Working on the Farm

It's that time of the year again, when I go through things on the farm and see what needs repairs and what needs to be replaced. It can be quite an undertaking.

In the garden I've been taking out all the old plants and prepping the soil for planting, which needs to be done very soon.

I've also been sweeping out the barn and washing down the floors and stalls. I usually use a bleach and water mixture for cleaning those areas to be sure any germs that may have bedded down for the winter are cleaned out. If the paint is starting to look rough then me and my brother get together over the weekend and do some repainting. Luckily, this year the weather didn't affect it too much so we're good on that front.

I do have some farm animal supplies that are going to have to be replaced. Some of the calf feeders are looking a little worse for wear and we definitely need those. I'm also going to be investing in some feed buckets that are easier to mount in the barn stalls.

Needless to say, I am enjoying this warmer weather and I'm thankful for the time to be able to get all of these things done up.

How to Start a Fire in a Wood Stove

If you are new to using a wood stove it can be tricky when it comes to starting a fire in one. But with a little knowledge and some patience, you can accomplish this task easily. 

Materials:

• Newspaper
• Cardboard in 2 inch strips
• Kindling
• Small pieces of firewood - 2 inch diameter or less
• Matches

Start with 5 pieces of your newspaper. Separate these pieces, crunch them up and lay them in the bottom of your wood stove's firebox near the door. Now take a couple of a pieces of your 2 inch cardboard strips and lay them over the newspaper. You will now want to place a bit of your kindling on top of your newspaper and cardboard. Now take one or two pieces of your firewood and stack them on top. 

Locate and open your stove's vent all the way. Now start your fire. I light the newspaper and cardboard first. Once your firewood has caught on fire and burned for a couple of minutes you can add a piece or two more of firewood. Take a fire poker and carefully turn the embers and burning wood in the stove before adding your larger pieces of wood. Allow your wood stove's vents to stay open until the larger pieces of wood are ignited well. Now you can adjust the vents to your desired heat output of the stove.

Wood stoves work best when they are used in cold weather and for longer than 1 hour. The stat that I found said 32 degrees and below.

Refinishing a Woodstove

I think that for projects like refinishing a wood stove it is best to do it in the summer, when you don't need to use your woodstove right away.


The Williams Stove Polish and the Rutland Stove Polish Paste are the two wood stove polishes that I like. 

Below I will tell you a little more about each one:

Williams Stove Polish
The Williams brand of stove polish has been around for over 90 years. The polish leaves a lustrous black finish on unpainted cast iron and steel. This polish is odorless and does not contain any waxes, smelly harsh solvents, or flammable materials. It is easy to apply to your woodstove. All you have to do is wait until your stove is dry and cool. Buff the surface until you bring back the shine. This stove polish also protects from rust and oxidation. (Polish contains only graphite & carbon).

Rutland Stove Polish Paste
This wood burning stove polish renews and protects any cast iron surface. Do not use it on painted cast iron. I use this polish paste on all of my unpainted outdoor cast iron. The difference between the Williams and Rutland is that Rutland’s Polish is combined with three different waxes in a water based emulsion, but it’s also a non-toxic, and is non-flammable.

Please note: Stove Polish restores finish only on unpainted steel and cast iron. If you have other antiques saved and lying around, and you would like to know what else you can spruce up, then I have a list for you: Coal Stoves, Barbecue Grills, Iron Pots and Cast Iron Kettles. (Helps restore and prevent deterioration of these cast iron surfaces). Also great for Gas and Oil Stoves, Fireplaces, and Iron Screens.

Safety Tips:· While in storage, keep Stove Polish in a container in a cool well ventilated area. · KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN.· Wear latex gloves, while applying.· Make sure you are able to open a door or window, to well ventilate the room where your stove is in.

Directions:
If you can, wait for a pretty day where you can open up a door or window. 

1. First you will need some latex gloves, so you will not have black all over your hands. 
2. It’s important to use a good quantity paint brush when applying to your wood stove, then wipe off any excess with a clean lint free cloth. 
You may have to use several applications, after the polish has dried, you can hand buff your wood stove and you will have created, a beautiful restored cast iron stove, with a brilliant shine.

How to use Oil Lamps in Decor

There are many different kinds and types of oil lamps and oil lanterns out there in the world today, but I find that the railroad style oil lantern is my favorite.  They are not complicated to use and there is not a lot of upkeep to them.

When shopping for an oil lantern to use in your decor you start by finding the size that you would need.  Each size oil lamp has a different candle power.  The candle power of a lamp was measured by judging by eye the relative brightness of adjacent surfaces, one illuminated only by a standard lamp (or candle) and the other only by the lamp under test.  So a good rule of thumb is the larger the lantern, the higher the candle power.

The 50 series little camper lantern is a small lantern.  It has a candle power of 6 with the height of the unit being 7.5 inches.  The fuel capacity of 4 ounces or a half a cup, and the wick size is about 3/8 inches, and on average it burns for about 8 hours on a tank of fuel

The medium size lanterns are also known at the 76 series lanterns.  It has a height of about 10 inches and holds about 8 ounces or a cup of fuel.   It burns on a ½ wick and burns for about of 15 hours on a tank of fuel.  It also has a candle power of 7.

The larger lanterns come in many different sizes but the average size is about 12 inches or greater I deal more with the 12 inch size.  If you find on that is in average of about 12 inches the fuel capacity should be about 12 ounces and that is about a cup and a half. They have a burning power of 8 and normally use a ½ wick.  In average they last for about 35 hours on a tank of fuel.

There are different types of fuel that you can use in the oil lanterns that I found on woodstove-outlet.com, but read the instructions first because some vary with the information that I have found.  It is always safer to read the instructions, rather than just take someone’s word for it.  The fuels that I have found to use for the lanterns are the lamp oil, kerosene, paraffin oil and my favorite citronella oil.  The citronella is an insect repellent and when I have to use my lanterns it is on camping trips and outside is always more fun when there are fewer bugs around.

I have seen people use these lanterns as lamps for decorative lighting and they come in handy during power outages and camping trips.  As a reminder, you need to remove the fuel out of the lantern to prevent rusting of the fuel chamber. 

Fuel isn’t that expensive, but I would rather use the citronella oil instead of batteries.  The citronella smells good, keeps bugs away and burn very well.  I like doing my part to help the environment too.  

 

 

Railroad lanterns can be used for more than just functional uses.  I have seen them used for center pieces at weddings or hung by the doorway to light up a room.  They’re really quite beautiful and functional.  If you have ideas for oil lanterns please tell us.