Hi,
I have been asked to make a copy of one of the small square braziers - circa 1700,s used for cooking and heating in camp.
There are several shown in the colletors guide to the revolutionary war book but what is not clear is wether the top half is fixed to the bottom half or is made to lift off for packing and transporting.
Could anyone clear this up for me?
Thanks

Wayne,

From what I have seen the braziers are in two pieces. The tray that acts as an ash catch and the box that holds the hot coals. I have seen these in museums as well as reproductions. I hope this helps.

A side note on the handles for the catch, most of the ones I have seen are fairly light weight. Use of them for moving while hot is NOT advised.

Brian

hum hate to dissagree but ... the ones ive seen are all one piece you lift the grate (its hinged ) to add wood and empty it . ive seen a lot of repos and most are fabricated rather than forged ... it really helps if you have a shear and brake to make nice square pieces .. a punch would also help as they are rivited together . ive made one a long time ago and didnt have the tools to make it fast so havnt made more... good luck!

Can I assume that *this* is the style you're referring to?

This is from somewhere between 1740-1790. From what I can tell, dablacksmith is correct. I might add telescoping or removable handles to give the ability to move it safely.

All,

That is great picture of what I have seen. I guess I didn't explain myself well enough. You can see the ash catch tray at the bottom. Then the box that holds the coals with the hinged lid grate. I have not seen as much with handles on the box but on the tray.

Brian

Thanks guys,
Thats just what I needed to know..

I think there might be some confusion here, at least when I read some explanations I am confused. I have made a couple, from photos, a couple from originals. The pan on the bottom is indeed an ash pan, but there is grill work in the bottom to hold the coals, normally this grill is at the height of the bottom of the main body. I have seen completely removable top grill as well as those in which are permanently attached. The cross bar of the grill opposite of the handle pierces the sides to act as a hinge, as done in the above photo. The body of these are 2 pieces of sheet iron. One side is one piece of sheet and the other 3 sides are one piece, with a wrap around to the final side which normally is the side the handle is attached. Most of the originals I have seen are about 6 inches square.

I just took a closer look of the original in my possession to reproduce. The main body of sheet metal is one piece. Another example of not seeing two alike.

Hi Jymm,
It seems from what you are all saying is that although there is a basic form to these braziers there is no hard and fast construction method.