Oak Ice Box

Well, waddya think?


We have a perfect spot for this in our dining area


From the Hibbard, Spenser & Bartlett Company 1927 catalog.  This company has a long history that is pretty interesting.
www.thckk.org/history/hsb.pdf

The Ice box was made by the Ranney Refrigerator Company, Greenville, Michigan.  The model was called "Ashwood".
The "two shelf" version originally sold for $14.00.

Now, a few "before and afters"


The box was originally stained a dark brown.  Then it was painted silver and finally white. The white enamel was easy to strip.  The silver was "messy" and the brown stain was the hardest to remove.


I noticed in the 1927 catalog that the lower side panel was missing.  I replaced it with a piece of red oak.  The color is a little off but not too bad.


I stripped the silver off the interior galvanized panels and straightened them out the best I could.


As you can see one of the wire shelves is missing.  So, I guess it is now a "one shelf" model.  The panel between the legs below the door swings open to empty the drain pan.
The tube behind the shelf catches the water from the "ice box" above.  The is a spring loaded cup below the tube that catches the water drips when the drain pan is removed. 
It is really interesting how it is designed to circulate the cold air, but to you just have to see it to appreciate it.

Plans are to stripe it down and refinish it to the natural oak color.  Remove as much of the galvanized interior as I can without ruining the authenticity and make it useable for storage, etc.  It is 24"x15"x42".  Perfect for the a small place in the dining area under the mirror.

The front has a "swinging door" to get to the drain pan.  There is a small retractable cup to catch the drips when the pan is out to empty.  I am hoping the swinging door is oak to match the rest but it may not be.  It seems to be complete except for a missing wire shelf.  The legs need a little repair but easy to do.  I think it originally had casters as two of the legs have receptacles for them.  I will replace them with metal gliders.

The back is stamped "CE" with the number "P9400".  I think with that I can date it but, so far not luck.