how to install a cast iron boot scraper?

Free-standing models just sit on a flat surface. Their own weight keeps them stable while you scrape. Wall-mounted or step-mounted types need setting. Masons drill holes into the stone, drop the iron lugs in, and pour molten lead to fix them fast.

can you paint antique iron scrapers?

You can. Most cast iron leaving the nineteenth-century foundries had a dark protective coat applied. Use a wire brush to remove loose rust first. A rust-inhibiting metal primer followed by a tough exterior gloss helps prevent further deterioration outside.

I have an old stone step outside my house with two square holes cut into it, did a scraper sit in there originally?

Yes, those holes are typical for a fixed scraper. The original iron lugs sat inside them to anchor the frame. Over time, frost or rust expansion can split the stone, or the iron simply snaps off from a heavy impact. You can sometimes find replacement uprights with lugs that match the distance between your existing holes.

Are the heavy cast iron ones with the big oval trays at the bottom meant to be kept inside the hallway or out on the porch?

They sit outside. The tray catches the heavy mud falling from the blade, stopping it from spreading across the exterior porch tiles. Bringing them indoors defeats their main purpose. People used them to remove the worst of the dirt before even touching the front door handle.

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Antique Boot Scrapers

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Positioned outside doors to remove thick mud from footwear, an antique boot scraper is a heavy metal fixture featuring a rigid horizontal blade flanked by uprights.