Hot custom accessories

Pick a colour, any colour, you need these fuzzy dice...

 

Massey Toronto Light Binder

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 In the late 1800s, farm equipment trials were the sporting spectacles of the day. In 1889 Massey went to the event in Paris with their "Toronto Light Binder" and came home with not only a gold medal but also a Grand Object of Art Award.

1966 Dodge Coronet

Tastefully done... 

Velocette in California

 

Sikorsky S-38 "Osa's Ark"

 The S-38 was a well performing 10 seat flying boat introduced in 1928. It was able to cruise at 100 mph with a range of 600 miles with good landing and takeoff characteristics. It could also fly on one engine (important at that time).

  101 were produced, including this zebra-striped one used by Martin and Osa Johnson to explore Africa while making safari movies and books.  No idea why the paint job was necessary, I don't think it fooled anyone, but they also had a S-39 named Spirit of Africa in a giraffe pattern. More here at Youtube.

In the 1990s, two replicas were built, one of which is owned by Kermit Weeks, who also replicated the zebra stripe paint job.

1956 Cadillac

In this ad the woman's gown is featured more prominently than the car- and no gown credits even given... someone slipped up.

 

Goodyear airship, Pilgrim

Aircraft of the National Air and Space Museum, Smithonian, 1985

 In the mid 1920s Goodyear constructed a number of small scale airships designed to demonstrate and train pilots in lighter-than-air craft, the Pilgrim was one of these. It was made of a magnesium coated steel tube frame with a rubberized fabric balloon. The envelope had a capacity of 55,000 cubic feet of gas and was the first airship designed to utilize helium as the lifting gas. 

 The engine was a single Lawrence air-cooled three cylinder engine of 40 hp, with a 40 gallon fuel tank, giving it had a range of 525 miles. Launched in 1925, it made 4765 flights before being retired in 1931.

  Below, landing atop the M. O'Neil department store in Akron, Ohio. That must be the railway terminal on the left in the background.

Monday medal mystery

 

Here is a medal, more of pin or badge, I guess...  with the word Transeuope, a limousine or early bus and a strong male figure holding what may be scales? The only Transeurope I know is the train, was there a car company or a limousine/bus service? See below, AI doesn't know either:-) Any ideas?

Marion Model 35

Mike Filey, Victor Russell, From Horse Power to Horsepower, Toronto 1890-1930, Dundurn Press, 1991

This Marion steam shovel cost the City of Toronto $8665 in 1911 and was described as a "self propelled, full circle" steam shovel. It was used to prepare the right of way for the Gerrard St. streetcar line.

 

Sidecar Sunday

Tumblr

 Apparently just a random photo... No idea who they are.

White House renovation

 

Decades of poor maintenance, the construction of a fourth story attic and the addition of a second-floor balcony over the south portico took a great toll on the brick and sandstone structure of The White House built around a timber frame. By 1948, the house was declared to be in imminent danger of collapse, forcing President Truman to commission a reconstruction.  The work required the complete dismantling of the interior spaces, construction of a new load-bearing internal steel frame and the reconstruction of the original rooms within the new structure. Some modifications to the floor plan were made, the largest being the repositioning of the grand staircase to open into the Entrance Hall, rather than the Cross Hall.  Central air conditioning was added, as well as two additional sub-basements providing space for workrooms, storage, and a bomb shelter. The Trumans moved back into the White House on March 27, 1952.  While the house’s structure was kept intact by the Truman reconstruction, much of the new interior finishes were generic, and of little historic value. Much of the original plasterwork, some dating back to the 1814–1816 rebuilding, was too damaged to reinstall, as was the original robust Beaux Arts paneling in the East Room.   Source: whitehousemuseum.org

Buick Electra Ad, 1967 vs 1963

 Slightly different tone from 1963.

Oliver Table saw 1921

 Looking at this saw, it's apparent that even though a hundred years have gone by, except for the cast iron construction, table saws haven't changed much. The company is still in business today, moved to Seattle in 2000. Oliver Heritage Pages

Bug-atti

 

    A travesty or a fun thing to do with a dead VW?

Fords for '55

‘55 Chevy get all the love but this is a great looking car.
 

Monet Goyon

 Great logo!

Planes in formation, B17s

 

Touring BMW 1976

 Swoopy! Then came the Gold Wing.

Gisholt turret lathe

Le Depassionne

 Gisholt Machine Co. was started by John A. Johnson of the Fuller and Johnson farm equipment company, he started the company to build production machinery for making the farm machinery. Their display at Columbian Exposition in 1893 resulted in a sale of a turret lathe to Germany in 1894. After a rocky start, the business grew from there. Mr. Johnson passed away in 1901, his sons continued the business and the company ran on for another 6 decades making mostly production lathes. History at the Norwegian American history site.

John Crerar Library

Always important to show the factory with smoking chimneys. Prosperity!

Vintage Machinery

Know your desmodromic systems

 

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. 

As Jack points pout in the comments, it may be a commercial unit, Sears Roebuck had a 50 page catalog on concrete making equipment. 

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

Cars in the 'hood, 1956 Thunderbird

That is very sweet, even has the continental kit.