missing or broken, making it difficult to impossible to remove the lids when in operation. (I drill across the recess and install a roll pin for the lifter to fit under) Looking at the burn pot and grate, it never had coal in it. Possibly never fired with wood either. Coal ash absorbs moisture from the atmosphere and becomes alkaline similar to wood ash being alkaline enough to make lye. Extremely corrosive, so keep coal away from it. It is very difficult sizing a stove in a picture, and different companies had different size designations. Such as a cook stove 8-20 being made for a #8 pan (of the same company) and 20 inch oven.......... Parlor stoves and base burners would use one number for the diameter of burn pot. To complicate matters, some companies would make a # pan slightly larger than other companies to taut bigger and better than others. Now I see the #8 on top has "No" on the left, meaning "No. 8" which could be for a #8 pan to cover the eye size, grate or burn pot diameter.
To give you an idea of sizing, a #8 pan with a smoke ring on the bottom is approx. 8 inches in diameter across this sealing ring. The top edge will measure 10 inches and larger. Being a laundry stove, I believe it has more to do with grate or burn chamber size. You would build a wood fire and pour coal down the front chute opening to the top of burn pot. Cook stoves have much finer adjustments for the air that comes up through the grate along with secondary air adjustment for oxygen over the fire to ignite coal gas. Yours leaks plenty in around the fill door for secondary air. It is plenty safe, I wouldn't fire it due to collect-ability.


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