[Spit-project] Portable hearth pictures uploaded

[Rosalyn Johnson]

Dear Liste,

 

I have uploaded pictures of the portable hearth which I picked up last
night. I am, to say the least, very pleased and hope to give it a trial run
on Sunday.

 

It's pretty easy to put together now and I think doing it another time or
two will make it very easy. There are many nice little touches throughout in
terms of engineering (this is Version #5). Handy things such as making the
supports on each side different so it's easy to match up the proper pieces
and the handle on the pot hook.

 

The reason for the rebar being used for the grill/grate supports is that the
iron will actually soften if exposed to the heat of the fire for a prolonged
period, such as during a cooking session. Rebar is more stable. The
grill/grate in the pictures is my own, bought off of eBay from another Civil
War reenactor. Fits perfectly! Rebar darkens when exposed to heat, so the
supports will gradually be less glaringly different. Also, Crimson says if I
want to hasten the darkening of the firepan, to rub oil on it while it's hot
(very carefully!). You can also use any barbecue grate, like the ones that
fit Weber grills, if you don't mind the look of stainless steel.

 

The long cross piece on the top can be removed and is not necessary for
stability. I think this will be helpful when cooking on a spit set up that I
already have.

 

In terms of size, it's about four feet long. I think the bottom of the
firepit is at least a foot from the ground (will depend on how soft the
ground is when set up and how far the legs have to be pushed in).

 

The shovel and poker were included in the price. Crimson is also making me
some more tools ( an egg pan, long forks, a ladle and hopefully some long
food tongs) such as are found in William  Rubel's book "The Magic of Fire".
I'll post pictures of those when I get them.

 

Miriam