how does everyone clean their oven?

[lindaw2]

Once your oven is up and running, how do you clean the oven? I went from a self-cleaning to a gas stove without a pilot light. It was easy to spray the c*r*a*p out of the gas stove oven and clean it.

Do you take the oven floor out and clean it separately or do you just spray the whole thing? Can you spray in the oven with the pilot light lit? My one OCD is definitely blowing me and my kitchen up. Unfounded yet very real.

I am looking for a way to give it the best cleaning to maintain this beauty.

Linda

[lindaw2]

Thanks. I have been putting a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom for now. Think that will harm or protect?

[lowracer]

I'd extinguish the pilot before cleaning. You don't want to be spraying aerosol on the pilot. You could ignite the aerosol propellant or blow out the pilot, not a good situation either way.

I used easy-off fumeless aerosol oven cleaner on my oven when restoring. That's probably what I'll use now that it's working.

One thing you do want to be careful of is to keep the bottom plate clean. Excessive crud on this plate will eat through the porcelain eventually.

[fatfutures]

I've got a question that falls under this topic (sorta).

In the oven there are two panels on either side of the oven. You know, those little panels with the nasty sharp edges? What is their purpose? From what I can see, all they do is tear up what ever you are using to wipe out the oven!


Also, how does one go about removing the side racks?

[lowracer]

No one knows the true purpose of those movable side panels. Alvin Chambers took that secret to his grave. Even his wife Mathilde did not know, when interviewed on the subject many years later.

Suspicion running rampant on the conspiracy websites (and there are many such sites) is that Alvin's bachelor ex-step-brother-in-law on his mother's side was a hand surgeon in nearby Gary Indiana, and he had Alvin Chambers install these sharp parts to increase the number of female patients who'd need hand surgery after getting their thumbs snagged on these sharp panels.

As for removing the side racks, this way lies madness. Even once you've dissassembled the entire range for restoration, you still haven't gotten those racks off. You have to disassemble the oven box itself. Just enjoy the natural bronze coloring of those racks in place. I do.

[berlyn]

Linda,

Haven't used the oven enough to clean yet. But I'm a cheater and have always put foil on the oven floor or a cookie sheet under my pan, if I see a mess ahead.

[stoveman]

Hello, The small panels that are attached to the side racks on each side of the oven are there to protect the oven wall. Almost all the oven burner heat passes between the bottom oven plate and the oven wall. It's just about the hottest spot in the oven, so Chambers mounted the panels to the side racks to keep some of the heat from deteriating the oven wall. The side racks are held in by one screw at the rear of each side rack. The head of the screw is on the outside of the oven with a large washer. The nut of the screw is inside the oven at the rear of the side racks, about the middle, top to bottom. Once these screws are removed, push the side racks to the rear and remove. They are held in at the front by being lodged between the oven wall and the cast iron door frame. If you remove the side racks, you can use a Dremmel tool or grinder to smooth up the ruff edges. I have also replaced the ruff, rusted out panels with a new piece of sheet metal. hope this helps. Regards, Sam

And check out the Chambers Literature here:
[url="http://stores.ebay.com/The-Uncertain-Stoveman?refid=store"]http://stores.ebay.com/The-Uncertain-Stoveman?refid=store[/url]