Fireplace cover when starting fire

[Timothy Murphy]

I have a standard victorian fireplace in my property. When I start a fire I often hold a newspaper (non-tabloid) over the opening to cause an up-draught and so encourage the fire. I assume most people do the same at some point. The problem is that one has to take care the paper does not burn. It has often struck me that a metal cover one could hold over the fireplace-opening for a minute or two while starting the fire would make this operation simpler. Is this ever done, and if so, are such devices sold?

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

Not a new idea, my granny had something like it in metal, diyd by my uncle, iirc. I did the same many years later, using pallet planks and it survived the blazes very well indeed, as you don't hold it on for very long.

[Terry Fields]

My dad made one from the door to the Anderson shelter...

[Robin]

My recollection is part of the fun was watching the middele of the paper turn brown and seeing just how long one could wait before scrunching the paper into a ball and throwing it on the fire. But perhaps learning-by-burning[-fingers] is no longer good nurturing :(

[Robin]

PS

Thinking on, my aunt used the folded spark screen to help the fire to draw. It was metal mesh but with fairly small holes, so when folded flat it would have been even less porous. Not as good as a sheet from the News of the Screws but I think still readily available and with some other possible use.

[harryagain]

Very common in days of yore. Haven't seen one for years though. One could be easily made.

[Gordon Henderson]

I have the same recollection - did the same thing. Seemed fairly normal at the time..

Then we had to go smokeless and had some magic gas lighter fitted into the fireplace to ignite coke... These days I occasionally burn Anthracite in my multi-fuel Stovax stove and it's not at all smokey once it's up to temperature. If only they had that technology 40 years ago...

Gordon

[Another John]

Ditto: we had one in a house I rented as a student in the 60s. I'm sure I've seen them for sale in the local fireplace/stove shops (or was it in the hardware shop?). Properly shaped, galvanized metal, with a handle on the back.

We have a great old-fashioned hardware shop not too far away ... it's now very posh (i.e. stocks piles of fancy, very expensive, kitchen knick-knacks), but it has never let go of all the old lines from last century: if you can find such a shop in your area, it'll be worth it.

John

[S Viemeister]

Soutar's, in Thurso?

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Timothy Murphy writes

I grew up with one of those. The builders had fitted a decorative splay of flat roofing tiles as a slightly projecting centrepiece over a standard 18" fire opening. The local blacksmith had fabricated a sheet of steel with nicely rolled edges and a cut out to fit the tiles. Hung over the fireplace, it left a gap at the bottom to draw up the fire:-)

[Lawrence]

Ours was a sheet of aluminium with a handle riveted to the middle. Not long after my dad made it, a small semicircular hole appeared in the bottom edge. I never did find out if my dad cut it out or if the ali melted. Dad always insisted that that it had burned away but I have my doubts. Memories!

[Andy Wade]

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

My local farmers' supply store was like that and you could find all sorts in there. Then a new fecking manager came in and swept all the old stuff out, the bastard. Amusingly, there was such a to-do over that at the time, that the staff have gradually re-stocked with all the old lines, as there is a demand for them, just not flying off the shelves, as it were. You see, let some eejit with a manglement qualification in and they have to prove they know more than the locals and usually fekc it up.

[AnthonyL]

As long as I ever remember, in both my parent's home and here for the last 30 yrs, I've just stood the shovel up and let that take most of the heat from the paper. The old broadsheets were best. Don't care much for tabloids.

[fred]

We had a biscuit tin lid beaten flat and held in place with a long poker jammed into the hearth surround

[Another John]

Crikey Yes! You've reminded me that that's what we used to do in our place (as students): lean the poker against the fire top, tip resting in the firefront, then spread a broadsheet newspaper in front: its tendency to get sucked up the chimney was then stopped by the poker. Then go put kettle on, whatever; if disturbed by loud roaring, rush back to living room to deal with conflagration....

And Andy Wade wrote:

aw-Plate

By gum! 't'lad's got it reet: that's the beggor! That's 't'beggor exactly!

J.

[Artic]

Timothy Murphy scribbled...

Use the side off a washing machine or similar. Shouldn't weigh too much Pop rivet a handle in the middle - drill a few random holes in so you can see how the fire is going.

Careful with using paper, if it flies up the chimney it can be the cause of a fire or worse - a blockage.

[SteveW]

Gas poker?

My parents had one of those, a highly dangerous thing, as it was designed so that it could be left in position and on a timer, so that by the time you came down in the morning, the fire was lit.

SteveW

[docholliday93]

Never saw one like that - ours had to be lit with a match when you wanted to use it. Still much easier than fiddling about with kindling and so on. I see BES still stocks them...

[AnthonyL]

I would buy one if we had gas. Then again if we had gas we wouldn't need one.