Under the steam radiators.

Intplm.

What are these? What are they called, and what was their purpose? I recently removed these from under a CI radiator. They were also under others throughout the house. I have never seen them before.

mattmia2

Is that top part cast iron?

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes

I was wondering the same under this hot water radiator.

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/197425/radiator-identification-help

Steamhead

I'd say they were to spread the radiator's weight around so the legs wouldn't wear out the floor.

PC7060

and maybe the slotted middle provided a air gap to reduce heat damage to floor?

mattmia2

probably help them slide as they expand and contract too

Intplm.

The first picture. The one on the top. The item on the right. That is the way they were installed. The other side has dimples on the end I think those dimples caught the floor for traction. These things seem to act like shock absorbers.

What are they??

Intplm.

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1805877#Comment_1805877

@Alan (California Radiant) Forbes

The radiators look similar to the ones you refer to in that post but none of these are in that post.

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes

@Intplm. If you look at that post, the third picture down has a pad under the radiator. I wasn't referring to the radiator, rather the pad which I had never seen before.

Intplm.

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1805938#Comment_1805938

Yeah. That pad is cool. I never saw that before either.

I'm wondering if the same company made them.

Intplm.

So nobody knows what these are? They are under almost every radiator in the house.

They were/are under the legs of the rads. They flex and move up and down and back and forth slightly.

You can see from the pics they have dimples on the downside I would imagine to grip the floor. The tops are smooth to catch the feet. What the heck are these things?

mattmia2

Any chance there is a patent number on them somewhere? They look like someone's idea that never caught on.

Intplm.

@mattmia2 …good question. I'll have to get a closer look when I'm back in the shop.

Lance

I have never seen them before. I have a few guesses. 1) they are not radiator parts, but are designed to work with a machine,? or slip over a bolt or bracket to be removed easily, as a spacer during some manufacturing process?

Intplm.

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1806961#Comment_1806961

My thoughts at first too. But under [all] of the radiators?

Lance

All radiators! sure. I spent a life of repurposing materials and parts from everything. I always considered it a bonus when I had lots of the same parts to use elsewhere. there was a guy who insulated his house with movie theater posters. He ran a movie theater. the posters were cut exactly the width of his 2*4 wall frame. when it was discovered years later, the posters being so rare, became a money windfall for the new owner. The art world is full of examples of materials turned into art. The only thing that made me think these brackets are not radiator leg supports is the open end and its uniform space as if it was a tool designed to wear that slipped over a bolt or rod. Like a spring tensioned bracket, the raised nodules on the one side lock it into place. Still, I do not know where they came from. I tried image search and radiator catalog search. It will probably be the previous owner, or a best friend machinist operator who would ever know. I saw a tool and die factory close that scrapped tons of stuff with large quantities of same parts. no longer even made or used.

Lost to history I say. It would be ironic to think it came from a foundry making radiators, but only from a machine used there.🙃 The internet is big, but reality is bigger and older.