[TheForge] fireplace crane hardware

[Bruce Freeman]

I'm no expert on this, but I've never heard of holes to let mortar in.
 For the mounting posts for shutter dogs, chisel cuts were sometimes
made in the edges.  These, however, were typically set in lead.

Since the piece will be hidden by mortar, I  presume, it doesn't
matter much except for structural integrity.  How about a step or
taper so that the "inside" width is larger than the "outside" width,
effectively locking the piece in the mortar.  If the fireplace were
under construction, then a bend in the piece so it locks around one or
more bricks might be a good idea, but I understand that's not the case
here.

On Thu, Nov 25, 2010 at 10:07 AM, Bob Ehrenberger <eforge at centurytel.net> wrote:
> Mark,
>
> How is the strap that gets mortared into the wall prepaired?  Do they have
> chisel cuts to give ithem grip, small holes to let the mortar in, or just
> flat relying on their size to provide the grip? One of the fireplaces that I
> examined was in such bad shape that I could have just pulled the strap out,
> but that would have probably brought the whole thing down. That woldn't have
> made me any friends in the colony, since the house was owned by the colony
> and not an individual..
>
> Robert Ehrenberger
> Shelbyville, Mo.
> eforge at centurytel.net
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <williamsiron at comcast.net>
> To: "Bob Ehrenberger" <eforge at centurytel.net>; "Blacksmithing List Sponsored
> by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Sunday, November 21, 2010 9:43 PM
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] fireplace crane hardware
>
>
>
>
> Bob,
>
>
>
> What I've seen on the Eastern Shore is two pieces of strap about 2 - 3
> inches wide and 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick with a hole of perhaps 3/4" diameter
> at the one end mortared into the brick wall of the fireplace/hearth. The
> upper pin is longer than the lower to facilitate mounting.
>
>
>
> In addition to Sonns' Early American Wrought Iron, you could look at "Hooks,
> Rings and Other Things" by Barnes or "The American Hearth" by Barons and
> Card ISBN 0-937318-23-X
>
>
>
> Mark Williams
>
> Snow Hill, Maryland
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bob Ehrenberger" <eforge at centurytel.net>
> To: "theforge" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2010 5:21:33 PM
> Subject: [TheForge] fireplace crane hardware
>
> I've got a customer that wants a fireplace crane for an 1840's German colony
> house that she is restoring. Making the crane itself is no problem, but I'm
> unsure about period correct mounting hardware. It is my guess that the top
> pivot point would have feathered edges and be mortered into the side of the
> fireplace. I have no idea what the bottom pivot should look like, a plate
> with anchor bolts holding it in place? A plate recessed in the hearth and
> mortered into place? Maybe a just a hole in one of the hearth bricks? Or
> maybe a large hole with a washer mortered in place?
>
> I've been looking through my blacksmith books and can't find the details I
> need.
>
>
> Robert Ehrenberger
> Shelbyville, Mo.
> eforge at centurytel.net
>
>
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-- 
Bruce
NJ