Silent Auction at Dinner Prior to Concert to Rebuild Dot’s

Among the small number of Silent Auction Items:  Prints by Artist Barbara Holliday, Green Fees at Mount Snow Country Club, a weekend getaway for 2 at The Grand Summit, Home Energy Audit from Thermal House, and this beautiful table!  Join the fun with a Premium Ticket that includes dinner with the artists prior to the Concert to Rebuild Dot’s 7.14.2012.

Wedding Cake Table donated by Artist David Ganter  (dganter@gwi.net) currently on Display at the Parmelee & Howe Building

Once upon a time, almost every home prepared their meals with a cast iron, wood-burning cook stove. In 1892, there were about 200 stove manufacturers in America. New England accounted for around 30 of them at the time. In Maine we had the Auburn Stove Foundry, the Portland Stove Foundry, Noyes & Nutter of Bangor, and Wood & Bishop of Bangor. These manufacturers created cook stoves and heating stoves that were truly works of art. The talents and creativity of their craftsmen produced beautiful castings. Sadly, most of these works of art have disappeared and modern replacements have taken their place. Many young people today look puzzled when you describe a wood-fired cook stove; many have never seen the beauty of one.

I search for cook stoves that have been discarded, broken, cracked, and burnt out that are no longer functional. I avoid those stoves that are restorable because in New England there are a handful of people bringing these beauties back to life! The base of these old pieces is the prize I seek to resurrect as a truly unique coffee table.

I disassemble, weld if necessary, sandblast each part to bare cast iron, prime, paint first coat (your color choice), reassemble with new hardware, and then paint with a second final coat. Finally, to the base I add a top built of a variety of hardwoods, slate, or polished granite slabs. The granite tops have become my favorite; showcasing beautiful granite pieces, some 500,000 plus years old that require no maintenance. Each finished table is a one of a kind piece that will last for generations!