Q.S. Backus angle extension

Here's a handy angle extension accessory for your brace and bit, made to 1872 patent 132,790 by Quimby S. Backus. As the patent description reads, "a device for holding a bit-brace for boring at an angle firmly at the desired angle.."

International Scouts

We need this car again. The Bronco is close-ish...

 

Concrete block machine

     Many decades ago, my father brought this machine home. It's a homemade machine to make concrete blocks, one at a time. It apparently came from a local concrete company, the founder's first venture into the concrete business many, many years ago.

 It's a pretty well thought out unit. The machine has a single chamber that makes a 10" block on its side,  The mixed concrete is trowelled in from the rear tray. The four plungers shown in the image below pack the concrete between the removeable cores. A board is located at the front and becomes the tray for the block to rest on to cure as the cores are retracted, using the large handle on the right hand side. The tray is rotated 90° forward, the sideflaps also rotated out of the way, so someone can carry the block and tray away to cure.

  We never used it, but I can imagine that the process would go quickly once a work pattern was worked out.

  But imagine. A business based on one block at a time. It belongs in a museum. 

Sidecar Sunday

Florian Chamatias with- as always- unnamed passenger.

Sorry for the late post, I forgot it's Sunday!

 

New Man

 Another motorcycle painting by Mario Sironi (1885–1961),

 Uomo nuovo / New man, 1918. 

Previous post.

More hay rake troubles

 

You'll remember the updated tire post from a few days ago...

 Partway through today's haying, the rake reel started skipping and not turning. Drive from the ground made it to the bevel gearbox, but the skipping noises were inside the gearbox. I removed the cover and to no great surprise, there's no oil or grease in there. Also noted the bevel gear seems ok, but no clue about the pinion. More disassembly required, while the even more worn standby hay rake takes over. Surprisingly, parts are still available and not outrageous in cost!

Continental tires

 During the 1912 Belgian Grand Prix, for reasons not explained, the Continental tire depot was set up on a barge in a canal. 

Vista Domes on the California Zephyr

 Still seems like an appealing way to travel.

Model Tool kit by Mason and Parker

Nice wooden box with a lovely label. The tool set is not complete and I expect some of the tools aren't originally from the kit. The Model Tool Chest for boys was made by the Mason and Parker Mfg  Co.

H. N. Parker and Orlando Mason started the company in 1899, their first products were metal horse-drawn wagon toys, but added wooden toys in 1907. This type of Boys tool box was a popular product for the company over the years. We’ll use this post as a base to collect the tool kits as they were presented through the years. By the airplane that sits nonchalantly in the shop, this kit might have been from the twenties?
 

Brooklands Vincent Comet

 1934 model with Brooklands racing mods including the famous muffler. This motorcycle managed an average speed of over 100 mph during a race so it got its rider the coveted Gold Star.

Bemsee