Would this be a travesty?

[kimvsmith]

Hey, everybody.

I just bought a Chambers on Ebay ($112, supposedly working! Yay!). Amazingly, it's located near a reporcelaining plant. We're planning on dropping parts off when the stove is picked up next month.

But I have to decide what I want done. this is where I need your help.

This wasn't my dream highback BZ, but it is a BZ, and the panels are mostly in good shape other than a badly chipped backsplash.

I can have the backsplash redone in white for $39, but they can't guarantee that the new white will match the old white on the stove. Which makes me hesitate, because it would make me nuts for it not to match. I'm thinking about having it done in black instead, and having the top redone at the same time if it's needed.

But then I got to thinking-- why not do the whole thing in black instead? And asked. And it would cost $680, that's why. Dadgummmit.

But then I got to thinking again, and what about just "blacking" everything but leaving the side panels white? They'll be hidden by cabinets anyway, right?

Or would that look really bad (if you could see an inch or two of white on the sides) and be too divergent from the original?

What do you think? Be honest. Thanks.

(The stove: Ebay auction # 140051640586 )

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ November 21, 2006 10:41 AM: Message edited by: kimvsmith ]</font>

[Todd W. White]

The one thing you have to remember is that modern porcelain plants aren't able, as far as I've heard, to put the lettering in the porcelain above the handles like CHAMBERS did.

I suppose they could be silkscreened on, though...

[bbbuddy]

Hi Kim, you got a great deal! I'm a new chambers owner too. I briefly considered bidding on the stove you bought, but the moving expenses were out of sight to where I am located. Bought one closer we can pick up. I'm excited about this new cooking adventure, bet you can hardly wait to get started , like me!
I'll bet we both will be driving the board crazy with questions once we get our stoves.
[img]biggrin.gif[/img]

[chipperhiker]

I'd be very careful about only reporcelaining a single panel. The chances it will match are almost zero. Aged porcelain has tons of tiny, microscopic scratches, and will always look grayer or duller, compared to brand new porcelain, even if the absolut color is perfect. You pretty much need to do the whole thing or none of it.

I don't think it would be a travesty at all to redo the color, though I do think that seeing even a couple of inches of white on the side panels would be distracting. That's me, though. I have a yellow stove with porcelain beyond repair, and I've thought once or twice about having it redone in cobalt blue. Pretty, but not traditional at all.

One thing to keep in mind, though - black will be a bear to keep looking clean. Think fingerprints, dust, oily smudges...

-Jenn

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ November 21, 2006 11:35 PM: Message edited by: chipperhiker ]</font>

[kimvsmith]

Yeah, I'm thinking over the black smudgewise. But the cooktop's black enamel already, and I figure I'm going to have that problem even if I stick with the original finish...

Todd, IPE in Independence does do the Chambers logo and labels above the knobs. See my recent post for pricing, etc. Jeff (the salesman) said he doesn't know of anyone else who does it.

Now that I have a price list and know that that front panel and doors (plus relettering the logo and labels) would cost me over $250, I'm thinking about leaving them white (since there are no chips) and just doing the backsplash (and possibly the cooktop and/or folding top) in black.

Does anybody know if the burner down inside the thermowell should be reporcelained or not? I know it won't really show-- but should I redo it for rust prevention or something? I want this stove to last forever.

[RobbiQuest]

Kim, regarding the color, or mix-n-match idea: I say, heck, do whatever you want - there's no such thing as right or wrong here. And if you only do parts of your stove and decide you should have done the sides too, you can always do those later.

[lkeriegrl]

What about grey? Can your guy do that lovely dove grey they show in some of the ads? Then, no smudges but also not clashy. Just a thought.

Me, I'd want pink [img]wink.gif[/img] Erin

[jsrose]

Kim, congratulations on your patience and your purchase. $112? Wow! From the photos, it looks like you're only talking about the backsplash being chipped, right?

Heck, I think I'd try to live with it, especially since you'll probably leave the lid up, covering the backsplash, most of the time, anyway.

Or if you can't live with it, then just have the backsplash, only, re-porcelained in black. It's only a few inches high, and would never be seen against the black stove-top since the lid would always separate the two.

Either way, you've spent a good bit less, and can continue your search for the high-back Silverlite backsplash of your dreams. Surely, someone will be parting one out over the next few months.

Good luck,

Jack

[kimvsmith]

Thanks for everybody's input!

My plan (subject to change, of course):
Reporcelain the backsplash piece, $39, and the cooktop if it's needed (I figure chances are decent that it's pretty worn-looking).

If I win the lottery or inherit a fortune (ha), one gift to myself might be to recolor it. But it's not necessary, and I rather like the idea of being as true as I can to the stove's original color. I wanted a white one originally anyway, because I intend to keep this stove FOREVER, and don't want to be chained to a particular color in my kitchen for the rest of my life.

Jack, I would adore finding a Silverlite top for it-- but I'm going to be very happy with this as it is, too. So much fun to have finally found one! I cannot wait to meet it in person.