Floor Register Help
Hello, fellow Century Home folks, I am in need of some guidance.
My husband and I bought a home in Chicago in December 2024 that was built in 1913, and we're trying to bring it back from years of landlord special paint jobs, sloppy repairs, and general neglect.
I suspect that our home had a coal fueled gravity furnace at one point, as there is a coal chute in our basement behind our current furnace, and we have some funky old ductwork (according to the HVAC people). That being said, I don't know if these registers are from 1913 or later after the octopus furnace was removed, as I was unable to find any that match these exactly.
All of the air registers in our house look exactly like this one, except the ones in our kitchen, bathrooms, and basement. This is also one of the only registers not covered in layers of white/copper paint.
My question is, what might these be made of, and what is my best course of action in terms of rust removal, paint removal, refinishing, etc.?
If they are cast iron, do I get them sandblasted and powder coated? If they are some kind of coated steel, do I remove the rust and paint them with Rustoleum? Is that black coating on the first two pictures japanning, enamel, paint? I really like the design, so I'd like to keep them if possible. Thank you!
Pictures are of various registers throughout the first and second floor.