How to choose accessories for the fireplace?

At all times, people used different ways to keep warm. First, the fire and stoves, and later fireplaces appeared. They perform not only heating, but also a decorative function. To ensure the full performance of the fireplace, various accessories are used.

The following types of standard accessories are distinguished:

• poker;
• broom;
• scoop;
• forceps.

The poker is designed to change the position of firewood in the fireplace or stove. She may have a different look. The easiest option is a regular stick made of metal, with a thickening at the end. A more modern look is a crocheted detail, and special aesthetes make it in the shape of a spear.

Nippers are the most advanced analog of a poker. This device allows the transfer of wood or coal.Most often they are used when cleaning the chimney waste near it. In standard conditions, tongs are used when transferring the fallen coal, which for some reason left the fireplace.

The scoop is used in conjunction with a broom when cleaning the area around the fireplace.

There are two ways to store such a set:

• placement on the wall;
• accommodation on a special stand.

In the first version, a plate with hooks is attached to the wall, and in the second, a base is placed on the floor, to which the rack is attached. Hooks or several arcs are attached to it, with which each of the elements of the set takes its place.

There are additional decor items fireplace. These include:

• a stand on which firewood is stored;
• a container in which matches or a lighter for a fireplace are stored;
• protection elements (screen or grid);
• means of igniting fire (lighter and fireplace matches).

The lighter is considered more reliable and speeds up the ignition process.

Lighter and matches, of course, we do not make their own hands, but the rest of the elements of the decor is quite possible to do it yourself.

Most often for their manufacture use the following types of material:

• copper;
• brass;
• steel;
• cast iron.

The most common are cast iron and steel options.

There are two types of accessories:

• electrical;
• fiery.

When creating electrical items, brass and copper are commonly used. It should be noted that such accessories will carry out only a decorative function. In addition, they will be covered with soot and soot. So, when using brass and copper accessories in a brick fireplace, they will require constant cleaning.

Spend a lot of time choosing a scoop does not have to. As a rule, use conventional fixtures.

Consider the process of making a scoop:

• When creating it, it is customary to use sheet steel that has a thickness of 0.5 mm. It is used to make the main part of the scoop.
• Next, take a steel sheet 220x280 mm. From the side with the size of 220 mm we recede (from the edge) 50 and 100 mm, and then we put two parallel lines on our sheet.
• After that, at a distance of 30 mm from the edge, we put marks on the first line.
• On the marginal part of the sheet we apply the same marking, and then we connect them together.Along the lines intersecting each other, corners are cut out.
• Go to work with our second line. We also apply markup on it (as on the first line). It should be noted that all marking lines are applied with a metal rod, which must be sharpened.
• We turn directly to the manufacture scoop. Take the anvil and slats. With their help, from the metal we make a bend of the back part of the sheet along the second of the lines applied by us.
• The lines should be counted from the edge of the side where the corners were made. The sides of the sheet need to be bent, and the upper part of the back wall - to bend so that it becomes tight to the back wall.

Let's go to work with a pen. Handle length must be at least 40 cm.

There are two ways to make this device:

• by forging;
• production using sheet metal.

If you do not want to spend a lot of time and effort, then the second method will suit you much more.

Consider a phased process of forging a handle for a fireplace.

• First you need to take a metal rod with a square cross section, and then produce its heating in a furnace to a state of red.
• Leave the heated rod for some time to cool it.
• Then put the end of the rod in a vice, put on it a pipe that is shorter than the end clamped in a vice.
• After that, using the gate, the workpiece is twisted around its axis several times.
• After that, it is necessary to sharpen one end of the cone from 6 to 8 cm in height and the other end with the size up to 15-20 cm.
• The end, which has the greatest length, is bent until an absolutely exact parallel is reached with the main part of the handle.
• After that, work is carried out with the second end of the structure, placing it on the anvil and flattening it in such a way that the shape of the leaflet is achieved.
• Then we make holes, and also bend the part before reaching the scoop contours.
• At the end of the work the handle is placed in the oil, previously splitting it. Then simply connect both sides, getting the desired result.

The second way is as follows:

• The handle is made in the form of an ellipse by bending two longitudinal edges of the sheet.The second end does not bend - two holes are made on it. Having done them, we make a bend, reaching an angle of 70 to 90 degrees.
• The same holes are made on the back of the scoop. After performing all the manipulations, both parts are fastened together, for example, with rivets.

Pliers can look like scissors or tweezers.

Consider an example of making tweezers:

• A strip of metal is taken, heated in a furnace to a state of redness. After that, it is left for some time to cool completely.
• If the strip is long, it is bent in the middle. In this case, the bend itself must have the form of a circle, from which two straight lines are located on both sides. If you have several short strips, then they are interconnected with the help of special elements, for example, rivets.
• It is only after being fastened that they are bent. Next, you need to twist each of the ends. Re-hot, we leave our design to cool.
• In the end we paint the object in the color we need.

To create a poker metal is processed in the same way as for the manufacture of tongs.

However, this work has a number of distinctive features:

• We take one end of the rod, having the shape of a circle, and then, having stretched out on a rectangle, it is necessary to make a small curl there. Next, on a special device - the fork needs to bend the handle.
• At the other end, a similar curl is created. After that, on the previously prepared part, it is necessary to make a bend so that it is located perpendicular to the main part of the poker, which is already in our set. A similar bend is made on the plug.
• Twisting.

For safe work with a poker, its size should be from 50 to 70 cm.

Broom is not able to do completely. It turns out to make only her pen, and the soft part will have to buy. It should be borne in mind that the pile must be acquired with fire-resistant properties. An excellent replacement for the broom can be a special vacuum cleaner for the fireplace.

The main materials for the manufacture of fireplace stands are:

• pine boards;
• plywood;
• metal strips;
• metal rods.

Consider an example of making a wooden stand:

• An arc with a size from 50 to 60 cm is made of pine boards. It is necessary that one of the ends be wider.It must be positioned above the narrower end.
• At each arc it is necessary (evenly along the length) to put five holes. They are placed on the side.
• Next, we produce cross-pieces in the amount of four pieces. Two with sizes from 50 to 60 cm, and the other two - from 35 to 45 cm. At the same time, grooves and holes are made in the crossbars made by us at the ends of narrow arcs.
• After that, in the holes made at the ends of the arc it is necessary to fix the crossbars, and on the holes made on the sides, metal bars should be placed.
• Next of the rods do the back of the stand. Plywood sheets are placed in the grooves.
• Ten holes are made evenly along the entire length of our strip. Next, you should bend our metal strip in the shape of the letter "P". It should be noted that the ends should look like arcs. With the help of screws fix the strip between the walls.

Particularly impressive look beautiful wrought iron firebox. Such products are known by many manufacturers from Italy. They look great in vintage interiors thanks to the luxurious elements of forging.

This tool greatly facilitates the process of breeding fire.

It is made from:

• tubes or nozzles;
• a pair of wedge-shaped wooden boards;
• accordions;
• pads with the presence of the valve.

How to make a screen for the fireplace with your own hands, you can see in this video.