Chapter 2

The cross-section area of the flue is likely to prove the most common difficulty. Usually this cannot be seen from inside the fireplace, because of the narrow throat and the smoke chamber which in some form may be above the shelf. If, therefore, the apparent essentials--such as shape of opening, narrow throat across the whole width, and preferably the slanting back--have been followed out it would be well to determine the area of the flue itself. To do this it will be necessary to reach the top of the chimney and, by lowering a weight on a line, find which flue leads to the fireplace in question. Its area at the top will in all probability be its area throughout. If the flue happens to be the only one in that particular chimney it may sometimes be determined more easily by counting the bricks in its two horizontal directions and in this way estimating what would probably be the inside flue. This conclusion is by no means sure, however, since the chimney may be built with eight-inch walls or it may be simply a four-inch wall with the flue lining. To one with a knowledge of bricklaying, however, the way in which the chimney is laid up will usually indicate the size of the flue.

Having determined the size of the fireplace opening and the cross-section area of the flue itself, it will in many cases be found that the latter is too small for the former. The easiest way to remedy this difficulty naturally would be to decrease the size of the opening in the face of the fireplace. In order to check up the diagnosis, however, it would be well to fit a pair of thin boards to wedge fairly tightly into the opening at the top, one of which boards could be drawn down past the other one so that the fireplace opening may be decreased anywhere from six to twelve inches in height--using two six-inch boards. By testing the fireplace in action in this way it will be readily determined by what amount the opening must be decreased. The boards then being removed, a wrought-iron curtain or decorative projecting hood of wrought iron or copper may be fitted permanently to the front.

It is possible, however, that the opening of the fireplace and the flue area are properly related, in which case it may be found that the trouble is due to the lack of a narrow throat and smoke shelf. This too could be constructed in the fireplace without disturbing anything outside, such as the mantel or chimney breast, unless the fireplace is not large enough to permit the addition of four inches of brick at the back. If it is not, it will be well to examine carefully the thickness of the wall at the back of the fireplace and if this is sufficient, part of it could be taken away where the slope of the back joins the upright wall--about a foot above the hearth surface--and the sloping back built in from there up to form the throat. Or, to make perfectly sure of the result, the mantel itself could be removed--this is usually merely nailed to the plaster--and enough of the chimney breast taken down to permit the introduction of a cast-iron throat damper.

FIREPLACE ACCESSORIES

Just as a turkey dinner depends largely for its success upon the "fixin's," so the fireplace is in itself incomplete without its andirons and tools. To begin with the most nearly indispensable appurtenances, we must name the andirons--or, if the fuel is to be coal, then the basket grate. I have wondered sometimes why the philosophers have not hit upon the andiron as a particularly fitting subject for pleasurable rumination. There are so few things which combine to such a degree the purely utilitarian with the eminently decorative qualities. Most things which do combine the two in any real measure have been developed on the side of one at the expense of the other quality. Take man's dress coat, for example, the cut-away front of which, with the two buttons at the back, was designed to permit the gentleman to loop the skirts up to his waist when he mounted his horse. Or, take the modern lighting fixture with its little pan still waiting to catch the drip of the tallow beneath the flame, which has long since been displaced by gas tip or incandescent filament. How few things there are, after all, which ages ago--probably through a long evolution--were designed to meet a real need in the best possible manner and which still meet that need and combine true beauty with their usefulness. The wrought-iron shoe of a horse occurs to us, perhaps a ship's anchor, a string-bow or an axe helve.

Some support is needed to raise the fuel so that the air may find a clear passage under and through it to the flames, and nothing could well be devised to serve the purpose better than the pair of horizontal wrought bars, each with its single rear foot and its steadying front, the upper continuation of which serves to hold the burning logs in place.

One is not likely to go wrong in making a choice of andirons for any given type of fireplace. The simply turned brass patterns belong so obviously to the Colonial brick opening with its surrounding white woodwork; the rougher wrought-iron types are so evidently at home in the craftsman fireplace or the rough opening of stonework, that misfits are hardly possible.

Fortunately the old brass andirons of Colonial days have proven themselves fitted to survive, and many of them are still to be found in old cobwebby attics or in the more accessible shop of the dealer in antiques. One of these confided to me his way of distinguishing the really old andirons from artificially aged reproductions: the old ones have the turned brass of the front post held in place by a wrought-iron bar that attaches to the horizontal member by a screw thread on the bar itself; on the modern examples this upright bar is drilled with a threaded hole into which an ordinary short screw engages through a hole in the horizontal member.

Next after the andirons in importance are the tools--the three most nearly essential ones being the poker, tongs and shovel. There is no need of saying that these should harmonize with the andirons and preferably be of brass if they are of brass; wrought iron if the andirons are of wrought iron. There are two ways of taking care of them--the ordinary method of using a stand which, if the tools are bought together, will probably come with them; or in some of the fireplace types where the whole chimney breast is of brick, concrete or stone, sometimes a combination of three or more hooks is wrought in the same metal as the tools and fixed securely in the chimney breast at the side of the opening.

A brush for the hearth, although not so frequently seen, is exceedingly useful in sweeping back the ashes and small embers. Then there is the time-honored bellows, now hardly more than an ornament, for with a scientifically built fireplace it should never need to be called into action.

A screen of some sort comes nearer to being classed with the necessities than with the merely decorative accessories, for it is hardly safe to leave a fire or even the smoldering embers without some protection against the damage that is so quickly caused by sparks. The usual type of screen is the woven wire one in several forms. Probably the most convenient type is that made up of a number of flat sections which fold upon one another into a compact mass which will not be in the way when not in use. In recent years, however, there is another sort of screen that is coming to be regarded with very high favor and that is the screen made up of glass in combination with other materials. There is the simple French screen of glass panes in a gilded frame, and there are wonderful possibilities for the employment of the craftsman's skill in combining with plain or lightly tinted glass more decorative features in the way of stained glass and leading or in the combination of glass and metals.

The design of a fire screen depends, of course, on the purpose it is intended to serve. If it is desired to secure a screen that will cut off the heat but not the light of the fire, the craftsman will work with larger areas of clear glass. On the other hand, it may be felt desirable to make a nearly opaque screen to cut off both light and heat. These, of course, are usually small rectangles on some sort of a pedestal and are not intended to take the place of spark screens.

A wood receptacle of some form is a convenient accessory, as one will avoid the task of carrying fuel up from the cellar or in from the woodpile whenever a fire is desired. There is a broad field from which to choose--brass-bound boxes of many sizes and forms, sturdy baskets and the metal wood baskets which are made for holding the logs themselves. There are those who prefer not to encumber the vicinity of the fireplace with these rather bulky receptacles, but who find it convenient to have a box built in near by in the form of a window-seat or perhaps as a part of built-in bookcases. Two or three houses that I have known had a very simple rough dumbwaiter running from the cellar up into a window-seat. This could be loaded with fuel, hoisted into position and locked there until the fuel was needed.

There are two other fireplace accessories that we must not overlook, and these are the crane and the trivet. The crane is a very picturesque feature in a fireplace that is large enough to hold it comfortably, but it does seem unfortunate that in a great many fireplaces the crane is dragged in with the idea of making it a decorative feature but without any expectation of putting it to practical use. There are fireplaces--in a summer camp, for example--where a crane could be put to good use. Used elsewhere it is too often merely an affectation.

The trivet is not nearly so well known as the crane and yet it might be put to use in a modern fireplace much more frequently. In England it is found in various ingenious forms, most of which show, however, some form of low stool which is stood upon the hearth, as near as may be convenient to the fire, to keep warm a teakettle or perhaps even a plate of toast. There are some rather interesting antique brass trivets to be found in many of the larger antique shops.

BUILDING THE FIRE

I have no doubt that the majority of the readers who have patiently found their way thus far through this little book will feel like closing it with a sigh of impatience at the sight of the chapter heading above. "Who doesn't know how to build a wood fire? We might as well seek instruction as to the most approved method of striking a match!" But if you will bear with me for a moment I would say most emphatically that as a matter of fact very few people really do know how to build a fire. It is easy enough to assemble a bunch of newspapers, twigs, kindling and logs so that it is possible to _start_ a fire, but perhaps you have noticed that while many fires are kindled few burn out. If you are seeking for the greatest amount of comfort and enjoyment from your wood fire you will secure it only by sitting at the feet of that greatest of all teachers, experience, or perhaps more quickly by experimenting a bit with one or two of the simple expedients which I shall try to show are based on the wood fire's way of working. While there are those who would not for worlds give up the pleasure of tinkering with the tongs and poker while the fire burns, it will perhaps not detract from this enjoyment if the tinkering is not actually the result of necessity to keep the logs burning. Fire-mending is a delightful recreation only when it is not imposed upon us by becoming an alternative to having the glowing embers become discouraged and give up the fight.

First of all, there is the need of having fuel that is really dry. It is not essential that the woodpile be kept indoors, but it should at least have shelter above it and on three sides. The woodsheds of New England farmhouses offer a practical and efficient solution of the problem. Usually you will find these as an extension to the house, a shed open only to the south, in which the cord wood is piled neatly to the roof with sawn ends to the front. Two long logs are laid on the floor or ground, at right angles to the firewood, so as to encourage a circulation of air for drying.

In addition to the heavier logs which are cut to fit the fireplace opening, there should be almost an equal quantity of twigs, brush and smaller pieces, or else split kindling, to serve as starting fuel.

To lay a fire on the hearth, select first a heavy log which should be placed close against the back of the fire chamber on the hearth and not on the andirons. This is the traditional "backlog." It will serve through several fires and is intended mainly as a protection of the back brickwork. Stand the andirons with their rear ends close up against the backlog, and if the latter is of the best size its top will be well above the horizontal bars of the andirons. Now select a smaller log--preferably not a split piece--and lay it across the andirons. If a big fire is desired, keep this log--the "forelog"--well to the front, just back of the andiron upright posts, leaving plenty of space between backlog and forelog for the main body of the fire. The distance between these two logs will govern the size of the fire. In this space put a few crumpled sheets of newspaper, some of the lighter twigs and small branches, and one, two or three logs or split pieces, as may be required to fill the space. The diagrams will make clearer this arrangement for a small fire or a large one.

As the central portion of the fire burns away, keep the forelog pushed back against it, unless a less active fire is desired. It is well to remember that where one isolated log will not burn, two close together probably will, and a pyramid of three will do still better.

Many fireplaces show a tendency to smoke only when first lighted; this is probably due to a cold chimney, and can usually be prevented or made less objectionable by burning a newspaper just under the throat, thus starting the proper action of the up and down drafts.

If it is possible for us to choose between various kinds of wood for our open fire fuel there is opened up one of the most interesting phases of the whole subject. To most people probably a wood fire is a wood fire, whether the logs be of cherry wood, pine, hickory or anything else. For the wood fire connoisseur, if we may call him by that name, there is no difficulty whatever in telling with a glance at the fire just what wood is burned. The crackle and explosive nature of hickory, the hiss of pine, the steady flame from cherry, the hot and rapid disintegration of sycamore, and the steady and thorough combustion of soft apple wood soon become familiar characteristics to those who have the opportunity to lay the fire in variety. Then there is, of course, the fascination and the weird coloring in a driftwood fire--most spectacular of all but unfortunately denied to most of us.

Finally, the most important factor of all in the management of a wood fire is an ample bed of ashes for its foundation. It is impossible for anyone who has not actually tried fires both ways to appreciate the immense advantage that a bed of wood ashes gives. It unquestionably doubles the fire's efficiency in throwing heat out into the room, it halves the care and attention needed to keep the fire burning, and it increases beyond measure the beauty of a wood fire, when it is nearing its end, by rekindling itself with the embers and keeping alive for a long time the quiet, dull red glow. Stop your ears to the importunities of the over-zealous housekeeper and steel yourself against the pricks of the conscience of cleanliness. If need be, fight for the retention of that bed of ashes. You can scarcely get it too large or too deep. The accumulation of two years is a priceless treasure. One of my own fireplaces has a bank that has to be depleted about twice a year to make room for the fire. A peck or two of the fine white powder is then carried out to bring joy to the rose garden.

To one who loves a wood fire and knows its possibilities the mention of such a thing as an ash-drop is as a red flag to a bull. Peace be to the ashes of the man who invented this easy method of robbing the hearth of half its charm. May he be forgiven it.

_THE HOUSE & GARDEN MAKING BOOKS_

It is the intention of the publishers to make this series of little volumes, of which _Making a Fireplace_ is one, a complete library of authoritative and well illustrated handbooks dealing with the activities of the home-maker and amateur gardener. Text, pictures and diagrams will, in each respective book, aim to make perfectly clear the possibility of having, and the means of having, some of the more important features of a modern country or suburban home. Among the titles already issued or planned for early publication are the following: _Making a Rose Garden_; _Making a Lawn_; _Making a Tennis Court_; _Making a Water Garden_; _Making Paths and Driveways_; _Making a Poultry House_; _Making a Garden with Hotbed and Coldframe_; _Making Built-in Furniture_; _Making a Rock Garden_; _Making a Garden to Bloom this Year_; _Making a Garden of Perennials_; _Making the Grounds Attractive with Shrubbery_; _Making a Bulb Garden_, _Making a Garage_, _Making and Furnishing Outdoor Rooms and Porches_; with others to be announced later.