Brass and Wrought Iron Antique Kitchen Grater

A wonderful old kitchen grater, this handmade piece has a pierced surface of solid brass. It's framed in hand forged iron, attached with hand cut rivets of varying sizes. The canted legs are a continuation of the frame and end in penny feet. Used to grate firm foods, it was also used to grate bar soap into flakes for washing clothes.

The word "patina" is often used to describe a rather damaged surface, but this grater does have an attractively worn appearance. The slicing holes are still sharp; there is some rust to the iron, but it is not flaking. The hanging ring, also iron, is firmly attached to a flat piece of iron that wraps over it. Along one edge of the grater there are tiny letters hand-etched faintly into the brass that we found only with a magnifying glass.

The grater surface itself is 9 3/4 inches in length, 7 inches in width. From one foot to the other it measures 11 3/4 inches long and 6 1/4 inches wide. The grater stands 2 1/4 inches high and weighs 1 1/2 pounds. There are no cracks, missing pieces or other damage. It's a handsome antique kitchenware item that looks great on the shelf, on the wall or in front of the hearth.

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