Dog ears (Dutch ‘hondsoren’) are the folded ends of, for example, lead or copper gutters and flashings. By folding the metal, an upstand is formed that closes the corner watertight without the need to cut and do a lot of soldering.
What are they for?
At a corner in a gutter or flashing you would normally have to cut the sheet to fold it round the corner. That cut leaves a seam that can leak. By instead folding the lead or copper into a dog ear, the material stays whole and the corner is reliably watertight. The name comes from the shape: a floppy folded “ear”.
Application
- Lead and copper gutters — at corners and ends for a watertight finish
- Flashings and abutments — where the roof covering runs up against a wall or chimney
- As a craft solution in traditional lead and zinc work, where soldering is avoided as far as possible
In mill construction the term has a different meaning: there it is a brace (a kind of knee) between an octagonal post and the top frame member of an octagonal mill.
Points of attention
- Neat, tight folding prevents cracks in the lead
- Enough overlap and the correct fold direction (with the water) matter for watertightness
Related terms
- Lead
- Flashing
- Gutter
- Zinc
- Knee brace
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