One of my vices is vises; clamp-on hobby vise

Even the little no-name hobby ones...

 

Ariel Square Four prototype

Classic MotorCycle Oct 1984 

 Prototype Ariel Square Four Mark II in action during testing in 1953. The Earles fork was an experiment that wasn't adopted for production. If it had been used, Ariel planned to use the name Royal Hunter. 

Graham Paige showroom Atlanta, 1929

Elegant....

 

Indian Motocycles chain tool

 This chain tool would be a nice find! Unfortunately it wasn't me that found it, and it's now sold.

Monday Mystery number 2

Another unidentified tool, this one from a reader. To me it looks like it could be a sandpaper holder, but... 

 Text on the tool is The Cin, TL tool Co. No 364. There is a logo of a circle with a H in the middle and it was made in the USA. Any ideas?

 

Monday Mystery; Hinging clamp device

Here's a clamping device designed to be fastened to a workbench, One end hinges up and latches in place. The eight legged clamp winds down into place. What is it?

 

We used to make things in this country #344 Sturdy Deluxe, Docap Manufacturing

Looks like a fairly standard mechanics creeper. The company was established in 1939 and is still around today, though no longer manufacturing. From their website, they are a premier supplier of leading brands to the automotive and electrical trades.

 

Sidecar Sunday???

A new addition at the Waterloo Central Railway,  Not quite a sidecar perhaps,  but it works much better the solo version did. 

I see this unit gives the operator a full body workout, with provision for pedaling as well as rowing.

Thanks, Glenn!

Diesels are the future! Part 2

The M10,001 and 2 are gone, on the first track is a new-for-1937 EMD E-2 carrying on the stainless steel strip styling of the pilot. There were three of these units built for the Union Pacific City of San Francisco passenger train.

Patriotic songs

 I wonder if this was a big seller for Canadian Music Sales Corporation?

Heavy seas

 HMCS Bonaventure

Peugeot Brothers Surpans wrench

We know Peugeot as a car maker, Sur Pans translates to "on sides", which likely refers to the way the jaws contact the hex on a bolt. Vana-Lion might be their branding for the usual Chrome Vanadium wrench material? All in all, an interesting find!

Paris- November, 1903

 As the Wright brothers worked hard at Kitty Hawk,  airships were already a thing in Paris. Two shots, seconds apart.

Air-minded

Demonstrating the structure of the Forth Bridge

 

Flying aircraft carriers

 

This is the Link-SPB system using two Polikarpov I-16 fighters under the wings of a Tupolev TB-3 bomber.

 Basically a 1930s flying aircraft carrier, this system of carrying fighter planes on a heavy bomber was developed by engineer Vladimir Sergevich Vakhmistrov. Various numbers of planes and arrangements were tried. The main purpose of the system was to deliver dive bomber strikes on important targets behind enemy lines which were out of range of conventional heavy bombers but they also could be used as a fighter escort as needed. It's unclear whether they then returned to the mothership or simply ran for home. The program had been abandoned by WW2. More here. 

Economy Cobbler

These wooden boxes appear on Etsy, sometimes with some of the shoe lasts but there doesn't seem to be much info on the actual company.

 Good news here, the box is secondary, these lasts are going back to work. A friend associated with a local university industrial design department is finding there are students that want to learn how to design and make shoes! 

 

Out of proportio...n

 Something visually not quite right about this one...

Cast Iron Greyhound truck

A nice fanciful cast iron bus-truck, only about 8 inches long.

Gore St. Antique market

 

1954 Pontiac

This is a nice Canadian Pontiac, all showy with lots of chrome, even has the accessory fender skirts and gas door guard. 

Thanks Walter!

Monday Mystery , Heavy duty clamp

Another small but heavy duty clamping-type object, the jaws are 1 1/4" diameter and open 1 1/2 inches. It would seem there is provision to fasten to something, though there is no evidence it ever was attached to anything else. Any ideas or guesses?

 

Sidecar Sunday

Rudi and Dane    More Rudi and Dane

 

The future is diesels

Union Pacific M10001-M1006 passenger diesels, 1936

Kawasaki H1 and H2 Triple porting layout

 

From the official Kawasaki service manual of 1972. Were the engines really that similar?

Lotus Type 28 Cortina

 In 1961 Lotus designed a high performance twin cam head for the 1500 cc four cylinder Ford engine for use in Lotus cars. It proved successful in competition and Ford contracted them to install the engine in 1000 Cortinas to qualify for the Group 2 racing class. It wasn't as simple as that, the engine was enlarged to get closer to the 1600cc limit, a close ratio Elan transmission was used, suspension was modified front and rear and the hood, doors and trunk lid replaced with aluminum components. The cars were all white with a green stripe. Between 1963 and 1966 3,306 cars were built.

 In 1966 Ford restyled the body and took the assembly inhouse.

 

Flikr

One of vices is vises... when all else fails, polish it!

 Found some time ago on a now-defunct Tumblr- no information...

Chapron Citroen Convertible

 Henri Chapron, who built the Réard Land Yacht of a couple of days ago started in the coachbuilding business in the 1920s, crafting high style bodies for various chassis. World War 2 pretty much ended the era of bare chassis being sent to coachbuilders for a custom bodies but Chapron found a niche designing and making a convertible version of the new Citroen DS. This was first shown at 1958 Motor Show three years after the DS was released. Citroen approved of the project and worked with Chapron to strengthen the chassis and investigate cost cutting possibilities. The cars were sold through Citroen dealers starting in 1961. In all 1365 cars were built.

Russell road engine

A Russell road locomotive with enclosed cab, pulling a train of wagons loaded with thirty tons of timber and railway ties up a 10% grade. The sign on the roof reads This engine will develop and maintain 150 horse powers. 
 

Beauty and the Beast

Thanks, André! 

Snow removal machine and a Laverda Jota in the Spanish Pyrenees.

 Which is the beast?

Dinky Toys

 I never owned any of these...

Louis Réard land yacht

 

Based on a 1938 Packard with the nautical theme body built by the French coachbuilder Chapron, this car was commissioned by Louis Réard, a designer and manufacturer of women's swimwear.

 In 1946, a competitor, Jacques Heim came up with the idea of the world's smallest two piece swimsuit and called it the Atom, after the smallest bit of matter known.

 When the nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll were conducted on July 1st 1946, Réard had already copyrighted the name for his even smaller swimsuit. The "Bikini" was introduced at a fashion show on the 5th and was predictably a sensation.

In an effort to promote the new bikini, he had this car made to tour resort towns and beachfronts, often with young women in bikinis riding on the rear deck. The car was used for promotion for about three decades. More story here. 

Update: much better story here.