Monday, February 22, 2010

What a find!

For some time now, we've been on the lookout for a wood cookstove. We heat exclusively with wood and cook with propane, but a couple winters ago we were snowed in and ran so low on propane that I feared we'd be unable to cook except on the surface of the woodstove (which will do in a pinch, but a woodstove isn't really set up for cooking).

So we've been in the market for a cookstove. I spread the word that we were looking for a unit in good condition - I've seen a few that were so rusted-out as to be unusable - and wondered if we'd find what we were looking for because our budget was so tight.

Thanks to the vigilance of some neighbors, we are now the proud owners of a good-as-new wood cookstove! It was made in 1926 and, in the words of our friends who found it (and who, since they have vast experience with wood cookstoves, went over it with a fine tooth comb), is in "phenomenal condition." (It was also a phenomenal price.)

Here it is still in the store, one of those rent-a-booth type antique stores:


Broken down in the back of our truck for the trip home:


Set up temporarily in our house:


Can you believe the condition it's in?


It's not hooked up yet, of course. We have a lot of work to do to install it - cut out the carpet and put some tile down, put a fire-proof backing against the wall, install a triple-walled stovepipe, that kind of thing.

But this cookstove is one more step on the road to self-sufficiency. No more will we have to worry about running low on propane in order to cook. It will be an additional source of heat on cold days, too. What a find!

6 comments:

  1. WOW!! Indeed a great find. I'm so happy for you (and a little bit jealous?!) since I've ALWAYS wanted to do that. We're working to rip our our fireplace and install a woodburning stove, but it's nothing like this! Congratulations!

    For what it's worth, peruse www.woodheat.org; maybe they have some tips you can use.

    Steve Davis
    Anchorage, Alaska

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  2. Thanks, Steve - we're missing a couple things we'll need to buy (such as a grate) so I'll check out that website.

    - Patrice

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  3. Lucky you!! We've beed on the lookout for 2 yrs now. got my fingers crossed for this springs auctions.

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  4. Your new stove is a beauty. We were lucky enough to get Tramp 1's grandparents wood cookstove that a relative had in their basement. It's a 1924 Charter Oak. We heat and cook with it.

    Enjoy your great find!

    Tramp #2
    http://tramps-camp.blogspot.com

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  5. That stove is an awsome find. Congratulations. I would love to find an affordable one in that good shape. Have you got it running yet?

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  6. Oh, how beautiful! The stove looks amazing. There's one I've been dreaming of for a while, but it's not cheap, nor is my house laid out properly for it. But it sure is pretty.

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