The Blake & Bull blog

Philip was back on the road last week, and he did himself ( and us ) proud!

This is the range that Philip was met with last week, after a long journey north to bonnie Scotland, clad in Hunter Green (one of my favourites). This much loved and industrious cooker was scheduled for a Full Re-Enamel in a glossy new coat of Black. 

Every re-enamel is bespoke, but we do have a 'standard' order of tasks, that we flex and adjust to meet your individual needs, and complete in one site visit. 

What We Do As 'Standard' - 

• Fit re-enamelled hobs (left and right hand sections) to include complete new enamel and chrome lids with ceramic fibre insulation, fixings and fitting , new hob screws (beneath the caps) are included. These will also be greased for future easy removal!
• Fit new Towel rail brackets 
• Fit new Main towel rail 
• Re-insulate under hob - probably the most important thing you can do efficiency wise on any cooker.
• Fit a re-enamelled front, in a choice of one of 38 colours, to include oven doors, to include new fixings
• Replace oven door liners and rope seals & renovate oven doors, these look great and improve efficiency especially when combined with new super wool insulation packs in the right hand ovens. We insulate the lower oven too as it improves efficiency. 
• Replace plastic door washers 
• Replace thermometer front plate 

And here is the result from last week's job ...

Looking fabulous and 'as new ' in it's shiny new coat. Marion sent in these kind words, Philip takes huge pride in his work, preparing ahead of time and working clean to ensure that our visit is as low impact on your lives as possible, feedback like this makes us all very happy! 

"What a perfect ambassador for Blake & Bull! - Philip arrived bang on time and has done a fantastic job my cooker looks like new !!!! Professional cheery smart and very knowledgable I would say my whole experience has been a 10 thank you." Marion

We were also happy to be greeted by these furry and feathered friends, life on the road is sweeter on a day like this! ..

I don't think Philip has ever had such a regal 'on-looker'!  What a beauty!

And then there was this bundle..

Maybe not so bothered with what Philip was up to!  ;-)  

More to come soon... it is a busy fortnight for the Blake & Bull engineers!

Katy

Very Rewarding Reviews....

A short while after you purchase a product from Blake & Bull, you will be prompted to write a review and send in a photograph of your Blake & Bull goodies. We read every single one, it is the highlight of my working day. 

Of course the main purpose of reviews, is to better understand how our products perform in your home, and to share a mutual passion for range cookers of course! We are very lucky to have our communities input, With over 5.5K of 5 star customer reviews, we are a happy crew.

Your reviews and the stories that you bequeath with them are brought to life when you send a photo too! To thank you for your photographic efforts we will enter all photos that are attached to a product review into a monthly draw to win a £25 voucher, valid against your next Blake & Bull purchase!  

Here are a few of our favourites from the last few months. 

This yummy breakfast photo was sent in by Garry, who was chuffed to bits with his toaster! - "Blake & Bull Toast Rack making delicious toast possible!"

This cooker looked so smart in our chicken textiles, Holly was cock-a-hoop with her new linens -

"Great quality pads, thick and perfect size. Vibrant design which look fabulous against black range cooker. Love the little tie too!" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Holly, Jan 2019

Life isn't all glamour and we love seeing a drying rack photo, loaded up with the household's washing. This is exactly what we love to see, socks, pants wellies and all! There are many ways to use your rack, here are 9 ways to use your rack! Carol loves hers, and her Fits On Runners Trays. What do you dry on yours?!

"The Bees Knees!" - this is a very happy picture

Thank you to LD, who has found our drying rack particularly useful after having her first baby. 

Don't know I ever managed life before!

"The full Monty is fantastic! 1st baby arrived before Christmas and it is the bees knees for drying her nappies and clothes! I am recommending it to all Aga range cooker owners. Thank you so much for this wonderful dryer and it's prompt delivery!" L.D

Not long left now of the Blake & Bull Winter Sale! Take advantage of our Drying Rack offer,  with UP TO 15% off! 

"Good for another 60 years !"

Thank you to Jonathan for this DIY Mini Refurb Review!

We shared Jonathan's review a couple of weeks ago, but he then treated us with  this photo, worth a share I'll think you'll agree? Those tiles! ♥️

"I'm not sure how old my deluxe cooker is - I know it's somewhere between '56 and '74, and suspect it's more towards the '56! I just fitted my new door and lid liners and it's looking great ! Kit was delivered with 48 hours of ordering, and instructions were really simple to follow. EVERY screw head sheared off when I was removing the liner from the boiling plate lid - and I must admit I was feeling a bit 'out of my depth' when it came to drilling and re-tapping the screw-holes. But I just followed the instructions, used the tools provided, and found it much much easier than I was expecting. If you can use a power drill you can do it ! I also replaced the bundy pipe and gave the the burner plate a good clean - and the old girl is running like new ! Totally recommend you get one of these kits and give your range cooker a facelift!" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read more here if you have the urge to refurb!

Katy x

Tickled pink By This Textiles Review

Thank you Lindsay for this review! What a gorgeous home too!

                                                                                                                                  

"I love the smart black textiles for my range cooker, smart and efficient made with a quality fabric. They compliment our newly painted grey kitchen units and I particularly appreciate that the towelling part of the oven gloves is also black so those nasty little 'burnt on brown bits' don't show up too much!"

                                                                                                                    

We pride ourselves in the small details, and black towelling here seemed the obvious choice to keep our black textiles looking great for longer.                                                                                                                                                            

Will you treat yourself in the Winter Sale?, not long left now...                                                                                                                    

A Grey Oven, But No Grey Skies In Lancashire

A racing green post '74 oven awaited Philip, after his trip to Fife. The landscapes were no less impressive as he journeyed south through the beautiful counties of north England. We really are very lucky to do what we do,..

Not only does Philip get an eyeful of this,..

But we also have the pleasure and privilege to work in your beautiful homes. We were on-site to carry out a full re-enamel. A colour change from Racing Green to Light Grey, a very pretty soft colour, that is warm and up-lifting. 

On first sight it looks as though there is too much to achieve in less than one day, but in reality we do 75% of the hard work before we even come on site. This minimises mess, so that we can work clean. And means that although your cooker may not be hot enough to cook that evening's meal (takeaway time, YUM!), it will be fully 'fired up' for a corker of a breakfast the next day. 

When your door seals become flattened and exhausted by all the hard work they do, you can start to lose heat from your ovens. Small details too like missing washers on the door hinges lets heat move from the range into the door, making the door hotter and your oven cooler. Part of our re-enamelling service is making sure that you have the most efficient machine that you can, replacing and re-insulating as we go. 

Big Brute steps in at this stage, as the expired insulation is sucked out! The vermiculite can drop over time, making the top of the cooker expel heat. Rockwool, most commonly used as a top blanket also compacts, and gaps are created when the vermiculite drops, making it ineffective too. We top up your insulation, exposing these quite beautiful inner workings - maybe I am a bit of a geek to think that!? The burner barrel looks like the heart of the machine to me...

Reassuring to know that the insulation is good now for another 10-15 years. If it has been this long since yours has been topped up or replaced, this is a DIY job that you can do to immediately improve your oven's efficiency. We use a modern mineral fibre insulation blanket to ensure that a snug fit is achieved for minimum heat loss. 

Doesn't the Light Grey colour choice look fresh here? One of 38 colours , it lifts the space and tones in brilliantly with the warm stone surround here.

Unsure of what you would choose? All of our colour sample tile orders are fully refundable. There is no hurry to get the tiles back to us, live with them for a while and see how they look at different times of the day and night. They are compact, Take them along to kitchen showrooms when you are choosing your units, and if they give you a unit/wood sample, lay them side by side in your own lighting and home. 

What a difference a door makes! New ropes seals are fitted around the non-stick door liners, a Blake & Bull favourite! A very satisfying before and after.  

If you are curious about what our re-enamelling service entails, there is no better place to start than our information pages. We do love to chat too, so if these pages still leave you wanting, please do pick up the phone for a natter! 

If you then want to know more, show off your cooker! Send us a snap of your beloved oven and we will be able to provide you with advice, honed after years of experience inside and out of these lovely machines, and a no-obligation bespoke quotation.

Here's looking forward to next weeks adventures in enamel! Bring It ON!

Katy x

Two Pups & A Drying Rack - before and after kitchen adventures

Back in October We received this photo from Sarah, who despite being in a state of kitchen flux, was overjoyed with her drying rack and was making full use of it! 

"Just thought I’d let you know the new laundry dryer is fab - just need the kitchen fitted now. My champagne Labrador ‘Deacon’ loves it too!! ❤️" Sarah

We love Deacon, what a handsome chap! And now he has a new friend...

"So Kitchen is finally done and our new pup Dala is enjoying the range, Still loving my dryer racks. Would be lost without them."

Sarah we love seeing the results of our communities' efforts in their homes, thank you so much for sharing. 

Katy x

Back on the road, quite a long one as it happens!..

..435 miles long! Our Re-enamelling work has kicked off for 2019, taking us to Fife, for a four oven complete re-enamel. The workshop is back to making comfortingly busy noises above my head as I type, and the van is on the road. 

We couldn't have asked for a warmer greeting on a crisp January day. We are so excited to see all of the transformations, currently booked up until May! We will endeavour to show you them all..

In the meantime have a look at these gorgeous furry friends who kept Phil company on his first job of the new year.

If you are curious about what our re-enamelling service entails, there is no better place to start than our information pages. We do love to chat too, so if these pages still leave you wanting, please do pick up the phone for a natter! 

If you then want to know more, show off your cooker! Send us a snap of your beloved oven and we will be able to provide you with advice, honed after years of experience inside and out of these lovely machines, and a no-obligation bespoke quotation. 

Are you as excited as I am to see what colours people will choose?!

Katy x

In-House Fabric Design & How We Do It

This review from Debra made us all smile on our return to work on Monday,...

"what's not to love"

"I’m more than pleased with my Chickens textile set for my green range cooker. It’s just perfect. The manufacture and attention to detail is first class. The thought that has gone into the colour combinations of the chooks means it will match any colour cooker. Thick, plush material with a very practical application. There is nothing to fault here, it’s simply an outstanding British product to be very proud of. Thanks Blake & Bull. Debra "

We are proud as we put a lot of love into this, and all, our designs. We thought you'd like to see how...

Katy, who trained as an illustrator as well as having a retail career, starts by doing a ton of rough sketches. Then (surrounded by discarded paper and pencil shavings) moves onto her computer.

The rough sketches are then refined, a couple of times over, using a digital stylus and pencil. As you can see each line is refined until the shape and more importantly the character of the bird appears. Once this stage is complete, 'watercolour' colour is dropped in in blocks and layered, almost like a paper collage would be. Paint strokes and pencil marks are then laid over, again digitally, to complete the illustration. 

This rather serious and proud cockerel features in our final pattern design, 

Some elements however made the design just too busy, like these feathers, they may just pop up on future products though! 

Pulling together the birds for the first time, we started to see them come to life, each having a character of their own. 

In our first draft the white chook was brown, we think that the white makes her that bit more plucky!

We are proud of our chicken design, even more so as our textiles are made exclusively for us, in our own design and in the UK. Remember there is a 20% discount on our UK made textiles in our winter sale, subject to availability. You can read more about the quality of our hob covers here.

And here they are in Debra's lovely home, thank you Debra! 

A Veritable Rainbow of Colour Choices

Did you know that we offer 38 colours for our re-enamelling service? Your kitchen dreams can come true, when you choose from our rainbow..

All of our colours can be ordered as samples, each little tile of cast iron is coated in genuine vitreous enamel, THE only choice when refurbishing range cookers. This way you will know exactly what you are getting when you commit to a colour. 

All of our sample orders are fully refundable. There is no hurry to get the tiles back to us, live with them for a while and see how they look at different times of the day and night. They are compact, Take them along to kitchen showrooms when you are choosing your units, and if they give you a unit/wood sample, lay them side by side in your own lighting and home. 

Some colours, like the pewter family, are very similar. But in your home, they may look different, our advice is order a few to see how they work in your environment. 

And most of all, have fun and enjoy the process! 

Katy x