Above 1200 Sq/FT Restored 1930's Auto Shop

[BB767]

Tools!!!

Sorry couldn't help my self....

OK, here a "bone" for you Dug. I'll get more on later.

This may be the world's longest hammer handle???

Comes in at about 42 1/2" (little over 1 meter) of pure whacking pleasure. The head is nicely fitted and quite secure. Someone took great effort to create this. At first I thought it had something to do with his forge and staying away from heat, but there's no evidence of the head or handle being near great heat so that's probably not right, plus it's a small ball peen. I'm open to any thoughts on this one. I've found another stash of hand tools that the long handled hammer was in now uncovered that I'll get on here.

2.000 posts and 100 pages........I've GOT to get an index going for this thread.....

Thomas

 

[akpro]

Thomas I agree with a previous poster, that the are used in dairy barns. Some pipelines where glass with threaded connectors, also the hose that hooks up the milk truck to the milk tank in the milk room uses a threaded connection. They come with milk tank. Kim

 

[ZRX61]

Comes in at about 42 1/2" (little over 1 meter) of pure whacking pleasure. The head is nicely fitted and quite secure. Someone took great effort to create this. At first I thought it had something to do with his forge and staying away from heat, but there's no evidence of the head or handle being near great heat so that's probably not right, plus it's a small ball peen. I'm open to any thoughts on this one.

Obviously for banging in loose roofing nails when you cant be bothered to go fetch the ladder..

 

[dmeray1]

I would be afraid of the accuracy of hitting anything with that long handle. Who would you get to hold the nail while you wacked it with the hammer???? At least you would be far enough away so you would have a head start if you missed...

 

[markviii]

Thanks to hobbitss, we've broken the 2000 post mark - two down and ? deadlines to go. It's quite an art to end a page and get to 2000 in one fell swoop. He must be eager for the test to be over with! But, sadly, I have no time to finish constructing it right now, so you're all off the hook... for now. I've got to get my sidewalk to the shop shoveled before I open at 2pm.

Also, it seems that everyone is trying to rush Christmas here. I still have things to do! Christmas Eve is still 8 days away and I need that time!

Chris

 

[willy3486]

OK, here a "bone" for you Dug. I'll get more on later.


This may be the world's longest hammer handle???

Comes in at about 42 1/2" (little over 1 meter) of pure whacking pleasure. The head is nicely fitted and quite secure. Someone took great effort to create this. At first I thought it had something to do with his forge and staying away from heat, but there's no evidence of the head or handle being near great heat so that's probably not right, plus it's a small ball peen. I'm open to any thoughts on this one. I've found another stash of hand tools that the long handled hammer was in now uncovered that I'll get on here.

2.000 posts and 100 pages........I've GOT to get an index going for this thread.....

Thomas

That thing is rare these days. It was popular during the victorian era in the late 1800s. It was a MIL/wife wacker. They made them to control "unruly women" or so says a ad for one in the 1891 May edition of "Proper Victorian Husband Gazzette".

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Re: 'Mystery Hammer'

Thomas/Chris,

This would make a great extra credit question for the upcoming test. Make it a multiple choice/guess and whichever choice gets selected the most, it becomes the 'correct' choice by vote; and those that voted for it get the extra credit!

Question submission:

The hammer in question is used for:

A) Polo mallet for 'little people on ponies'
B) Remote Tractor hitch release tool
C) Victorian MIL/wife obedience persuader
D) Tweaker for short-armed machinists
E) Greens keeper's mole whacker
F) Contemporary wife's 'dope-*******' for 'dumb hubby stunts' (like walking an anvil across the yard)

 

[tdkkart]

That thing is rare these days. It was popular during the victorian era in the late 1800s. It was a MIL/wife wacker. They made them to control "unruly women" or so says a ad for one in the 1891 May edition of "Proper Victorian Husband Gazzette".

Oh Cripes, now the test just got harder by some crazy magnitude!!!!

 

[Hemihead2]

Yeah, right... (Oops! I didn't know that would put us at 100 pages; well , on to the next milestone!)

Chris

Wow. I would have thought one of the GJ members from NZ's Wairapa would have noticed that Chris's post was like a Tui ad. +1

 

[markviii]

no subliminal messages from me..no...never would think to do that...there's enough pressure as it is...but someone seems intent on including geography on the test...tdkkart's multiple choice bonus question has a lot of merit, although I think I might have a different answer than most of you!

 

[klaus]

I have a long hammer like that that I made to get at a dent inside an aluminum tank. I could reach into an access hole but not get inside.

With the tank placed in some sand and then finished with some carefull work from the outside I got it close enough that its not really noticebale.

With all the other dairy items I would bet it was used to fix a dented milk drum.

Someone want to measure how tall one is?

 

[3bay]

This may be the world's longest hammer handle???

Thomas

Perhaps its use was something other than a "hammer"?

But I have a question...by chance was it in close proximity to the lift?

 

[Nuts]

I should think Elroy may find this of interest among others. The was one lift modification that was done which I left in place while I was restoring that lift.

This is the unmodified left side lift ramp, while opposite it, on the other side....

...you'll see some tabs welded beneath the right lift ramp.

They all have holes in them...

....and for what purpose I have no idea.

They were clearly "field modifications" and not of Rotary Lift origin. At the time my son and I were prepping the lift for paint I was sorely tempted to remove them, but decided to leave them in place. Whatever they once were used for is now lost unless someone here has seen something like this before? At the time I had almost no experience with this lift so I was hesitant to remove them. I didn't want to find out later why they were put there and then have to reinstall them. As you know I repaired the holes in the Walker floor jack saddle but these I left, for better or worse. They don't get in the way so it hasn't presented a problem.

Anyone think of what use they might have had??

Thomas

I seem to remember a pic of a 5' pole that was a safety stop, to keep the lift from settling.

I think that these brackets are the same thing on a smaller scale.

If you used a 4x4 out of steel or pressure treat, the slots on the pair of angles would let you turn the post either horizontal or vertical, and because of the slotting, the 4x4 would have contact with the underside of the tire channel.

The third angle lets you put in a pin to keep the leg horizontal.


Nuts aka Doug

 

[BB767]

I still love - and hate - this incredible thread!!! It takes up so much of my time when I open it!

Will you be posting any more shots of working on classics?

Thanks for continuing the saga Thomas!!

e-tek as per your request for shots of working on classics......

.........I rolled the old classic Eclipse GSX into the shop the other day.........

......time for snow tires....

.......and just in time too ......

.......that's why the front tires are sitting on some wood spacers......

......the car sits so low my floor jack won't fit under it unless I create a little more ground clearance. No way will it fit on the Rotary roll on lift. The 2 post Rotary in the barn was in use, so into the old shop it went. The Masonite protects the tile floor from being dented by the floor jack. As seen that car now has 162,000+ miles, my daily driver. As I now understand, it was made in Normal IL, about 60 miles from here.

'course there was another classic seen in the background...

I've got a few more for you so check back please.

Thomas

 

[Elroy]

I seem to remember a pic of a 5' pole that was a safety stop, to keep the lift from settling.

I think that these brackets are the same thing on a smaller scale.

If you used a 4x4 out of steel or pressure treat, the slots on the pair of angles would let you turn the post either horizontal or vertical, and because of the slotting, the 4x4 would have contact with the underside of the tire channel.

The third angle lets you put in a pin to keep the leg horizontal.


Nuts aka Doug

Elroy would venture to say Doug the sly Nut Case has laid his finger on it with one slight modification. The safety stop would actually be round. Notice the slotted ears in the tab. This would allow the this safety support to be pulled downward which would disengage the pipe from the round "nest" that is incorporated in the bracket.

Doug is also spot on with the tab being incorporated as a storage feature.

You get a load on that lift for an extended period of time you can swing the pole down then lift it up to engage the pocket. The support is then prevented from swinging away

That ole guy was pretty smart!

 

[daltonultra]

Warg, here you go, Anvil Shooting.
Nuts aka Doug

That is the oddest thing I've seen since...

You suppose this is the sort of stuff Grizz1963 or 51rider does in their spare time across the pond??

Geez, the stuff people come up with to fill idle moments. (secretly I do have to admit however, that seeing an anvil launch a 100' into the air or a flaming piano being flung across a meadow is after all.............well, entertaining is the word that comes to mind, ssshh, don't tell Chris though.)


Thomas

It's not like you can't manage the same kind of fun in a suburban backyard, if only on a smaller scale.

My own favorite form of weekend hooliganry:

 

[Nuts]

Elroy would venture to say Doug the sly Nut Case has laid his finger on it with one slight modification. The safety stop would actually be round. Notice the slotted ears in the tab. This would allow the this safety support to be pulled downward which would disengage the pipe from the round "nest" that is incorporated in the bracket.

Doug is also spot on with the tab being incorporated as a storage feature.

You get a load on that lift for an extended period of time you can swing the pole down then lift it up to engage the pocket. The support is then prevented from swinging away

That ole guy was pretty smart!

Elroy the enigmatic, has found the flaw in my reasoning.

Said safety leg would certainly have been round, not square.


Nuts aka Doug

 

[Armour]

We had an official Scotland (country #2) early on, but he actually lives there.

Still here and still loving this thread, keep the updates coming

Al

 

[Flange]

A comment on the "Anvil Shooting" clip.

The guy describes himself as the World Champion Anvil Shooter. Says who? Is there a World Championship in this event?

Or is it that he is World Champion by the same definition that the World Series of Baseball is a World Championship. (by the way this is a friendly snipe at my baseball loving American friends so don't get all huffy)

 

[FordExec]

I should think Elroy may find this of interest among others. The was one lift modification that was done which I left in place while I was restoring that lift.

This is the unmodified left side lift ramp, while opposite it, on the other side....

...you'll see some tabs welded beneath the right lift ramp.

They all have holes in them...

....and for what purpose I have no idea.

They were clearly "field modifications" and not of Rotary Lift origin. At the time my son and I were prepping the lift for paint I was sorely tempted to remove them, but decided to leave them in place. Whatever they once were used for is now lost unless someone here has seen something like this before? At the time I had almost no experience with this lift so I was hesitant to remove them. I didn't want to find out later why they were put there and then have to reinstall them. As you know I repaired the holes in the Walker floor jack saddle but these I left, for better or worse. They don't get in the way so it hasn't presented a problem.

Anyone think of what use they might have had??

Thomas

Hi Thomas,
I owned a Standard Oil gas station in the '70's that had a Rotary drive-on lift like yours, and a twin-post, in-ground lift in my other bay. In the 90's, I owned a Ford dealership that had a number of in-ground twin-post lifts in the service department and body shop. I spent a lot of time and money digging up all of our in-ground lifts and replacing them with above-ground Rotary models so we wouldn't get into trouble with the EPA. They get real involved with anything that goes into the ground, and we did have some 'leakers' that we had to deal with.

I agree with your other contributors here, that the brackets on your drive-on lift are for a home made safety jack. The lift companies always tell you to support your load on the lift, and we had many tall, yellow safety jack stands. I had them in my gas station, too. When you have several lifts, you have to have a lot of jack stands. They take up space and also take time to set up and move around.

My Rotary drive-on in my gas station had a similar setup with some welded-on brackets and a swing-down pipe about 2" in diameter with a cradle on the bottom. Just pull the pin and swing the arm down, and you're safe. You still need a coupe jack stands in case you need to hold the front or rear up while lowering the lift to get at tires or brakes, but if you have several lifts, you can really cut down on your jack stand inventory. -bb

 

[BB767]

Elroy would venture to say Doug the sly Nut Case has laid his finger on it with one slight modification. The safety stop would actually be round. Notice the slotted ears in the tab. This would allow the this safety support to be pulled downward which would disengage the pipe from the round "nest" that is incorporated in the bracket.

Doug is also spot on with the tab being incorporated as a storage feature.

You get a load on that lift for an extended period of time you can swing the pole down then lift it up to engage the pocket. The support is then prevented from swinging away

That ole guy was pretty smart!

Thank you Elroy, always insightful! This was the era before safety dogs were installed on the safety leg...

The lift was originally equipped with a small leg seen here (black and on the right of the lift cylinder). It's original purpose back then was to prevent the lift from turning or Rotating (hence the name "Rotary Lift").

At some point Rotary incorporated a safety dog or dogs depending on the option, into this leg.

I'm meeting Monday with my buddy who's dad owned the shop. Among other things were getting into some more early shop pictures he has (I'll get them on here of course) and I'll see if he can confirm the purpose of the brackets. Better yet we'll look and see if we can find a picture of them in use. I never remember anything ever being attached to the lift there. It always had a pair of 5' long safety stands that were placed under it. I'll see what I can come up with.

And so the saga continues.....

Thomas

 

[hobbitss]

What was under the lift in the image that showed all of the one lung pony motors racked up for assembly on the left ramp??

was that going to be on the test??

 

[walt111]

The rod on the lift serves two purpose. One it keeps the lift from turning . Two you can disconnect the rod while the hoist is up and rotate your ramps a half turn to get the lift to go higher. It looks like your hoist is as high as it goes. You can raise it just until the first safety is out and then disconnect the safety rod from the top and rotate the ramps the other way to limit the height of travel. This is probably clear as mud. I had a rotary single post lift, newer than yours, and air over hydraulic in my shop. I talked to the people at rotary and they told me how to do this. Low and behold the lift went up almost another foot after rotation.
Walt from Rough And Ready Ca.

 

[hlp040db]

I just finished reading the entire post (it took a few weeks). You must have invented the 48 hour day, because I don't know how else you could have done so much in such a short time. Just clearing out the buildings and organizing the goodies would overwhelm most people. I like restoring and using old tools also and hope you have more pictures and stories like the floor jacks to share. I live in the house my great uncle built in 1923. He was a carpenter and I still have and use many of his old tools as well as his home made work bench. Thanks to BOTH of you for the time you spend updatng the posts and answering all the replies. Now if I can just pry myself away from GJ and get back to my shop, I might get something done...

 

[BB767]

Thomas: Could those tabs have been for a pole or pipe type of jackstand once the lift was in the fully extended up position? Only thing I could come up with on a short notice. Back when my Dad ran a Standard oil service station in my hometown, we had a electric powered four post lift that was lifted by cables thought wound up on a jackshaft at the front of the lift, can't recall the brand off hand. Keep up the fine work and say hi to all my friends in Savoy and I wish you all in the "center of the universe" a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Gods Country in Southeastern Illinois.
D.J.

D.J. thank you for checking in again and the warm thought. I don't know who's running the airport Crash/Rescue these days but if I see any of them I'll be sure to pass the greetings along. All the best to you and yours.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

Thanks to Thomas and everyone else that provides material for this thread. It is inspirational and educational. Happy Holidays everyone!!

Since you brought that up dmeray, I too wish to thank everyone who has taken the time to contribute to this thread over the past year. All those contributions have greatly added to making this an informative and I hope, a fun place to spend a few minutes. Sounds like it hasn't done much good for your sleep patterns (or mine either for that matter ) but who needs sleep when there's old garage stuff to read about?

You only live once......right.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

Oh Cripes, now the test just got harder by some crazy magnitude!!!!

Omphaloskeptic isn't helping you guys out either.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

I have a long hammer like that that I made to get at a dent inside an aluminum tank. I could reach into an access hole but not get inside.

With the tank placed in some sand and then finished with some carefull work from the outside I got it close enough that its not really noticebale.

With all the other dairy items I would bet it was used to fix a dented milk drum.

Someone want to measure how tall one is?

Very possible klaus, thanks. I'll try to remember and ask my friend when I see him.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

Perhaps its use was something other than a "hammer"?

But I have a question...by chance was it in close proximity to the lift?

Now that's a unique use for hammer heads!!

Acutely I found it with several of the tools he used with the forge and anvil.

Here are some of them......

You can see the one on the bottom comes in at close to 2' (2/3 m) long. These all look to be mainly specialty pliers for holding mental from the forge and then used on the anvil? All you blacksmiths out there don't be shy please.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

I seem to remember a pic of a 5' pole that was a safety stop, to keep the lift from settling.

I think that these brackets are the same thing on a smaller scale.

If you used a 4x4 out of steel or pressure treat, the slots on the pair of angles would let you turn the post either horizontal or vertical, and because of the slotting, the 4x4 would have contact with the underside of the tire channel.

The third angle lets you put in a pin to keep the leg horizontal.


Nuts aka Doug

Doug you got the manufacturer of the anvil right and you sized this up as well. I'll be interested in what I find out Monday. Many thanks for your input.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

It's not like you can't manage the same kind of fun in a suburban backyard, if only on a smaller scale.

My own favorite form of weekend hooliganry:

Will it never end............. I mean it looks like fun and all but the effort involved.......geez.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

Still here and still loving this thread, keep the updates coming

Al

I knew you were still lurking with us Al, good Scotsman that you are. With that swell avatar feel free to post annnnyyytime you want my friend!!

.....(Chris it's the technology thing I was talking about, really, honest, absolutely, cross my heart........)


Thomas

 

[walrus]

The lift was originally equipped with a small leg seen here (black and on the right of the lift cylinder). It's original purpose back then was to prevent the lift from turning or Rotating (hence the name "Rotary Lift").

Spinning the piston is how it comes out of the casing. There are a series of dogs welded onto the bottom of the piston, turn it 90 or 180( been along time since I removed one), it comes by one set turn it again and it comes by another set, the piston will them come out. Obviously the seals have to be out but spinning a lift can get you in trouble even with the seals in place

 

[quick60]

The tool sin the above photos are blacksmith tongs. Each one has a specific purpose for the item you are forging.The bottom one is a wolf jaw, kind of a general purpose tong. The one above is a bolt tong for forging bolts and other objects with a shaft and a forging on one end. The two at the top are basically flat tongs. The groove in the jaws allows you to better hold round objects without them deflecting when strking the object. What markings are on and how big is the anvil???

 

[quick60]

I looked back and found the anvil photos. If this is all old news Im sorry to hop in and rehash, it just smack me.

I cant make anything out in the photo of the anvil. The chipping hammers in post 1907 were used as slitting chisels for hammering designs or splitting steel for mortise and tenons, etc.. Heat the steel, lock it on the anvil, with a plate underneath so as not to damage the anvil, use the slitting tool by placing it on the steel and striking it with a hammer. This would split the steel like using a chisel to split a piece of wood.

 

[ambenz]

Hello Thomas,
Just a short hello from your neighbor up here in the burbs.
Being a newbie, I checked out this thread for the first time and I have to say you sure put a lot of work into your proprerty, like everyone is saying, just Awesome!
I get down your way once in a while, have a friend in Decatur and was at the Lakeland College Car show last May.
Maybe we will see you at Buzz the Gutt in Dwight, or Cruisin Roosters at O'Charlies!

 

[donnie]

These all look to be mainly specialty pliers for holding mental from the forge and then used on the anvil? All you blacksmiths out there don't be shy please.

Thomas

Oh boy is this going to be part of the test also? Spelling and grammar.
So many comments I have about the mental part of this shop.
Mental in a real good way!

 

[quick60]

WOW. I just went back to post #1 and started reading. Im dumbfounded. This definately needs to be home page material under Editors Picks.

 

[quick60]

Donnie...its early. I did go back and clean my post up a little. I hate mispelled and misplaced words as well.

 

[dumb as a stump]

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u288/BB767/Early%20Timberhaven/Items%20Left/CarburatorSm4.jpg[/IMG]


Thomas

The two 4 bbl carbs with the black platic looking bodies are cartier thermoquads . Off of 70s Chrysler v8s .Lots of folks hated them and junked them for hollys BUT if you had the knack they are 10 times the carbs on a dodge and had a distinctive ROAR (heard for miles). Me I adore them PS I just stumbled on this and am a noob here ...nice work you are a perfectionist like I used to be when I was younger and even more so. OH one thing if the old feller was to ever come back, he would be completely lost and probably very frustrated, but probably appreciative none the less. Keep up the good work.