Thursday, November 21, 2024
Victory Glass Co. Glass Dreadnaught
About four inches long, this apparently was a candy container from the early 20th century. It was sold as a novelty, filled with candy with a piece of cardboard glued to the bottom as a lid.
There are a number of styles of these containers, all sorts of objects to appeal to a wide range of interests.
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Bridgeport Boyscout hatchet
Car-Skin autocare
This seems to be a auto care product company around in the fifties and sixties. Not much more online...
Monday, November 18, 2024
Monday Mystery 2. Grille
I don't recognize the logo, a 8 pointed star above a running dog, wolf? horse? The grill is long and narrow, probably 2 1/2 feet long. Wonder what it is from?
And... solved! Apparently a 1940 Cadillac Lasalle. Quite an impressive front end. (Thanks! to the guys in the comments)
Sunday, November 17, 2024
We used to make things in this country; #368 Londontoy
Londontoy was a part of Webster Air Products of London Ontario. Previous post here. The company was started to build air compressors, spray guns and associated equipment, but during WW2, they opened a subsidiary to make diecast toy cars, trucks etc. Another site attributed this to the restrictions on imports of non-essential items during the war which included children's toys. Webster was doing a lot of zinc die casting and the toys were a good use for the scrap. Londontoy lasted till 1949.
Sidecar Sunday
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Before and after
Friday, November 15, 2024
Cast aluminum bucket opener
Just found this at an antique market. Looks like a pretty clever device but it looked pretty familiar. It looks like a copy of one of the first projects I worked on after I graduated from design school in 1990. Previous post here.
I just gotta wonder, the text "patent 35920" leads me nowhere.
Thursday, November 14, 2024
Wood chamfering bit
This unidentified old bit was identified in the store as a chamfering bit. The shank is 5/8" inch diameter so it must have been intended for a heavy machine. It's probably more appreciated these days for its sculptural qualities.
Georges Irat roadster
W. Boddy, Continental Sports Cars, G.T. Foulis, 1951 |
Georges Irat was a French automaker who introduced his first model in 1921. The company seems to have been a very low production manufacturer first making luxury cars, but also smaller sporty cars as they worked to survive the depression, This particular 3 seat model was introduced in 1938, being based around the front wheel drive Citroen powertrain. The car also featured four wheel independent suspension utilizing rubber bands for suspension. It was designed as a lower-cost sports car to compete with MGs and similar. Unfortunately production was ended by the outbreak of the war and only about two hundred were built. Nice looking little car.
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
We still make things in this country, Brown Boggs
Heineken factory, Amsterdam
Heineken Brewery (1924-26) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, by Bert Ouëndag. It's now the Heinekin Experience.
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Old files find and a rasp
Again, Grace's Guide has no history but in 1973 the company was bought by Spear and Jackson.
Thanks, Inno! |
Hard to make out but it reads, SPENCE & CO. Possibly Geo Spence and Sons who started as a leather merchant in 1888 and is still in business today selling tools and hardware in Leeds UK.
Grumman Tiger
Based on the Grumman F-9 Cougar, the F-11 Tiger was designed and developed by the company during 1952 and 1953 to be a carrier-based supersonic fighter. The Navy was impressed enough to buy two prototypes and assist in the development program. It was put into service with the Navy in 1956 till it was retired in 1969. 199 examples were built.
The new Army
Photo of Fort Carson, Colorado Springs, soldier John Geurts and his own chopper (feature on Bill Mauldin's characters viewing the new army.)
The chopper? Triumph, I'd say...
Monday, November 11, 2024
Monday Mystery, ratchets?
What are these? Seem to be some sort of primitive ratchet-like cast iron things that seem to work in the same rotation direction, and come in different sizes.
Remembrance Day 2
I picked up a copy of The Great Planes by James Gilbert, a Ridge Press book published in 1970, just another run of the mill tribute to various airplanes but in the B-17 chapter the previous owner had personalized it with his own captions.
He had made it home...