30/9/26 Husker-Shredder Q. The Long Island Antique Power Association has had the good fortune to acquire a McCormick Husker Shredder as shown in the photo, and as illustrated on page 192 of the book, 150 Years of International Harvester. The machine is complete and can be made operational with a minimum of work. We would like to know the year built, the model, and the size of engine required to drive it. Any operating instructions would also be helpful. Any help would be appreciated. David Gardiner, Long Island Antique Power Association, PO Box 1134, Riverhead, NY 11901.
A Most of these machines pulled fairly easy; an 8-16 or a 10-20 tractor should be quite capable. Husker-shredders can be dangerous to feed, so caution should be exercised.
30/9/27 Lauson Engine Q. See the photos of my 3 HP Lauson air-cooled engine built by the Lauson Corporation, New Holstein, Wisconsin. The engine is a 3 HP, Model VAS800, 1800 rpm. 1 would like to correspond with anyone with information on these engines, especially the year built. Any information will be greatly appreciated. Bob Broome, 25 Washington St., Mendon, MA 01756.
Readers Write
30/4/62 Making New Valves As an answer to inquiry 30/4/62, I would suggest an ordinary masonry or concrete drill and grind it like a steel drill. This will drill a hole in any hard material like high speed steel. Insert it in a drillpress and with 2-3000 rpm and a very firm press you will be through in seconds. See the photo (30/9/29) of a file which I perforated with an ordinary masonry drill ground like I said above. I hope this will be of help. P-G Fagerberg, . Vemmenhog 1945, S-274 54 Skivarp, Sweden.
30/4/19D Unidentified I believe that the object on the hoist in this photo is the frame of a moulder which is a machine to surface or profile wood on four sides. Kirk Achtell, RR3, Inlet Rd., Buckingham, Quebec J8L 2W8 Canada.
30/2/4 Spark Coils Edison coil short fat coilI have never seen this in any of my stack of books. You should take a look at the Edison dynamos in some of the books, called ‘Daddy Long Legs’ with skinny field coils.
The Model T Ford spark coil was long and skinny with a core about x 4 inches long, made of round pieces of wire. The standard ignition coil for years, 6-12 volt, also were long and skinny.
For example, the old Webster coil ‘outer case’ 21/4 x 5 inch steel, uses a long coil inside on old models (igniter type). The newer used the same case, but used the standard transformer choke coil core, made compact by using silicon steel ‘I’ and ‘E’ laminations. The whole unit was about two inches square. The case was mostly empty.
Ignitor points are open till just before ignition to save the battery and keep the coil from overheating. Points close just before ignition to magnetize the iron core, then when they open, the magnetized core demagnetizes in split second time, causing a reverse in a voltage kick, causing a spark of much higher voltage than the original battery was.
Regarding welders and several inches of arc. After World War Two, welders were scarce, so I built and sold some. The one I use is a homemade job, but I also have three factory made ones. If one makes too long an arc it can be dangerous. An arc maximum of inch is enough. In welding, a short arc is best. After the war we rewound a Hobart battery charger generator into a 40 volt d.c. welder. It still is in use, and is powered by a Willys car motor. I’m 77 and in my time I’ve rewound motors, generators, transformers, chokes, magnet chargers, and built radios, transmitters, and wind chargers. Don’t ask me anything about computers and this newfangled stuff. Herbert H. Eltz, RFD 1, Box 109, Juniata, Nebraska.
Modelmakers Corner
Nicholson Models
Photo MM-1 is a one-third scale model Baker Monitor engine machined from a casting kit purchased from Richard Daoust of Waukesha, Wisconsin. The pump is scratch-built from brass stock. It is scaled to1/3 and I worked from pictures and measurements taken from a Monitor pump displayed at the Rock River Thresheree Show at Edgerton, Wisconsin. This model setup has pumped water during many shows around Wisconsin and at Sandwich, Illinois, for several years.
Photos MM-2 and MM-3 are of a scratch-built model Fuller &. Johnson JA. I worked with pictures and measurements taken from a full-sized JA at Waukee, Iowa. I scaled the measurements down to a little less than scale, as I used the flywheels from the late Paul Breisch’s Hired Man kit. The flywheels are the only castings used in this model. The crankcase is machined from an aluminum block; the cylinder and head are machined from cast iron bar stock. The smaller parts are of brass.
I have built several engines from kits, but this was my first attempt at building an engine from scratch. I’m very pleased with how well it runs. William F. Nicholson, 301 N. Morris, Stoughton, WI 53589.
Anderson Hot Air Model
Pictured at MM-4 is a model of a C. A. Anderson and E. A. Anderson hot air engine, patented May 30, 1897. It is scaled up from a three-inch drawing of the patent application. After I started work on the model I discovered that Olaf A. Berge of Cass Lake, Minnesota, was building a full size one, and we started corresponding relative to linkages, compression, ratio, etc. The engine pictured has a 2-inch bore and Ole’s has a 41/4 inch bore. Olaf builds full-scale replicas of rare and unusual hot air engines. The only information I’ve been able to find is that 30 of the R & E hot air engines were built, and one is in existence. Joseph T. Hanson, 111 Fairway Drive, Haines City, FL 33844.
A Closing Word
You folks probably get mighty weary of hearing us harp about safety, but recently we read in the local papers of someone who inadvertently started what could have been a major fire. On a construction site, a man filled up the gas tank on a concrete saw. Not believing there was any kind of danger, he left it sitting alongside the job. Someone then dropped a cigarette butt in the grass, setting it afire, and igniting the gasoline can. Fortunately, it burned itself out without exploding. Moral: the same thing can happen at engine shows. The point: Please be careful!
We’re looking forward to meeting many of you folks at the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion at Mt. Pleasant in September, where once again we’ll be representing Gas Engine Magazine. After that, it’s off on the Gas Engine Extravaganza to Germany and other points.
The purpose of the Reflections column is to provide a forum for the exchange of all useful information among subscribers to GEM. Inquiries or responses should be addressed to: REFLECTIONS, Gas Engine Magazine, P.O. Box328, Lancaster, PA17608-0328.
