Vintage electric range thermostat

[turquoisedude]

I've been so engrossed with the washer-dryer that is part of my 1956 GE Kitchen Centre that I almost lost sight of the ultimate goal of getting this unit into my kitchen by this fall. So, I figured I should prioritize my activities and work on the range first, then the dishwasher, then the washer-dryer combo.
All this to say that I discovered that the copper wire that connects the oven sensor to the thermostat control has been cut. WAAAAAH!
Can this be welded or soldered or should I look for a replacement (if they are even available anymore)??
Has anyone ever come across a situation like this??
Here is what the range looks like - I didn't think to take down the model number.

 

[panthera]

wire or tube?

It is highly unlikely that a thermostat in that era would have used resistance sensing, more likely that what was cut was a capillary tube running from a sensor "bulb" in the oven to an expandable metal bellows in the thermostats housing.
The good news is, this system was already old hat back then and is still in use today.
The bad news is, they frequently have to be threaded through spaces and in between panels which are so small you wonder what the manufacturer was thinking.
With serial numbers and model numbers, I bet someone here can give you a step by step guide. The odds that there is a Robertshaw control or a GE which will work are pretty much 100%...worst case, you may have to do some searching in rubbish dumps...GE is a lot like GM, they never reinvented the wheel if they could avoid it.
You may not cut, bend, fold, staple or otherwise abuse these capillary tubes, by the by...many were designed to be left in place and just the electrical control was replaced.

 

[turquoisedude]

It's a wire

Actually, I thought it was an electrical wire that had been skinned of it's insulation by the same rampant rodents that chomped through the wiring in the washer/dryer and dishwasher!
I will get the exact model number and a photo of the thermostat - it can't hurt...
I did a little poking around on my 1980-something Hotpoint-From-Hell built-in oven that will be removed when the turquoise kitchen goes in and you are right, the sensor bulb looks almost identical to the one in the '56.
Thanks for your reassurance - I am comitted to getting this kitchen installed and fully operational!
BTW, this unit has no separate fuse or breaker controls for the surface units and oven. I have never seen anything like that before; could this be a problem or will adequate circuit breakers be sufficient protection??