A Monday reader FAQ:
I’ve been using Google to search for a replacement tank for my 1952 Crane pink toilet. I stumbled upon this site and was wondering where are the places I should be entering my plea? Do you have any suggestions for me?
Thanks, Jane
Jane: This is likely a needle-in-the haystack search – to get the exact brand, year, color. Here are a few sources:
- DEAbath.com. On Crane especially.
- HistoricHouseParts.com
- This place in New Jersey — There appear to be pink new-old-stock Crane toilets here (photo above)!
- And salvage yards and craigslist where you live.
Readers – Please contribute your thoughts! And Jane, let us know how it turns out.
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Also, you may want to call http://www.caravatis.com. You may not find it on their website, but if you call and ask they will look in their warehouse for you.
Good luck!
I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: color description is SO subjective, especially with “pink” (see previous posts on matching pink bath tile and fixtures), that I very strongly recommend using paint color chips from the local hardware or paint store as a way to make sure the color does indeed match before making a non-refundable purchase. Any reputable seller will be glad to let you mail chips to them so they can match them to their item and tell you exactly what color the item really is.
check your local Habitat for Humanity reStore.
Don’t know if you’re still looking for the 50’s Crane pink toilet tank, but if you are: I have seen them at a salvage yard in Denver called Do-It-Ur-Self Plumbing (303-297-0455). Every now and then they do a purge of what’s in their yard but you never know.
Another possibility would be obtaining an appropriate white Crane tank and having the color changed. I have used a vendor in Denver that employs a chemical method rather than a mechanical method. The chemical method etches the china/porcelain and becomes part of the base material. The other (mechanical) method is a two-stage epoxy that simply attaches to the base material and is often known to fail. I have had this guy do two sinks and a bathtub (I do restorations and renovations of MCM homes). The only thing he doesn’t do is toilet bowls because of the continuous water contact. I am presuming that with a tank he wouldn’t do the inside (and who cares about that). If you would like contact info for this vendor, post a message here and I will respond.