Hein Werner Midget?

[SJRSMD]

I purchased a Hein Werner Midget floor ******** eBay ($20.00 + shipping). The jack is really a Midget, 2000 lbs. capacity, 14" long, weighs about 30 lbs.

I cannot find any information on this jack. I have polled my HW suppliers and experts and no one knows this jack. The small brass, etched ID plate (1" x 1 3/4") states, "PATENTS APPLIED FOR." This phrase usually indicates a very old tool. What paint remained on the Midget was the HW green.

I am rebuilding the jack with a local Amish-run hydraulics/machine shop. They do great work. We can get a seal kit put together from Steve at Hydraulics Parts Supply (620-594-2247) who many of you may know. Other seal supply houses have indicated they can find seals for the Midget. However, no one has heard of the jack. The worn parts will have to made by my machine shop - no problem.

I have attached photos for review. Does anyone know the HW Midget? Does anyone have literature on this jack?

Thanx,
SJRSMD

 

[Mohawk Dave]

#1 Really cool
#2 HiBall should be along shortly and shed some light
#3 I'm curious...do Amish use electricity or not? If not, how does the machine shop work/function?

 

[Hiball]

#1 Really cool
#2 HiBall should be along shortly and shed some light
#3 I'm curious...do Amish use electricity or not? If not, how does the machine shop work/function?

#1 Definitely Cool..
#2 Absolutely NO light to shed, Ive never seen or heard of one. What a awesome find..

 

[TheGrooveking]

Yes they can use electricity, the way is works is the company / facility is owned by someone who is not Amish, that way the Amish can use tools / electricity and not go against there culture. I've been in multiple Amish furniture shops and that is the way they run.

TheGroovekig

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Yes they can use electricity, the way is works is the company / facility is owned by someone who is not Amish, that way the Amish can use tools / electricity and not go against there culture. I've been in multiple Amish furniture shops and that is the way they run.

TheGroovekig

Right on. Kinda seems like a work-around, no? Probably shouldn't derail this thread. OP, cool jack regardless. Make sure you post more pics as it gets restored.

 

[Tellingthem]

Right on. Kinda seems like a work-around, no? Probably shouldn't derail this thread. OP, cool jack regardless. Make sure you post more pics as it gets restored.

It really depends on the sect and how ******** to the rules they are. Some use electricity, some pneumatic tools, some are hand tools only. All sorts of variety in the rules. Some will ride in cars some refuse and only use horses. My hometown still has hitching posts at the major stores for them.

And that is a cool jack...

 

[SJRSMD]

Gentlemen,
Thank you for your prompt replies. You are experiencing the same level of ignorance about the HW Midget as I. I worked my way through college in a gas station and handled (dragged?) many HW WS jacks around the pumps and in the bays. I never saw or heard of a Midget. I cannot find any information on the internet. I suspect the Midget could be 100 years old (WW I?). (How old is HW?) If it is old, then those folks who used a Midget may no long be around.

Off topic, Amish are among the Christian religious sects broadly known as "plain people." Plain people include Mennonites, Brethren, some Quakers and other old order Anabaptists. They choose to separate themselves from the world and live simple lives. Many live a 19th century life. However, there is a wide range of engagement with the world. Some plain people drive cars others drive buggies. They make choices in this regard. All plain people I have known are among the hardest working people on earth.

Dave, my machinist does not have a lighted shop because he works from dawn to dusk with his 6 sons. He also has 5 daughters. His equipment is powered by generators or hydraulics. His work is peerless and old world quality, but done on an old work schedule (patience required). Southern Maryland has the third largest population of Amish in the USA behind Ohio and Lancaster County, PA.

Back to the Midget, I have attached photos of the Midget parts fresh out of my blast cabinet and the casting number on the base. Note, especially, the HW logo in an inverted equilateral triangle. This design might be a lead to the age of the jack. Dave will make a new pump shaft (worn & bent) and a T-handle (missing). He thinks me may have to make a new ram (3/4") because of pitting and the cup was peened in place instead of held in place with a machine screw or clip. All the engineer is old with parts peened together instead of held in place with machine screw, snap rings or roll pins!

I have attached two photos. Look at the counter-sunk, hex-key fastener (extreme left) to hold the saddle in place (extreme right). Amos, Dave's "hydraulics son", machined off the saddle because it was peened in place, then drilled and tapped saddle stud and found the counter-sunk fastener. Slick!

If anyone finds information on the Midget, let me know.

Thanx,
SJRSMD

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Thanks for the info.

I was aware that the work finished by "plain people" is world class. I'm actually restoring some old planes as I have been learning the ways of the old.

Any chance we can get pics of the machine shop and work being done?

 

[SJRSMD]

Mohawk Dave,
Thanx for your reply. I have been thinking of the best way to respond. Straight up is probably best.

One of the ways that the Amish separate themselves from the world is to avoid photos generally and personal photos in particular. For these reasons, I am not comfortable taking photos around Dave's shop. I took one photo of a component I was trying to locate and I definitely detected discomfort when I showed Amos and Ely, his brother, how my cell phone camera worked.

I can describe the shop or even send you a photo of the shop's sign on the road into Leonardtown if you like.

The short description is that the shop is 19th century, cluttered, busy and a jumble of tools and packaging. There is a large lathe in a dirt-floor barn, near a window for light, across from the shop. Despite the old world conditions, Dave is known for precision machine work all over St. Mary's County. On that lathe, he recently reproduced a hydraulic piston from a giant, 60+ year old, construction crane which was 7' long, 4" diameter with 13 steps and 4 lateral slots. The customer could not find anyone who would reproduce the part. Nothing happens fast. Most of the shop's work, the economic base or backbone, is small engine repair and hydraulics repair and rebuilding.

I know you will understand my reluctance to photograph around the Amish.

Thanx,
SJRSMD

 

[Mohawk Dave]

No Problem S!

Very cool story none-the-less. I understand completely. I didn't before, but of course if you are not welcome to photo them/the shop, hey, that's ok.

I wonder if they don't want photo'd because it is a foreign idea to them, or kinda like the aborigine/soul thing. Either way, that's their beliefs and I respect it.

Keep us updated on the jack!

 

[SJRSMD]

Gentlemen,

Here is my HW Midget resto update:

Amos sent all the seals and the badly worn pump shaft to Steve Flora, Hydraulics Parts Supply, P.O. Box 97, 20234 SE 100th Street, Sawyer, KS, 67134-0097, phone 620-594-2247. Steve put together a complete seal kit and found a new pump shaft all for less than $50.00. He is a great source of hydraulic seals and parts.

Steve has an inquisitive mind as well. I asked what he knew about the Midget and this is what he told me:

Steve has owned HPS since 1993. I sent him photos of the Midget. He never saw one like it, but took the time to call the former owner whose memory and experience goes further back in time. The former owner said he never saw anything like the Midget in his experience. However, he knew the pump shaft has not been used by HW since 1943.

Does anyone know when HW began business (founded? sounds too formal). I suspect this jack could be as old as HW (Although, HW went out of business in 1998, I think.) I think the Midget is that old because of the ID plate which states, "Patent Applied For."

Off topic, in response to Mohawk Dave's question about why no photos around the Amish and most "plain people" as well. It is simple. They value their privacy. Nothing mystical or spiritual. They do not want to be engaged in life as regards photos. I respect "plain people" choices and do not take photos around them.

I have attached photos of the Old Seals and old pump shaft, and the New Seal kit and pump shaft.

I'll keep you posted on the Midget Resto. In the mean time, if anyone finds information on the HW Midget, please, add it to this thread.

Thanx,
SJRSMD

 

[SJRSMD]

Gentlemen,

Attached are the photos of my restored Hein Werner Midget. The jack is about 14" overall and the new handle about 20" in length.

The handle is new-made by my Amish machine shop and a estimation of what the original handle would look like. It is a solid steel bar with a crossing handle to push and pull the jack under a vehicle. Note especially how the working end is machined. There is a slot to twist the hydraulic valve and a small boss to align with the jack handle hole groove. Once the handle is inserted, you turn it 90 degree in an internal-crossing radial groove in the jack handle hole so that the handle locks in place. Slick!

The paint color is the closest match I could find to the residual HW green on the jack. The while pad is a guess based on how other HW were painted at the time. Later HW went to an orange body and white pads. Although, I have seen HW bottle jack painted green.

I have never seen another HW like this Midget and no one has come forward with ID info. There is not a patent number, only the statement, "patent applied for." I suspect those familiar with this jack have died. I estimate the Midget to be around 100 years old, perhaps from the 1910s or '20s?

I would appreciate hearing from anyone with info or leads for me on the history of this jack.

Keep wrenchin',
SJRSMD

 

[469 runner]

Wow, you did a great job on that. It's beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

 

[neophyte]

I don't know whether this is a reference to the specific jack you have but it does specify Hein Warner and Midget. The date of the publication is 1933.

https://books.google.com/books?id=5...a=X&ei=_iXuVMqLDYqzyQSUmoLQAQ&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAA

 

[G1GRANDEUR]

that's pretty awesome. good job!!

 

[SJRSMD]

Gentlemen,

Thanks to Neophyte's tip, I located the December 1, 1933 Automobile Trade Journal which on page 57, Profit Makers, has a description of the HW Midget.

I was assisted by the St. Mary's County Library which located the Journal in the Enoch Pratt Library, Baltimore. Pratt is the Maryland Library system headquarters and the largest library in the state. The Pratt folks researched Neophyte's tip and copied the attached pages and emailed them to me. Outstanding customer service!

The file is too large to attach here. If you want to see the Journal, send me your email and I will send you two (2) pages in .pdf.
Then you can read the information about the HW Midget for yourself.

This is the only reference I have found to the jack. Note also that the Journal picture is of a jack without wheels. I suspect that garages which purchase the jack started to ask HW for wheels.

Finally, the HW Midget cost $10.00 in 1933. I should have bought one!

Thank you Neophyte and thank you Pratt folks.

Best wishes to all HW fans.

Keep wrenchin',
SJRSMD

 

[Dustycrusty]

Now there are two - i found this Hein Werner Midget hydraulic jack at a yard sale today. In amazing condition, especially the paint. Got a bunch of old stuff there and almost passed this by until it caught my eye under a bench. It's a little greasy so could be leaking a little but it jacks up just fine.

 

[Dustycrusty]

This is it - sorry, still trying to figure out how things work here.

 

[Bighead38]

Awesome.

 

[pelletman]

Annnnndddd now there are THREE! Has anyone learned more about them in the past 6 years? Anybody using theirs for anything? I figure it will sit on the shelf. I drained the oil and refilled it, seems to work fine. I don't have a correct handle but a pipe seems to work fine. I won't restore it. I like things original

 

[pelletman]

Here are the pictures which for some reason didn't want to go on the last post

 

[pelletman]

@SJRSMD I am going to send you a PM asking for the pdf. thanks!

 

[RTM]

@SJRSMD I am going to send you a PM asking for the pdf. thanks!

He hasn’t been seen here since 2015, so good luck.

I don’t see an online version.

 

[pelletman]

He hasn’t been seen here since 2015, so good luck.

I don’t see an online version.

Thanks! I will send a message to @Dustycrusty too, and if that doesn't work I will hunt down the library, I will post a link to it once I receive it