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Thread: More from the Black Country !
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12th Aug 2018, 04:13 AM #1
More from the Black Country !
Hi Guys,
As some of you may remember I had the opportunity to visit the Black Country Museum some time ago. Well I got a chance to go back there and catch up on some of the exhibits that I didn't get chance to look at first time around.
These few pictures are for the motor cycle enthusiasts.
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I found this old AJS 350 cc motor cycle very interesting, not just because of its history, but the method of providing the high voltage for the spark plug.
If you look closely at the third picture, low down on the left, you can see the magneto, the interesting bit is that it has a folding handle that can be used to manually crank it. On the other side is a chain driven gear that spins the magneto when the engine is running. The bowden cable that exits just behind the handle goes up to the handlebar to a lever which is used to adjust the advance of the spark.
The oil pump is located next to the oil tank just under the saddle. This feeds oil to the two chain drives and that side of the crank, then up the pipe coming out just behind the inlet pipe, to the top of the engine where it goes over the cylinder head and down to provide lubrication for the push rods and other side of the crank. I couldn't see if there was any lubrication at the top of the cylinder head going to the valve stems and rocker arms.
The gear lever can be seen in the second picture along with the choke and throttle levers on the handlebars. The brakes are controlled by the levers on the very ends of the handle bars.
Enjoy:
EDIT: I made a mistake ! See posts 3 and four.Best Regards:
Baron J.
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12th Aug 2018, 09:09 AM #2Golden Member
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Hi BaronJ
I have friend who is a keen motorbike man, he has a collection of old racing bikes that he has restored to pristine condition, I have sent him a link to your post, thanks.
Bob
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12th Aug 2018, 07:31 PM #3Senior Member
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Hello BaronJ,
I think your interpretation of what you describe as a folding crank handle on the magneto in pic#3 may be incorrect. That looks like the normal end cover retainer which consists of a mounted pillar to the magneto frame and a spring blade which presses into a small recess on the cover, The blade can be swung to one side to remove the cover for quick access to the magneto points. And yes, if you are not familiar with these magnetos, it does look like a folding handle, particularly from a distance.
Chas.
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12th Aug 2018, 07:56 PM #4
Hello Chas,
Thank you so very much for passing that information on to me. I blew the picture up and took a much closer look, I realise my error. If you hadn't explained, I would have carried on thinking that it was a crank handle.
The museum staff whilst very friendly, don't take too kindly to people like me, climbing onto displays to take pictures, even though they don't object to photographers.
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This is a blown up picture of the magneto. I should have looked more closely.
Thank you again.Best Regards:
Baron J.
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14th Aug 2018, 09:14 PM #5
Tangyes steam engine.
Hi Guys,
First off, many thanks for the thanks and likes on my last posts. In this post I have added some pictures of a rather nicely presented "Tangyes" steam engine, made in Birmingham UK. This engine is only one of the hundreds of variations that Tangyes made. This engine hasn't run since it was passed on to the museum. Commonly called a bottle engine, because of its shape.
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It was difficult to get into a good position for those first two pictures because of the brightness of the light behind. I've tried to take pictures that show as much detail as possible of the engine. No information was presented about this engine at all, it was simply stood on a plinth in the far corner of this display hall. There was some other interesting exhibits around the walls.
Enjoy:Best Regards:
Baron J.
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15th Aug 2018, 07:53 PM #6
Springs !
Hi Guys,
Adding some more pictures to this thread, this time a few coil springs made at a now defunct local spring works.
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This small collection illustrates some of the variety of springs made in the Black Country.
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These monsters were made for railway engines. Other than that there is no information about them. I suspect that the third one was a railway wagon or carriage spring. The first one is around 16" inches or so tall and about 5" inches in diameter. The second one is a little shorter at about 9" or 10" inches and a little smaller in diameter, but still a hefty spring.
The wooden box right at the top in the first picture is full of brass, copper, aluminium and steel rivets. Non of them much longer than 1/2" or 5/8" inch long. Unfortunately the plastic cover is badly clouded making taking its picture difficult.
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That's all for this post.
Thanks Guys.Best Regards:
Baron J.
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16th Aug 2018, 09:33 AM #7Most Valued Member
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Hi John
loving the pics so many thanks.
In the pic of the square section spring you'll notice that there isn't much room between the coils so not much compression can take place. These were normally used in safety valves to alleviate the chance of what is called 'carry over' when a safety valve vents. Carry over is when small droplets of water get carried out with the venting steam and of course will flash off into more steam creating an undesirable (explosive) event.
Here is a pic of the safety valve on a standard Cornish boiler
Phil
Fittings (10).jpg
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16th Aug 2018, 09:02 PM #8
Hello Phil,
Thank you for that information ! That spring in your picture looks to be identical. Dare I assume that the size is similar to the one in my picture. If so it makes me wonder just how much accurate information is actually known by the museum attendants.Best Regards:
Baron J.
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17th Aug 2018, 12:10 AM #9Most Valued Member
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Thanks for the pics, BJ. You're a mine of information, Phil. Where/how did you aquire it all?
KrynTo grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.
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17th Aug 2018, 03:08 AM #10
Hi Kryn,
A misspent youth, for us both. Say what, PhilBest Regards:
Baron J.
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19th Aug 2018, 07:53 AM #11Most Valued Member
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Hi Kryn
It's amazing what you can learn when you are interested in something. I can only wonder what might have been if schoolwork was that captivating.
Funny thing is, girls were an enigma that needed to be solved in those days, an even funnier thing is, they still are
Too true BJ I still laugh at some of the antics I got up to to get a pic or even just touch a piece of history. It's an illness that has no cure.
'Working' on heritage equipment alleviates the symptoms somewhat.
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19th Aug 2018, 04:35 PM #12Most Valued Member
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Hi Phil and BJ, You're right when you say learning about something that interests you. I failed both Woodwork and Metalwork at school, couldn't grasp the concept of raltionship of maths etc to what I wanted to become, which was a Mechanic. I didn't get there, but became a metal fabricator for 40 plus years, mainly self employed, and learnt what I couldn't understand at school, on the job so to speak.
When you say about girls being an enigma. I'm on number 3 and still can't work them out.
Heard a ripper of a joke, about a bloke who finally worked out how to understand women, poor bugger died before he could tell anyone!!!
Know a few others too, but a bit long to put here.
KrynTo grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.
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19th Aug 2018, 09:56 PM #13
Black Country castings.
Hi Guys, Kryn, Phil,
Kryn: Maths was always a poor subject for me. It wasn't till I got chance to go to collage that I started to understand more about the relationships to the physical world.
Phil: I can't say I understand women either, but after 46 years, you don't bother any more.
Now back to the topic. The theme of this post is "Castings". The Black Country was in the heartlands of the industrial revolution, not being too far away from "Ironbridge" and "Coalville". The birthplace of where it all started, in the 18th Century.
For those who have never heard of Ironbridge it is not only the name of a town in Shropshire but also of a bridge made of iron, the first ever constructed, which was cast in the local foundries and built across the River Severn by a man named Abraham Darby. There were a great many Iron foundry’s around this area, many specialising in just a few cast products. In this post I want to cover a little of what remains of the things that were produced by them.
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When we talk about castings, we also talk about how castings are made. This is a "Pattern" that has been made out of wood for an anchor, probably for a tug boat or a barge. I've tried to give some idea of size with the 12 litre (2 gallon) bucket just behind it. These patterns were painted red and used to make an impression in a spilt sand mould, that molten iron was poured into, producing the casting.
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This is a stove from the mid to late 19th century. It is not a single casting, but is made up from many castings. Even the pots and pans on top were castings. The only bits that are not cast iron are made from cast brass and machine finished. You can see the gas taps at the top right hand side. The red bit you can see on the left of the picture is another pattern. That one is one half of a pit head rope wheel.
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No this isn't an overgrown coffee grinder It is a mill for grinding corn or grain for making flour and would be found in the kitchen.
It was made by "ARCHd Kenrick & Sons", of Westbromwich. Sole Makers. Since this machine is a number 4, I suspect that there were smaller ones made. The wheel with the handle is approximately two feet across. Again apart from the wooden handle is all made from cast iron.
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A good many domestic items were made with cast iron. These beautiful letter box plates for doors and the door knockers. You rarely see them today, were exported all over the world by the thousands. Unfortunately non of the patterns for these lovely items exist today. Craftsmen must have put many hours of work into carving the details into them.
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Lastly is this an "Art Deco" gas heater or stove. Made between the wars of cast Iron, is one of the very few survivors of the drive for metal during WW2. Made from cast iron and anodised in a bronze colour with a glass window at the bottom which you had to lift up in order to light it, below the gas control valve, was made of cast brass, machined and nickel plated. Very early heaters had a mica window, a very expensive and easily damaged part, soon replaced by coloured glass.
Please enjoy ! This history, our history is very rapidly vanishing, only to be found in museums today.
If anybody can add history please do. Your knowledge has great value.Best Regards:
Baron J.
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21st Aug 2018, 03:14 AM #14
Titanic.
Hi Guys,
This will be my last post about my visit to the Black Country Museum, at least till the next time.
There are only four pictures in this post, showing two completely different engineering aspects. One that can be considered heavy engineering and one I would call precision engineering. See what you think.
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Wouldn't like them on my watch
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This beautiful filigree made from pieces of different tube sections.
Thanks Guys, your support is appreciated.Best Regards:
Baron J.
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22nd Aug 2018, 01:03 AM #15Intermediate Member
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Hi Baron, thanks for posting these I love the A&P filigree, is there any chance of getting a high res copy from you?
I'm kicking myself that I never found out about that place when I lived in the UK for a little while
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