Kellogg air compressor from the roaring 20s!

[ndnchf]

A couple months ago my wife and I stopped in an antique shop that was way off the beaten path. I saw this really cool old Kellogg air compressor. I really liked it, but told myself I really didn't need it and we moved on. Well - Christmas morning after our usual stockings and gift exchange, my wife says I need to come outside for one more gift. Much to my surprise, she went back and bought the old compressor!

By the looks of it, I'd place it from the 1920s. By the gauge, its a low pressure unit so it may have been repurposed from something else - maybe an old soda fountain, steam heating system - who knows. The motor is 220v, the compressor appears to have 2 small cylinders. The seller told us it was in their barn for years and worked. I plan to clean, inspect and lube it and set it up in my shop somehwere for light duty chores.

Has anybody seen one like this before?

 

[vjlobel]

Looks a lot like the one in my Dad's barn that was hooked up to the old milking machine. Did they mention if they had cows? Either way, pretty awesome.

Vince

 

[1953mercury]

Very cool, love the chain drive. Mike

 

[Stuart in MN]

The seller told us it was in their barn for years and worked.

That sounds like it may actually be a vacuum pump, used for the milkers.

 

[chewy7]

Looks a lot like the one in my Dad's barn that was hooked up to the old milking machine. Did they mention if they had cows? Either way, pretty awesome.

Vince

air compressors are not used for milking cows, vacuum pumps are.

 

[ndnchf]

I haven't tried it out yet, but I'll find out soon.

 

[bonacker]

Y'all are missing the point. This guy's wife is AWESOME!!!! To 99.99% of women, that would be just an ugly piece of junk. That she went back later to buy it...WOW. Ndnchf, your wife is a keeper and a real gem! I also think it is a cool piece of equipment.

 

[ndnchf]

The antique store advertised it as a compressor, but they could be wrong. I'll oil the motor bearings and check the compressor oil and give it a brief test. And yes, my wife is awesome! After 30 years, she just rolls her eyes at me when I bring home some old piece of machinery. But she really surprised me with this!

 

[hardly]

You'd best give her a beeeeg hug and thank-you for her thoughtfulness. Not only would
virtually ALL women have thought it junk, but most guys have passed on it too. You are
one lucky man.
(I also think its a milker vacuum pump.....)

 

[A_Pmech]

Yet another vote for a vacuum pump...

 

[ndnchf]

I looked at the air hose for the first time tonight and it has an old blow gun on it. While it may have started out as a vacuum pump, it appears to now be configured as a compressor. Unfortunately, the 220 plug on it does not match my 220 outlet, so I'll need to resolve that before I can test it out.

 

[ndnchf]

A little careful cleaning of the Kellogg tag reveals that it is an "Air Pump", model 32. Not a vacuum pump. The next step will be to see if I can get it working.

 

[hickmlg09]

That is pretty sweet!!

 

[DocsMachine]

A little careful cleaning of the Kellogg tag reveals that it is an "Air Pump", model 32. Not a vacuum pump.

-Well, technically, you can't pump vacuum; pumping the air out creates the vacuum, so it could still be...

Okay, okay, I'm kidding.

But if it were mine, I'd do a lot more careful inspection and cleaning before trying to turn it, let alone trying to plug it in. That motor looks clogged solid with sawdust, and the chain drive (!) looks pretty rusty. I bet that chain'd be pretty tough to replace, so before you just soak it in WD-40 and let it run to "free itself up", you might think about trying to derust it first, maybe electrolytically, or with vinegar, etc.

Doc.

 

[ndnchf]

Doc - good point. I've turned it over by hand and it seems ok. The chain does look a little crusty, but its not frozen. I do have an electrolysis tank, so de-rusting it wouldn't be a problem. I'll try to vacuum out the motor a bit also. I'll need to rewire it also, but I think the wiring is ok for a brief test run.

 

[DekeT]

That is so awesome of your wife to do that. I especially like the raised lettering on all the nameplates, dont see that anymore. It can make it easier to repaint. Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[ndnchf]

Yeah, its pretty cool and so is my wife! I often seem to miss out on cool old tools, but every once in a while I get lucky, this was one of those times.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Full resto I hope. That thing is AWESOME! So is wifey!

 

[ndnchf]

I'm not sure what I'll do with it yet. I have a couple other projects going at the moment. I've restored some of my old machines, others I've preserved in good working order. It has a lot of character as it is, so I'll have to think about this one.

 

[Catalyze]

Very cool item.......and wife!!
Grats on a nice project.
Craig

 

[skulldrinker]

Will that work again? I'd know what I'd look at! lol

 

[Stuart in MN]

The chain drive is pretty cool, I've never seen that before.

 

[vintagefan]

The 0-30 gauge most likely stands for 0-30" of Mercury, this is the most common measurement used for general vacuum. 29" of Mercury is basically full vacuum for all intents and purposes.

Also, older vacuum pumps and compressors are quite similar in operation.

This pump resembles the Welch type vacuum pumps, which could be considered the "Model T" of vacuum pumps, a very common design. Here's a Welch to compare to yours:



It isn't uncommon to see the vacuum gauge mounted to the top of the pump in the same fashion as yours.

Here's another example of a standard vacuum gauge:






FYI, many vacuum pumps will build pressure on the outlet, so it isn't totally unimaginable that someone could repurpose one as a compressor pump, although it might not be able to build the same amount of pressure as a normal pump head.

 

[ndnchf]

I turned it over by hand and it definately built a little pressure at the blowgun, so I know its pumping air. The Kellogg tag clearly says "Air pump". I'm going to give it a thorough going over and will test the gauge to see if it is vacuum or pressure. But I suspect it will be pressure.

 

[ndnchf]

Well after a lubing the compressor and motor bearings and checking the wiring, I put the correct 220v plug on the wiring and tried it out. The motor just hummmed, giving it a helping hand didn't help either. Bummer. So I removed the motor and took it all apart. It was filthy, full of dirt, sawdust and muck. I blew most of the dirt and dust out with air, cleaned everything with electrical contact cleaner, checked the wiring for shorts, and meggered the windings and everything came up good. Not being able to think of anything else to do, I lubed up the bearings and put it all back together. I wired up the plug, not really expecting it to work, plugged it in and it fired right up and ran smooth and quiet! Boy was I surprised! Turned it on and off several times and it ran great. I'm doin' the happy dance now.

Looks a little better after cleaning:

Now on to cleaning the ceramic switch and all the other parts.

 

[ndnchf]

I worked on the old Kellogg all weekend and got it cleaned, lubricated and running sweetly now. I just need to do a little work on the wooden stand and it will be back in service, ready to inflate my 1924 Ford Model T's tires!

Before:

After:

I believe the gauge is a later replacement. It seems oversized for the application and the meter will peg in less than 10 seconds, indicating it runs to a higher pressure than the gauge.

A pretty cool Christmas present from my pretty cool wife!

 

[b7labelle]

Y'all are missing the point. This guy's wife is AWESOME!!!! To 99.99% of women, that would be just an ugly piece of junk. That she went back later to buy it...WOW. Ndnchf, your wife is a keeper and a real gem! I also think it is a cool piece of equipment.

^^^^^Absolutely true! That's a great gift!

 

[Terry454]

Nice job, and you kept most of the original finish.
I love that the motor plate says "For Alternating Current" Not too many of us left who remember when there was Direct Current power to buildings.

Give the wifey a big smooch for the New Year. She's a winner.
Terry

 

[ndnchf]

Nice job, and you kept most of the original finish.

I justed carefully cleaned everything, nothing was repainted or polished. I didn't try to make it look like new, I didn't want to lose the "character" it had earned. I simply wanted it to look original, but well cared for. The motor is a real gem, very high quality and the lable plate is a beauty.

 

[ndnchf]

The switch on this is a work of art itself. I don't know how old the switch's design is, but I found a November 1895 patent date on it. Here are some before/after shots of it.

The inside:

From the outside:

 

[ndnchf]

The old Kellogg is back in service, although only for occasional light duty. I think its earned the retired life. But I'll use it now and then to blow off the dust or pump up my 1924 Ford's tires.

 

[ndnchf]

I now this is an old thread, but I thought I'd give a final update. It took a while, but I finally found a nice period 100 psi gauge to put on the old Kellogg. And for safety, I added an inconspicuous pressure relief valve set for about 90psi. After a bit more research, I'm thinking this is from the teens era, not the 20s. So it is nearly 100 years old at this point. I don't use it often, but every once in a while, I'll fire it up and blow the dust off a few things

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

That is a very cool piece!
-Sam

 

[Mohawk Dave]

DAMN! And a sweet stand and sign to boot!

 

[Bolster]

Hey, that pressure gauge reads higher than my DeVilbiss...! Probably safer, too.

 

[ndnchf]

Thanks guys. I figure it was originally in a gas station or auto dealership. The best I can tell, the stand is all original too and really well built.

 

[nine4gmc]

Love the compressor, go hug your wifey