Sunday, April 30, 2023

Hartford No 2 Auto Jack



Hartford Suspension was an early player in the automotive business. From 1904 they manufactured friction-type shock absorbers which became standard equipment on many cars.
Edward Hartford moved the company from New York to New Jersey in 1908 and continued to develop new products for the auto industry, including starters, brakes, rims and the car jack shown here.
 Hartford passed away prematurely in 1922, I cannot find when the company closed up.


 




Sidecar Sunday


 British Grasstrack racing.

Saturday, April 29, 2023

Powr-Kraft wrench


Along with Riverside and Lakeside, Powr-Kraft was a name Montgomery Ward chose for a line of tools to compete with other department store tools like Sears Craftsman etc.  According to Alloy Artifacts, these mechanic's tools were supplied by several different manufacturers including Barcalo and Vlchek. Not sure who would have made this metric wrench forged in the USA.

Austin A50 Cambridge


 A replacement for the A40, the A50 Cambridge featured new unibody construction and a 50 hp engine giving it a top speed of 73 mph. 115,000 were made by the time the model was discontinued in 1957, including 20,000 by Nissan under license in Japan. To my eye, a rather stodgy car, I don't expect many were sold in North America. 



Friday, April 28, 2023

New Baker Guns

In 1887 W H Baker left the Ithaca Gun Co. which he had started 4 years earlier to start his own venture. He joined up with his brother Dr. E L Baker who owned Syracuse Forgings. Gun parts were soon being produced, as well as complete units. The venture was successful, and the brand became known for quality and reliability. The factory in Syracuse burned in the summer of 1888, they moved to Batavia and in 1890 the company name was changed from Syracuse Forging to the Baker Gun and Forging Company. 
Above, the 1887 catalog cover. Below the 1888 catalog cover.
 

Cadillac Eldorado convertible



Wow, what a boat, I bet it weights a ton! 
Actually 4700lbs, about the same as a Tesla Model S or Model Y.




 

Thursday, April 27, 2023

Curtis 5 inch Personal TV


 Five inch screen? Who could watch anything on a screen that small??? he asked, as he squinted at his phone... 

Sorry, only back and white but it does have AM/FM radio! Never heard of the company but I believe they're still around.

Willys Jeep

Spring is here, and the toys are coming out!



 

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Schilling's Auto camp


 I dunno, 48" wide is not a double bed to me, and there seems to be no provision to deal with pesky mosquitos...

But someone has built himself one in modern times... looks like fun.




Sturtevant torque wrenches

 


An ad for beam type torque wrenches from the early 60s, At first I thought it was one of those clearance house specials, no manufacturer's name is actually mentioned in the ad, but they are still around today, selling all sorts of torque measuring equipment.

History here.

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Litton industries puzzle

Figure out the puzzle, winner gets a job? 
Litton later became known for their cruise missile control systems and was the subject of a protest bombing in 1982. Wikipedia.
 

Nice Bearings


 When I recently went shopping for bearings, I was quite prepared to reject this brand name, must be some cheapo Asian supplier, but nope, it was a reputable domestic brand name- but odd name for a bearing.

Monday, April 24, 2023

Monday Mystery #3, Weston Experimental engine

Wow, an unprecedented third mystery.  This is interesting, a very early engine of some description, OHC, with three valves. The middle one seems to have its own combustion chamber (maybe). Initially we thought a primitive diesel with the center valve being some sort of injector-substitute? Or is that an injector on the right side?  I'll throw it out there, guesses, theories, anyone?



 







Below is a very similar, possibly related device with less compression but more plumbing. Also the addition of a flywheel to the handle.

thanks, Rolf!





Monday Mystery #2 Obscure metal devices


These items were found in the basement of an old Eastern Ontario house, jammed into a ceiling beam near an old fireplace. Despite their differences they both have a pivoting spike and look like they might have a similar use. I have a sense they may be some sort of old window hardware, though I can't imagine how they would be used. Thoughts?

 

Monday Mystery, L Hugoniot-Tissot pliers

Here's a unusual set of small pliers, the jaws with wire cutting notch are ordinary, the bend of the handles are further out than normal, L Hugoniot-Tissot is known for their jewelry and watchmaking tools, maybe a specific job requires this specific handle shape?


 

Sunday, April 23, 2023

Cadillac wrench


 Undoubtedly part of a factory tool kit, though I don't have enough experience to say what year it would come from. 

Sidecar Sunday

Unknown woman rider in stylish riding bonnet on an 1914 Excelsior 

 

Saturday, April 22, 2023

Belt drive ceiling fan

With the current price of copper wire, maybe we'll see more of these.
 

Free pencils!


 

We used to make big things, Bertram Nordberg


Here's a 14 foot diameter double drum hoist built by Canada Bertram Nordberg for the mining company International Nickel. Unnamed worker in over
alls provided for scale.



 

Friday, April 21, 2023

Last Spike, CPR


 As seen from a 1939 perspective. Everyone with a hat. Can't help but notice, not a lot of Asian faces among the workers... 

Thursday, April 20, 2023

Just another Saab story...

Convertible and turbo, must be rare, but that's not a project I'd want to get into.


 

Franklin Airman, 1928

 Franklin cars were air-cooled, a characteristic shared with many aircraft of the time and a distinct advantage before antifreeze became available.  The manufacturer was known for speed, reliability and innovation and were proud of the 69 hour cross country record set by Cannonball Baker earlier in 1928.  With the Airman name, Franklin was capitalizing on the fame of Charles Lindbergh's Transatlantic flight the previous year. As a thank you a car was donated to him- which he later gave to the Henry Ford Museum. The cars were expensive to build and the company got out of the business during the Depression.


 

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Hand crank bellows

This hand cranked bellow from the 19th century was owned by a man in Europe, he sent me a picture of the label on the bottom, which turns out was from a long-closed antique and curiosity shop here in Toronto, according to a long time resident of the area. Funny how things travel around.