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Post by eatenbylimestone on Dec 27, 2013 1:41:34 GMT
Ok, after letting it sit for what looks like a month, I finally finished screwing the 50 #8 screws into the back panel of the door tonight. So the next guy who takes the back off it doesn't have to deal with rusty screws they are all stainless steel now. There are some oopsies in the paint job, but it's a good start to learning how to refurb a fridge. It should be fine for the garage. The paint is going to get dinged up there the first time something falls off a shelf anyway. The camera was out in the truck so it's foggy at the moment. I'll get some pics up later.
I hope all had a Merry Christmas.
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Post by eatenbylimestone on Dec 27, 2013 2:41:01 GMT
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Post by eatenbylimestone on Dec 27, 2013 2:42:14 GMT
On to the back! I'll pull the entire refrigeration unit off the back in one piece.
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Post by ChrisJ on Jan 20, 2014 18:09:21 GMT
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Post by eatenbylimestone on Jan 21, 2014 1:06:51 GMT
I can't see anybody buying it for that price. You could pick up a new one for that price. I know we all like old stuff, but I can't see these refrigerators commanding a premium. It's past the art deco time period so it doesn't even have style working for it. I see the plate behind the handle is painted white, which I guessed on when I painted mine white based on a little bit of paint that was left. I think it would have looked better as chrome. www.altestore.com/store/Refrigerators-Freezers/Gas-Refrigerators-Fridges/Dometic-Gas-Refrigerator-8-Cu-Feet-White/p1066/?gclid=CMbvju6HjrwCFawRMwodNn4AMAI'm waiting for the the air to warm up a bit so I can get outside and work in the garage. I think once I pull the frame with all of the cooling equipment mounted on it off the body will be pretty light and I'll be able to move it down to the basement and do some sanding. I picked up an air compressor/nail gun and the compressor is big enough to run a HVLP gun. I think I'll teach myself how to paint with one and then I can probably work pretty fast once I get going again. |
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Post by eatenbylimestone on Mar 2, 2014 0:01:53 GMT
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Post by eatenbylimestone on Mar 2, 2014 0:04:09 GMT
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Post by ChrisJ on Mar 2, 2014 1:15:33 GMT
I had thought those refrigerators were full size, in these pictures it looks like a mini fridge?
As for the gasket Mcmaster Carr carries cork which is what I used on my MT. They also sell sheets of gasket paper as well as neoprene rubber sheets which you could probably use to make thing.
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Post by eatenbylimestone on Mar 2, 2014 1:59:08 GMT
I'll look into the gaskets. The fridge is a 4 cubic foot model. There were all sorts of different sizes that they made. This is on the small size and was probably used in people's cabins. It's about 4.5 to 5 feet tall.
There is plenty of painting and prep to do before I'm ready to get it back together again.
Matt
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Post by eatenbylimestone on Mar 2, 2014 2:25:00 GMT
This should explain the size thing a bit better. The approximate cubic foot size of a Servel gas refrigerator can be determined by its model #. On a refrigerator that has 2 or 3 numbers in its model # : the first # is the cu. ft. size. On a refrigerator that has 4 numbers in its model # : the first and second # is the cu. ft. size. A few models in 1952 are an exception: a BE-107G is 10 cu. ft.; and a BE-118G is 11 cu. ft. 1949 "W" models: W-400A, W-600, W-600A, W-700, W-800, W-800A. I have the small one for that year. www.ebay.com/itm/Servel-gas-refrigerator-Parts-List-for-1939-1957-models-/171243396231?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27dee6dc87 |
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Post by eatenbylimestone on Mar 5, 2014 1:15:26 GMT
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Post by coldspaces on Mar 5, 2014 1:34:52 GMT
I'm running into some trouble getting the heat exchanger covers above the burner off. I sent an email off to a guy who specializes in rebuilding these things to see if he can shed any light on how much room is in there. If it's not big enough for a mouse or something to make a nest I might get my big torch and see if I can incinerate any spider webs in it and see if that will be enough. I can pull vacuum through it with my small shop vac so it isn't plugged enough to cause resistance. Never have worked on one of these but I have work on a few rv units. Don't think they had any cover above the burner. I have seen the chimney on them plug with rust that flaked off the inside of the tube. Pulled the burner knocked the rust out of the tube and wala it works again. The heat does need to be able to rise up through the tube. Coldspaces |
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Post by eatenbylimestone on Mar 5, 2014 2:03:45 GMT
Yeah, A plug is what I'm worried about. I know it's not completely plugged because I can pull a vacuum through it. I don't know if it's open enough to allow all the exhaust gasses up and through it. If I can't convince myself it's clear I'll have to look into converting the heat source to electricity. That way I won't have to worry about the fumes. I could plug the exhaust vent above the exchanger and probably make it run more efficient as the heat won't be escaping. I'm hoping I can keep it running on propane though.
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Post by coldspaces on Mar 5, 2014 2:42:21 GMT
Could have some kinda baffle in it maybe. Would make it hard to see through it possibly even if it isn't restricted to flow. I am not sure but I think the heat may need to still rise through it even on electric. I believe the rv units that were blocked did work right on electric either.
Coldspaces
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Post by eatenbylimestone on Mar 6, 2014 15:29:37 GMT
On the advice of Art Gauthier of Maine Gas Refrigerator I decided to test it out to see if it worked before I put anymore work into it. Since I have the burner sitting in my living room and don't really want to rig up an electric heater I decided to try to use my large propane torch stuck up the spot where the much smaller burner would live. I hope this is a smart move... Here's the torch. A Benzomatic JTH-7.  I'm getting steam out the top of the combustion chamber. I figure that's condensation from the water in the propane exhaust itself and years and years of moisture in the insulation cooking off. A few spider webs are probably being turned into btus also.  The heat is starting to work its way up the tub leading from the heating area. I'm not sure how hot these things are supposed to get. While I'm standing out in the cold (waiting for this thing to catch on fire) I decided to see how easily the inner tub will pull out... quite easily. 4 wood screws and it's ready to slide out.  BTW, as a safety precaution I have the garage door wide open so any fumes from burning off critters are vented out. It's 8 degrees outside, but I'm actually feeling fairly warm in my heavy coat, blaze orange skull cap and a torch going off beside me. |
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