Look what I found

[james]

I just finished removing all of the old fashioned (and extremely ugly) stone surround, to uncover a great handmade brick fireplace. I knew it was there, but it's great to see it in its original shape. It's like finding a prize.

It is a Rumford type fireplace, though not exactly a Rumford. Our local brick fireplace expert (who is going to start installing Forno Bravo ovens!), came by to take a look, and he knows the gentleman who built it. He built a number of them in the area over the past 20-30 years.

It draws well, and there was almost no smoke stain on the stone mantel.

I'm excited. We are looking at new mantels now -- we're thinking about either hand laid limestone, or a cast limestone mantel. It should look nice, and work great.

Here are photos of the fireplace itself.
James

[dmun]

Re: Look what I found

Hey that's great. Take a tip from Count Rumford, (and rumford.com) and burn your logs leaning up against the back wall. It doubles the heat output from the "three in a heap" that we learned as kids, and gives a hotter cleaner burn that produces less smoke and pollution. This is called the "teepee" fire from the shape of the plains natives' tents.

There are lots of repro stone fireplace surrounds coming out of eastern europe. Keep an eye on eBay, I bought one there.

[Les]

Re: Look what I found

James - very cool indeed, but it looks like work. You should be taking up golf instead

Les...

[james]

Re: Look what I found

Thanks guys. David, nice tip on the fire and the surround.

Sadly Les, my tennis game is playing third fiddle to work and the renovation. I guess I will pick it back up in the spring. Besides, I'm too sore to exercise. :-)
James

[CanuckJim]

Re: Look what I found

James,

Nice find. It will probably draw perfectly, given the angled shape of the back wall. I've worked on old Rumford fireplaces, and many of them had cast iron firebacks (decorated plates) that leaned up against the back wall to protect the old clay brick from too much heat. You won't need one with the firebrick you have, but you might look out for one as a traditional accent. There was a foundry, in Connecticut I think, that made repros of old ones.

Jim