Wooden lid for trade kettle

[tombear]

As mentioned in another thread I have started on a wooden lid to go on a replica brass trade kettle. Construction is from seasoned ash, most 1/4 inch thick, glued with aeromodellers aliphatic resin which is waterproof when dry.

To be honest all I have to do now is drill and put in 16 leetle pegs to hold it together and sand it some, since I'm a tart at heart. The design is copied from the lids you got on washing coppers. No doubt it will get charred some unless I just use it to slow heat loss/ things dropping in when its off the fire. As a rule when its on the fire I'm stirring a lot of the time anyway.

ATB

Tom

 

[OurAmericanCousin]

Looks like a solid, well-built lid.

If you've got anything boiling/steaming inside you shouldn't have to worry too much about charring. Maybe just enough to provide individual character and good memories.

 

[crosslandkelly]

That looks great.

 

[tombear]

Thanks!

finished it just now, gave it a quick wipe with walnut oil to bring out the grain.

Need to find some proper hand welded chain to hang it on. We've watched the guy at the Black Country museum making chain a couple of time and I just like the idea of it. Won't do the job any better but....


The lid slides on and off nicely. It took 16 1/8th" pegs in the end. The full sized copper lids were tongue and grooved.

atb

Tom

 

[mrcharly]

Can I suggest heavily oiling it?

My experience of ash is that it is open-grained and prone to growing mould in damp environments.

 

[tombear]

An excellent point, ill soak it in the oil. I should have remembered that as a few winters back a huge ash tree out front rotted inside and fell one stormy night. By rights and where the wind was blowing to it should have chopped the house in two but instead it went sideways and turned next doors new Ka into a skateboard...

atb

Tom

 

[Joonsy]

Need to find some proper hand welded chain to hang it on. We've watched the guy at the Black Country museum making chain a couple of time and I just like the idea of it.

Nice lid your post caught my attention as I was brought up in the Black Country. Cradley Heath and Quarry Bank areas were the stronghold of chainmaking (and also nail making). 90% of hand-made chain made in England and Wales used to be made in that area, some of the largest and most famous ships anchors and chains were made in the Black Country by a firm called Hingleys, the Titatinc’s anchor being one of them (which was replicated in 2010, I did a thread about it). The Jones & Lloyd works was dismantled brick by brick and rebuilt at the Avoncroft Museum Bromsgrove where it’s on view to the public. The hearth in the Black Country museum where they make chains was taken from Noah Bloomers works when it shut down in 1977. The Black Country is a different place today. ATB

This vid shows the end of an era, it shows the last two handmade chainmakers, Ralph Tilley and Sam Bloomer, on the last day of the Noah Bloomer works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdfAwnEjqEA

Chainmaking and the Black Country

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi254wS6ong