Our little two plate Univa caravan stove, with grill and small oven, which we took out of the caravan and placed in the farmhouse kitchen, has taken a fair amount of punishment in the last 2 years.
The burner grid was being eroded by the extreme heat. In some places it was almost burnt through. And I couldn't find spares anywhere online. I mean, the caravan is from the early '80's - and is Univa still in existence? I couldn't find them...
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| A close up of the wear and tear on the pot grid |
And, as we had measured, and built the kitchen cupboard / counter when the house was being built (the cupboards have brick side walls) we couldn't exactly knock down the walls in order to accomodate a new larger stove. Most of the new gas stoves have electric ovens - who needs one of those in their lives? No thank you. LOL
And tossing out a perfectly usable little stove is very rarely an option as far as I am concerned. A little bit of TLC is all it will take and the stove will be as good as new.
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| Thoroughly buckled and twisted - the grid was dangerous and pots sloped towards the sides... |
Then RMan suggested why not ask RSon - he is in the stainless steel business now, and if anyone could make it he could.
On one of his visits, he took the measurements.
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| Just like a new stove top :) |
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| Perfectly level and just like new |
Everything is level again.
It's the simple things in life that can bring such joy :)
Once again - thanks RSon :)
Once again - thanks RSon :)
That is just cool! It is good to see someone working to fix a problem rather than just toss it on the trash heap and buy new. I think that in today's society, there are very few people left who actually know how to fix anything. Or even how to think through to a solution for a problem.
ReplyDeleteVicki - Thanks :) I reckon that if everyone HAD to make at least one trip a year to a landfill site, they would understand how important it is to try and repair, as opposed to replace.
DeleteAnyway, we love that little stove - it has memories for us - so why toss it out?
Excellent. I try and hold my inner Womble in, but I just cant help myself. I have found so many useful things in skips. I knocked on the door of a Kuwaiti family once who seemed to renovate their whole house every other year. There was a really large coffee table in the skip and asked if I could have it. they were so happy as they also off loaded a year old kitchen to me. My friends kitchen had fallen apart and in desperate need of a new one. they carefully took it out and fitted part of it in their own house and part in her sisters! Free kitchens? Yes please. the told me skips were £170 each one
ReplyDeleteThe coffee table was sanded and waxed it had 2 coffee cup rings on it. it now resides in a family members house and they get comments on it and how nice it is all the time. this was something they would have been smashed up to make it all fit into skips. We don't have any skips like that in this area, (not affluent enough). Although I did hear a rag and bone man calling out on his loud tannoy for any metal and old batteries for disposal. I suppose they recycle and sell it. they were calling out "we will take it away for free". I bet you will, I thought. Metals are worth money here.
Sol - Womble LOL
DeleteI haven't actually resorted to skip diving, but am always reluctant to toss anything out. Even the old pot grid will be used as a drying shelf for next seasons squash, pumpkin, butternut, etc.
Yeah, RMan also refurbished a coffee table we had give to a fmaily member and which got damaged. Check it out here : http://ecofootprintsa.blogspot.com/2013/02/waste-not-want-not.html
Excellent. So happy for handy relatives!
ReplyDeleteDFW - Oh yes, handy RSon's are invaluable - even unhandy ones LOL
Deletea big congrats to Rson...but then look who raised him! Dani, you know that we do our best to re-purpose and re-use everything that we can. we think it is very important, as do you! we're not entirely off the grid yet and don't own a fancy solar oven, just our pallets and screens - bahahahahha! - but we'll get there. especially if we have good friends like you leading the way! again - a big congrats to Rson!
ReplyDeleteyour friend,
kymber
kymber - Throw away - NEVER LOL
DeleteJambaloney is an inspiration to me too :)
That's outstanding. It's always a positive feeling when you can repair a good piece of equipment, rather than having to discard it and buy something new. The fact that your son was able to supply the needed components makes it all the better.
ReplyDeleteHarry - There was absolutely nothing wrong with the cooking part of the stove - just the pot grid. So why trash the whole thing?
DeleteYeah, RSon came through for us again :)
What a great surprise for you. He did well. And for all the rest of the days you use it, you will think of him. Pretty cool!
ReplyDelete1st Man - I reckon he did brilliantly!! And yes, every time I use it I DO think of him :)
DeleteMakes much more sense to try and repair things than just tossing them :) Your son did a great job on the new grill.
ReplyDeletedreamer - It does, doesn't it :) Yeah, RSon is a star!! ;)
DeleteWe used to have a stove like that in a camper van I built years ago. If we parked on a slope we used to have to "weave" teaspoons in the rack to stop pots falling on the floor as soon as they heated up!
ReplyDeleteKev - Welcome, and thank you for taking the time to leave a comment :)
DeleteI would've been worried that the spoons would melt LOL Oh, I hope you still have that stove? They are such useful appliances :)