Antique Appliances

Antique Dealers Get Creative With Green Recycling Ideas In Florida

(Deland, FL) -  It has often been often said that the antiques business is the ultimate recycling activity but several dealers in Florida Antique Shows/Puchstein Promotions have taken the idea to the next level. They are recycling the antiques themselves or at least parts of them into new forms and uses that will preserve some vestige of the original antique yet appeal to modern needs and tastes.

Three such dealers were set up at the January 22-24 edition of the Deland Antique Show at the Volusia County Fairgrounds in Deland, FL.

Bruce and Vickie Pantii of Breezy Palm Trading Company have a thing about plastic. More specifically they have a thing about Bakelite, the early plastic developed by Belgian chemist Dr. Leo Baekeland in 1907. The Bakelite formula was acquired by American Catalin Corporation in 1927 to produce the phenolic resins that make the durable plastic.While Bakelite has many commercial and industrial applications one of the most popular uses was developed in the 1930s when it was used to make costume jewelry. The most popular and most expensive of those today are the carved bangle bracelets and figural pins.

Bruce Pantii said that ten years ago 90 percent of his sales were vintage items but his customers began requesting Bakelite bangles with polka dots but there just weren’t any left. He decided to make them. Now 90 per cent of his business is custom made signed “wearable art” made of pieces of Bakelite. He starts with a plain vintage Bakelite bangle and inserts polka dots made from Bakelite stock, usually ten inch tubes originally used as stock to make bangles that he has squirreled away over the last twenty years. These new style bracelets retail in the low to mid hundred dollars for standard widths and up to $500 for the wider ones. To make a more affordable bracelet five years ago he began casting bangles from a type of acrylic he calls “Vibrulite” and decorates them with Bakelite dots or bow ties. These sell in the $150 range. Pantii is selling both the medium and the art by recycling old Bakelite stock.

Want to buy a really junky old used up manual typewriter that no longer works? Neither does anyone else. But Roy and Rhonda Barske of Typewriter Jewelry are probably interested. Twelve years ago they started selling antiques and collectibles but couldn’t sell their inventory of used typewriters so they decided to recycle them. How? By using the letter in the keys. They are especially fond of old Corona’s because they have they have the best fonts. They started by removing the Bakelite or celluloid keys with good fonts and incorporating them into custom made sterling jewelry using custom made molds. They started with bracelets and have extended the line to include necklaces, earrings, pins, rings, cuff links, money clips, badge holders, key rings and many other assorted and clever uses including many made from suggestions by customers. Pendants and rings range from $25 to $45. Bangles are $35 and full bracelets with multiple typewriter letter keys are $80 and up. If a customer requests a style or item that is out of stock Roy will make it within thirty minutes out of extra stock carried to shows. One nice source of business for the Barske’s is weddings. They custom make pieces for wedding parties and showers at the request of prospective brides and grooms.

John Atkinson of Boston wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth but he is working on it, one spoon at a time. Actually he used forks too but skips the knives because of the hollow handles. He converts old silver plated or sterling flatware into silver jewelry with magnetic clasps. He couples the interesting design patterns on the handle of forks or spoons into a custom made bracelet with a clasp. He started as a finder of matching silver patterns but ended up with boxes of unused or unmatched silver items. He then realized he could turn a spoon handle pattern into a key ring and his customers would always have a sample of the pattern they were looking for.

From there he expanded into bracelets and rings and will custom make items on request as you wait. He sells silver bracelets for $20 and silver key rings and rings for $5. He also has a wide variety of patterns to pick from and many are monogrammed. Many of his customers want patterns from a certain year. His main complaint is that good stock is getting harder to find. Most patterns from the 1960s were too plain to make decorative jewelry and not as much silver is on the open market today. He has excellent silver pattern reference books and can probably match your silver pattern from his inventory and custom make you a ring or bracelet. He also uses them to date patterns since many of his customers want patterns from a certain year. He points out that many people use his service to recycle pieces of family silver rather than passing along entire sets.

These innovative dealers and many more can be seen at the Antique Shows of Florida/Puchstein Promotions venues and the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival. For a complete listing of dates and venues visit the websites at www.floridaantiqueshows.com and www.wpbaf.com.  You can also email Kay and Bill Puchstein of Puchstein Promotions at puchs2@yahoo.com or call them at (941) 697-7475.

About the Author

Haul 1 – antique typewriter

Vigo Square Grid Cabinet Knob $20.49 Sporting highly-textured metal work, reminiscent of the keys of an antique typewriter, the Square Grid Cabinet Knob is an unconventional fixture. Featuring a pewter-like finish, you will enjoy these cabinet knobs’ distinctive design.

Antique Typewriter in a Shop $39.99 David Evans Antique Typewriter in a Shop – Photographic Print

Typewriter $10 Typewriter

Antique Typewriter and Sewing Machine in a Shop $39.99 David Evans Antique Typewriter and Sewing Machine in a Shop – Photographic Print

Colored Lights, Close-up of an Antique Typewriter $129.99 Panoramic Images Colored Lights, Close-up of an Antique Typewriter – Wall Decal

Staples Antique Typewriter Wood Stamp Set(Pack of 1) $17.49 GRAPHIC 45-Staples: Antique Typewriter Wood Stamp Set. Add the look of vintage typing to any of your paper crafting projects! The font used for these alphabet stamps is reminiscent of an antique typewriter with a few fun icons thrown in for extra flair. T

The Enchanted Typewriter $2.39 The Enchanted Typewriter

Yost Typewriter $49.99 Yost Typewriter – Giclee Print

Remington Typewriter $59.99 Remington Typewriter – Giclee Print

Adler Typewriter $64.99 Adler Typewriter – Giclee Print

Mercedes Typewriter $64.99 Mercedes Typewriter – Giclee Print

Underwood Typewriter $74.99 Underwood Typewriter – Giclee Print

Electric Typewriter $34.99 Electric Typewriter – Giclee Print

Redhead at Typewriter $34.99 Redhead at Typewriter – Giclee Print

Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Typewriter Keys-16/Pkg(Pack of 1) $8.99 Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Typewriter Keys-16/Pkg. ADVANTUS-Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Type Charms. These sixteen antique silver metal charms were designed to be used as a decorative element by layering with the thirty-two included alphabet stickers or by using a 1/

The Typewriter $2.99 By Leroy Anderson (1908-1975). For Piano. Nostalgia. 5 pages. Published by Alfred Music. Digital Sheet Music

Classic Typewriter $54.99 Avery Tillmon Classic Typewriter – Framed Art Print

Office Typewriter $109.99 Paula Scaletta Office Typewriter – Framed Art Print

Typewriter for Larry $548.99 David Dauncey Typewriter for Larry – Limited Edition

Typewriter Keys $9.99 C. McNemar Typewriter Keys – Art Print

Typewriter Symbols $9.99 C. McNemar Typewriter Symbols – Art Print

Lucida® Typewriter Std Regular $29 Lucida® Typewriter Std Regular

Lucida® Typewriter Std Oblique $29 Lucida® Typewriter Std Oblique

Lucida® Typewriter Std Bold $29 Lucida® Typewriter Std Bold

Brother Typewriter SX4000 $122.34 Brother Typewriter SX4000

Bulletin Typewriter $45 Download the Bulletin Typewriter font for Mac or Windows in OpenType, TrueType or PostScript format.

Typewriter Regular $29 Download the Typewriter Regular font for Mac or Windows in OpenType, TrueType or PostScript format.

Faxo Typewriter $29 Download the Faxo Typewriter font for Mac or Windows in OpenType, TrueType or PostScript format.

Standard Typewriter $25 Download the Standard Typewriter font for Mac or Windows in OpenType, TrueType or PostScript format.

Intellecta Typewriter $23 Download the Intellecta Typewriter font for Mac or Windows in OpenType, TrueType or PostScript format.

P22 Typewriter $20 Download the P22 Typewriter font for Mac or Windows in OpenType, TrueType or PostScript format.