Reconditioning an AGA

Our reconditioning journey for bringing an Aga from its cast-iron shell back to a new, showroom-condition Aga cooker starts with selecting your cooker from our carefully selected stock.  From a conversation with our team, you can decide whether eControl is the right choice for you, whether Electrickit is the better option, or even an 13amp electric Aga. 

Each cooker that we provide originally started their life in the Coalbrookdale Foundry in Shropshire where the cast iron was forged – that in itself is one of the beauties of Agas, they’re pieces of history that will last a lifetime.

Once we have dismantled the cooker from the previous owner's property we transport it back to our workshop to begin the reconditioning process and bring the Aga back to life.

Shotblasting an AGA

The cooker is stripped down from all parts leaving only the cast iron shell. The shell is then ready to undergo shotblasting to bring it back to its original state.

Shotblasting is the process used to bring the ovens, hot plates and any internal parts of the cooker back to their original, factory state.

The Aga is scrubbed at an incredibly high speed with a highly abrasive material to remove any rust, dirt and even burnt-on food that has collected on the cast iron over the years (and even decades) of its past use. 

The shotblasters used by London Cooker Company were chosen for their meticulous attention to detail. When bring the cookers back to life, it’s imperative we start with zero hindrances.

To fully take an AGA cast internals back to their original cast-iron state, can take hours to complete.

The AGA is then repackaged and prepared for transport to the next stage of the reconditioning process.

Re-enamelling an AGA

The next stage of the reconditioning process is for the front, top, doors, lids and hinges to be re-enamelled in your chosen Aga colour. 

The re-enamelling process is highly complex and requires the oven to be transported to a specialist workshop.

Shotblasting is re-done to all parts of the AGA to show only the original and bare cast iron. The cooker will then undergo the application of the vitreous enamel. The vitreous enamel is applied by a hand-spraying method at very high temperatures. Once it has fused to the bare cast iron it produces the attractive, shiny and robust finish you want, and that is synonymous with AGAs. 

Due to the way the vitreous enamel is applied to the cookers, it means it will be hard-wearing and stand the test of time like some of the 80-year-old-plus AGAs that still have pride of place in people's homes today.

The enamellers used by London Cooker Company are world class. Any colour is viable – you can see a selection in our available AGA colour guide.

Once the shotblasting and enamelling steps of the restoration have been completed then we set about replacing the parts to your cooker to truly bring it back to its showroom state.

What parts are replaced when reconditioning an AGA?

While the frame of the AGA can be reconditioned to look as good as – if not better – than new, some parts of the cookers can’t, and shouldn’t, be replaced.

Rather than replace or restore, we fit brand new versions for:

The lid liners, lid domes, spring handle and rope seal are newly replaced.

The backs to the doors are all replaced with new door backs.

Towel rail, chrome caps, oven tunnels, nuts & bolts, back panel and side panels are all replaced, as are all seals, ropes and gaskets.

Once all these steps have been completed the process is on to its last step – the installation into your home.