A fire iron is any metal instrument for tending a fire.

Types

There are three types of tools commonly used to tend a small

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

, such as an indoor fireplace fire or yule log: the

spade A spade is a tool primarily for digging consisting of a long handle and blade, typically with the blade narrower and flatter than the common shovel. Early spades were made of riven wood or of animal bones (often shoulder blades). After the a ...

, the

tongs Tongs are a type of tool used to grip and lift objects instead of holding them directly with hands. There are many forms of tongs adapted to their specific use. Design variations include resting points so that the working end of the tongs d ...

and the poker itself. These tools make it possible to handle a fire without risk of

burns Burns may refer to: Astronomy * 2708 Burns, an asteroid * Burns (crater), on Mercury People * Burns (surname), list of people and characters named Burns ** Burns (musician), Scottish record producer Places in the United States * Burns, ...

blister A blister is a small pocket of body fluid (lymph, serum, plasma, blood, or pus) within the upper layers of the skin, usually caused by forceful rubbing (friction), burning, freezing, chemical exposure or infection. Most blisters are filled ...

s. A fireplace poker (also known as a fire iron) is a short, rigid rod made of fireproof material used to adjust

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

and

wood fuel Wood fuel (or fuelwood) is a fuel such as firewood, charcoal, Woodchips, chips, sheets, wood pellets, pellets, and sawdust. The particular form used depends upon factors such as source, quantity, quality and application. In many areas, wood is th ...

burning in a

fireplace A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design. ...

, and can be used to stir up a fire. A fireplace poker is usually

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

and has a point at one end for pushing burning materials (or a hook for pulling/raking, or a combination) and a handle at the opposite end, sometimes with an insulated grip.

Iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

is the most popular metal from which the pokers are wrought.

Brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

is a more expensive alternative for a home poker set. A slice bar has a flatter tip and can be used to stir up the fire or to clear the grates of ashes. Other fire irons include the fire rake (not to be confused with the firefighter's tool), fire tongs and fire shovel. Many fireplace sets also include a small broom for sweeping up ash.

Japan

In Japan, traditional fire-tending device for a Japanese

brazier A brazier () is a container used to burn charcoal or other solid fuel for cooking, heating or rituals. It often takes the form of a metal box or bowl with feet, but in some places it is made of terracotta. Its elevation helps circulate air, feed ...

(''

hibachi The is a traditional Japanese heating device. It is a brazier which is a round, cylindrical, or box-shaped, open-topped container, made from or lined with a heatproof material and designed to hold burning charcoal. It is believed dates ...

'') is a pair of long metal chopsticks, called , used to pick up and manipulate the

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...

Steam locomotives

As a steam locomotive runs, by-products are produced by the coal fire such as ash and clinker. If these waste products are allowed to build up in the fire, there would be an adverse effect on the performance of the locomotive. A fireman will employ various fire irons in order to clean the fire, whilst the locomotive stands. Below is a list of different types of fire iron that would typically be carried aboard a locomotive during operation. Note: not all the fire irons listed would be carried at once, only the ones needed: * dart: The dart is a long straight fire iron that is used to break up coal that has caked together or to search for clinker * curved iron: The curved iron is a fire iron that is curved at the end. It is used to manipulate the fire so as to remove ash and clinker. This can be accomplished by either moving the good fire to one side so ash and clinker may be accessed or it may be used to knock ash through the ash pan without disturbing the fire. * t-iron: The t-iron has the same function as the curved iron, the main difference being it has a curved stem allowing the fireman to clean underneath the fire door. * clinker shovel: The clinker shovel is employed to remove clinker or other waste products that are too large to fit through the gaps in the firebars. It may also be employed to remove cold waste products before lighting a new fire. * ashpan rake: The ashpan rake has a metal piece attached to the end of a rod and is used to withdraw ash from the ashpan to prevent it from becoming clogged.

History

The earliest and most primitive pokers were likely made from the same material as the fuel (that is, wood in the form of a hefty branch). This wooden tool may colloquially be called a poker or a "firestick". The first successful mass production of stokers as a part of a fireplace-set was designed and manufactured in

Cape Girardeau, Missouri Cape Girardeau ( , ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, Cape Girardeau and Scott County, Missouri, Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the ...

, by the RL Hendrickson Manufacturing Corporation in 1898 at a price of

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

1. Today, one of the sets in fair condition can fetch more than US$3500 at

auction An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...

References

{{Reflist Fireplaces Tools