The Historic District

Found this interesting 1954 McCLary stgove on ebay. Never heard of the make (but this might be because I did not grow up here), any good? Looks in great condition - and it would give me an excuse to jump over the border into Canada for a few hours

Thoughts?

McClary was a popular Canadian brand that goes WAY back:

http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=14384

http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/mcclary_john_15E.html

http://mikehandbooks.com/tag/mcclary/

The 40's/50's McClary stoves I have seen follow all the contemporary trends of the day. I think they were aimed at the middle class Canadian market v.s. being design groundbreakers.

My only advice would be to find your nearest vintage appliance repair place FIRST before you buy anything anywhere. I had a real headache finding anyone competent who could repair/overhaul an early 1950's Moffatt stove (also a Canadian brand). I don't know how interchangeable the guts are from vintage stove brands. My stove had elements that were fine but the switches had crapped out. Finding compatible switches was a challenge. You may have to source parts from Canada to fix your stove or this might not matter at all ?

There is a place in Sherbrooke, Quebec that rebuilds vintage electric stoves. I couldn't access their site today but they are on FB. This guy could probably answer your questions about McClary parts:

https://www.facebook.com/AntiqueElectro/

Mick, any opportunity to come to Canada is a good opportunity.
They were popular stoves up here. Also made fridges and all sorts of other durable goods.
Just looking at the pics, it would seem to be cosmetically refurbished, I find it hard to believe it survived looking like that all the these years. Not a big deal though, probably has an automotive finish. What did catch my eye though is the little bit of wiring visible in the back. Some of the wire appears to be fried. A matter of asking the correct questions of the vender should give a hint of the electrics behind the spiffeyness.
Oh, and while your in Canada try the poutine (it’s not dietitian approved but is very good) and pick up a case of real beer for your trip back home.

Gothichome wrote: What did catch my eye though is the little bit of wiring visible in the back. Some of the wire appears to be fried. A matter of asking the correct questions of the vender should give a hint of the electrics behind the spiffeyness.

Gothichome - I think that what you are seeing is the cord that has been cut, sticking out the back. It was common in the stoves of this era to have been hardwired into the household electrical v.s. having a plug. Transferring a hardwired set up to a plug in set up is pretty basic, and the cords can be easily purchased.

I have no electrical background - but I wonder about the availability of replacement parts for the push button element switches ? It was a headache finding the correct switches for knobs.

I've seen at least one identical stove for sale on Kijiji in ON recently. You may need a back-up model to harvest parts from ?

Willa, nope. Look at the egg crate cut outs just below the back board/control panel.

Hmm, unsure about the what's what there, Gothichome ?

A friend bought the compact Moffat as a housewarming present. The only mistake with this scenario was that because the stove had been formerly hardwired, but was not currently in use, it could not be tested. The seller assured my friend that it was working when she bought it - and had always been stored inside she bought it. It was in very good cosmetic shape.

I had the cord changed, and discovered that while the oven worked fine, that several of the burners would only work at 2/3 heat, or off - no range of adjustability. I met with a competent repair dude - who tested the elements (fine), the oven and warming oven (fine), the fuses (fine) - but the switches for the elements were shot. He said the composite material housing the switches stiffens then disintegrates if the knobs were not in constant use. He said he could find me replacement switches, then he vanished and wouldn't return my calls.

Advice in short: make sure the seller can demonstrate the stove in use or be prepared for the possibility of headaches.

Here is a nice 1954 Moffat for sale in Toronto - $ 100.00 ! in working condition except for one element. The oven temperature dial lights up (replacement bulbs can be found on Ebay in automotive), there is a nice light over the stove, a timer, a clock, and chrome:

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-stove-oven-range/city-of-toronto/vintage-moffat-stove/1313847494?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

Many thanks for the advice guys - unfortunately I have not heard back from the seller with my questions, so maybe it was not to be

Hard to say about the internal wiring in the back, but it wouldn't surprise me if it's just old hardened grease that got on the wire insulation. Most electric stoves of this era used heavy gauge wires with heavy insulation on them, so it's not too often that you see them damaged to the point that they need to be replaced.

Most electric ranges of this era are very reliable, though as Willa mentioned, it wouldn't hurt to have a junker of the same model outside in a shed to rob parts from if you need them. If it was a stove that was fairly popular in its day, parts usually aren't terribly hard to find, but you might have to check multiple sources and be a little creative. Also, by the stove being originally sold in Canada, odds are you would have to source your parts from there as well. I don't know how it is with Canada, but I know some countries are getting very weird about what they will and will not allow through customs. Some European countries are now declaring vacuum tubes as "hazardous", even though they are not.

I think that's the original finish on the example in the first post. One has to remember, the generation that bought these things new was proud of them. The lady of the house likely cleaned it and buffed it every few days. If it was in a home where the person was over 85, they probably cared for it like it was one of their kids. Just last week, I pulled a near mint 1931 Atwater Kent cathedral radio from an estate sale at the home of a 101 year old lady who had recently been moved into assisted living.

Since you're in VT, I'd be watching for a US-made electric range like a GE, Hotpoint, Westinghouse, etc., just for ease of parts availability.

Mick- what a beautiful stove!
I can't provide much in the way of technical advice this this, but I will say that around these parts (I'm in Canada), the McClary's come up for sale fairly often. They must have sold well here! If you are going to hope across the border for pickup around Toronto, I will recommend Ed White in Port Hope- he specializes in old appliance restoration around the Greater Toronto Area. You can Google him for his phone number- although he doesn't have a website.
Goodluck!