Holy smokes!
I found a real gem on Craigslist a few days ago.
It was one of those dealios where there is nothing interesting listed one moment… but then you hit the "refresh" button and the item of your dreams appears! *GASP* In that instant you know that it was meant to be….that this deal has your name written all over it. Destiny.
And that’s how you end up with a pony, or a jacuzzi. Or, in my case, a 260 lb cast iron wood stove.
Meet Ben Franklin:
Actually, it officially a "Franklin Fireplace-Wood Stove," a stove of a design evolved from the ones old Ben Franklin patented. Basically, it’s a wood stove with bat-wing doors that swing open so you can enjoy a full fire, but can seal back up if you wanna do some more serious home-heating. Authentic ones are as old as the mid-18th century, but there are many many different variants of this sucker. I have to do some more poking around, but I believe this model is from the 1960s.
According to the stats I found for this more contemporary model, this stove’s BTU rating is 69,000, it is EPA certified, and can heat a 1,200 square foot home. It’s not a real uber-qualitty stove, and many folks have complaints about it…..but it’s not total crap. AND IT’S A WOODSTOVE FOR $50!!!!
I stole Banjo Boy’s little red pickup truck and sped down to Manassas to collect my bounty. Getting it into the truck and strapping it down wasn’t too big of a problem. Getting it out of the truck took five people. The stove is currently sitting on our front porch. I’m not too worried about someone walking off with it.
When we close on the New House (in two weeks) the stove will move with us and, hopefully, help keep us toasty.
Big Yay.
