![]() ![]() "Most of the stoves I've seen around here are coal-burning stoves.Not only was coal cheaper (it still is) but it holds a fire longer than wood - it's 75 percent efficient, while wood is only 68 percent. Stove dealer Thaler agrees with Crevenna. "A lot of these were coal stoves used primarily for heating, although they often had one or two eyes on them for cooking." The stoves came in two types: cook stoves and heating stoves. Most of the American stoves Crevenna has come across were built in the 1930s and '40s. And the chimney requires regular cleaning." You have to bring in the wood - two to three armfuls several times a day.The ashes have to be shoveled during the day. "Woodstoves for heating are not for everyone. ![]() In addition to safety factors, Crevenna can understand why some people just want their antique stoves for appearances. "Some of the stoves can be used for heating and/or cooking, while others are solely for decoration," he says. The collection of antique French stoves he restored for Nova were built, he figures, about 80 to 100 years ago. ![]() While working at Nova Wood Heat, Andy Crevenna says he saw antique stoves that were in such bad repair that even if he'd fixed them up, he would have hesitated to use them for anything other than decoration. But how safe the stoves are to actually use is questionable." Repairing cracks and the like in cast iron is nearly impossible. To repair and restore an old stove today might cost you more than $2,000." had requests to restore the old stoves, but we don't do it. "And the cost to make new patterns is too high. "The patterns for parts just aren't there anymore," he explains. in Baltimore, Md., says that his company may sell a few parts for the old stoves when they come across them, but he doesn't intend to get into the business of restoring. Scavenging parts from another old stove is often the only way to get replacements. Many of the original companies have long since gone out of business. Restoring antique stoves is not easy and no job for an amateur to tackle. This is what most people are looking for nowadays, since an airtight stove is more energy efficient." Top Hat Sweeps, like most of the area's wood-stove shops, sells only the modern stoves. Mark Swan of Top Hat Sweeps in Arlington, Va., agrees. Most people interested in working wood stoves buy the new models." People usually buy them for looks - they put flower pots and decorative items on them. "there's virtually no market for antique wood stoves. "Unfortunately," Crevenna continues, whose shop is part of the firm E. Nothing too amazing," says Crevenna modestly. I taught myself the techniques of restoring the old stoves. "Last year Nova received a collection of 19th-century French stoves, which I started playing with. When the season slacked off, I learned to install some of the stoves they sold and eventually went into retail sales. While I was waiting for my name to come up at the Fairfax County Firehouse list I took a job as a chimney sweep at Nova Wood Heat in Great Falls. "I was studying firefighting at Northern Virginia Community College. Making the switch from auto mechanics and firefighting to wood stoves just followed the natural course of events, as far as Crevenna is concerned. ![]() The name of his company? Wizard Stove Works. Now he's one of the few experts (and most likely the youngest at age 24) in the Virginia-D.C.-Maryland area at restoring and repairing antique wood stoves. He later studied fire science at Northern Virginia Community College, where he picked up the subject so readily he again was known as the Wizard. When someone had given up on a car repair, Andy always found a way to get the vehicle back in gear. ANDY CREVENNA was known as the Wizard while he worked as a professional auto mechanic. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |