Above, the bottom of the an old bicycle pump in my shop. It's the one on the right in the photo below, which shows some other heavily-made examples from other unnamed manufacturers.
The seal was held in place with two Whitworth nuts, the first time I've seen these on a Canadian-made tool, so this would date it at least before World War II. At a guess, I'd estimate that the device is probably at least 80 years old. The original leather seal was dry, so I put some leather conditioner on it, and then white lithium grease, and it pumped air just fine. I wonder if a pump made today would still give service this far into its future?
For some interesting info on old pumps, visit Classic Cycle.
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