1963 Thunderbird

This is a nice rare piece, a friction-powered tin toy made in China back in the eighties.

 

Mk 23 practice bomb

Interesting that these WW2-era things still appear in antique shops.      These practice bombs were made of cast iron and were used for low altitude bombing practice. There was a special charge resembling a shotgun shell that went off when it hit the ground, making a small fireworks explosion. 

More here.

 

William knurling tool holder

Vintage machinery

The Splendid Book for Boys

   Jet fighter, aircraft carriers, rockets! What more could a boy desire? This classic British boys' adventure publication,  a staple for young readers during the 1940s and 50s, possibly later? seems to have been available in both magazine and hardcover versions each offering exciting short stories of adventure. Lots of copies available, not so much history online.

One of my vices is vises (another anvil vise)

These combination anvil vises are more common than I thought.

 

Oscillating gas motor

  In 1880 Joseph Ravel,  a French engineer and inventor, built and patented this acetylene-powered two-stroke engine. Patent 236,258.  The design seems to be ahead of its time but was apparently abandoned after a series of accidents culminated in a huge explosion.

  Acetylene was discovered in 1836 but had been rediscovered in France in 1860 by chemist Marcellin Berthelot.

BSA Bantam

  Ad from 1967, a groovy cool couple on a Bantam.

 The bike had been part of the BSA lineup since 1948, from a 1930s DKW design first sold in 1939. It soldiered on till 1971.

Pontiac Parisienne drag car

Shouldn't be sitting outside....

 

Not a cellphone...

 Do guys still shave wherever they are?

Edgley EA-7 Optica .

 

Looks like a bug, but this a British light aircraft designed for low-speed observation work, it first flew in 1979. It was intended as a low-cost alternative to helicopters with a loiter speed of 80 mph and a stall speed of 67 mph. Power is by a flat six with a ducted fan. Only twenty two units have been built.
 

Weeden steam engine # 34

  This toy steam engine model with 8 inch long boiler was introduced in 1898 and produced till 1940.  The boiler jacket of this model was decorated with the star pattern shown here as well as snowflake or round hole patterns.

  Weeden was an American company that began making toy steam engines in 1884 as a promotion for The Youth's Companion magazine. Company history here.

Monday Mystery, tool with knob

  It's easy enough to google the Snap-on part number and find out what this nice little tool is for but before you do can you figure it out? The Snap-on name would indicate automotive... hint, it's used with a socket.

sidecar sunday

 

Ivory Calthorpe

March/April 2020 Motorcycle Classics 

 

CleanCut candle wick trimmer

  At first I thought this was some specialized medical-type pair of scissors, but they seemed too decorative for that use. Google Lens pointed me in the right direction, it's a candle wick trimmer for all that candle maintenance you've been neglecting...

 

Slaymaker lock

   John Slaymaker started his company in 1888 to make locks for the Pennsylvania railway. In 1898, the company started making steam cars, but Mr Slaymaker soon abandoned the now-named Baldwin Automobile Manufacturing Company venture to return to his locks. With the Pennsylvania Railway connection, I wonder if the Baldwin Locomotive company was somehow involved. 

  He purchased the T. Slaight lock company in 1904 and that company was renamed the Slaymaker Lock Manufacturing company, until 1917, when W.E. Fraim of the E.T. Fraim lock company bought in changing the nam e to simply Slaymaker Lock Co. In 1921, John Slaymaker exited, prompting yet another name change. 

 Manufacturing so often seems to be just a game of musical chairs. 

   So quite likely this lock dates to that 17 year period.  And finally, nothing really of note in this cheap lock except the Slaymaker logo.

 

Jaguar XK150

One of my vices is vises. Trojan

A sad old neglected and abused vise.  According to Garage Journal, Trojan was the economy line for Parker. The ones I see online usually have a cast-in model number.

 This one was outside at a local antique market, rusting away with a broken base and seized up, a shame. 

A substantial flange is broken off the base, it should be like the view below.

Flying boats in London

Short Calcutta 1928

Short Solent 1948

Short Sunderland

Every city needs more seaplanes.

Film at British Pathé

Motorcycles on record albums, Living Strings play the Monkees

 Miniskirt, a Honda 90 and the Monkees, there's the sixties right there. 

"Living Strings" was a RCA Victor-created band for making easy listening cover tunes...

We used to make things in this country #374 DMP Minibikes

 Lots of manufacturers were getting involved in the motorized leisure market in the late sixties and early seventies. Delhi Metal Products produced a line of minibikes, this Rupp clone Trail-Champ has full suspension and the inclined Tecumseh motor with torque converter.

Delhi Metal Products was a supplier of fans for furnaces and air handling systems, also antennas and other metal products. The company was bought by a US company General Instrument in 1973 for the antenna business. I suspect that was the end of the minibike production.