In our Fireplaces and Chimneys article, we took a gallop through the history of fireplaces, and looked at how they can help us learn about the lives of our ancient and modern ancestors. However, it is perhaps the tools our ancestors used with their fires that tell the most informative stories. And, whether you’re interested in history or not, there are some points to take into account when accessorising your fireplace.
Fireplace tools can be subdivided into:
1. Holding tools – devices for cradling the fuel
2. Heat magnification tools – the fire back
3. Fireplace tending tools
As you can imagine, this is a huge category and one that can only be touched upon here. We’ll start with the most fundamental of these fireplace accessories.
Choosing a Fireplace Grate
The grate is the frame of metal bars that keeps the wood or coal together, thus making the fire safer and more efficient. Our ancestors also realised that grates have enormous decorative potential, especially during the summer months when there is no fire. Nevertheless, there’s more to choosing the right grate than looks alone.
If you intend to light the fire frequently, choose a grate with thick bars. It’s common sense really, the more fires you burn, the stronger the grate must be to withstand the constant heat. Likewise, large logs will need a deeper grate than small and, if you intend to burn coal, you should find a grate that has adequate space beneath it to allow good air circulation. In fact, whatever fuel you intend to burn, generous air space beneath the fire will make it burn cleaner.
Perhaps the most important advice is to choose the heaviest grate you can afford – really you can’t beat cast iron; the Victorians knew a thing or two!
We’ll talk more about other fire tools next time but, in the meantime, here’s some advice for using that carefully chosen grate!
