Civil War cooking grates

[FieryFurnace]

I am making two Civil War cooking grates today. 3 ft. by 2 ft. I will post pictures later.
How should I finish them? If I use oil, I would have to have a rather large tub, and it would a very large amount of oil. Paint, untraditional and unsafe for cooking on.
Thoughts?

The kidsmith,
Dave Custer

[unkle spike]

I would rub them down with vegetable, or mineral oil, both of which are able to be eaten. Or maybe heat them up and use "PAM for the Grill", I used it on my smoker and it works well. Not sure about on a campfire though?

[Dave Hammer]

Pam is Canola oil. Should work well. Easy to recoat also...

How about some pictures?

[Frosty]

You can also get Pam in olive oil.

You can wipe oil on with a cotton rag or brush. Make sure the brush isn't a synthetic or it'll melt.

Something else occurred to me after I sent it. Why not put olive or whatever kind of oil in a pump spray bottle? If you give it a try before I do let us know how it works.

Frosty

[unkle spike]

The only reason I suggested the Grill variety of PAM, is it is intended to be used in higher temperatures and a "grill" enviroment....

[civilwarblacksmith]

If you are making cooking grates for over a campfire. All you really need to do is paint it with a high temp black paint. The grates will be used to cooking pans to do the cooking and most chances will not have the food cooking on the iron itself. The one I have used for years has been rained on and has yet to rust. It seems to have something to do with the heat from the fire.



This is the normal grate that I make for re-enactor in different sizes.



This grate is was made for a living history area that could have open fire but not on the ground.

[ThomasPowers]

I usually wax them with parafin wax while they are being carted around to sell and let them naturally season over the fire afterwards.

[Jerry W.]

I use vegetable shortening on my dutch ovens. The ovens are placed on the coals with others placed directly on the lid. After use and cleaning a fresh coat is all it needs.

Jerry

[HWooldridge]

I always use spray Pam - seems to work the best as it's easy to coat the piece and also to get the customer to reapply it.

[ironrosefarms]

I use olive oil in a cheap trigger sprayer simular to what cleaners come in quite often. The nozel is adjustable from mist to stream so I don't waste much oil to the ground. All the ones I have had eventually give out from the oil but for $1 and the fact they last a year or two seams to make it ok. Pampered Chef sells a pump sprayer for oils that works well, but the wife won't let me take it out of the kitchen.

[Ten Hammers]

Just a note. I let fire grates and tripods and many other items destined for the fire just go ahead and rust. I then tell customer that if they wish they can use some PAM or Olive oil. Saves time for me and I don't have to keep up with something else. Cooking utensils and a few other things never get wet while I still own them. I spend enough time cleaning them up and finishing them. I will paint the occasional tripod for Mrs consumer to hang flowers from and also dinner bells. Ace wrought iron spray paint seems to last as good as any. I WILL make items neat and tidy and clean ( similar to utensils ) for demanding customers. All in the need. I would not paint grates simply because some folks plop frozen hamburger patties on mine. These folks got the grates in as forged condition and oiled themselves.

[hammerkid]

I like that design!!! I`am going steal the first design if ya don`t mind CWS.:D

[jayco]

I like both designs. I need to make one just for family 'cookouts'.
The fact that the cooking grate disassembles into a bundle of rods is neat. One could easily pack it in the trunk of a car.

[Frosty]

It'd be easy to make one that would work with or without the fire pan AND make the pan's height adjustable.

Lastly if you made two pans a little wider than the longest rod (except maybe the two main horizontals which could be handles or something clipped to the outside) they could be a carrying box.

Frosty

[ThomasPowers]

For non LH use: take the leg off an old pair of bluejeans and make a carrying sack for the rods.

[jimbob]

If you take a piece of 3/8 about 12-15 inches long and flatten it out for four or so then coil it around one of the up-rights then make a coil that looks like a burner on a stove ...makes and adjustable holder for a coffee pot or frying pan. it will jam on the up-right and stay in place

Edited July 2, 2008 by jimbob

[Sabre]

hey dave lets see em

[civilwarblacksmith]

No problem Chris. Just remember if you make one like the second is for extreme circumstances for re-enactors. It was an area where they could have open fire but not on the ground.

[civilwarblacksmith]

Paint for that time depending if it was made in a field or shop is not untraditional. Though the paint they had did not come from a spray can, it was more like house paint.

As far a fire grate, I will paint them if it is for a customer. It looks alot nicer and gives the apperance of more time and care being put into its' being made.

Use krylon high heat paint. The campfire will never reach the temp to burn it off and does not affect the safety of cooking. After the continual use of the grate in the fire will help protect the grate.

[civilwarblacksmith]

Frosty,

The grate with the pan can be used with or without simply by not putting the pan on. Without the pan it looks just like the first picture, except it has small 3/8 id. piping on the side for the pan's 3/8 roundbar to slide into.

[civilwarblacksmith]

Hey Jayco,

Here is my new cooking apparatus for re-enactments. You wanted one that you could use for family cook outs. This one also breaks down flat for easy storage.

It is an 1860 period field cook stove. about 35H x 35L x 20W not counting shelf.



Made this for the wife. Fire was the number 1 killer of women in the 1800 and before, due to the flowing dresses and hoop skirts getting too close and into the fire.

Kinda the first BBQ grill.

[Frosty]

I like it a lot. How about a blueprint? Or at least a dimensioned drawing so I can copy it.

Frosty

[hammerkid]

Yeah Reb why dont ya do a bp on the grate (I know its pretty simple looking but I think Glenn is in need of bps) and on "First BBQ grill" .

They both look Great I`am thinking of building one or both of em for camping and when we go riding.

Thanks,Chris

[jayco]

Frosty's correct..........this should be a Blueprint.........and I will be taking notes!

Nice work!

James

[civilwarblacksmith]

I'll work up bp on all three and when I get them done I'll post them most likely on my web site and when Glenn gets caught up I'll get them copied for Glenn here.

I'll be pulling the stove out of the trailer in a few weeks to get dimensions for now.