South Bend Foundry tools

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Good evening all..

I found this tamper tool (without the handle and not painted of course) at an auction today. I remember the foundry, not while it was in operation but where it was in South Bend, since I was born and raised there. The foundry is gone now, and in its place is a park / greenspace. They also made infrastructure castings, mostly man hole covers, street grates and the like. I saw many around South Bend as a kid. Also had one at the Lincoln Quadrangles at ISU when I was going to school there.

Anyone else seen or have anything cast by SBF?

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[Al Borland]

What do you tamper with using this tool?

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

LOL..I wonder if its tamer proof...

Thinking about this a bit last night.. I'll bet since they supplied municipalities such as South Bend, Terre Haute, etc. (akin to what Neenah and East Jordan Iron Works do today), I'll bet this was used for cold patch / asphalt.... i.e. street maintenance.

I suspect SBF made industrial castings for others too, but man holes, grates, and now this tamper are the only ones I've seen.. and there isn't a lot on the web about them..

 

[lilredex]

You might have found those in places like Lowes and HD if they were around back then, for home owners needing a tamping tool. Most likely it was a spin off product. I have heard that in the iron casting foundry heydays around here, that foundries kept prepared molds ready to use any excesses, rather than just throw it away. That product was weights as in weight lifting. If you follow any home machining sites you often hear about people making lathe faceplates from weights and finding very poor quality in those castings.

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Thanks Lilredex... I used to frequent Brillion Iron Works, and they did Xmas tree stands around the holidays.. I can see why a foundry 'pig' the extra iron into useful mold.. I haven't examined it too close yet (other than the wire brushing I have it before painting)... So I'll see if there are any tell tale signs of that...


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[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Found a nice picture of a SBF manhole cover ..

Thanks KSmith6 @ PICSSR

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[Dennis Leigh Henry]

A few more I've found... interesting how so many people take pictures of something as simple and interesting as a man hole cover... I didn't see the common one I had seen hundreds of times while growing up there. I'll have to snap a picture or two when I'm up there next....

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[George in Rancho Cordova]

Thanks for posting some photos.
Dad and I were both born in South Bend. We moved west when I was going into third grade.
Dad was a water boy after school when Hickey Construction expanded the South Bend lathe factory.

 

[maintguy]

Holy ****. The number of members on here, that have lived in South Bend is pretty cool. Kinda sad that they all left

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Didn't necessarily want to leave SB.. just no significant industry left that I felt I would be able to work from my late teens into retirement from. Guessed SBL right, I'm sure there are smaller companies I could have stuck with (Schaefer Gear, Exacto) but glad I went large.. Anyway, deep roots there anyway. Family has been in town since at least 1865..worked at Singer's, Studebaker's, Oliver's, Wilson's, etc. and also were builders.

George, I remember Hickey.. I believe Hickey was what was left of Humphrey Construction (family biz my dad grew up in), or maybe Hickey purchased the equipment/assets, etc. when it closed shop. Anyway, plenty of history ..

 

[maintguy]

You guessed right, There isn't **** here. You guys remember Rankin construction and Verkler construction?

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Verkler...yes...

I worked for Universal Painting thru high school and college.. 426 E. Bronson, then 501 W. South Street, then NW corner of Lafayette and Indiana.. Now part of Ziolkowski......

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

I was in South Bend / River Park on Saturday, and took these pictures from the corner of 27th and Vine Streets (former NW corner of Nuner School). These man / sewer covers were all the way up and down Vine..

There were also newer grates and fixtures from East Jordan Iron Works there too..

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[Dennis Leigh Henry]

I wish it was summer time.....Iron is cold as hell


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