{"id":114,"date":"2023-12-31T06:42:06","date_gmt":"2023-12-31T06:42:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/desiredcreations.com\/blog\/?page_id=114"},"modified":"2026-03-16T18:23:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T18:23:10","slug":"my-okeefe-merritt-stove-restoration-intro","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/desiredcreations.com\/blog\/","title":{"rendered":"My O\u2019Keefe & Merritt Stove Restoration"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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If I don\u2019t respond to your comments here, please visit the \u2018Vintage Stoves\u2019 group on Facebook. I check that frequently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m trying to document nearly everything I saw, did, bought, etc., during this restoration process. So it may take some time before this publication is complete. Why document it? I figure there have to be a few folks out there without thousands of dollars to buy a fully restored vintage stove, don\u2019t mind getting their hands dirty and wouldn\u2019t mind a few hints. The more I learn about them the more I get into them. These are awesome appliances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also have to document this so it\u2019s possible to keep track of what I\u2019ve gone through when I need to recall something important\u2026 well when I need to recall anything. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My first OKM. It’s a ‘shortback’.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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On Nov 2, 2013, I purchased an O\u2019Keefe & Merritt gas stove (model # 500-2V) from a neighbor. After a kitchen remodel, there was not enough room for a 40\u2033 stove, but she wanted to find a good home for it because she\u2019d grown very fond of the stove. It\u2019s my very first gas stove, an appliance I\u2019d been anxious to acquire for several decades. It was also my first vintage appliance. Thus began an unanticipated yet tremendous educational adventure for me; my first do-it-yourself antique stove restoration. Hats off to Parkie O\u2019Keefe and Robert J. Merritt (designer) for making those awesome ranges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My model 500-2V OKM is 39\u2033-40\u2033 wide with a \u201cLow Back\u201d (no vanishing shelf). I estimated its birth to be early 1950s, March 1953 according to its clock date. It was hard to miss its distinctive 37 degree tilt-out control panel with the claim to provide ergonomic stand-up access to all controls. Not all OKMs have that characteristic, but it seems most do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weeks into this restoration process on my O\u2019Keefe and Merritt vintage stove, I decided to name her Lucy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lucy looked fine on the outside. A few enamel nicks and corroded chrome in spots, but otherwise good for a often used home appliance over 60 years old. I loved her style, her lines. She was so welcoming and comforting, so wonderfully, blessedly non-stainless steel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The backsplash had two time pieces (a clock and a timer) that flanked two electric plugs and a stove-wide light. The backsplash also had little chrome backsplash trim panel that looked like a silver tab. I decided to call this a \u2018tiara\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lucy had four cooktop burners, and side-by-side oven\/broiler units; two simmer grates, two cracked spade grates, a slotted broiler top and an oven rack. A very basic model; clean and simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lucy has a \u201cGrillevator\u201d broiler on the left, oven on the right. And directions and cooking tips \u2013 right on the doors! So vintage. It seems that starting in the 1940s manufacturers were heavily promoting baking temperature accuracy as a selling point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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O\u2019Keefe & Merritt Features<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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O\u2019Keefe & Merritt antique stoves are classics and still one of the best quality ranges ever made in the USA. Due to their quality O&M value appreciates with time. Try finding any humble appliance today that\u2019s designed to last for generations. Today\u2019s manufacturers don’t want to make durable products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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O’Keefe & Merritt model 500-2V<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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My restoration took a slightly different direction with touches of red and installing a windowed oven door.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A vintage stove could decrease the environmental impact of your purchase by 300% to 600%. Restored vintage stoves use a small percentage of the resources needed to manufacture a new one. Additionally, it\u2019s obvious these stoves were built to last generations. They were built to be repaired, not replaced. These babies will easily last another 50-75 years, if tended to once in a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, an average new gas stove is about $1000 not counting extended warranties. It\u2019ll be tiny, with no built-in griddle, clock, light, timer, no ability to bake up to 600 degrees. And it will have an average life of 3-6 years, if you\u2019re lucky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A restored vintage stove will, on average, be about the same price, have all those extras, bake up to 600 degrees, come with a proven track record and can last about ten times longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supplies, Tools, Purchased Parts<\/strong> I’ve Used<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supplies<\/p>\n\n\n\n