One of my vices is vises, Wells Bro's foot vise

thanks, Andre!

 The Wells Bro's were part of manufacturing boom along the Connecticut River, drawn to the area by the abundance of water power available. The Wells brothers were fired from Wiley and Russel in 1876 and started their own firm making tools for farming and backsmithing. The products labeled “Wells Bro’s & Co.” were made in the years after 1878- according to the site of The Museum of our Industrial Heritage, but this device seems newer than that. The site also provides an interesting graphic for tracing the ownership of the various companies along the river. (Bottom image)

 

Hercules Wankel cutaway

thanks, Rolf!

 

Runabout Whisper

Pretty sleek...seen in Belafst Maine.

 

Sidecar Sunday

thanks, Andre!

 Looks like fun!

Know your 1959 Wankel engine

   In 1957 Wankel and then German motorcycle and car manufacturer NSU completed a prototype of the DKM type rotary engine which combined a cocoon-shaped housing with a triangular rotor. However the complicated structure of the DKM, saw the trochoid housing itself rotate which made this type of engine impractical for production. A more practical KKM engine with a fixed housing was completed in 1958.  NSU officially announced the completion of the Wankel rotary engine in November 1959. From Motorequipmentnews.

Early Wankel history here.

Archer Tapper No2

Reversing tap driver for a drill press. I've never used one, but as I understand it, lowering the drill press spindle engages a clutch and then, threading done, lifting the spindle activates a reversing action to withdraw the tap. Good for production in controlled circumstances and spindle speeds. I don't know if I could trust myself with this device, I can break taps turning them by hand.
 

1915 Peugeot, sectioned

C.F. Caunter, The Light Car, a technical history, Her Majesty's Stationery Office,

 Note the luxurious interior, the sophisticated crash and rollover protection. The antilock braking system (probably unlockable actually...)

1957 Cadillac, The car of cars...

People you'd probably enjoy knowing... 

A gentleman in his pink Cadillac, his wife in a gown by Edith Small.  Cadillac was certainly selling a lifestyle.

More Edith Small, scroll down...

 

SKC Thread Tool die handle

 

I happened upon this diecast die handle at a tool store, it looks like an older imported light-duty kinda tool. Then a second identical handle in different packaging. Googling Century Die Stock #98504 brings an entirely different tap handle on Amazon. 

According to their site, SKC is a Japanese thread tool company that's been in the business since 1940. 

Kaiser Supersonic cylinder head

Hop up for your Willys hotrod. The Supersonic head raised the compression ratio from the Willys 6.48:1 to 7:1 giving 8 more HP for a grand total of 68. Bottom image shows it all spiffed up.

 

We used to make things in this country #370 Water bombers

 Seen at the Musée de l'Air in Le Bourget, Île-de-France, CL-215 1023 is on static display outdoors, one of 125 units built between 1969 and 1990.

 The CL-215 amphibian was designed in the 1960s as a waterbomber but was also envisioned for use as a transport or for carrying passengers. In many cases it was replacing WW2 era Catalina flying boats.  When introduced, the CL-215 was powered by a pair of 2,200 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial engines, considered to be the most reliable engine for maritime use, in 1987 a turboprop version was introduced. Apparently retrofit kits were available for earlier units. In 1990 production ended and development of a successor the CL-415 was started and introduced in 2003.

 In action

Michelin House

The highly decorative Michelin Housee located in Chelsea, London, was the first headquarters of the Michelin company in England. Built of ferro-concrete in just 5 months, the design was by a Michelin employee, François Espinasse who does not seem to have done any other buildings. It opened in 1911, the style could be decribed as Art Nouveau or very early Art Deco. Motoring customers were accommodated on the ground floor, cars entered through powered doors in the front of the building, tires were stored in the basement.

When Michelin vacated the building in 1985 it was taken over by Terrence Conran and Richard Hamlyn, owner of Octupus Publishing. The building was restored and reconfigured as a bar, restaurant, Conran design Shop and offices for Octupus Publishing. The stained glass windows and glass cupolas had been lost over the years, they were replicated and installed to duplicate the original look. 

 

1952 EMC 125 racer

 On display at the Sammy Miller museum. I love the fuel tank.

 Josef Erlich formed the Erlich Motor Company to develop 2 stroke engines. The plaque describes this as a single cylinder engine but the badge on the side of the engines says EMC Puch and that motor looks suspiciously like a split single Puch engine. 

Charles Wm. Doepke Model Toys Euclid Earth Mover

Charles and Fredrick Doepke started the Doepke Toy company in 1946. They focused on large scale pressed steel toys, making mostly constuction equipment and the line was popular during the 1950s. By the end of the decade, lower priced competition and rising steel prices caused the company to close down.

 

Monday Mystery, 1950s Pontiac Hood Ornaments

 OK it's more of a trvia quiz... Front to back, what years are they from?

For reference, from the other direction... 

Steam launch fantail hulls by Fred W Martin

No 50 Thirty foot Launch
No 55 Thirty two foot Regular Launch

Fred W Martin was a turn-of-the-last-century naval architect, born in Ontario, who worked out of Clayton NY and then Racine, Wisconsin. He appears to have done many boat and yacht designs which were considered to have rivalled Hereshoff designs. 

Scrib'd article by Steve Wheeler here.

No 56 Thirty five foot Half-Cabin Launch
No 57 Thirty eight foot Half-Cabin Launch

 

Sidecar Sunday

Taking a break...

 

Know your R90S warning stickers...

 

1923 Beardmore Precision 600

Leaf springs front and rear. But look at that rear cantilever swingarm with novel leaf spring mounting. There seems to be some telescoping swingarm action happening too. 

The Classic Motor Cycle May 1986

 

We used to make things in this country #369 Sorel Combination Lock

The 1920 patent was assigned to  Joseph Alexis Philippe De Guise of Sorel-Tracy Quebec. Not too much info online about the company but there seems to be an address; 11 Deguise, Sorel-Tracy, QC, Canada. 

Patent here.

11 Deguise, Sorel-Tracy, QC, Canada. 

 

1959 Corvette, Canada's most desired two-seater

 

Tugboat Charles P Greenough

 

This is a 1913 portrait of a newly lauunched tugboat in Portland Maine harbour. The Commercial Towboat Company of Boston commissioned the Portland Company to build a new 144 foot steam tug. It was named the “Greenough” to honor a Charles Pelham Greenough. Who was he? Charles Pelham Greenough (1844 - 1924) was a son of William W. Greenough who helped establish the Boston Public Library. Following a Harvard education and some Civil War service he worked in Boston as a lawyer and historian. There must have been some maritime connection...

On or about Halloween in 1913, the new "Greenough" steam tug fired up her first good head of steam, and sailed south to work in the Boston area. The "Greenough" developed an impressive 900 horsepower with its Hyde steam engine. The engine turned a single 4 bladed cast iron "wheel" (propeller) that stood nearly ten feet tall. 

No word on the life span of this boat but it was working at least into the late 1930s.

Cars in the 'hood, Land Cruiser

Looks the part of an offroad explorer, but it looks much too clean and sweet to actually risk scratching or even getting dirty.

 

End Nippers, offset

These look like a good quality end cutter-type tool made in Japan, but for some specialized purpose, the jaws are offset. Discussion among commenters leads us to believe they are actually tile cutters.

 

Similar pair, with symetrical jaws. These are nippers for cutting wire.

Commenter Dave's two similar-looking tools. These carbide edges and in fact tile nippers.

We used to make things in this country (Australia edition) GCS Motorcycles

 Another appearance of the J.A.P. V twin. This is one of the last models built.

The GCS was a motorcycle produced in Australia from 1912-1923, assembled by George Cyril Stillwell from mostly imported components and using engines from JAP, Reading-Standard and MAG. After a year or two the production was contracted out to the A.G. Healing manufacturing company. That company was making bicycles at the time, later making radios and appliances, and finally going bankrupt in the early seventies.

The bike had a good repuation but production was never very high and the motorcycle is now very rare.