# Tips on restoring an old wood burning heater?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-on-restoring-an-old-wood-burning-heater/639336>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [October 30, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-on-restoring-an-old-wood-burning-heater/639336 "2012-10-30T16:36:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-on-restoring-an-old-wood-burning-heater/639336/1 "2012-10-30T16:36:27Z")

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Recently I found [an old wood burning heater](http://s1341.beta.photobucket.com/user/sdmb_lieu/media/Picture806.jpg.html?sort=3&o=6#/user/sdmb_lieu/media/Picture806.jpg.html?sort=3&o=6&_suid=135161214425603420394628630959) at an antique shop and bought it for the backyard patio so we’d have some comfort on cool evenings, a means of making Smores, etc. It’s nothing fancy and for $200 I don’t have big designs on it being anything other than a functional, utilitarian piece. Originally I figured I’d just leave it as is. However, we’re in a region where it rains a fair bit and I see that even under the covered patio rust is going to be an ongoing issue. So I’d like to do enough of a restoration to it that it’ll at least be stable and if that includes prettying it up a bit then so be it.

While I’m fairly handy with most garage projects, I don’t have much experience with something like this. Therefore, my questions are:

- Do I soak the pieces in something to get the rust removal started?
- Is there something available that’ll help unfreeze whatever connections are locked by rust?
- Should I use some grade of steel wool to physically aid the process and can that be made to fit a cordless drill?
- Should a preservative besides paint be used?
- What kind of paint is best, considering the high temps that it’ll be subject to?
- Any other tips, gotchas or the like?

Thanks in advance for any assistance with this restore project! If I finish it quickly enough I’ll include a picture of the finished project.

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**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-on-restoring-an-old-wood-burning-heater/639336/2 "2012-10-31T16:50:10Z")

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You will have more luck looking for info about a “wood stove” which is what I would call your heater.

This thread looks helpful:  
[http://www.backwoodshome.com/forum/vb/showthread.php?t=20154](http://www.backwoodshome.com/forum/vb/showthread.php?t=20154)

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**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-on-restoring-an-old-wood-burning-heater/639336/3 "2012-11-01T13:37:31Z")

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Yes, it certainly does have some suggestions that I can use; mineral spirits, Stove Black, etc. Thanks, **awldune**.