Outside of stove cleaning?

[HuskyMike]

Well guys, I have started to get my wood under the wood shed. The snow just melted off and we had lots of it! I put a bunch of Ash and a little Oak under the roof. Next I will cut up some more Oak thats down the road and start working on the Pine trees that have been down since late 2008. Some of them suckers are big!. I know, Pine is bad and this and that, but it is on my land and free and it burns.

Anyways, how are you guys cleaning your stoves outside, mine is a Jotul F500 so it is cast iron with the regular finish. Thanks for any info!

 

[Wife'nHubby]

While I can't necessarily tell you how to clean the outside of your Oslo but I can tell you that if you use stove polish and later want to use a paint that the two don't play well together (from reports on **********).

If you choose to paint it, StoveBright is the product most recommended on the above message board. http://www.northlineexpress.com/searchresult.asp?searchword=high+temp+paint

If you use StoveBright you MUST ventilate as the fumes are very, very strong.

My Oslo has the blue/black finish so all I have to do is just dust it off occasionally to get the 'just like new' look.

Shari

 

[Streblerm]

I have an unfinished cast iron stove. It will develop a very light rust from the humidity over time. I clean mine with a wire brush, vacuum thoroughly and wipe with a dry cloth. I then apply a light coat of William's Stove Polish made by Rutland. I'm sure there are other brands of "stove black" out there. It works almost like car wax. Wipe on a thin coat, let dry, and wipe off. It has a slight odor when you fire the stove for the first time, but not as bad a some homebrew "stove polishes"

Product Description
Williams Stove Polish 3.5 oz. tube brings a satin black finish to cast-iron and sheet metal stoves. Excellent for andirons, fireplace screens, stovepipe, and fireplaces, as well as antique iron pot and kettles. Made from graphite and carbon black. For over 100 years, Williams Stove Polish has been used to bring a beautiful low-luster black finish to unpainted cast iron surfaces. Rely on this black satin semi-paste polish to restore the finish on steel and cast iron wood stoves, coal stoves, barbecues, hibachis, andirons, ornamental ironwork, iron posts and kettles. Made from graphite and carbon black pigments. Contains no waxes, smelly solvents, or flammable materials. Do not use on a hot stove. Use only on cold cast iron or steel. Remove loose rust with a wire brush or steel wool. Wipe off dirt and dust with a soft rag. Squeeze polish onto rag and apply to stove. After drying for a few minutes, rub briskly with a clean cloth until cloth comes away clean. Cleans up with soap and water. Avoid contact with eyes. If contact with eyes occurs, flush thoroughly with water. If irritation persists, seek medical attention. Keep out of reach of children.

If your stove has any finish other than natural cast iron then you should consult the stove manufacturer's recommendation for cleaning.

I would personally never paint a cast iron stove. The stove black works very well and it is easy to reapply as needed which is every couple of years in my house. I would never want to deal with flaking paint on a stove.

I have also heard of people putting oil on a cast iron stove like seasoning a cast iron skillet. I can tell you from the personal experience of buying two stoves that got this treatment - Don't Do It Nothing smells worse and smokes more than rancid oil burning off your stove! Once it burns off it leaves no protection and the stove will rust immediately. It does look nice in the off season

 

[loadthestove]

My freestanding in my living room is a basic cast iron stove.we usually wipe it down good with a damp cloth .after it dries I wipe it down with a thin layer of vegtable oil..tunrs stove dark in color and prevents surface rust.also it doesnt stink to bad on first burn in fall

 

[headleyj]

I don't have a cast iron stove, but I plan on using a high concentration of Simple Green & water and a soft scrub brush after this year. I've tackled some nasty stuff with SG and am always impressed with results.