Antique Cast Iron Stoves

Cast iron stoves were so popular in the nineteenth century that the word 'stove' became synonymous with cast iron stoves. Although they are believed to be invented in America, their origin is actually traced back to the French era. These stoves became highly popular due to several advantages of cast iron over other materials. They instantly replaced the more delicate and beautiful ceramic stoves.

Antique Cast Iron Stoves

Cast iron was the most favored material for making stoves before steel, which replaced it in the twentieth century. Cast iron is basically an iron with 3 to 4 percent carbon, and less than 6 percent silica. This mixture is cast in molds and subjected to heat treatment. The process converts the carbon into graphite and gives the cast iron its desirable properties. Cast iron stoves are strong and can handle very high temperatures without being affected.

The makers of cast iron stove were scattered all across western Europe. Each stove maker had his own style or pattern. However, the French maker Jean-Baptiste Andre Godin was the most renowned of all of them. He was the first to recognize the potential of cast iron as a material for making stoves and fireplaces, and started mass producing them in foundries. Several other stove makers followed his example and soon cast iron stoves and fireplaces became a part of every house in Europe.

Since the cast iron stoves were manufactured in foundries on a large scale, they lacked the finesse one would associate with an antique item. On the other hand, the previous ceramic stoves were custom-made for palaces and mansions. They were great masterpieces with beautiful adornments and delicate structure. The ceramic stoves had a great capacity to absorb and store heat, but the delicate material couldn't withstand high temperatures. Ceramic stoves are considered as a rarity and fetch a very good value as an antique item.

However, the stove makers soon introduced fine designs and patterns in the cast iron stoves as well. Some skilled artistes started making designs on the stoves as beautiful and intricate as that on the ceramic stoves. Some other material like copper, brass, nickel etc., were used for adornments on the cast iron stoves. Copper and brass were used for making the knobs or the doors of the oven, while nickel was mostly used in plating the parts of the stove. By the end of the nineteenth century, the stove makers learned the technique of making colorful cast iron stoves. Many stove makers even took inspiration from the French enamel and started decorating their stoves with colorful enamel.

As the cast iron stoves and fireplaces were manufactured in the foundries, and that too on a large scale, there is actually no scarcity of these items. Still, they are very much in demand from people who love to collect authentic antique items. They are easily available in the antique shops or on the websites dealing in antiques. A single antique cast iron stove or fireplace can cost anything between $2000 - $3000.