Autumn

Autumn

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Second Thoughts

A text arrived today from a man with a request to purchase one of my restored Coleman camp stoves. One of three or four I finished last summer. My favorite, the big two burner model 413G - she was manufactured in 1971. A year which found my sore feet and rear bumping down a trail in Africa where Coleman camp stoves were an everyday essential.  

This is tough.

(Standard stock photo off  Bing, not my stove.)

I'm befuddled as to why I have second thoughts. It needs a new home. The price listed is ridiculous when I consider the hours involved, all the tedious busted knuckle days of labor put into her rebirth. But still, this doesn't explain my reluctance. Heck, I've two other of her kind on standby, and have plans to begin their restorations very soon. (The humidity must be perfect and my garage door open. Not yet.)

If the gentleman keeps his appointment I will wave her out the door. It'll be sad though.

Or not.

Stephen 

(Update - she's gone. Sniff.)




22 comments:

  1. That looks just like the one I have, inherited from my parents. No telling how many camping trips its been on through the years.

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    1. Take care of it, Lazy. They come from China now. Hey, you've a nice blog....you need to write, my friend. Hate to talent wasted. Thank you.

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    2. Thanks. I was posting for a while, but I just ran out of ideas. Every now and then I think about starting a new one that would be called something like "Handguns and Mountain Bikes"....but I don't think I have enough thoughts to post much.

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    3. You need to write,Lazy. Heck, I never have ideas and here I am. I like the idea of, 'Handguns and Bikes.' Give it a try...and don't forget to give notification.

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  2. It's not just the selling of the stove. It's the memories connect to it.

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  3. My Coleman stove looks rough, but works just fine. During my road warrior days, cooked many a meal on a roadside picnic table with that stove. It stays in a repurposed ammo box along with two cans of fuel, a funnel, a lantern, and spare mantles. . The stove was purchased in 1972.

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    1. Stay the course...she'll work for eons if the leather in the pump sips a bit of oil every year and the tank is swished clean ever so often....get the rust off. I hear her cries of pain. Thanks, my friend.

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  4. Always sad to see a labor of love go out the door, no matter how much you don't need it. I felt the same way the first time I sold a Kentucky flintlock I'd built from a kit.

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    1. I bet you were sad...I own many others so I'll get over it, soon as I dry my tears.

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  5. We cooked a lot of meals on one just like that when I was a kid. It used white gas, just like yours. Mine now uses a propane bottle which is a lot more convenient, but just doesn't seem the same. Not sure that food doesn't taste the same on it, either.

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    1. That is just sad...propane. Bubba, you gotta change her back.

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  6. I remember the pictures of that stove I think. It certainly was a beauty and you did a fine job on her. Of course you will have second thoughts. I think you enjoyed doing the restoration so much though that this will pay off by giving you a chance to do it again.

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    1. Have a nice little baby on my work table waiting on me. Gotta a little Sears (made by Coleman) in the wings. The kid said, "Wow, its older than me."

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  7. I have great difficulty parting with things that my family and I might need later. (Or my kids families, if they marry and have their own families.) Even when I have something, I tend to want to hold on to reserves of the same thing. Of course, this can be impractical because no one has all the storage space they need. I understand your reluctance entirely, Stephen.

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    1. It is difficult, isn't it. Although I live by the 'rule of three,' I'm always hesitant to part with my survival preps, items. I own many camp stoves...still space is space and my little side hobby can't pay for itself if I keep all my finds. Thanks, Pretty Lady.

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  8. I definitely prefer these because they use the liquid fuel instead of propane, too. Not as light to pack, but it seems like much better value for the money.

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    1. Lazy, for you I'd recommend the 'Peak.' It's a Canadian stove made by Coleman. It's small, light, and folds into a neat little package. Hit Ebay, search....oh, it uses the same Coleman fuel or white gas. I own one and the little booger really whips out a meal ricky-ticky...

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    2. I have an Whisperlight International that has worked well when I have used it. Sadly I have the one from before they could simmer.

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    3. Still a good one, Lazy. Sorry it took me so long to answer....

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