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Antique Hot Water Bottles

Shangas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,116
Location
Melbourne, Australia
It's supposed to be Spring here in Australia.

I'm freezing. It feels like the middle of Winter. One of the curses in living where I do, is that we get the icy storms and cold fronts fresh off Antarctica, and that causes the temperature to drop like a stone down a mine-shaft.

To keep warm during cold nights, I use a pair of antique copper hot-water bottles, for which I produced a pair of homemade cosies/bags, to keep them in, and use them with:



Does anyone else here on the Lounge keep warm at night using hot water bottles? Vintage ones? Antiques? Modern ones?

Old rubber hot water bottles obviously come with safety issues, because rubber hardens and cracks over time if it's not maintained properly. But the old hot-water bottles made of copper (like those two up there) will last forever. Although usually you have to make your own drawstring pouches or wraps for them, to prevent contact-burns.

The little round one was a souvenir from China. The longer one is an Victorian-era carriage-warmer. They were used by people to keep their hands/feet warm during long drives, or on long railway journeys. Right now, they're both in my bed, warming it up before I retire for the night.

Hot water bottles are safer than electric blankets, and the water inside can be reused almost endlessly.

So does anyone else here keep their beds warm the old-fashioned way? And with what kinds/ages of hot-water bottles?
 

carouselvic

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,985
Location
Kansas
laughed when I read this one...a little over 5" tall

wzf7.jpg
 

Shangas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,116
Location
Melbourne, Australia
For anyone who's a little confused, this is an actual muff:

mufflady1.jpg


The muff is that cute little furry thing that she's got her hands into. They were designed to keep ladies hands warm when their skirts or dresses didn't have pockets, and/or they didn't have gloves.

For women worried about their personal safety, muffs could pack heat in a different way, with muff-pistols:

94760.jpg
 

LizzieMaine

Bartender
Messages
33,766
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
At my grandparents' house we used to heat up a brick on the stove for a few minutes, and then wrap it in a towel -- you got a nice warm bed without the risk of the stopper coming out and giving you an unpleasant awakening.
 

Shangas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,116
Location
Melbourne, Australia
I've heard of people using bricks. I was always skeptical as to how effective that was.

While I'm here, my three hot-water bottles all together:

1497370_1392448311013651_407033263_n.jpg


Left: Chinese 'pillow' hot-water bottle. Probably Republican-era (1911-1949).
Middle: 'Hot Glow' hot-water bottle. Ca. 1920s/30s.
Right: Victorian-era carriage-warmer. Probably 1880s-1900s.

There's a rubber gasket or seal on the screw-cap of the carriage-warmer. Sadly, the old rubber ring perished and cracked. I was very fortunate in finding a replacement at my local hardware store that works perfectly!

...It seals it so tight, sometimes I need pliers to get the thing open again!
 
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