Kettles of this type were designed to carry water to a picnic, the screw caps on spout and filling opening having to be removed (for obvious reasons) before setting the kettle to boil. Letting the spout cap dangle on its chain comes naturally enough, but what to do with the main cap? Remove it and lose it in the grass? Having removed it, an unwary hand gets steam-scalded reaching for the handle? My solution is to unscrew the cap but leave it barely engaged on a thread so there’s no pressure build-up or prospect of the cap falling off the kettle while pouring, as would be the case if it were wholly unscrewed and sat loosely on the filler opening. Richard Frederick Morgan of Felcourt, East Grinstead took out this patent in 1934 with his own solution, a reversible kettle lid, screwed on for getting water to the picnic, unscrewed but pushed into the filler opening in use, the cap then having vents to release steam and prevent a build-up of pressure. John
The reversible lid described in the patent has one flaw that I can see. After boiling, the lid would be too hot to touch. This might lead to burns if you tried to unscrew and reverse the lid before it had cooled sufficiently. Clever idea though. Probably thought up by a CCS member. Ben
I have wondered about the lid of this kettle for a long time it does not work as described but I cannot see the purpose of the raised areas with holes in the plate that closes the lid is loose in the threaded section of the lid.
@nmp Nick, could you provide more photos? - the whole kettle and the kettle filler opening. Which component is threaded? That ring with the raised areas with holes in? No maker’s name anywhere I guess?
@nmp I would guess screw the ring back on to the kettle and then rest the lid on top to allow steam to escape through the gaps created by the crenelles. Thus avoiding any possibility of pressure building up and forcing hot water out of the spout when the kettle is remotely close to full. Regards John
@presscall the threaded section is the ring with the raised areas on which have holes in, but you cannot reverse this to screw back onto the kettle as described in the patent info. The disc with the chain attached fits inside the ring. I will post a couple more pictures tonight. No makers marks but its a fairly robust kettle really heavy duty I have described it as the Sherman tank of kettles in the past! @Jeopardy Yes its the only way I can see it working but its all a bit of a fiddle to set up and balance the disc on top I had a rubber gasket between the two discs to seal the lid for carrying water, I have taken it out to try and fathom out the way it would work etc still none the wiser? Nick
The test would be to see if the top stayed put when pouring from the boiling kettle ... or would it fall off releasing a blast of scaulding steam?
@igh371 Good point something is either missing from the lid or I am missing something here? I cannot see any reason for the crenellations and holes as decoration there must be a practical reason for them?
