I’ve not had a chance to post much recently as I’ve been extremely busy in the workshop but here’s a particualy nice Belle Portable that came in for restoration recently and is now back with its owner after some extensive work. It’s an early model Belle with cast iron water boiler. It dates from around 1894 and must have had some serious use over its life as the firebox was quite a state!
The base plate had two large cracks in it, all the firebox cheeks were damaged and one required renewal, the firebox door was missing as was the pintle, there was no tap for the boiler, the back and sides were rotten as was the oven… you get the idea!
Author: OliverOsborne
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1894 Belle Portable with water boiler
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Näfveqvarns Bruk parlour stove
Here’s another one all ready to be shipped off to its new home. I really like this stove and don’t expect I’ll see another one like it. In case your wondering its feet have been stowed away inside for shipping!
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“The Improved Cam”
Here’s a really nice little range that came in for restoration a short while ago. It is “The Improved Cam” a model manufactured at the Caledonian Stove and Iron works and here it is nearing completion and preparing to be shipped back to its owner next week.
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Columbian Stove Works, Fairy Range
For those who have expressed an interest in the Fairy range, cast at the Columbian works of Smith and Wellstood, I have posted here a mock up of how it will look. The range has been blasted to remove the original enamel that was way passed its best. The handles and name badge will be nickel plated as they were originally so it will look very smart when done. I’m snowed under with restorations at the moment so I won’t get to this one until September time, keep your eyes peeled!
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Well it’s been a really busy few weeks here. We’ve been up and down the country working, buying and selling and I’m now back at the workshop to catch up with the on going work here.
I went to take a look at two Shepherds huts yesterday with a mind to restoring them for the owner of the estate where they still are. One is in reasonable nick but the other is a real project.
The Ideal Domestic boiler is off up to London for its new life on a boat on the Thames. I’ve been busy making a log store/ base for it to stand on which should look very smart and raise boiler to a more convenient height for cooking etc.
I’ve got three new acquisitions this week alone. Firstly a very nice Coalbrookdale open range that I just couldn’t pass up. Sadly I can’t make out the digits on the RD mark but I suspect it is circa 1860 and certainly no later than 1868.
Next is a Larbert portable range, this is probably the most desirable of the portable ranges and they don’t come up very often. It’s in reasonable nick but will certainly take more than a bit of work to get it up to scratch again!
Lastly is a very nice early open range. This type of range predate any dating marks so it is hard to know when they were cast. The earliest example that I have restored was in Bristol and dated from 1813. This one is likely to be a bit later but is almost certainly pre 1840s.
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Carron Co Georgian Hobgrate
Here’s another picture of the Carron Hobgrate we put into the house we are working on up in Shropshire. It’s rendered in now with lime and the hearth has been oiled so it’s looking pretty smart. Note the servents bell pull to the right hand side of the chimney breast!
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Antique Ideal Domestic Boiler
Some of you may recall a photo of an large Ideal Domestic water boiler that I picked up a short while ago. It was in a bit of a state when I received it but had previously been used to heat a three story furniture shop in North Wales. Here are the before and after pictures of it;
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Guidwife range for sale
This is the latest range to be restored, a very nice early Guidwife range like those used in traditional back cabins in working narrow boats. Look in the shop for more photos and the price.
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Tyring the market cart wheels
We got stuck into the final round of tyring last weekend. So far Colin and his brother has restored two Oxfordshire bow rave wagons, one timber wagon, a seed drill and a market cart. That means over the last year or so we have tyred sixteen wheels and made a felloes for all of them along with many spokes although all the original naves have been retained.
The last one was Stephan’s market cart built in 1900. He discovered that beneath the blue paintwork it had in fact originally been black with scarlet pin stripping almost everywhere. That certainly tried his patience!
We got started on an already blistering hot Sunday and then proceeded to light a fire. You can’t tell from the photo but the heat coming off that fire is insufferable and means you have to be quick sharp with the tyre irons if you want to lift the tyre away with loosing your hair!
The tyres were a tight fit and wouldn’t have gone on if I hadn’t have forged up some tyre dogs the week before.
All that is left now is to finish painting it and to find some brass lamps to go with it. If anyone out there has any that will suit please get in touch!
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Not a bad day for it!
Was out in the forge today so thought I’d share what it looks like in the summer. I’m making some tyre dogs to help with getting some iron tyres onto a freshly restored market cart this weekend.
