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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    Adelaide
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    Default Newly Acquired old Bench Grinder model identification..

    I am hoping somebody can tell me what year this grinder is and what was original paint colour? I paid $60 for it and it actually works. I love the way it looks so purposeful.

    IMG_20180816_191334.jpg

  2. #2
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    May 2011
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    Murray Bridge S Aust.
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    Hi Eric, is it a GMF grinder? Try taking a hand wire brush to it and see if some of that "colour" will come off and show its original colour.
    Can't really remember whatcolour the GMF brand was.
    Found this link which might help, Old GMF Grinder - original colour?
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  3. #3
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    Jul 2016
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    Melbourne
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    Default

    It's definitely a GMF I have one almost identical. Can't help with the colour as mine has also been painted a vivid green.

  4. #4
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    Adelaide
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    Quote Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore View Post
    Hi Eric, is it a GMF grinder? Try taking a hand wire brush to it and see if some of that "colour" will come off and show its original colour.
    Can't really remember whatcolour the GMF brand was.
    Found this link which might help, Old GMF Grinder - original colour?
    Kryn
    Kryn

    I cant see any of the photos in that thread for some reason.

    Eric

  5. #5
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    Unfortunately, pics from that time have disappeared, hopefully someone will be able to locate the pics for you.
    It was more the write up that I posted for you to read,
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  6. #6
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    Dec 2005
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    South Australia
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    Default

    Green I will take a pic tomorrow and post

  7. #7
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    Jul 2011
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    Default

    Thanks China. I found some dull green paint under the base. Was it originally gloss? Also any idea of the time of manufacture?

    Quote Originally Posted by China View Post
    Green I will take a pic tomorrow and post

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Country West Oz
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    77
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    169

    Default

    I have a GMF from the mid 70's and it looks more modern than yours, so I assume yours is older than that.
    The colour of mine is a sort of hammertone green.
    Regards
    Bradford

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    South Australia
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    Default

    I could not get to the grinder that is the same as yours, mate parked his Ranger too close to it however this one is the same colour hmm!! no way to post photo any more

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    melbourne australia
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    Default

    This one appears to be similar. Maybe a different vintage.

    https://www.allbids.com.au/c/industr...grinder-780174
    Chris

  11. #11
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    Dec 2005
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    South Australia
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    Default

    Here is the picP1010276.jpg

  12. #12
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    Aug 2008
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    Charlestown NSW
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    Quote Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore View Post
    Found this link which might help, Old GMF Grinder - original colour?
    Kryn
    I started that thread and guess what, I still haven't gotten around to repainting the old grinder. I have mounted it on a different bench though and now have two grinding wheels on it instead of 1 grinder and 1 wire wheel. It takes even longer to run down now with the 2 stones on it.
    Of course I had totally forgotten about thinking of a colour change for it when I transfered it to the new bench late last year so didnt really take any notice of what colour it was under the base. oops.
    Still a great old grinder. What I really like about this old grinder is it has very substantial tool rests that are attached to the base of the machine. Not some flimsy bit of pressed steel screwed to the wheel guard
    peter

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Perth, Western Australia.
    Posts
    8

    Default

    lamestlama - Your GMF grinder would be a 1950's model, for sure. It's a very nice example of some of the great post-WW2, Australian-designed-and built, workshop equipment, designed to last more than one persons lifetime.
    This equipment was also exported to many other countries - even as far as Canada. You'll find a "GMF grinder" discussion on Garage Journal.

    The GMF company was an electric motor manufacturer who branched out into manufacturing equipment powered with the GMF electric motors. About the early 1980's, GMF was bought out by Betts Electric Motors, a division of James N Kirby.
    Later on, sometime in the late 1980's/early 1990's, manufacturing of GMF grinders in Australia ceased, and they were then made in Taiwan.

    I bought a new GMF 8" grinder in 1965, when I first started in business as a bulldozing contractor. The older brother and I built a trailer-mounted welder, essentially a mobile workshop, for fixing our old unreliable Allis-Chalmers bulldozer.
    The welder was a belt-driven Lincoln Electric, driven by a Vanguard motor (bought for $20 from a wrecker!) - with 32V ancillary power from the Lincoln welder.
    We bought a 32V GMF grinder, plus a 32V Wolf heavy duty 1/2" drill (with drill stand) to go with the welder setup.
    It was all finished off with racks for the very necessary, "G size" oxy and acetylene bottles! That old welder, and the ever-reliable Vanguard, provided many, many years of bulldozer repair support!

    The GMF grinder you have pictured is an early version because of the squared-off motor body casting. Later models, including the one I purchased in 1965, had a rounded motor body casting.
    Not only were the rests on these models, good solid cast items - the grinder also came with proper square-shaped, fold-down eye protectors, made from thick glass!

    Here's a pic (borrowed from another site), of the typical 1960's GMF 8" grinder.

    GMF grinder.jpg

    If you can dig up a copy of Power Farming Technical Annual from the 1960's or early 1970's (which are unfortunately, collectors items today), you can find "write-ups" on products such as the GMF grinders.
    I have found a poor (small) scan of a page from the PFTA from 1972, showing the GMF grinder "write-up".

    I have a couple of copies of PFTA buried in the archives, I'll have to try and dig them up, and see if they contain any GMF information.

    Power-Farming-GMF.JPG

  14. #14
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    Jul 2011
    Location
    Adelaide
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    837

    Default

    Peter,

    It was the tool rests that convinced me to buy this grinder too. Mine is definitely earlier than the one China posted as mine has a square bodied motor section.

    Today I started stripping it down ready for a repaint, new bearings and a new electricity cord. I have found the original colour deep inside the thing. While I was at it I thought I would measure the runout of the surprisingly well preserved shaft at each end. In each case total indicated reading was less than 0.01 mm. Pretty good for a 60-70 year old piece of machinery.

    Eric

  15. #15
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    Dec 2005
    Location
    South Australia
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    Default

    I have three one is a tool grinder for lathe tooling, that has the square housing although it is grey in colour, I have another one with square housing that is just a general bench grinder that one is green like the one I posted, unless your bearings are shot there is probably no need to replace them

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