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He bought a Riverside Oak stove -minus the dome - at an antique store. When he got it home, he played the matching game with the domes from his stock. One fit, and when he looked closer, even the markings matched.
"I just doubled the value of that stove," he said.
Then there's the matter of missing or broken parts. Although he downplays his work ("I'm no pro at welding: I'm just a farmer trying to stick things together''), Glenn has a clear understanding of the unique aspects of welding century-old cast iron.
"That's why it's so hard to weld," he said. "After all, all you were going to do was make a fire in it."
No amount of welding, though, can replace what's missing. And that's where Glenn's heritage comes into play.
Decades ago, Glenn's grandfather hand-carved wooden forms used to cast parts for farm equipment. The forms - many of which have survived as family heirlooms - are deceptively light; intricately carved. As Glenn contemplated having a new part cast for a particularly ornate stove, he thought of his grandfather's forms. The result? A hand-carved form for a replacement part. Glenn replicated an ornate border by using tiny slices of dowels, cut in half-circles, separated by a segment of toothpick.
"I don't think anybody will be able to tell the difference," he said.
Although he got his first stove in 1986, Glenn's collection really took off in the last two years. But the traffic is all one way.
"I have not sold a single stove," he said. "And so far, no one's talked me out of one."





