Tag Archives: coffee mill

Coffee Grinder similar to Lucy’s


There is a vintage coffee grinder like Lucy’s on eBay but painted differently at http://www.ebay.com/itm/B-O-Garantie-COFFEE-GRINDER-Mill-80T-Czechoslovakia-Vintage-Wood-Green-WORKS-/222409060237.
See previous post on repainting one with an added ivy motif to match the coffee mill on the show: http://www.50slucy.com/restoration-project-i-love-lucy-inspired-coffee-grinder.html

Coffee Grinder on eBay

grinder
Also on eBay is a B.O. Garantie coffee grinder similar in form to the one in Lucy Ricardo’s kitchen – the measurements and form factor are identical, including the drawer handle, except it is painted differently and Lucy’s had a painted ivy motif on the front.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Wood-B-O-Garantie-Coffee-Grinder-Mill-80T-Czechoslovakia-/172331712228

Related post: http://www.50slucy.com/restoration-project-i-love-lucy-inspired-coffee-grinder.html

Restoration Project: I Love Lucy inspired Coffee Grinder

Lucy Ricardo's Coffee Mill/Grinder
Lucy Ricardo’s Coffee Mill/Grinder

A shabby vintage B.O Garantie coffee grinder is restored to resemble the coffee grinder seen in the I Love lucy Kitchen.

Comparison of B.O.Garantie grinder with an unmarked grinder like the one on I Love Lucy
1.  A shabby B.O.Garantie grinder right is found  that matches the shape of a vintage grinder like the one on I Love Lucy (left)

The unrestored grinder seen above on the right is compared to a vintage unmarked coffee grinder that matches the one seen on I Love Lucy.

Following are the before and after photos of the restoration.

Before and after restoration of B. O Garantie Coffee Grinder
2. Before and after restoration of B. O Garantie Coffee Grinder Credit: Rickster
restored-grinder
3. Before and After – metalwork restored and woodwork resurfaced and repainted , with a  new hand painted ivy motif. Credit: Rickster

As seen in the before and after pictures the shabby metal components  are shining again and new paintwork  seals off the old surface and gives it new life.  As a final touch an ivy motif  is hand painted on the front – inspired by the original coffee grinder as seen on I Love Lucy.

Related posts:

Resources:

Coffee Grinder to Restore

B.O Garantie Coffe Grinder on eBay
B.O Garantie Coffe Grinder on eBay

On ebay this week there is a B.O. Garantie coffe grinder (CLICK HERE to see it on eBay) that could be restored to look like the coffee grinder on I Love Lucy which we looked at in a previous post The B.O. Garantie grinder is the only other one I have seen that exactly matches the shape of the coffee grinder on the I Love Lucy  show as seen below in a previous side by side comparison.

Previous omparison of a similar B.O.Garantie grinder with an unmarked grinder like the one on I Love Lucy
Comparison of B.O.Garantie grinder (right) with an unmarked grinder like the one on I Love Lucy(left)

It would need to be stripped and repainted /varnished  and an ivy leaf decal painted/applied to the front to get the same look as the one on the show. See previous post for more details:
http://www.50slucy.com/lucy-ricardos-coffee-grinder.html

Lucy Ricardo’s Coffee Grinder

Lucy Ricardo's Coffee Mill/Grinder
Lucy Ricardo’s Coffee Mill/Grinder

Lucy Ricardo’s coffee grinder can be seen in various locations in the kitchen throughout the I Love Lucy series. In the early episodes it is easily spotted on the kitchen shelf. Lucy’s coffee mill is a wooden hand cranked grinder with an ivy design on the front. I came across one just like it pictured below. The ivy decal appears to be hand painted. The wooden box has  a 4.25″ square base and curved corners and the drawer has a distinctive metal handle, the knob on the crank arm is an inverted teardrop shape.  I have searched extensively for an ID of the maker. One would assume this is an ordinary coffee mill much like any other but when you begin searching  the subtle differences stand out.  Some of the vintage European made wooden coffee mills look similar but only one I have come across matches well.

coffee-grinder-mill2
1950’s Coffee Mill with Ivy decal similar to Lucy’s

The only make I have found up to now that fits the form factor, measurements and shape of the components  is the B.O. Garantie square Wooden Coffee Grinder that was made in Czechoslovakia  until  production ceased when the company was taken over by the state in 1950.  They may have been imported and sold under a US brand  but I have no information on that as yet. Below is a page from a vintage catalog showing some of the products of the B.O. Garantie firm. However I have not seen one with an ivy design in any of the old catalog pages I found online.

BOGARANTIE
B.O. GARANTIE Vintage Catalog page . The Futura model on the top right has a similar shape to Lucy’s coffee grinder.
bo-garantie2
B.O. Garantie Coffee Mill 1940’s

The B.O. Garantie firm has reopened in recent years under the name Lodos and they still produce coffee grinders today.
Vintage shabby B.O. Garantie coffee grinders can occasionally be found online. If you are a DIY enthusiast it should be easy enough to strip the paint from an old shabby one and and restore it to look like Lucy’s coffee grinder. [  For paint removal on any vintage item I recommend a safe paint stripper that can render inert any leaded paint layers for safe disposal (Lead Out™ Paint Stripper is highly recommended ).]  Look for one that has no dovetail on the front seams, which you can tell by the vertical straight lines that appear on each side through the worn paint as seen in the picture to the right. (if it were dovetailed the square shapes would be seen).  To restore the metal parts see the handy link below in the reference section.

Comparison of B.O.Garantie grinder with an unmarked grinder like the one on I LoveLucy
Comparison of B.O.Garantie grinder (right) with an unmarked grinder like the one on I Love Lucy(left)

References: