Thread Number: 82402  /  Tag: Ranges, Stoves, Ovens
The return of a trusty old friend!
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Post# 1064421   3/24/2020 at 12:17 (1,464 days old) by firedome (Binghamton NY & Lake Champlain VT)        

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We peruse the usual places looking for vintage appliances around here from time-to-time, typically with scant results, so imagine our surprise looking at the local CL last week when something looked extremely familiar, so familiar, in fact, that it was identical to the '57 GE Liberator (aka J-408-R) 40" double oven range in Sunny Yellow that we'd had in our kitchen for many years. I'd had her transported form Gerogia to NY, and cooked thousands of meals on her, so knew it well and it had to be the one, right down to some of the same chips (and more) in the porcelain. Around 6 years ago we'd wanted to try a gorgeous pink '56 Hotpoint 40" with griddle that we'd found, and at that time we had no room for 2 ranges. So we sold the wonderful GE to a very nice couple who lived about 2 hrs away who also happened to love vintage appliances and had been looking for a 2 oven range for awhile.

Fast forward, and this range did look to be the exact same one! A quick response to their ad along with a picture that we'd taken years ago confirmed that it WAS the very same! The owners had had some issues with burners and the Auto Calrod unit no longer functioned, and they had since found an nearly identical GE range in pink (!) that functioned better for them. The yellow range had then been advertised for some time with zero responses, so they were very happy to find someone to take it away, especially knowing it'd now receive proper love and care ongoing, as opposed to being scrapped!

So it now sits in our garage, and the plan is for the full restoration she deserves. The porcelain cooktop needs much attention, along with 2 or 3 new burner coils, and work on the Automatic Calrod, a feature we'd grown to love; one that had always functioned flawlessly. It has the hydraulic (fluid) type, which in our experience is more reliable than the electric type. Finding parts will be challenging, but it can be converted if necessary. We're willing to do the work, because this became our favorite range ever, which we realized after using the '56 Hotpoint for a few years, and really, it'd be perfect if only P-7 had been around back then!

It has Space-Age styling, the offset burner arrangement we prefer, chrome-plated inner doors, and full height narrow and wide ovens that we find to be more functional for us than the short wide secondary ovens that most 40"ers have. Of course we need another project like a hole in the head, but considering that she'll be our Range-for-Life (the Vladimir Putin of stoves perhaps? lol) at this point, it truly will be a labor of love!
Pic 1: in our kitchen circa 2010
Pic 2: now in 2020 a bit worse for wear, but that will soon change!
And yes it has the original ribbed glass backsplash panel not shown in pic 2.


  Photos...       <              >      Photo 1 of 2         View Full Size



Post# 1064422 , Reply# 1   3/24/2020 at 12:55 (1,464 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay)        
Great Story!

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Well Roger, the cosmos works in mysterious ways.  Some things are just meant to be, and that beautiful stove was clearly meant to be with you forever.


Post# 1064430 , Reply# 2   3/24/2020 at 15:01 (1,464 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        

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Congrats on getting your GE back! What a great story, I love that inanimate objects can carry memories and stories, just like us.

Did you find a source for the glass? Mine is intact, but have thought it could probably be replicated by a glass company in some acceptable form. Cost? That might be a whole different kettle of fish... but you might get lucky.

Best of luck and congrats again.



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Post# 1064434 , Reply# 3   3/24/2020 at 15:35 (1,464 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)        

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Good things happen to those who wait.


Post# 1064443 , Reply# 4   3/24/2020 at 16:51 (1,464 days old) by CircleW (NE Cincinnati OH area)        

How is the glass held in place? What is it's thickness?

It's been a long time since I've seen one of these ranges up close. You mention that it's ribbed glass. That is usually called "reeded", and comes in wide or narrow reeds. Your pic looks like it's probably the narrow version. For this application, it would probably need to be tempered glass, which has to be cut to exact size before tempering. Glass companies have access to a wide range of patterned glass in various thicknesses, though may not stock all of them. Reeded is very common, though, and frequently used in cabinet doors.


Post# 1064451 , Reply# 5   3/24/2020 at 17:34 (1,464 days old) by cadman (Cedar Falls, IA)        

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Congrats on bringing her back home! Looks like some new chips in the top porcelain?

I reached out to Jeff at Independent Porcelain a couple months ago regarding sunny yellow and unfortunately he says he no longer supports that color. I guess a search for a replacement top might be the only solution these days.


Post# 1064482 , Reply# 6   3/24/2020 at 20:46 (1,464 days old) by kevin313 (Detroit, Michigan)        

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What a beautiful and fully featured range you have - again!! Great story!! Enjoy!

Post# 1064507 , Reply# 7   3/25/2020 at 00:39 (1,464 days old) by CircleW (NE Cincinnati OH area)        
IPE

Their Facebook page is fascinating. I saw a shade of yellow called "Buttercup" that might be a close match to GE Canary Yellow, though it looked closer to Hotpoint Sunburst Yellow. Maybe they can send you a sample.

Post# 1064538 , Reply# 8   3/25/2020 at 09:09 (1,463 days old) by firedome (Binghamton NY & Lake Champlain VT)        
these are great ranges...

firedome's profile picture
Thanks all! I do have the glass, so happy about that! But chagrined to hear the cooktop may be unable to be redone, that's an absolute must, as it's more beat than is visible in pics, much more than since we first had it, and I'm really picky about how things look in our kitchen!

IIRC from my days on the Chambers website there was another porcelain refinisher in Indiana or Illlinois or someplace mid-Western - anyone know?


Post# 1064544 , Reply# 9   3/25/2020 at 09:45 (1,463 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )        
GE ranges

Are so pretty, but I have never had any luck with them, just like Maytag washers I jinx them .

Post# 1064547 , Reply# 10   3/25/2020 at 09:55 (1,463 days old) by sfh074 ( )        
Here ...

www.antiquegasstoves.com/pages/re...

A year ago when I called them, they had a 1.5 year backlog.


Post# 1064585 , Reply# 11   3/25/2020 at 14:47 (1,463 days old) by CircleW (NE Cincinnati OH area)        
Another to try:

Custom Ceramic Coatings

www.customceramic.com...



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