Everyone is saying restore. Truthfully I don't know how much it's worth but it doesn't look like it's in great condition.... I would purchase a new stove but that;s just my opinion.
-Angeline, GKB

antique appliances in Clayton, Georgia does a fantastic job with restorations. The folk there are nice to work with. They have restored a gas range and three refrigerators for me.

Wow!!!! I got shocked on all the comments, hope Jackie will not get confuse. For me it’s really a treasure, but if you want to restore it, then everything on the design of your kitchen must coordinate with your newly restore stove. Good luck. Hope to see pictures of your new kitchen.

Your copper stove is absolutely stunning. I would treasure it and do whatever necessary to display it in my home. All the better if you actually get to use it.

I just finished my kitchen. This was my grandmothers. I absolutely live the stove. I've only cooked on it for about 2 weeks. I didn't do anything except give it a good cleaning and we had it brought up to current safety standards. Do not scrap it.

keep

To go off on a tangent - I want to see photos of the "castle fireplace" you mention. Sounds like you have an awesome house!

I had a copper Chambers stove in my last home (it was a B & B) and I loved it. It had been painted white, but the oven had a feature - the door was sealed, so you could preheat it,
put in the food and then turn it off and it cooked the food without further use of gas.

here is our castle fireplace ~ that's an entirely different "keep or scrap" conversation in our house...

What!!!

Even if you can't get it to work clean it up and use it as a side table or coffee station or buffett. It is a beauty!

Jackie Confer--------- SCRAP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness Jackie-please explain!!

lol jen! The fireplace was created by a man in 1934 as a gift for FDR. The president politely declined the present (we have the correspondence between the white house and the artist). As for how it ended up in our family room, we are still trying to figure that out!

OMG. This keeps getting better. Looks like that is a big, fat, KEEP!! Is it mobile? Might be best in a "fun" room: kids play area, foyer, bar...

Here in the Boston area, we have a "museum of bad art" that would be ALL OVER that beauty.

Ahhhh.. Such decisions you have :-).

I had a Chambers stove for about 10 years. I found it hard to keep clean, heavy and if I remember right, no light in the oven. My step-children were terrified of lighting the oven with a match.

Restoring the Chambers looks to be a huge time/$$$ project. It would be a full time job and you would have to eat from the microwave for months.

Sell it to a professional or someone who really wants to put in the time and effort. Or store it until you have a buyer.

Take a photo of the stove AND the Castle fireplace and get on with your life.

great advice and contact info for the fireplace~ thank you!

Poor FDR: managed to politely avoid this in life, haunted forever in death? Hope his museum would have the good sense to spare him this indignity!!

Jackie: you seem like a woman with a good sense of humor: I say keep that crazy fireplace, especially if the "artist" ever lived in your house. Maybe not in the living room, though...

I made a batch of cookies yesterday in my Chambers, turned off the stove and put in a small butternut squash that I needed for a recipe. The squash cooked on retained heat as I did my grocery shopping.

I was able to cook lunch and dinner for three days when the neighborhood lost power.

And how versatile is that broiler, right? Sizzle plate, height adjustment, flame height adjustment, perfect pancakes on the griddle.

There are many things one can do with a Chambers. Scrap it is not one of them. The shiny stove looks like people never cook, it's just for show. Try giving it a good cleaning first, then decide: restore it, have it professionally restored, sell it, part it.

Lots of advice at http://chamberscommune.proboards.com/

I'm so tired of seeing all white kitchens with stainless appliances. Everybody has one so they all look alike and none stands out.

With all due respect, I don't know how you could possibly scrap something that absolutely stunning. You simply must keep it and have it restored. Good for you. The fireplace is an awesome piece of US History.............there has to be some answer for it, but I don't think your living room is one of them :-)

I absolutely LOVE this piece. If you can find a way to clean it up it would be an amazing focal point for any kitchen. This would definitely take time and effort, but the end piece would completely be worth it!

Sorry that at least one of you thought I was speaking from my own head. The information I gathered was from a noted expert who blogs about Chambers stoves and from the Chambers manual itself.

Asbestos? According to the original Chambers manual, the insulation is Rock Wool (Roxul "Safe n Sound" is a modern brand). It is a mineral-based insulation with very high fire-rating and soundproofing qualities. I have it in my own home as insulation.

The cooking while "gas off" BS is a marketing tool, simple as that. All it means is the oven stays warmer... longer when compared to other stoves of that era. Just try making a soufflé with the oven turned off after 10 mins! I'd love to compare it to a modern any brand oven.

To cook anything properly, and evenly you need circulating heat at a constant temp. That is why convection ovens cook in about 1/4 less time... they constantly move heat around. Thermal (traditional) ovens do not and cannot "magically" keep a constant temp if turned off. You are asking this oven to defy physics by believing that claim.

The burners are also not efficient as compared to any modern model range top or serious stove altogether. That doesn't mean you can't modify it. All it means it that... this what you will be getting... and Jackie should be aware of all possibilities with this stove- when she starts throwing money at it.

it's real easy to see that lovely stove and think of the aesthetic possibilities and to be clouded from practical thought. If Jackie isn't a serious cook who needs a stove to perform as what is was meant to be... a kitchen utensil, then go ahead and add it as a decorative element. But if you need to get dinner on the table in 30 mins, start to finish... you need to know this stove has your back... so to speak.

I'd absolutely love to have this stove in my own home, as it is so aesthetically beautiful. But I know well what my needs are as a cook. I cannot use a 9K btu output on my worst day. I need serious FIRE and lots of it. My home stove is a 6 burner, professional grade vintage Garland. It is a beast! Some think it is pretty... but I think it looks like a tank. It has an oven, but I also have a separate convection oven. My father was a chef, I spent 5 years training with him, and I run my kitchen like an efficient restaurant. I get in and out of meal prep rather quickly and my stove is the main reason.

In short, old and heavy doesn't mean good. It all depends on the needs of the user.
Jackie, if you want to scope out to competencies of this stove... and compare them to any other stoves you think will fit into your lifestyle... then and only then can you make a truly unbiased and informed decision.

That stove is freeking gorgeous... but the former owner replaced it for a reason. And I doubt it was because it broke down. I suspect it was more about the size of the oven, the inefficiency of having to manually operate it... the gas pilot light problems/dangers... and inefficiency of the burners.

I love old vintage cars... they are also quite beautiful. But I would not drive one. They guzzle gas and they don't have seat belts or airbags.

Same idea applies here.

FYI - my Chambers has 3 pilot lights one each for the oven, well and the burners. I only use one pilot (for the 3 burners) and have the others turned off. The oven lights very easily with a match and I have never used the well. Because the oven holds heat, it takes a bit longer to preheat and stays hot for a long time. I do not turn off the oven and expect it to hold a constant temperature but I often tun it off "early" as it will stay hot for hours. In the summer I run a kitchen fan to move the heat outside but in a power failure when the furnace is off I bake cookies and enjoy my warm kitchen.

mimimaloo, you are obviously not reading what the other owners say, about how their Chambers stoves cook. Perhaps Janice is not a chef and would be happy with the BTU output, also mimimaloo and AnAhitA Nazeri I really do not think Al Fortunato was dissing anyone, just passing on useful info. And before you tell me off, I am a woman, old enough to not read into what I think others mean! Jackie if you don't keep the stove please sell it to someone who will have it refurnished and love it; the fireplace? I would lose that to a museum or a playroom!! I think we are too much a throw away society, if we don't like vintage, others do ;-)

Restore for sure! There are so many different places that do restore. It's just a matter of finding someone that will do it for the best price. Good luck!

Hi Jackie,

My name is Brian and I specialize in repairing, refurbishing, and restoring these vintage stoves/ovens. I also happen to own a beautiful copper Chambers stove also, as well as a red and white one too. I also own several other vintage stoves from well known manufacturers. I have been doing this kind of work for almost 40 years now and there isn't anything I can't do. I disassemble and take them completely apart and rebuild, rewire, rechrome, repaint, and replace everything on them like brand new, just like they looked when they rolled out of the factory. If you need someone to restore it I can do it for you. However, I am in Southern California and it would have to be shipped via UShip, which is about the best shipping company with the best prices. I can also work out payments over a period of time, for however long you wish to do it. Some people want them right away and some people will leave them with me for as long as two or three years. It makes no difference to me. I am fully licensed, insured, bonded, certified, and have excellent references. You can email me at: AmericanVintageAppliance@gmail.com

Thank you.

It's a diamond in the rough! Keep it! :)

I would certainly move its restoration-to-use to a top priority and not let it languish. It is wonderful! I also agree with the "do not cover the finish with any coating to avoid polishing" group. We did that on brass knobs on an old iron bed. What a mess when some of the lacquer began to wear off! Besides, I think some products could present a fire hazard when used on a stove. Looking forward to pictures of your unique project!

KEEP!!!!!

Yes, Keep! Good luck.

Hello guys I looking for some info on this oven and cook top I got out of my grandma's house a few years back in think it all still works and I think I also have the hoodie to match it all

I would love this to go with my copper Kitchen!

If you don't want to restore it for cooking , you could use it as a decorative storage piece. A cousin who cleaned out Grandma's farmhouse uses her antique porcelain stove as a bar. Tea totaling granny must be rolling in her grave about Bourbon in her oven.

I would not be against in selling it just don't know what it even would be worth

I have the exact model stove above, and it is in the process of being restored by The Stove Lady in NY. It will be ready in about two weeks, and we are no longer able to give it a home. I would love to sell it, and it can be shipped directly to you. It was very expensive to restore, so serious inquiries only. Here's the listing: http://stovelist.com/class/index.php?a=2&b=2873

There is definitely a home for this unique stove.

All these photos of options beside SS are making me drool! I really don't understand the lack of options in today's appliance market. :(

I am also a Chambers owner. I have a white model which looks to be the same as yours. We are serious cooks. It is totally restored. It came with the house we bought.
I concur with the other Chambers owners that the heat output can be quite good. My points of reference are a Viking and a Wolf range in previous homes. My stove has automatic ignition on the burners. We also have new double ovens/ microwave . I rarely use the oven or the well. The gas company has been in to check it out. It is perfectly safe. We are fortunate to have a Chambers expert in our area to work on it. I am sure your area does too. Other posters have given you the online resources. I really like this stove and I wasn't necessarily a vintage stove fan. Also everyone who comes into the kitchen oohs and aahs over it. I could only imagine what would happen if it was copper!
Let us know what you decided to do.

I grew up with a chambers range and they are absolutely fabulous to cook on. I would place them up there with some far more expensive brands. There is a grill on the top for pancakes and with a flip of a handle it comes up to show a wonderful broiler. Then there is a small "well" in the round space on the back of the stove. The chambers was advertised as the stove that could cook with the gas off. The "well" basically acted like a slow cooker. It made fabulous pot roasts. There were two ovens. My moms was the white enamel model but 20 years later I saw one of the copper models in an in-laws house. I offered her to buy it when ever she planned on getting rid of it. Unfortunately we had moved by that time and even though she kept it in her garage a subsequent divorce made it out of my reach. I would have killed for that stove. A restored version of your stove would probably fetch 10-15 grand. Keep it. It's worth more restored than scrap value.

BTW I also still have the original owners/ cookbook manual for that stove.

this thread is old....but Jackie, what ever happened to your stove? I live in Philly and would love to either conserve your stove or buy it from you. let me know.

Anyone know of a repair company in Houston that can clean up my grandma's Chambers range?

Please tell me you kept this so I can buy it 😃

Please tell me you kept this so I can buy it 😃

Hi. Please say you kept it . When it was made the copper was applied in a thin layer with like a paint brush. There's a thin layer of copper on it and any little wear will show the metal underneath. Please keep if you can , these are even more rare than others especially with the hood and fan these where from 1952. Best of luck to you with it , one of the best gas stoves ever made .

Here's an antique patina of your restored copper stove.

Wondering what you did.

Hi, quick update for all who are wondering: we happily gave everything to a kind gentleman who restores Chambers stoves. This was several years ago and I don't remember his name. I like to think he restored the store to it's original beauty and is now living its best life in a proper kitchen. 😀💙

So happy you replied. Nice outcome. I know a lot of people were worried that you might have scrapped it (!) The one thing: that stove had to live on.

I just sold a porcelain one, a Model B, yesterday - had been in parent's house since before 1952 when I was born. I put it on Facebook for $200 and it went in 8 hours - a kid, his uncle and another showed up and moving it took about an hour - no steps but 2 doors had to come off their hinges. He was very happy to get it and told how he had bot another one and when he got it home and opened the oven door, it fell off - the hinges were completely rusted away. Turns out these days, many of these stoves are rusted out. Mine wasn't. (I'll post a pick)

What is interesting, these particular Chambers stoves are the ones people love - I was sad to see the one my parents had go, but the house is tiny and I was using it as countertop with storage in the oven (!) Not efficient useage of the limited kitchen space. Tempted to put a new all-in-on washer/dryer in the spot. Maybe...