Parts & Styles
This page will guide you through the various parts and styles that make up a Dorset Fingerpost. You will find a description and images to help you identify what you need. Remember no two posts are the same.
Parts include: Posts, Brackets, Fingers, Characters & Finials .... and do not forget the fasteners!
Posts
Very early posts were imperial 4” diameter, originally cast iron with the foundry maker’s name and the fingers are held in place with a bolted array of wrought iron rings and brackets (sometimes the brackets are brass).
Most of these survive as short posts at ‘T ‘junctions away from passing traffic. They are notoriously difficult to dismantle due to severe rust corrosion.
Later, the posts were mild steel, firstly a smaller diameter to suit a transitory all-aluminium bracket/finger system. Some of these rather skinny 3” diameter mild steel posts still exist and used to support lightweight 70’s aluminium fingers with transfer lettering. These we replace with sturdier tube to accommodate the preferred bracket system, a more substantial and neater arrangement. Today we use galvanised steel to reduce corrosion.
Some fingers are merely mounted directly on scaffold poles or similar.
Later posts may be imperial or metric. Measure internal and external diameters and wall thickness of the post accurately. Exact replacements may not be possible so ensure the post and bracket dimensions are compatible and will fit!
However, you will find most posts are metric 90mm diameter 4-5mm thick steel tube which accommodates the most common finger and bracket system: hardwood fingers bolted to an alloy geared bracket.
 4” cast iron post and brackets at Litton Cheney. From Dorchester’s old foundry |  1970’s skinny 3” post Supporting lightweight aluminium brackets and fingers complete with stick on lettering. |  Fingers mounted directly onto scaffold poles & bolted through |
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 Same post as above but with replacement galvanized metric post, supporting cast alloy brackets, oak fingers complete with cast alloy letters |
Brackets
There are three main traditional bracket types shown here:
1. Early ‘ring & bracket system (like ‘Meccano’) in which the wrought iron rings are bolted directly on to the post. Each finger is held in place by two brackets (iron or brass) bolted to the ring.
2. Later cylindrical brackets made of cast iron, or later aluminium alloy, are bolted over a supporting steel spindle.
3. Current ‘geared’ systems in which alloy cylindrical brackets are fitted over a supporting steel spindle and the required array ‘locked’ together with a securing ring.
4. Over time, other systems have been used such as the integral thin aluminium bracket / finger units in which the bracket is bolted to the post or spindle. The finger comprises thin plate with transfer lettering riveted to the bracket. These systems are often replaced entirely with the preferred ‘geared’ system.
Beware - posts and brackets systems vary! Very early posts can be cast iron & maybe tapered – definitely worth preserving.
 1. ‘Meccano’ system of rings and brackets bolted together |  2. Older style or cast alloy brackets 2. Older style cast alloy brackets - no gearing just bolted into position- no gearing just bolted into position |
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 3. Batcombe Fingerpost after full refurbishment complete with new roundel. Current geared system in which the cogs lock together |  4. 1970 style replacement posts |
Fingers/Arms
There are 2 styles of fingers - Rounded and pointed ends
The original arms were made from hardwood, but sadly over the years some have been replaced with pine or metal arms.
All our refurbished fingers use hardwood, Dorset, English or European Oak is preferred.
 Pointed-end fingers |  Rounded-end fingers prepared in our workshop |
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Characters
Letters, numbers and fraction plates, are usually made of cast aluminium alloy painted in robust weather resistant paint systems, although some powder-coated stamped versions exist. The former are the preferred original as these have chamfered edges and easier to refurbish when the time comes. The font should be ‘Ministry’ (short for MoT) in 2 sizes: 2½” are the most common with some larger 3” characters still found. Thickness varies but usually 3 -5mm, which together with chamfering, provides a stand-out 3D visual impact.
Currently, cast letters are available from a small foundry in Melbury Abbas, colescastings@gmail.com run by husband and wife team Stephen and Nicole Coles.
These are available as rough castings requiring time consuming DIY finishing or available ready to paint: Dorset Fingerpost Restorers buy these in bulk and prepare them as follows: Fettled, filed, sanded clean, holes drilled and countersunk# ready for painting or fully prepared and painted.
#An optional light grit blast treatment provides the perfect profile for paint adhesion.
 2½” and 3” characters. Note chamfered edges |  2½” characters being screwed in place. Top Tip: Pre-drill and use stainless ‘pozidrive’ with driver set at low torque |
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Finials
There are 2 main styles- caps & roundels:
Caps
The caps comprise a simple black pyramidal alloy casting to fit over the bracket assembly securing ring. These are held in place with a grub screw: 8mm on early caps but these are often corroded in place and may have to be drilled out to access full dismantling of the brackets etc. We now use 12mm stainless grub screws, fitted with copper grease to minimise alloy/steel corrosion.
Roundels
Finials come in two main styles: 'Circle and Bar' design associated with London Transport (These are unique having both place name and OS grid ref) or Polo shapes. Both are secured with grub screws through the supporting boss/flange – the dimensions of the boss vary according to the detailed fitting arrangements, so a number of inner diameters are cast to suit individual posts.
Polo styles exist in early cast iron and later cast alloy. They do vary somewhat in the detail; some with Dorset CC on the top chord and some with the Ordnance Survey grid ref shown on the lower chord.
Although they can look similar there are some slight variations of the unique roundel, open the PDF to see all examples.
 London Transport style - The finial that shows location and unique grid reference |  A post with a simple black cap |
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 The variety of finials! |
Our two foundries here in Dorset make all the finials, generally in alloy.
Coles Castings make the roundels with a fixed boss to suit the geared system.
Bridport Foundry make the roundels in a three different boss sizes to suit the older posts
Need New Parts
Over the years Dorset Fingerpost Restorers have built up good relationships with local suppliers. You can buy via us here at DFR or you can buy direct.
We hold a good selection new and second-hand stock materials including posts, spindles, brackets, characters, wood, fasteners and paints.
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Oak, spindles, brackets, sockets, posts and all of below - Dorset Fingerpost Restorers
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Characters Coles Castings colescastings@gmail.com
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Roundels/Letters and Pyramid Caps Coles Castings: Email colescastings@gmail.com
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Dorset Oak - cut and shaped - David Higgs or Ed Mcoy
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Stainless fasteners Quickfast: Dorchester:
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Paints - Brewers and online
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Roundals - Bridport Foundry