Big casting

Robert Gordon, Patrick Mahone, The Texture of Industry, Oxford Press 1994

  In this photo foundry workers pose with a mine hoist sheave wheel they have just cast in a sand mold. The wheel would have been cast flat and has been stood up with the wooden jib crane on the left. It tuns out the foundry is the Knight foundry in Sutter Creek, California which amazingly is still operating, the last water-powered foundry and machine shop in America.

Standard Guilford C clamp

 This rarity was found at Liberty Tool, very little information on the company that I can find, but by the items found on ebay, it seems that for a while, Standard Guilford was in business making pretty ordinary C clamps and pipe clamps. 

Ebay 

Armstrong Whitworth Atalanta

  In 1932, Imperial Airways requested an airliner for their African and India routes. The specification included room for 9 passengers and the safety of multiple engines, resulting in this 4 engine airliner. The engines were Armstrong Siddeley 10 cylinder radials producing 340 hp each and the aircraft cruised at 156 mph. The prototype flew well with no real issues and quickly went into service. Eight units were built, they served for 5 years before being replaced. During WW2 they were used by the Indian air force for coastal patrols and as transports before being retired in 1944.

Metcoid wrench

  Metcoid was an early 1950s brand of tools by a company named Metal Engineering Company of Chicago, there is a thought that they might have been made by Moore Drop Forge which made Craftsman Tools in the same era. With the raised panels they do look similar. As always, Garage Journal has a thread on the brand. 

 

Monday Mystery, found in the ocean off Maine

 Another weird one. This aluminum and fibreglass thing was found floating, someone picked it up and brought it ashore. Looks like the top handle is maybe a pivoting flagpole, The "handhold" area looks much too light to have been used for towing or anchoring... In the image below the remains of eys are somewhat visible, so it can't have been too serious, but so far no one can figure out what it is.

 

One of my vices is vises, Desmond Simplex No 30

I suspect sky blue was not the factory colour.

 

Sidecar Sunday

That's about as cool as it gets. Sold at an estate sale in Farmington, Michigan. Mid May 2026. We'll include a detail of the Vincent, just because.

Thanks, Dave!

 

Sterling Continental typewriter

 The Sterling Continental name sounds British but it was in fact produced by Wanderer-Werke in Siegmar-Schönau, Germany.  The portable typewriter was made during the 1930s and 1940s and is known for its mechanical precision and reliability.

Williams Supersockets, 1935

 

Morse taper drill drift key

  It took a while to sort out that the C in a "not-quite" diamond is the Cleveland Twist Drill and I had to wonder what could patentable on such a simple device? I discovered the 1951 patent 2,542,368 which suggests that the thickened portion (#4 on the drawing) is the improvement.