So there I was in the boiler room of this 1930's factory ... Well, that's how this Sirram (Marris Ltd) Boiling Set looked close up The boiling set had been equipped with a home-made box, lined with brown asbestos (the worst kind, from a health and safety point of view) The label Sellotaped (and nailed) to the hinged lid The box exterior, and with the set packed away for transport, with the sealing transit caps screwed on the kettle lid and spout to allow the user to carry a kettle-full of water to the picnic The boiling set out of the case. Methylated spirit container, boiling set base, transit caps, burner, kettle, tea infuser, lid Close up of the burner lid and engraving Fueled up and burning ... ... and creating a good head of steam I've two of these sets and apart from the absence of asbestos accessories (thankfully) the burner tray of the other set is of aluminium, compared with the tinplate version on the right The second set was equipped with a hinged, folding aluminium windscreen. The Svea 123's there for size comparison You'll have noticed that the kettle on the right in that photo sits lower in the burner tray (it's in its packed away mode) made possible thanks to these neat hinged supports Well, I couldn't get the Svea out without brewing up with it, could I? John
John, my eye always bulge everytime I see a new collection you have then after that drool over my keyboard. Very nice indeed Correct me if I am wrong, the case is made of wood right? Lovely.....just lovely. Where do you find all these stuff Ron
Wow, what a nice set, John! It seems 100% intact, nothing broken, nothing missing, yes? Very well thought out. Thanks for the post, HJ
Hi fellas. Yes, the case is of black-painted wood and the set of that one is complete. The other set is missing the tea infuser/strainer and the kettle lid transit cap. Sources?!!! Well, these two sets came off ebay for a few GBP. Other than that, like you I call into charity shops (thrift shops in the USA?), occasional car boot sales (yard sales?) and put word out with friends and family! John
Yes, charity shops are generally known as thrift shops in the US, such as the Salvation Army and Goodwill thrift shops. However, some thrift shops may not be associated with a charity. I'm not sure if we have an equivalent to car boot sales in the US. I think the closest thing would be a swap meet. In a swap meet, vendors congregate at a particular location (often a fair grounds or sports stadium) on a particular day (often Saturday or Sunday), and then people come to shop. A yard sale is usually held in one's yard (in front of one's residence in other words). A garage sale is also generally held at the place of one's residence. There's not really much difference between a garage sale and a yard sale, although there may have been at some time in the past. I tend to associate a yard sale more with gardening and outdoor home products (e.g. patio chairs), but often there's no real difference between a yard and garage sale. Am I missing the mark here? Others please chime in. I appreciate little explanations like this. I remember thinking the first time I heard "car boot sale" something along the lines of "what on earth is that?" HJ
I suppose that boot or turtle have fallen out of use for the trunk of an automobile. But then trunk stems from the use of an actual trunk mounted on the back of a carriage. And then we have dash board, also a term from horse drawn conveyances.
