Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Diamant sailplane


 Further to the discussion on the noisiness of metal sailplanes, here is the first all-fiberglass sailplane. It was designed by students at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich under direction of a Professor Rauscher. The prototype first flew in 1964. It was manufactured by Flug and Fahrezeugwerk of Switzerland, formerly part of Dornier, which was split off in 1948. The aircraft was in production till 1970 and according to Wikipedia about 86 were built. More here.

craft table...


Canadian woodworker, eh?
 

Rex Winter Enclosure

Antique Automobile May-June 1980

Proud owner Louis Steiner poses with his 1924 Buick Six Model 45 fitted with a Rex Winter Enclosure. Looking at the foliage, he may have been a bit premature in installing it.

 

Monday, November 29, 2021

Catalina parts!


 All you guys working on the restoration of your flying boats, this looks like the answer to your prayers- in 1957. A quick Google shows the company may not have survived, at least as an airplane parts company. 

Roadless halftrack conversion


 After WW1, a group of British army officers who had been working on improved tank designs sought to commercialize the concept and working on a garden barrow, soon had a design for a small track system. They called their company Roadless and soon had several different systems available for different vehicles. The early one above is a military artillery tractor (a Morris Commercial) fitted with their Roadless system. 

Sunday, November 28, 2021

Sidecar Sunday


 Mike Guildford and Malcolm Lamden working the Wasp, 1968.
Classic Motor Cycle April 2008

Saturday, November 27, 2021

Bikes in the 'hood... 1975 GT750

 

A 1975 GT-750, aka Water Buffalo at a local shop, not the desirable '72 model with 4 shoe brake, looking neglected and plundered, but not past saving, despite the missing sprockets and chain, engine case, calipers and more. Someone has drilled the discs in an effort to get some wet weather stopping ability, braking still featured a split second of panic but after that, whew, it did work... There seems to be an exhaust pipe still in place, though the mass of mufflers usually present isn't there, maybe it has a 3-1? 

 thanks, Drew

Staude Mak-a-Tractor



  This was a gearing down kit with 38" steel grip wheels, apparently it clamped to the back half of the car frame without drilling any holes. The bull gear furnished gave a top speed of 2 1/2 mph, but there were other options for 4 mph. Also, a much larger rad was included in the kit, which sold for $195 f.o.b. St Paul Minneapolis.

 Once it was installed, less time to convert to road use then it takes your wife get ready.


Plough by yourself, but when it's playtime, there are all your friends.

Friday, November 26, 2021

wrench detectives

Some good quality wrenches used to be produced without the makers name anywhere on it, this little 5 inch box end just gives the sizes.  In the center it used to say Made in Canada- a little info to go on anyway. Another possible clue, the 1-2 and 9-16 is not a typical format of writing fractions. 

 Time went by and while cleaning another very old socket find, it was noted that Gray used to use the same format. So, until we can find different, we'll say it is an old Gray wrench- or does anyone have other ideas?
 


Another job you probably wouldn't want to do, insurance agent.


The Camera Never Lies,  Webb and Bower, 1982
New Mexico, 1913

Thursday, November 25, 2021

Aermacchi 350 cutaway


 Just the one view unfortunately...

Face cam desmo


 Here you go, RD Guy... They said it couldn't be done... 
Found at Flickr with this title; 
Face cam desmo ohc design by Richard Küchen.


Wednesday, November 24, 2021

DR days...

Max Burns, Ken Messenger; The Winged Wheel Patch, Vanwell Publishing 1993

 

All dressed up and heading out


 Unknown family in unknown make of car, heading out for parts unknown. 

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Whitman & Barnes #1 Double Alligator wrench

Handy pocket sized wrench, part of a series of different sizes, I wonder if they were sold as a set. Online I've also found #2 and #3 versions.



 

Cars in the 'hood... XJS


Ok, car designers, your next project- should you choose to accept it: Design the successor to the E type... Good luck. 




 

Monday, November 22, 2021

Universal Freighter by GAL


 The Universal Freighter was designed and built by General Aircraft in England, the first prototype flew in 1950. The RAF placed orders for the plane as the Blackburn Beverley and 49 were built in total, though there were no other customers. The company was optimistically represented in Canada by Field Aviation, then located in Oshawa, On.

The Beverley was a piston engine, fixed gear cargo plane designed for heavy loads and carrying troops or paratroopers, able to operate from short or rough runways. It apparently worked very well in those tasks, despite its ungainly, slightly ridiculous appearance. The last one was retired in 1967. 

We used to make things in this country. #331 Allen's Canadian Toy builder

 

This is a wooden stick and spool type building system made in the town of Fenelon Falls, Ontario near Peterborough, who sold through departments store like Sears and Eatons, and later licensed the Tinker Toy name. Located in lumber country, the company started as Mickle and Dyment's sawmill, then in 1928 became the Standard Handle and Pattern Company, which manufactured patterns for industrial use, as well as tool handles. 

During WW2, rifle stocks were manufactured. Despite a serious fire in 1942, the mill was was rebuilt and took on a new name, Allen Wood products. After the war, the main product became wooden toys, croquet sets, bowling and pull toys as well the main product, Tinker toys. During the late sixties competition from overseas took its toll and the company closed in 1972.

More here.



Sunday, November 21, 2021

Saturday, November 20, 2021

Mascot wrench


This for those people that collect crap import wrenches, someone must!  Mascot is a good name for something, not for a wrench, even one as poor as this- though it is "drop forged".... 


 

Quarter miles are everything...


 

Friday, November 19, 2021

Flying Magazine, 19 July 1957


 

321,868.8 kilometers


That's 200,000 miles, a milestone if you count in the old units... Build date of Nov 81 means the Katana now 40 years old.

When I wuz a kid in the early seventies, an "old grizzled guy" in a grimy Barbour jacket pulled up on a Vincent to where we were hanging out, super cool and a complete anachronism at the same time. That was an impossibly old bike then- at probably nearly 20 years of age.

Fifty years on, still wearing an old black leather jacket, I is that guy! 




Thursday, November 18, 2021

Reuse, recycle...


According to the caption in the book, the Panther tank (below) put out of action in France, was repaired and turned into the crane above.


 

Chater Lea face cam engine


 There have been a lot of ideas over the years to open and close valves, this Chater Lea design of the early 1920s, involved flat discs in the head driven by a vertical shaft and bevel gears from the crank.  The rockers ran over ramps machined into the discs. Looks nice and it is interesting, but would the design would offer many advantages over the classic cam with lobes?

 Chater-Lea started in 1890 making bicycles, but within a few years was specializing in malleable castings and forging for the motor industry, and soon was making a sorts of proprietary finished parts. The temptation to build complete motorcycles was too great and in 1908 their first motorcycle was introduced. World War 1 saw the company making military equipment but after the war they resumed their motorcycle production using Villiers and Blackburne engines. They also were working on their own engine designs and in 1925 introduced this new 350cc engine.  Although the motorcycle did well in competition, they didn't pursue the idea with much enthusiasm and only about 550 were  built before the company got out of the motorcycle business in 1936.

May 1992 Classic Motor Cycle


Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Processed Plastics Co. Armoured Car

Here's a armored car toy, proportion and scale seem to be fairly arbitrary but the average kid wouldn't mind. Turning it over shows the makers name, Processed Plastic of Montgomery, Illinois, another name I was unfamiliar with. A quick Google found a couple of articles, one from the late 1990s is good and upbeat, how they are surviving competition from Asian imports by making toys that are too expensive to ship, the company is doing well. Then in 2005, the bad news, the company has closed.

The company had been started in 1948 to make plastic toys, the company prospered and in 1962 took over the Tim-mee line of injection molded toy soldiers, the cheap ones that came in large clear bags that we all had when we were kids (I think I stepped on one the other day!). Whole story here.



 

Yamaha TZ750A- in pieces




Seeing all the home-made RD-based triples and fours, I wondered how Mr. Yamaha did the TZ750s. Idler gear means the engine turns "backwards"? The crankshaft has two drive gears, is that just two TZ350 cranks end to end? The flat-sided expansion chambers were troublesome, apparently they cracked and fractured. Fixed later on...




Cycle magazine Jan 1974, a Gordon Jennings article.

 

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Biggles in Cruise of the Condor


 Nope, haven't read it...

Axe handle repairs

Some desperate person suffered this broken axe handle, he tried all the possible repairs, splinting with multiple dowels and the old standby- duct tape... backed it up with a section of shelf bracket and cable ties and more tape, Unfortunately, apparently it didn't work, my kid found it in a garbage can and brought it home. He doesn't know it yet but he's going to make a handle for it from a hickory I cut, it will be his heritage axe. After all, it is a genuine 3.5 lb. Norlund axe- who and what was Norlund? According to Yesteryears Tools it was a Pennsylvania company that was made up in 1968 to manufacture axes for the Canadian Tire chain of stores. 


Monday, November 15, 2021

Grand Canyon by airship


A lovely illustration of a fanciful future concept, a lighter-than-air craft of that size wouldn't encounter the slightest bit of turbulence in close quarters like that, right?  More here.