High-quality black-and-white photographs of large old machines and tools

[sossol]

Is that Waldo's grandfather?

[Frank S]

Is that Waldo's grandfather?

But at least it wasn't the unpleasant profession of Johnathan Hog.

[CharlesWaugh]

My son is a millwright.
He was working in a steel tube mill - this is the take-up winder that rolls up the slit rolls after they've been slit to width (you can see various widths of them in the background of one of the shots.)

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Hmmm... I wanted those to link out to these BIG images:

http://www.charleswaugh.com/mill2.jpg
http://www.charleswaugh.com/mill1.jpg
http://www.charleswaugh.com/mill3.jpg
http://www.charleswaugh.com/mill4.jpg


Cheers!

[PJs]

That guy (Machine Thinking) is quite good and informative in his presentation videos. He is especially good and blending old reels with quality narration. The Pictures you have brought forward Jon are just as telling on the enormity and impact these machines have had on humankind. Such High Quality photos and well preserved scans. Thanks Very Much for following the leads from the previous threads and postings on presses.

So many thoughts and questions are provoked for me, like the giant accumulators @4500psi and what kind of vessel material, welding and QA did they go through to last in use for 60 years, to the holding of tolerance on the giant pistons to keep 4500psi from slicing something in half in a leak...to who shot the pictures and what kind of camera and lenses did they use...and the 50-100 draftsmen (-persons [PC]) working at 1:100/0 scale for probably 5,000 drawings and design changes, plus the blueprint operators with the ammonia machines. And of course the countless Engineers of all trades that designed them, and their untold stories of trials, tribulation and triumph, built prototypes and tested them. And many a sleepless nights of many a worker, engineer, foreman, VP, CEO on a project of these magnitudes being pressed (pun @¿~) to get it done on time and of course on budget!

At some level these could be considered as additional wonders of the world imho.

PJ

And I forgot all about all the substations built to run a plant of this size with 1500hp motors...and all those people...then the water, plumbing, and building crew for the building(s) and a cafeteria...and then some.

[Jon]

Agreed on Machine Thinking's work. BTW, he just registered on the forum and posted another excellent video: World's Oldest Micrometer - 1776! Who made this thing??

[Jon]

Library of Congress once again:

STEAM HAMMER, VIEW IS EAST. - East Broad Top Railroad & Coal Company, Blacksmith Shop, State Route 994, West of U.S. Route 522, Rockhill Furnace, Huntingdon County, PA

Significance: The Blacksmith Shop, along with the Machine Shop and Foundry, was one of the three primary metalworking facilities at the East Broad Top Shop complex. Built prior to 1882, and enlarged after a fire in 1908, the wood-frame, board-and-batten sided Blacksmith shop was equipped for both general and specialized metal forming tasks. Major blacksmithing equipment includes three coal-fired forges, a massive 3,300 lb. steam-powered forging hammer, a smaller belt-driven hammer, and a reciprocating metal saw. Two areas of the Blacksmith Shop were devoted to specific processes and utilized specialized equipment. Locomotive boiler flues were cleaned, swoged, and rewelded using an oil-fired forge and pneumatic flue swager, and locomotive elliptic spring clusters were repaired and tempered by the EBT blacksmiths. Some occasional light smithing has been performed since the EBT ceased operation in 1956, and some minor stabilization of the structure has been done, otherwise, the Blacksmith Shop remains in essentially original condition.

Fullsize image: https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...r_fullsize.jpg

[CharlesWaugh]

Here is a wikipedia page with an engineering-type drawing of that hammer (there is a link to a very large file of the drawing)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...et_6_of_6).png

[Jon]

Electric locomotive under construction. Note the Buchli drive. Date unknown. Captioned as:

Schweizerische Lokomotiv- und Maschinenfabrik (SLM Winterthur) - a new electric locomotive under construction
A prototype Swiss-built SLM locomotive, which was finally sold to (or especially built for) France. French locomotive builders, especially in Graffenstaden, have often cooperated with SLM in the design and construction of new and experimental electric locomotives.

Fullsize image: https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...n_fullsize.jpg

[Frank S]

Judging by the bosses cast in the large traction wheels they might have been originally cast for a steam locomotive. I;m figuring that the smaller wheels with the brakes on them were for emergency use or for parking Relying on electromotive braking whit the big wheels by reversing the current.

[PJs]

Stunning detail in the hi-res with quite excellent contrast levels. Was able to count 18 layers of the leaf springs and a whole lot of big rivets...and he details of the runner car are even better. Interesting double acting cylinder for brakes but Not a Westinghouse brake system...similar cantilever but the leading levers are the same size as the trailing ones.