Antique Stove Wood-Burner Restoration

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

[9] REPLACE ISINGLASS WINDOWS. Isinglass—which is made from the soft mineral, mica—is easy to work with. Just cut it to size with a pair of scissors.

[10] GIVE THE WOOD-BURNER A FINAL TOUCHUP with a soft cloth before standing back for a look-see. If the sun's shining . . . watch your eyes!

ECONOMICS: RESTORING STOVES FOR PROFIT

Curly cost its owner $150 "as was". Bill charged an additional $100 for 10 hours of refurbishing work (Eckert always charges per hour what his customers earn per hour) and passed on both the $30 cost of sandblasting and the $76 for nickel-plating. Thus, Curly's owner spent $356 for a stove that's easily worth $500.

Bill bought the cookstove for $275. Fifty-one hours of labor and $135 (the stripper's fee) later, he sold the refinished stove for $1,000.

Now let's suppose you had purchased both of the stoves and rejuvenated them yourself. You'd own a fine base-burner for which you paid only $256 ($150 + $30 + $76). And you'd have an excellent cookstove for an out-of-pocket cost of $410. You could sell both wood-burners for a profit of over $800. Or you could keep them, put them to work, and watch their values skyrocket. Think about it for a minute: Your wealth would increase while it worked for you. That darn sure won't happen when your money's in a bank!

YOU CAN DO IT

You now know enough of the basics to find and restore an old stove of your own. (And maybe begin a home business, too! ) I won't say it's easy . . . stove restoration is both timeconsuming and messy. But when you finally stand aside to admire a gleaming work of art—transformed from a rusting hulk—somehow all the labor seems worthwhile.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you're having a hard time finding stove-restoration materials or you need some suggestions, write to Friendly Fire, Inc., Dept. TMEN, 1802 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collies, Colorado 80521. (Include a stamped envelope and a dollar or two for information as a friendly gesture.) Also, if you come across a truly exceptional stove (or even literature about old stoves), Bill Eckert just might be interested in purchasing it.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print