Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Percolator stories


As my regular readers know, I actually use the majority of the antique and vintage things I own.

The only time a problem arises is when a guest or a certain child doesn't know how to use them.

Case in point...

Vintage percolators.

You'll notice below, that I have one on my stove.


That is not the first one I purchased, nor the second or the third.

It happens to be the fourth.

And it also doesn't happen to be the kind you plug in.

So, let me tell you the sad stories of their three untimely deaths....


The first one, I shared in this post.

It was a late 1950s beauty.


A friend of mine forgot to put water in it and then plugged it in.

It was a very sad death.

Sadly that sweet little pink polkadot coffee cup perished as well recently :(


This next one was a 1940s beauty that I posted about here.


Somebody filled it up with water while the cord was still plugged into the base, and water got in between the two. When they plugged it into the outlet, it started to smoke and melted the plug.

Another very sad and also scary death.


The third one, a 1950s beauty (not pictured) mysteriously stopped working when I was on vacation, while Annie was watching the dogs with a friend.

I'm not saying either one of them broke it, but it worked fine the morning I left.

Ahem.

So that leads us to the most recent percolator purchase...


A vintage 1940s/50s Comet 20 cup stovetop beauty with brass handles, that friends and children can't kill.


Well, let's hope not anyway.

I also purchased a 1940s tea kettle recently....


and let me tell you, that baby is LOUD when it whistles.

They look cute together don't they? :)



So, although it's sad that three percolators had to perish at the hands of people that don't know what they're doing had the best intentions, at least there was a happy ending to the story.

I love happy endings, don't you?

;)

xo
rue


PS
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55 comments:

  1. Someone left a basket of coffee grounds in my expensive grinding coffeemaker, and since we're not at that home all the time, my coffee maker got moldy and had to be thrown out. So I bought a plug in percolator...but that SEEMS to be too complicated for everyone (?!)...so they bought a keurig now, too lol. Love your simple percolator and teakettle!

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  2. My mom had a few different kinds of vintage percolators growing up. I have one of them and whenever my kids see them, they just shake their heads and mutter something along the lines of "I don't get it." Seems to be a popular thought! ;)

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  3. I had a percolator in college (ca. 1984) and I loved it. It reminded me of home because my mother had one. That gave me a bit of comfort far from home. I found that recently we were spending a lot of money on K-cups so I went back to making a pot of coffee every morning except the ones I have to leave veeeery early. It's a drip pot by Cuisinart. Bulky and not nearly as pretty as yours.

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  4. Thank you for starting to post again - I missed reading them!

    Debbie V.

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  5. My mom had one, but I remember the most is when she bought a Mr. Coffee, a big deal:). Your salt and pepper holder is cute and the hens too.
    I have my mom's cake dome with a glass plate, similar to yours, I love it!
    My sister would love to cook in your kitchen! Kathleen in Az

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    Replies
    1. I traded a Mr. Coffee for a percolator.... how funny!

      And thank you, Kathleen :)

      xo

      Delete
  6. Rue,
    I am also happy to see you posting again! I love the way your "new" vintage coffee pot and kettle look on your stove. Your kitchen is so charming! It never occurred to be to buy and old coffee pot and actually use it. I have seen those old electric ones in the shops that I visit. Maybe I should grab one and try it....does it take forever to perk?
    Linda
    mysewwhatblog

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  7. I have a Salad Master Percolator that I use if I have time to wait on it to perk. I'm one that has to have coffee as soon as my feet hit the floor. Salad Master was a company that sold stainless steel cookware and other goodies. My ex-FIL sold Salad Master, door to door, for many years. This is one of those percolators he sold. I loved my in-laws and I will always treasure this pot. I will hand it down to my daughter one day...maybe. ;-)

    Grace & Peace,
    Pam

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  8. I remember showing my husband one of your percolator posts and he's watched for one at Goodwill ever since. But maybe a non-electric one would be best! Yours is really cool, and the tea kettle. I sure do love that stove--a whole lot!

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  9. I haven't heard a percolator "perking" in so many years, but it was the sound of waking up each morning at our house growing up in the 60's. And when I was very little, my Grandpa and I would sing along "perka-perka-PERKA!" when the Maxwell House commercial would come on. He died when I was only three, but I can vividly remember singing that with him.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for sharing that sweet memory! I love those commercials :)

      Delete
  10. So sorry for your losses.. Ahem. The new one (or old one if you prefer) looks perfect and I think it's great you actually use what you collect. So how is the coffee?

    Jane x

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  11. Oh...yes, yes...I love happy endings too! Love yours. Hate to see you suffered the loss of so many pretty percolators. Love the most recent addition to your home though.

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  12. We had a new stainless steel non-electric percolator that I really enjoyed using, then the handle came off. Dear husband fixed it but after he left this planet it broke again. I found and bought a Melitta pour over glass pot and love it! Easy, peasy.

    I love your vintage style and wonderful pieces. I think it's neat that you and John have similar tastes. :-)

    It is so good to have you back ~ FlowerLady

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  13. I have a new electric percolator and a vintage stovetop one and love using both. Nobody here offers to make the coffee so I don't have to worry about either of them getting destroyed. Unless it is by my own hands. I went through about 4 stove top tea kettles because I disabled the whistle and they boiled dry!
    Your kitchen looks so cozy! And yes, it is good to have you back. xo Deborah

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  14. I'm so happy you are back to posting more often! I love your blog and your cute, adorable house. I have a percolator in its box in the basement just waiting for the day this awful keurig that my husband insists on having bites the dust. Coffee just isn't coffee unless it's been percolated!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much!

      My mom has one of those too. That thing drives me nuts when I stay at her house. Maybe you should just bring out your old percolator for you ;)

      Delete
  15. Sorry people did not know how to deal with your vintage percolators! But sounds like you rebound with a new one just the same.
    Brenda

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  16. Hi Rue, Well this does have a happy ending and a beautiful finish with those two darlings sitting on your stove. Love them!! The polka dot mug is adorable too.
    Thank you for stopping by and your sweet comment for my 10 years of blogging. Yes you were one of the first I knew and so glad you are back after your time away. Your friendship is special!!
    Have a great weekend ahead. xoxo

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  17. My grandma always used a percolator and my mom used one off and on for many years, too. I don't think she still does, but I bet she has a percolator in her stash of stuff! ;-)

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  18. With the tea kettle, percolator on the stove, and the yellow utility cart, your kitchen reminds me so much of my mother's 50's kitchen. Very nostalgic. xo

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  19. I love percolators! I had an electric one that I used all the time, especially if I had company. I don't drink coffee, but I would make coffee because I loved the smell. I would make a pot, let it sit for a bit and then pour it out. Silly, I know. But I loved the sound it made while "perking" and I loved the smell. It finally gave out and I got rid of it. I may have to get another one...I just love them so. I love yours and am sad that the previous models suffered sad and untimely deaths...love the new mug too!! Love and hugs!!

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  20. My favorite of those mentioned is the 1940's percolator as my Aunt Martha had one just
    like it ever so long ago. I'm 84 and remember it well with great coffee. Loved your
    blog today! Phyllis

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It really does makes great coffee :)
      Thank you, Phyllis!

      Delete
  21. I have an old Farberware Superfast percolater - makes perfect coffee every time and it's stainless steel. I use 'Dip It'cleaner from time to time (the powder). I love the sound of it percolating away - reminds me of my childhood. LOVE your kitchen:)

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    Replies
    1. I've never heard of Dip it cleaner. I'll have to try it. Thank you for the tip, Karen and the compliment :)

      Delete
  22. Love the old percolators. I don't drink coffee but i do enjoy seeing them because they bring back memories of my mother.

    So happy to see that you are posting again. Thank you.

    What kind of a dog is Bubba?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Linda and thank you :)

      Bubba is a Chihuahua.

      Delete
  23. If I remember correctly....coffee smells more intense when it's percolated...is that true? This is a childhood memory, so I could be mistaken. And...I love happy endings! ;)

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    Replies
    1. It does have a more intense smell. I noticed it right away the first time I used one :)

      xo

      Delete
  24. I love percolators! My husband bought one at a flea market before we were married and we still use it every now and then. I love your kitchen :)

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  25. Hi Rue. I love percolators. My grandma use to have that going every morning. Love the sound it makes while making coffee. Sorry you had so many bite the dust on you. Hope this one you have now will stay with you for awhile. It is super cute with the tea pot.
    Hugs,
    Kris

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  26. Rue, When my boys were little I took them to stay in a cabin on the Oregon Coast. The kitchen supplied me with a little aluminum percolator. I filled it with water, coffee grounds and put it on the stove to perk and went off to tend the boys. When I returned, having forgotten about it, there was nothing left but the handle the basket and the lid. I apologized profusely and offered to buy another. The lady at the desk laughed and said it wasn't the first one she had lost the same way. It was embarrassing. Love you percolators and so glad your blog posts are back. Sandra

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    Replies
    1. Holy moly! I can't imagine! I'm glad it didn't cause a fire. You definitely need to stick around when you're using one.

      And thank you! :)

      xo

      Delete
  27. The best coffee comes from my old stove top percolator. I live it when the power goes off and I can still make a lovely strong cup on the gas stove.

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  28. Old percolators are wonderful. The percolator I use was a wedding gift in 1974. It still makes delicious coffee. I used to have the same yellow cart that you have, and can't remember now why I ever got rid of mine. Your kitchen is so cute and homey.

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  29. Percolators bring back memories for me of my nana, so I bought one (a new, but very classic-looking electric model) a few years ago. We plugged it into a timer so it would start before we got up. I loved the sound it made. Then after months of use, it started losing power and we bought another one. That one did the same. So we went back to drip coffee. Just recently our drip coffee maker went out on us, so I decided to bring back the percolator, but this time a stovetop version. It was so much trouble to clean and had a spring that I feared we'd lose, it frustrated me. So I got a Keurig. Our first one. Very far from percolatorhood fer sher, but it's what I am interested in right now. Someday, I'd like to go back to an electric percolator again. They have a certain charm about them. I love all of your vintage models, Rue! You are one interesting lady!

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  30. I remember those coffee pots from when I was a kid. I probably wouldn't know how to use one today. Too bad about the deaths of those pretty pots. I love your new one though. Great handles. Hope this one will last!

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  31. Darn sorry about all your vintage percolators.I am using a corning ware electric percolator and love it . It's about my 4th one. The cords are had to find .
    I like that you also use your vintage items

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  32. A vintage electric percolator will last a long time and I have mine plugged in all day. I try to find the stainless steel ones. I always keep a stove top percolator around in case the electric goes out. I am a serious coffee drinker as you can see. I HAD to buy a new electric one about a year ago and the LED light turned the whole kitchen green at night! It only lasted three months and died. Even if a vintage one dies, you know the fuses can be changed in the bottom if they are used without water in them and the fuse blows, but keep the cords.
    Rue, love the way your stove looks and John's coffee mug with the polka dots.
    Ginene

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    Replies
    1. John said he'll probably be able to fix a couple of the ones that are broken, but fixing them myself is way beyond my comfort level!

      Thank you!
      xo

      Delete
  33. Yep - love a happy ending! Good to see you posting again!

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  34. Love you kitchen and I have to say I am crushing on the "coffee" jar new perc #2! The last one and the tea kettle look so great together.. where do you find these? thrift stores, on line? do tell! xo

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    Replies
    1. Hi Theresa :)

      I find them on Etsy or Ebay. Make sure they have all the parts before you check out though ;)

      xo

      Delete
  35. Just love your new kettle and percolator ... yes, they do look cute together!

    Shame about your pink mug (pink is my favourite colour) but how good is your replacement - now that is special.

    Good wishes for the weekend

    All the best Jan

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  36. I have a heavy stainless steel percolator that was my mother in law's. Every time we had dinner at her house, coffee followed and it was the best. I'm sure it's at least 50 years old and makes the best coffee. I don't use it daily as I am impatient for my coffee in the morning but every time I host dinner we use it in her memory. Nothing better!

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    Replies
    1. That's wonderful! I'm glad you still have and use it once in awhile :)

      xo

      Delete
  37. Hi Rue,
    I am a huge fan of percolators. I enjoyed the way you shared the stories of each ones death. Sad but enjoyed it at the same time. Ha!
    Have a blessed week,
    Carla

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  38. I wouldn't have known how to use it either, but I would have liked to try :-) Love the look of your kitchen. Vintage rules!
    Amalia
    xo

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  39. I have not used a percolator coffee pot since I was a child. I miss them!

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  40. lol....hoping this one out lives the others for sure. Love the stove and the way they look sitting on it. Loving your home.

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  41. Nice Article..!! Thank you so much for sharing such an informative article.This post will be very helpful for readers. Keep posting..!

    percolator coffee filters

    ReplyDelete

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