John, you may want to seek out someone who is still familiar with the workings of old-style gas ovens and wall heaters. They are a dwindling few but still around. Kinda like lookin for someone who can take a starter apart and redo the windings & brushes, or a guy who knows what a timing light is, knows top dead center. I do know that if the original came with porcelein odds are the metal at the time was not as refined as today, probably had a higher iron content and therefore more susceptable to oxidizing and getting irregularities marring the gas seal due to pitting or metal erosion over the years. In my coming up rubber O-rings and vaseline made stuff like that seal up and a simple liquid soap test or lighter held next to it would show any leaks.
On a more important note, 32 yrs is way too long but cant be avoided. Know it would do yur heart good to fire it up in yur Dads remembrence. I miss my Dad terribly, been gone 9 yrs. Mom passed 16 yrs ago. You hear about kids scrambling to get at the valuable or
perceived valuable stuff from their "inheritance" but I got Dads tackle box, fillet knife. An old old qt bottle spigot that was the old-time screw-on oil spout. A ceramic bowl that had a chip in it and a crack down the side like the Liberty Bell I used to eat my cereal outta and get a bloody lip from the jagged nick. Yellowed, and the ugliest thing in the way of bowls there is, but a lifetime of memories.
And rest assured if ya give it a go and never get the thing fixed proper you can lay yur noggin down to sleep and know you & yur Dad both know the connection lives.
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Shoer
Supporting cannibis research since 1971.
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