Absolutely Beautiful Old Stanley

[Mike Ellis]

I ran across this on Ebay and thought some of you might enjoy seeing a pristine example of precision craftsmanship from more than 100 years ago. It is always fascinating to me to look at old tools and machinery and see the amount of attention that people once put into even purely decorative details. Some of those old craftsmen had a lot of pride in their work. I have run across some really old equipment, for instance 200-year old telescopes and microscopes and such, that when you look at the precision of the brass gears and fittings you cannot help but wonder "How in the &*$! were they able to DO that back then?"



"Mr. Scott! All saliva glands to full drool! "



"Aye, Captain!" (slobbbbbberrr)



http://cgi.ebay.com/Millers-Patent-...hZ020QQcategoryZ13874QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

HMMMmm - strange - no matter how closely I looked, I saw no "Made in Taiwan" tags... :-laf

 

[DJW]

Mike, during the War 1941 I worked at a plant that reconditioned Boilers and Pressure Vessels. To test either, they were filled with water to Hydrostactitally test at three times the working pressure. The pump to attain pressure was hand operated, the whole setup was housed in a sort of wheel barrow, the water trough was of cast iron. One would wheel it to the vessel, hook it up and use the handle to attain pressure, any make up water came from the trough. I thought it very moden however the legs of it were fashioned as a Lion's Leg including Paws. I asked our foreman why ever being such a utility piece of equipment the legs were made that way, he replied that that was the way things were done in the Old Days. In later years 1948 when working at a plant I went into the Loco shed, there the walls were Tiled from the floor up to about 8 feet of the wall, the lower portion were very ornate, and the upper more so, flowers etc, the stairs leading to the office were cast iron and very ornate and this was just the shed for the switch loco. I asked if the shed had been offices etc, but was told it was designed for the loco. Frankly in later years I have never seen any place used for any purpose as ornate as that loco shed. Maybe like the old advertising posters etc, to some, a Pure Work of Art.

 

[rbattelle]

Wow, how sterile our world has become. Alas...



Ryan

 

[sstefanini]

Owners and corporations say it costs to much to build things the way it used to be done. So how could people have afforded quality and craftmenship back then?

 

[RustyJC]

I've been looking for pictures of the old Cooper steam engines our company was building back as early as the 1830s. Some of the vertical compound Corliss steam engines stood several stories tall. They were mechanical works of art!



Rusty

 

[Sled Dog]

Owners and corporations say it costs to much to build things the way it used to be done. So how could people have afforded quality and craftmenship back then?

Upper management now, puts that money in there own pockets.

 

[Dl5treez]

Not quite as ornate, but the boiler room of the Kind & Knox Gelatine plant in Sioux City, Iowa has black & white checkerboard tile flooring and large, live plants in it.



Kind & Knox is owned by DGF Stoess AG, a German based corporation. Word from the plant maintenance guys is all of the Stoess facilities in Europe are like palaces..... chandeliers in lunch rooms, brass hand rails on stairs, marble in the restrooms, etc.



The 'old world' look of ornate, intricate detailing comes from Europe. In the early years of the U. S. most of the craftsmen were 'right off the boat', so to speak..... and they brought their European design styles with them.



This day and age, well... . in Europe stuff is still built pretty, for the most part.

Mike, during the War 1941 I worked at a plant that reconditioned Boilers and Pressure Vessels. To test either, they were filled with water to Hydrostactitally test at three times the working pressure. The pump to attain pressure was hand operated, the whole setup was housed in a sort of wheel barrow, the water trough was of cast iron. One would wheel it to the vessel, hook it up and use the handle to attain pressure, any make up water came from the trough. I thought it very moden however the legs of it were fashioned as a Lion's Leg including Paws. I asked our foreman why ever being such a utility piece of equipment the legs were made that way, he replied that that was the way things were done in the Old Days. In later years 1948 when working at a plant I went into the Loco shed, there the walls were Tiled from the floor up to about 8 feet of the wall, the lower portion were very ornate, and the upper more so, flowers etc, the stairs leading to the office were cast iron and very ornate and this was just the shed for the switch loco. I asked if the shed had been offices etc, but was told it was designed for the loco. Frankly in later years I have never seen any place used for any purpose as ornate as that loco shed. Maybe like the old advertising posters etc, to some, a Pure Work of Art.

 

[Grizzly]

Mike, during the War 1941 I worked at a plant that reconditioned Boilers and Pressure Vessels. To test either, they were filled with water to Hydrostactitally test at three times the working pressure. The pump to attain pressure was hand operated, the whole setup was housed in a sort of wheel barrow, the water trough was of cast iron. One would wheel it to the vessel, hook it up and use the handle to attain pressure, any make up water came from the trough. I thought it very moden however the legs of it were fashioned as a Lion's Leg including Paws. I asked our foreman why ever being such a utility piece of equipment the legs were made that way, he replied that that was the way things were done in the Old Days. In later years 1948 when working at a plant I went into the Loco shed, there the walls were Tiled from the floor up to about 8 feet of the wall, the lower portion were very ornate, and the upper more so, flowers etc, the stairs leading to the office were cast iron and very ornate and this was just the shed for the switch loco. I asked if the shed had been offices etc, but was told it was designed for the loco. Frankly in later years I have never seen any place used for any purpose as ornate as that loco shed. Maybe like the old advertising posters etc, to some, a Pure Work of Art.

My hats off to you sir. I'm impressed with your account and how things were back then. It sounds a lot like the accounts my father would tell us from his Boilermaker years with the Railroad. Thank you, I hope you can share more with us.

 

[DJW]

During WW2 the demand for Scrap Iron and Steel was in great demand in Britain, as also in many other countries. I can cringe of all the machines I helped to scrap. However, owing to the Depression, many old manufacturing plants became unprofitable as the availability for electric power became universal, and self generation of power became expensive. Those old Steam Engines, some with Drive and Flywheel 24 feet in diameter, with five two inch thick drive ropes, fed by 6 Lancashire boilers driving the whole brickworks. As a 16 year old I could see the beauty of the mechanical parts, the brass Governers, and the unique Oilers, some chain, some circular drip, and I belive capillary action, granted all these were of a utility machining manufacture, nevertheless all the Bright work was Bright, and painted surfaces shone as if enameled, granted the coal fired boiler room was covered in dust. All metal railing around Parks, Private houses, Factories etc. unless needed for safety was removed for scrap, refusal was not an option. Many fine examples of Ornamental Art was Sacrificed to the God of War. Some we given voluntary even if deemed to be preserved for the future. I asked my father why a manufacturer would go to all the expense, just to feature a simple tool as a work of art, he said that was the way it was done in those days. Probably during WW1 was when the utility of a tool or product was the first requirement, plus the labor, materials and expense, so that continued into the future. Remember the old treadle Singer sewing machines, the painted art work designs?

 

[Grizzly]

Thanks again DJW. I like reading your experiences.

 

[DJW]

Grizzy, some years ago when visiting the Railroad Locomotive Musum in Sacramento, in the repair workshops I meet one of the volunteers, who had worked for years on the Railroad. I forgot to ask in what capacity, and I showed him a Fitment about waist height on the front of the Loco we were standing near, and asked if he knew the reason for it. The Fitment is a Dished Plate, dished at an angle to horizontal, and the shape is convex. One place I worked the railway steam crane had these Fitments on each corner, and was used to move (Switch) rail cars on adjacent tracks. The helper would hold a log about 8 or so feet long, one end in the Fitment, the free end against the Rail Car, thus connecting motive force to car. The Loco so fitted, was the size of a Main Line one, whereas I thought only Switch Locos would be thus equiped. On questioning, that was the first time he had even noticed the Fitment, and as there was no others around to ask no answer could be given. Strange, I Switched Cars at a Yard in Toronto in 1954 CPR, of course all Locos Diesel but I never thought to look to see if that Fitment was fitted to them.

 

[DJW]

Grizzy regarding Gilding the Lilly, (in fact tools and everday business conveyances) Before WW2 and surviving specimens of horse drawn vehicles, not sure of Coal Carts, but all others, Beer Wagons for a start, (First things First, Priority there) were heavily Paint, Lined, etc, and the Paint Work would Blow today's Auto and Bike paint jobs into De'm Weeds, (Opinion here) one must remember these were just Everday Tools of Work and Industry, out in Hot Sun, Freezing Cold, Rain-Hail, everything, (just for starters) not pieces sheltered from humans, animals, kept under wraps, Bla- Bla- Bla! The grocery, fruit, fish, railway deivery and All Delivery Carts, (not to forget Bread, Milk and everything else delivered to Industry, Household Doors and Streets. all outward exposed surfaces, spokes, wheel rims were all highly decorated, and very tastefully executed, circles, diamonds, scrolls, and do you know what? no one noticed it as it was the norm.

 

[Mike Ellis]

Fascinating stuff DJW - Your life experiences would make for an interesting book!



For those who appreciate craftsmanship, old tools can be a source of endless fascination and give a lot of insight into just how advanced some technologies were back in the "old days". It took some pretty high precision work to produce chronometers, watches, clocks, and some of the early manufacturing machinery. The craftsmen who were capable of producing such things were held in very high esteem, and even the royal folk would try their hand at emulating their skills. Upper class gentlemen dabbled in fine woodwork and even blacksmithing - Marie Antoinette's unfortunate hubby for instance spent much time on his metal work and was supposedly quite accomplished.



One of the more interesting areas of such gentlemanly endeavor was ornamental turning. This involved the use of a lathe which was much more versatile than the simple rotating device we tend to associate with the term. An ornamental lathe used eccentric gears and a variety of ingenious mechanisms to allow complex shapes to be turned with very high precision. The classic examples are the Holtzappfel lathes, produced in the 1795 - mid 1800's timeframe. This link shows some of the accessories for such a lathe, produced more than 150 years ago:



http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jeharr/holtzgrs.htm



How about an interesting view of a geometric chuck, from a book written in 1875:



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The shapes that can be produced on such a lathe are amazing. Here are a few example links:



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It is interesting to remember that the guys who are doing this nowadays are using the same techniques and equipment that were in use from 200 - 400 years ago.



Here's another interesting link for people who like old tools. Craftsmen in the "old days" often built their own tools and toolboxes, and some of their work was absolutely magnificent. One of the best examples of such craftsmanship if the famous Masonic toolbox produced by Mr. Studley sometime around 1900. It has been featured in museum exhibitions, special posters, magazine articles etc. A guy could spend an entire day checking out this awesome toolbox and its amazingly intricate jigsaw-puzzle-like construction. WOW!!



http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masonicmuseum/tool_chest_made_by_studley.htm



After you visit the above link, suddenly the typical rolling red modern behemoth with sticky drawers and the peeling "NASCAR" stickers looks a litte crude... :-laf

 

[Grizzly]

Thank you DJW and Mike Ellis for very interesting accounts and information. I'm very interested in anything to do with Railroading, since my dad was a Boilermaker with the AT&SF before the diesel engines and after that a Journeyman Electrician, my grandfather was a carpenter with the same AT&SF. My other grandfather was a Storehouse Supervisor, one uncle was crane operator and another uncle also worked with the same RR. All retired from the RR. I spent a lot of summers with my carpenter grandfather helping him wood work. He had all the old ornate tools as shown by Mike. I too have been a carpenter all my life, part time and full time since I retired from the Corps of Engineers. I have many old antique tools, some were my grandfathers, some were my dad's, some were my uncle's and the rest I purchased in antique shops. I love old antique tools, but I also love my new modern high powered tools. DJW, write a book, you have some fascinating accounts.