Heller Two Quart Casserole Designed by Vignelli for Heller

It's been a while since I've found something worth posting about - this time I found this Heller Two Quart Casserole with Au Gratin Cover Designed by Massimo and Lella Vignelli for Heller - these started production around 1975. I've always admired the one that my friend John Stephens has - first seeing it during a pot-luck at the house where they brought a yummy dish presented in the casserole dish. I was very lucky to find this example for less than $5 at a Goodwill near work. This one is marked Heller, Made in USA and Microwave Safe - no chips in the lid or dish at all. Measures about 9 3/4″ in diameter at widest and 5 1/2″ tall and very heavy - the interesting texture is from grooves moulded into the glass. Very happy to find this during a serendipitous moment...

-- John

Small Red Dansk Kobenstyle Paella Pot by Jens Quistgaard

I found this smaller (about 10" in diameter and 2 1/2" tall) Kobenstyle paella pot (for lack of a better name - I think it was actually sold as something else, maybe as an alternative to a saute pan?) at Goodwill the other day for less than $6. The bottom is marked Dansk Designs France and IHQ. I've always admired these low-slug pans, this one is in exceptional condition, the only problem being the chip on one of the handles. I generally don't buy these if the white enable has chips in the actual cooking area (yep, I actually cook with my set). This one joins the much larger "paella pan" I already own in yellow (the latter was purchased many, many years ago in the old junk shop that used to be on Ponce by Eats for $3).

Felix says "I sure like the red!"

Glad I'm wearing clothes!

Since owning and using these Dansk pots, I've managed to chip the red off of one other handle on a red lid. At some point I'll take some photos of the whole set.

-- John

Danish Table Accessory and a Logan Mat Cutter

Last week I came across this interesting table accessory at my local favorite junk/thrift store - I'm not quite sure what it's called but it's basically two stainless steel bowls attached to a wood handle, marked Kalmar, Stainless Steel, Denmark on the bottom. Most of you know of my affinity with wood, especially teak and rosewood - the rosewood handle on this item jumped out at me on the shelf. Priced super cheap, I also got a slight discount at the counter.

This is what real rosewood looks like - I believe many have sort of forgotten as much of the junk on the market is actually a substitution (rosewood finish). It's very hard and very striking...

The second item I found a day later at Goodwill. I've been wanting a mat cutting jig for some time and this one looks to be unused (extra blades still wrapped, and even the blade in the angle-cutter appears unused and sharp). At $8.58 I couldn't say no - this is a "baby-brother" to the much larger Logan I learned to cut mats with back in the 80's (dating myself) but at least it has metal parts - most similar parallel el cheapo mat cutters you find these days in the hobby stores are made of plastic.

-- John

Grundig Model 95U Radio

I actually found this radio some time last year at an estate sale, where I picked up several other items. Since pickings have been slow lately and I was recently able to get this guy working, I thought I'd talk about my fix.

Immaculate Wood Finish

So when I got home with the radio I foolishly plugged it in - a huge spark flew and the breaker kicked. Looking carefully at the cord there was a break right where the cord melded into the housing. I took the time to take the cord apart and open up the case, mostly to see how bad the paper cone was deteriorated. Amazingly the interior was very clean and the paper still intact - no brittleness that you usually see in old radios and speakers.

So this is what the cord looks like:

And you can see the culprit here:

I made a few inquiries online with various radio "experts" - one guy I found specializes in restoring old Grundig radios. I related the cord issue and asked if there were any replacements available - his reply was that there weren't. At that point I was resigned into cutting the piece apart, rewiring and epoxying everything back together - so it became a back-burner project.

Fast forward to yesterday - I was at my local Goodwill and looking for an externsion cord to test a piece of outdoor equipment - I came across this old appliance cord and thought "this looks just like the cord on that old Grundig radio!" It came home with me for $1.91

And viola! A perfect fit:

Here's the test - plugged in for the second, hopefully successful time:

I put together this short video as I tested the stations and controls:

Another cool, useful item saved from the landfill!

-- John

Kona Kai Volcano Tiki Fogcutter Mug

Slim pickings recently, but I did manage to score this unusual glazed ceramic vase mug for a dollar at an estate sale. It has the Kona Kai tiki figure molded on the front and "Kona Kai" on the back. It also has a "MOC Japan" sticker on the bottom. I believe this was made sometime in the 60s. I researched Kona Kai and the chain of motels (the most renown were the locations near Disneyland in California and Disneyworld in Florida) seem to have mostly disappeared by the mid to late 70's. There were also Kona Kai Motels in other states. While researching, I only found images of regular figural Tiki-shaped drink glasses, menus and post cards. I didn't find anything like this vase (I'm calling it a vase as there's a lip around the top and it's just not finished like your typical drink glass, but I could be mistaken). turns out this is a "Fogcutter" mug (see below). Something unusual to add to the tiki collection. This is the third tiki I've managed to find - previously I found a more recent tiki at Goodwill for a buck and a neat figural tiki glass at an estate sale for $3.

Back

Bottom

On the counter

Good luck in the hunt! John

Addendum:
I also posted photos on flickr and a user identified this object for me:

sputnikhousewares said:

Nice find Johnny! You've got yourself a Kona Kai Fogcutter mug from Philadelphia PA! The mug was made in Japan by the Otagiri Mercantile Company.
Kona Kai info: http://critiki.com/location/?loc_id=282 and mug info: http://www.ooga-mooga.com/cgi-bin/all/mug.cgi?mode=view&mug_id=3332

Thanks to you sputnikhousewares!

Yellow Dansk Kobenstyle Sauce Pot by Jens Quistgaard

As I mentioned in my very first post, I am intrigued and look for the odd or rare mid-century modern item. In this case I managed to find this Kobenstyle sauce pot for a paltry $3.53 at Goodwill. I already have a few other pieces, including two large and one medium dutch ovens (red, yellow and turquoise) and a large yellow paella pot (really more of a covered skillet only I don't have the lid) so this was a welcome addition, and the first such that I've found at Goodwill (the others were found at yard sales or flea markets). The bottom is marked Dansk Designs France and IHQ. The handle is turned teak. This is one of the better condition pots I've come across - they usually are chipped up a bit as the enamel can be quite fragile.

Dansk produced the Kobenstyle line starting some time in the 50's and continuing into the 80's - the later versions I've seen have black/dark gray bottoms instead of having the enamel continuing round the bottom of hte pot. The line was designed by Jens Quistgaard (his mark is the "IHQ" that appears on some pots) and had some interesting innovations - the lids could easily be lifted using the handle of a kitchen tool - also, due to the cross-design the pots were easy to stack. Contrary to popular belief,  Dansk International Designs Ltd is and always has been an American company. Dansk was founded in 1954 by Ted Nierenberg (an American entrepreneur), with is partner Jens Harald Quistgaard, a Danish designer. Apparently over the course of 30 years Quistgaard designed most of the company's products. Some products are still being offered - a few years I purchased an updated version of these pots (the handles are hollow and rounded, but the pots are the same shape - couldn't resist the red!), and this past Christmas Crate and Barrel offered some Dansk-marked pepper mills and serving bowls. You can also find other items for sale on dansk.com.

Regarding enamelware - as I mentioned, it's quite fragile and should not be handled like a regular steel pot (it's basically glass applied to metal and the edges in particular are quite delicate). You should not use metal utensils (I prefer the wooden spoon myself) and avoid holding bright sauces in the pots for extensive periods (tomato sauce especially!). I haven't tried this method, but reportedly you can boil the whole pot in a larger pot filled with water and a bit of baking soda for 10 minutes fully submerged. Afterward scrub with a nylon scrubbie and the stains are supposed to come right out. You then apply some white vinegar to the finish and buff out back to an enamel shine. I've read that those were also the instructions provided by Dansk for the care of these pots.

I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did researching it - John

So Why a Blog on Thrifting?

I guess I have a lot of idle time or something - or maybe it was due to my being brought to Flea Markets as a kid by my dad - in any case, I'm the type to be drawn to the random "Yard Sale" - "Garage Sale" - "Estate Sale" signs you see on weekends. I also frequent a handful of Thrift Stores including Goodwill (to which I also donate), Value Village and some other random spots. It's just something in my nature, to want to re-purpose an item or see new life in the old. I'd much rather find something than purchase new (it also makes me an eBay addict). In any case, I'll be posting to this blog from time to time with my latest finds.

So here's a list of items I look for:

1. Books - if you're priced a book lately, you'll know what I mean - I can often find a paperback at Goodwill for $1.50 that retails for $7.95 or so, and hardcovers are $2.50. Both are 50% off if it's the right color for the week. Yard sales are the best - I've often found whole boxes of books for a buck or two.
2. Knick-knacks - generally I look for modernist designed or international design objects. This includes the odd piece of ceramic, wood items (especially in rosewood, teak or other exotic), kitchen tools, etc.
3. Clocks and Radios - yeah, I like those too, especially items from the 50s-70s that are made of cool plastics, etc.
4. Vintage Toys - I rarely find anything other than board games at thrift stores, but have been lucky a few times at estate sales.
5. Paper Ephemera - I look for old posters, framed prints, booklets and pamphlets - this kind of goes with the book thing and my love for paper, good printing and design.
6. New Clothing - it's amazing how much new clothing you can find at thrift stores and tag sales - seems a lot of people buy clothes and outgrow (or maybe they get items as gifts?) - most recently I found a Monty Python T-Shirt "It's only a flesh wound" with the tags at Goodwill for $2
7. Modern Furniture - I'm always on the lookout for the occasional table, chair, etc. I just passed on two MCM dining chairs and a large shelf unit (the unit was $49 at Goodwill, made of walnut with a fold-out secretary) - sometimes you just have to let it go.

So for my first post, I thought I would talk about one of my latest finds - this is a Danish, marked, hand-carved teak serving tray. It immediately caught my eye. Unbelievably, it was also the "Color of the week" at Goodwill so I got it for 1/2 price - yup, less than $2.

55 cm long by 22 cm wide

Well marked "DENMARK"; "ODENSE" and Maker?

$3.93 B (so purchased for $1.97)

Notice the chisel marks!

 So how's that for a first post?

-- John