What is mysterious metal object?
May 1, 2010 8:38 PM Subscribe
What is this?
I have no idea what this is. It's in the baseboard of the first floor hallway of my house, which was built in 1912. The inscription arching across the top of it says "Peace Foundry Co Limited" (not sure about the Peace though I am sure about the rest) and below it says "Toronto". It has two slot-like things in it that seem to have been meant to hold something, but don't. My best guess is it's some kind of fitting left over from a previous heating or lighting system. Any thoughts?
I have no idea what this is. It's in the baseboard of the first floor hallway of my house, which was built in 1912. The inscription arching across the top of it says "Peace Foundry Co Limited" (not sure about the Peace though I am sure about the rest) and below it says "Toronto". It has two slot-like things in it that seem to have been meant to hold something, but don't. My best guess is it's some kind of fitting left over from a previous heating or lighting system. Any thoughts?
My great-grandfather had an old farm house with some old electrical sockets, they only took one plug and the sockets and the gap for the prongs were larger (I think, I was smaller then though - the wire were removed long before I was there.)
It could be a capped pipe, like sexyrobot said, and the slot are for screwdrivers when removing the caps.
How big is the thing? If you don't get an answer a picture with a coin in it to show scale might help someone recognize it.
posted by Some1 at 9:28 PM on May 1, 2010
It could be a capped pipe, like sexyrobot said, and the slot are for screwdrivers when removing the caps.
How big is the thing? If you don't get an answer a picture with a coin in it to show scale might help someone recognize it.
posted by Some1 at 9:28 PM on May 1, 2010
I also think it's probably a capped pipe -- we used to have them in my (19th century) house, where the old stove had been removed.
posted by Narrative Priorities at 10:42 PM on May 1, 2010
posted by Narrative Priorities at 10:42 PM on May 1, 2010
The Pease Foundry Company started making furnaces in Brampton in March of 1913.
posted by Knappster at 11:59 PM on May 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Knappster at 11:59 PM on May 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: It's 5" in diameter.
And it does say Pease, thanks!
posted by orange swan at 6:26 AM on May 2, 2010
And it does say Pease, thanks!
posted by orange swan at 6:26 AM on May 2, 2010
It might be a radiator fitting cap. Most steam radiator valves I've seen come up through the floor though.
Is there a basement under the first floor? What's right underneath the fitting?
posted by disclaimer at 9:37 AM on May 2, 2010
Is there a basement under the first floor? What's right underneath the fitting?
posted by disclaimer at 9:37 AM on May 2, 2010
Response by poster: There is a basement, but it has a finished ceiling and there doesn't seem to be anything underneath that spot but heating vents.
posted by orange swan at 10:57 AM on May 2, 2010
posted by orange swan at 10:57 AM on May 2, 2010
I guess your house had an old Pease water radiator furnace that's long since been ripped out and replaced with a forced air model. Maybe there are some other old fittings behind the finished basement walls...
posted by anthill at 1:20 PM on May 3, 2010
posted by anthill at 1:20 PM on May 3, 2010
Response by poster: Here's another suggestion from someone who emailed me:
Anyway, that thing in your hallway... Way back when, your furnace was coal-fired. On a cold winter night, you'd go down in the basement before bedtime, throw some coal on the fire, and also load up a hopper with the next bunch of coal for 3 or 4 in the morning.
So when the fire started to die in the wee hours of the morning, you'd go out to the hallway, crank that thing around, and in the basement your next load of coal would be dumped on the fire and you would avoid going into the basement in the middle of the night.
posted by orange swan at 6:57 PM on May 9, 2010
Anyway, that thing in your hallway... Way back when, your furnace was coal-fired. On a cold winter night, you'd go down in the basement before bedtime, throw some coal on the fire, and also load up a hopper with the next bunch of coal for 3 or 4 in the morning.
So when the fire started to die in the wee hours of the morning, you'd go out to the hallway, crank that thing around, and in the basement your next load of coal would be dumped on the fire and you would avoid going into the basement in the middle of the night.
posted by orange swan at 6:57 PM on May 9, 2010
Response by poster: Well, I am working on the hallways of my house now. I decided I would strip the paint off this item and polish it up. I've put two applications of paint stripper on it, and tonight as I was on my knees on the hallways floor and scraping off paint I found that under the paint there were two screws holding the thing to the baseboard. After much effort, I got the screws out and the plate came away from the wall. And... there was nothing behind it but baseboard, unless you count a handful of bobby pins that someone must have used to try to figure out what was behind the plate. The plate is simply a bracket of some kind, though for what purpose it was used I am as much in the dark as ever.
posted by orange swan at 7:29 PM on November 25, 2010
posted by orange swan at 7:29 PM on November 25, 2010
Best answer: Upon re-reading this thread, I think those of you who said that this is left over from a radiator heator are probably correct. It is likely a bracket used to secure the former radiator in place.
posted by orange swan at 8:40 AM on November 26, 2010
posted by orange swan at 8:40 AM on November 26, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by sexyrobot at 8:54 PM on May 1, 2010