Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Making a cut with a lathe


 

From a South Bend instruction manual from 1920. That's a cut depth of nearly an inch in steel. The flat belt on my South Bend wouldn't have enough traction to do that...


Monday, February 23, 2026

GM parts

 I recognize this as probably a steering king pin on a 50s GM car or truck but the box has no part number. I like the care that GM put into the design of a box for a lowly mechanical part.



 

Monday Mystery, Clamp


 This looks like a really useful thing for... some thing... any ideas?

Saturday, February 21, 2026

Wrenchking


  A patent pending wrench, made in the USA. There is an odd springloaded step in the open end which apparently provides a ratcheting action. Unfortunately I did not try it out. Does it work?

 

Beginning of a era


 To my mind, these 350 Hondas were the beginning of the seventies, a new era for Honda styling.

Friday, February 20, 2026

USS Akron and airplane


  Practicing launches and retrievals of one of the three biplanes carried by the dirigible USS Akron. 
The idea was for the airship to act like an flying aircraft carrier, carrying small biplanes for reconnaissance and fighter protection. The idea did not work out, the USS Akron was destroyed in a crash off New Jersey during a thunderstorm before it was 2 years old..

The Daily Mirror, 1914


 

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Heavy trucking, 1907


  1907 Mack Manhattan Brewery truck

CLAW (Cinch Lock Adjustable Wrench)


   Ad from 1993. Another world-beater wrench idea, as always with these things, it might occasionally be the tool for the job, but it's never going to replace any wrench in your toolbox. Examples available on ebay if interested...

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Out and about on Indians


 

Flight magazine July 1957


 The Flight Magazine grew out of the Automotor Journal and the first issue was published in January 1909. Under new management from 1934 when the founder retired, the name was changed to Flight International in 1962 and in 2020 changed from a weekly to monthly magazine.
 I've only seen a few issues, all from the 1950s, an exciting time as jet power came of age.

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

You need a Luger ( and some intrigue)

from Outdoor Life Magazine (date unknown)

I did a search to see if I could date the ad, and came upon some info at this site. 

   "Hans Tauscher first appears in New York City working for the Hermann Boker & Co. (There's that Boker name again) at 101 Duane St. selling C93 Borchardt Repeating Pistols and also representing the Deutsch Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM) at the U. S. Army trials. Tauscher went out on his own around 1899 and an agent for DWM with an address at 320 Broadway. Over the years he appeared at several different addresses in Upper Manhattan including 302-304 Broadway, 10-12 Thomas St., 322 Broadway, and 56-58 Pine St.

Hans Tauscher, the spy; 

   In 1914 when World War I started,  Tauscher was summoned to Berlin, Germany where he was given orders to take over the German spy network in the United States and Canada. On April 2, 1916 he was arrested for being involved in a plot to blow up the Welland Canal. At his trial he was acquitted for a lack of evidence and deported back to Germany where he was decorated by the Kaiser and commissioned a full Captain in the German Intelligence Division. His Agency in New York continued on being run by a general manager, Mr. Henry Muck.

   In 1934 Hans returned to New York and on Aug. 17th he was issued a Certificate of Incorporation for the Tauscher H. Arms Corporation by the State. It was dissolved by the Secretary of State on Dec. 15, 1944."

(information condensed from the web site www.landofborchardt.com)

Monday, February 16, 2026

Sunday, February 15, 2026

Skilsaw 1612 chainsaw


 A lightweight saw for the home handyman market. This 34cc saw was introduced in 1977. Specs here.

More info on Skil chainsaw history here. (scroll down)

Sidecar Sunday


 Actor Keenan Wynn riding his Triumph motorcycle with actress Patti Chandler in the sidecar. Photo snapped on the set of the 1964 feature film Bikini Beach. 

Saturday, February 14, 2026

Canadian National Railway chisel


We know who owned this chisel but who made it? What does "US" or "SO" in raised letters signify?

 

Ron Wood Rotax dirt tracker, 1988


Not sure where the image was found. I'd frame this and hang it on the wall.

Friday, February 13, 2026

Colon Locomotive of the Panama Railroad


 The Portland Locomotive Works built this unusual 4 wheel tank steam engine for the Panama Railroad in 1865. The controls were mounted on the left and for some reason the firebox door is located on the right side next to the man posing on the locomotve. Where the fuel was carried is not clear. The gauge was 5 feet, driver diameter 42" with cylinders of 12 x 18".

Brillant wood plane



A kind of toy-like wood plane, painted red and green, this is made by Kunz of Germany, postwar. This one is also badged with the Hoppe name
It is described online as a general purpose plane for occasional coarse work like planing a door or similar, it does not get a lot of love among plane aficionados.





 

Thursday, February 12, 2026

Reading a caliper in 1919

Modern Shop Practice,  American Technical Society, 1919
Vol 1 Machine Shop Practice Production Manufacturing

 

Model K Chassis, Winton motor carriage

Cyclopedia of Modern Shop Practice, American Technical Society, 1907

 

We used to make things in this country #366, 466 de Havilland Otters


 Celebrating the company's (and Canada's) involvement in the Middle East peacekeeping duties. 

466 Otters were built between 1952 and 1967.

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

1932 Pierce Arrow

$3295 in 1930 translates to about $64000 today. Doesn't seem like a lot of money for the car.

 

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Sterling linen tape measure

 These "Sterling" cloth tapes were produced by the Lufkin company through the 1940s, they were sold alongside the steel measuring tape they introduced in 1890.  Previous Lufkin post here.



 

MG speed record car, EX135


  The MG EX135 was part of a series of MG speed record racers campaigned from the 1930s till the 1950s. This car started out as a single seat circuit racer. With help from the company Reid Railton, a fully streamlined body was fabricated and with 49 year old Lieutenant Colonel Goldie Gardner at the wheel, the car achieved 187.62 mph on a German autobahn in November 1938.


Monday, February 9, 2026

Indians for the army


 Reminds me of a song: One little, two little, three little....

Wrenches not made here, Urrea?



Thanks to Anon in the comments, I've been corrected, its not Ukkea , it's Urrea... I blame the font! This is an unusual one, it's a standard 11/16- 3/4" wrench, but also marked in metric to one decimal place and a first for me, hecho en (made in) Mexico!


 



Sunday, February 8, 2026

Vard hydraulic fork


 Vard was a supplier of landing gear to the aviation industry during WW2, after the war they applied their expertise to making an aftermarket telescopic fork for motorcycles. More here,  

Sidecar Sunday




 

Saturday, February 7, 2026

Hoggson & Pettis conductors punch

 

  Hoggson & Pettis was more known for their Sweetland patent lathe chuck but Samuel Hoggson started the company in 1848 to make stencils, stamping and cutting dies. When Pettit joined the company in 1878, the chuck was added to the product line. A quick google brings up a number of other products, hole punches, leather marking wheels, a typewriter and this conductor's ticket punch. The company is said to have ben in business till at least 1918.










ISDT BMW 1967


 The engine seems to be lifted in the frame and pretty sure that's a Yamaha tank.

Friday, February 6, 2026

We used to make things in this country #375 Massey Harris pressure sprayer


 

Infantometer

Modern medicine can't thank Dr. Dumay enough for this device to accurately measure the height (or length) of a baby lying down. The next thing is to consider how to pronounce the word. Is it In-FANT-o-meter or Infan-TOM-a-ter?