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Circular radiators in Scotland

Erin Holohan Haskell
Erin Holohan Haskell Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 2,354

Our friend @Nick_Castrads shared these photos with me of circular American Radiator Company Perfection radiators in the National Museum of Scotland.

I thought you'd love them too, so he gave me permission to share them. Thanks, Nick!

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Comments

  • Nick_Castrads
    Nick_Castrads Member Posts: 76

    Thanks so much for posting these @Erin Holohan Haskell! What I thought was really interesting was that they were imported from the US over to the UK around 1899, before ARC had built their foundry in Britain (and in any case, they never made this model in the UK). I think it illustrates both the reputation of the American Radiator Company at that time and the scale of ambition for the building!

    GGrossErin Holohan Haskell
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 24,734

    And may I add — if you should happen to be in Edinburgh, that museum is well worth visiting. Plan to spend some time…

    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • Nick_Castrads
    Nick_Castrads Member Posts: 76

    @mattmia2 no I have not! I've never been to Detroit - I am planning a trip to Chicago early next year so I'll add Detroit to the itinerary and make sure to visit the Henry Ford Museum. Thanks for sharing!

    mattmia2
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 17,364

    Those rads were shipped in halves and then joined together after being placed around the columns. Notice how the two halves are piped as individual rads.

    And that bleed valve is a dead ringer for the ones in my house, which are 100 years old this year.

    Before the Lyric Theater/Opera House in Baltimore was remodeled in the 1980s, it had circular steam radiators around the columns of the lounges. I don't remember what brand they were. Obviously they are long gone now.

    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
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    mattmia2Nick_Castrads
  • PRR
    PRR Member Posts: 226

    radiators in the National Museum of Scotland.

    As seen in this image of Dolly the Sheep. Looks like she only needs half-heat?

    GGrossPC7060
  • Adk1guy
    Adk1guy Member Posts: 72

    Those radiators are incredible. The first pic from further away, I thought I was seeing a modern Euro design. The up close see they are decorative cast iron. Great post! The Henry Ford museum radiators are pretty nice too.

  • Nick_Castrads
    Nick_Castrads Member Posts: 76

    What a beast! @Dennis1679 that looks like an IRSAP steel column radiator to me - made in Northern Italy. Very good quality.

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 10,852

    That must be quite the mold

    Nick_Castrads
  • KC_Jones
    KC_Jones Member Posts: 5,827

    When we were there we spent an entire day at Greenfield Village and about 3/4 of a day in the museum. In my opinion, that wasn't enough time to see everything, especially the museum. It really is incredible, even the building itself is amazing.

    2014 Weil Mclain EG-40
    EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Boiler Control
    Boiler pictures updated 2/21/15
    mattmia2Nick_CastradsMad Dog_2
  • DCContrarian
    DCContrarian Member Posts: 667

    I'd like to meet the men who carried that in. Or maybe not.

  • bmcservice
    bmcservice Member Posts: 5

    I found this Round Radiator in a store located in In Southampton called Hildreth's. It opened in 1842.

    delcrossvNick_CastradsguzzinerdSuperTech
  • Nick_Castrads
    Nick_Castrads Member Posts: 76
    edited October 31

    @bmcservice, that's a real beauty. I take it that's Southampton, Massachusetts right (as opposed to Southampton Engand)?

    It's an American Radiator Company Detroit Ornamental I believe. Here's the brochure page from 1897. ARC also made a Plain version (the Detroit Plain), which we first learned about when we got involved with the refurbishment of Rochadale Town Hall in England a few years back. I've attached some photos of that model - again imported from the US to the UK for a spectacular neo-gothic Victorian building.

    delcrossvmattmia2
  • delcrossv
    delcrossv Member Posts: 1,293

    @Nick_Castrads , thinking up some molds for curved radiators? 😁

    Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.
  • Nick_Castrads
    Nick_Castrads Member Posts: 76

    @delcrossv the molds stay the same whether the radiator is straight or curved - it's the machining that makes them curved. I'd absolutely love to make some but we don't have the machinery we'd need. Our facing and tapping line is 100% predicated on producing parallel faces - a circular radiator is made by joining sections that are milled with trapezoidal sections (or faces milled on two planes of a triangle if that's the correct terminology).

    It would be a serious feat to make one though, and even if we don't have the machinery I'm sure we could find a machine shop that does… It's very tempting!

    CLambdelcrossv
  • DCContrarian
    DCContrarian Member Posts: 667

    That's a real beauty. I take it that's Southampton, Massachusetts right (as opposed to Southampton England)?

    In Southampton, England, a store that opened in 1842 would be "the new store."

    Nick_Castrads
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 10,852

    Are those push nipple type radiators?

  • Nick_Castrads
    Nick_Castrads Member Posts: 76

    @mattmia2 no, both the ones in Edinburgh that I photographed and the one @bmcservice posted from Southampton are threaded nipples. In my experience push nipples are a lot less common in the UK than they are in the US.

    mattmia2
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 10,852

    It seems like it would be a whole lot harder to reach in and screw the sections together in a circle than to press them together.

  • Nick_Castrads
    Nick_Castrads Member Posts: 76

    The sections are screwed together one by one so the angle is only ever n secs / 360º = 12º for a 30 section radiator.

    mattmia2delcrossv
  • jhatcher
    jhatcher Member Posts: 2

    When we were there a few years ago my wife couldn’t understand why I took more pictures of the radiators than the exhibits.

    Nick_CastradsSuperTech
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 17,364

    The Lovely Naoko just rolls her eyes when I do that ;-)

    All Steamed Up, Inc.
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  • Mad Dog_2
    Mad Dog_2 Member Posts: 7,506

    I've seen the Round ones in New York State Armories when I was in the State Guard. You need a large entrance hall or lobby to do them justice. Mad Dog

  • epmiller
    epmiller Member Posts: 26

    Slightly off topic, but I have two beautiful steam only radiators that I just can't bear to scrap. Don't know what to do with them however. Also know of several very decorative big wall-hung cast rads and a couple floor mount rads in a local church that are decommissioned and they want taken out. I just hate to scrap those beauties. I love seeing those things still in use but space seems to be a premium in most houses.

  • epmiller
    epmiller Member Posts: 26

    Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. If you need more info let me know.

  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 17,364

    @epmiller , can you post pics?

    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • epmiller
    epmiller Member Posts: 26
    edited November 4

    See my previous post. I would have to get into the church to get pictures of the others. I'll see if on some odd chance I have pics on my phone. It's been a couple years ago.