MTFCA Forum

I was invited to pick through some auto memorabilia which was to be disposed of soon. I hesitate to even look at collections but couldn't resist. There is barely room for what I have.
However, I came home with some treasures that have some charm and will squeeze them into the garage. I couldn't bear the thought of them going to the dump. I looked for info on the King 6v battery charger with no luck on this model. A Lester Lemco on ebay is very similar and advertised as 1920. I think this one is later than that. The tag lettering seems like '30s or '40s to me. Another interesting item is this tin of "Carborundum" abrasive compound. The label looks like something from the turn of the century, but I suppose this can was sold later than that. The style and design of the label is delightful era advertising and will fit in with other similar items of a shelf. I see the company still makes abrasive products and several versions of their products pop up on eBay and the other sites. More later.
Rich

Very nice stuff, and well worth saving, or passing along. Search: "Mercury Rectifier" / Mercury Arc Rectifier".


Perhaps more relevant:

https://bulbs.2yr.net › ge-tungar-bulb.php
GE Tungar Rectifier Bulb - 2yr.net
They were used in early battery chargers.......

Cool find Rich... love the can.

Thanks. I had never seen a Tungar Rectifier Bulb before.
There was a lot of literature there and amongst it all were a few reproduction sales booklets. These are of a Mercer. There were no dates on them, but I think this is about 1920 Mercer Series 5. The style and design of them is pretty nice.
sadly only a few were early. most was much later.
Rich

I am cramped for space as well but when invited to salvage some stuff from being destroyed, I go get it and make do.

The player piano rolls I saved a while back,are still in my way. I take them to engine shows and swap meets and people just look at them all wide eyed as to what they are.
I would give them to someone who has a machine or a collection cheerfully just to see that they are preserved.
And thanks for that link about the rectifier bulbs as I have a 6 volt radio battery charger that is missing 1.

"cramped for space" My wife tells the story of our first date. I opened the door to my small garage packed to the ceiling with old junk and car parts. Then I proceeded to drive the Speedster out of the pile leaving a void the exact shape of the Speedster in it. She fell in love with either the Speedster or the knack to stack junk. In the assemblage was this Meiser & Co Enginair Power tire pump. I found a similar one on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/264999664482?_ ... 101224.m-1
I think it could be adapted to a Model T.

That "stuff" is worth saving if only to look at !!

"There never was a worser car than a Mercer !"
Neat to see the catalogue. My mental picture of the Mercer stops at the "Raceabout" vs. "Bearcat" era. I fell in love with both when you were building your "Minnie Mercer" - or is it a "Bitty Bear-cat" ?? More history to keep up on.

Much of these we only look at once. I wonder if it is worth the space it takes up. A few of the things I went back to for information or identifying other cars. If I can find it, it is worth keeping around.
These are from a 1917 Sept. Popular Mechanics. I don't recall seeing them before. There were 2 stacks '50s of Popular Mechanics. I left them as I have some that I never look at. It was hard not to take them but.....
Rich

A 1937 GE pamphlet had these 2 pages that might be useful. Some of the numbers are relevant to Model T years I believe.

Hi Rich,
So which Floyd Clymer's scrap book is under the # 3 My guess would be # 5. Fun story about the engine cylinder air pump. Back in the 1970's @ a motorcycle rally some one used one of those to pump up a air mattress ( a real luxury at that time ) some time in the night the mattress was exposed to spark or flame and the air fuel mixture flashed. No one was seriously burned but very embarrassed.
Craig.

I passed the point of NEEDING more stuff about 50 years ago.
I struggle with this A LOT. It disturbs me deeply to have old
stuff go to the dump or be destroyed. Much of it is cool to
SOMEONE out there. I plex a lot, trying to find connections
between those with stuff and those who would cherish it.

Low asking price; buyer pays shipping.

#3 is right Craig. I did not have it. I have 3 #5s now. I'd trade for a #4. That explosion would have been a real surprise!
Too much stuff is a never-ending struggle. Better stuff always comes along. I have things I could part with until someone wants it. Then it seems more valuable. I started a junk pile to take to the salvage yard. That is often where I find just the right size piece when I'm building something.
Helping this last fellow lighten his load reminds me of what I or my family will face someday. I can't let that spoil the fun.
I mentioned earlier my 3-week task of sorting two buckets of bolts. It's all cheap entertainment.
Keep warm Burger.
Go figure.
Rich

Rich; Sounds like you need to build a new garage to alleviate the overcrowding in the original garage. Let me know when you get to 4 garage's / shed's that will give me an excuse to build another for myself!

That got me to thinking of the Monty Python "Two sheds" skit.

Thanks a lot Pat,
I had to google Monty Python My Wife tells me every time I go to the swap meet that if I bring back anything bigger than a bread box it had better have plans for another building in it.
Craig.

Simple math tells me that for what a new garage would cost I could buy one or two more cars. I have one too many cars now but can't choose one to part with. I also have enough parts to build 3 or 4 more Ts. The problem doesn't seem solvable.
It's more fun to venture to a corner where I can discover something I forgot I had. Every day can be Christmas.
Rich

I have not gone to a garage sale, yard sale, or estate sale in years. I don’t miss what I don’t know about and after having sold over 200 items on eBay for over $40,000.00, I don’t need anymore. Jim Patrick

I had a battery charger like that one
Best charger I ever had
The rectifier bulb was touchy
Limited to 6 Amp because of the rectifier

I'm glad to hear your charger worked well Art. I'm sure with some work and knowledge this could be made usable too. With a little rearranging it fits well of this shelf. There is always some wasted space that can be filled up. By putting some less interesting items in this box, it takes up little space and I like the logo even if it isn't Model T era. The fellow who collected all this stuff would be happy to know I am enjoying it and others are getting to see it. Does anybody collect tune-up charts? This calendar was from the dealer that mixed the Emron for my Yellow Speedster as well as Dulux for most of my other cars in those days. He apologized for how ugly the Kewanee Green was for my Model A claiming there must have been a mistake. It did look awfully drab by itself. The contrasting Elkpoint Green and Apple Green wheels and stripe are a stunningly wonderful combination. I left many calendars behind but had room to put this one up. The "...West Bank Jobber" refers to the West side of the Snake River and Idaho Falls. In the '20s, they laughed at Ferris Clark when he built his Cabin Camp on the wrong side of the river in those lava rocks. He built his little riverside empire into one of the most prosperous parts of the city along the banks of the falls. He was a family friend who always enjoyed my Model A. I didn't think of how wealthy he was at the time. When I got into Model Ts, he mentioned working at a gas station and a coupe that came in which they used the gas tank under the seat to sit on as an outhouse. What a disgusting thing! He left me a little bag of car badges he had collected.
I am finding time to enjoy these items more than I thought.
Funny what we enjoy doing.
Rich

Buckets of bolts, sheesh, That brings to mind my "bolt bins"
When i took the job at NCDOT putting up road signs, it was and still is common practice when removing a old sign to discard all bolts and use new 1's on the reinstall.
My first day on the job we took down a sign and the other guy just chunked the bolt he removed out in the woods. I ask why and he explained. I put the 1 I took out in my pocket. Well, I was with Dot for almost 14 years total.
Once I learned what was going on, I put a coffee can on the back of the truck and I kept all the bolts each day. Sometimes on light days I just stuck em in my pocket.
Well, fast forward a long story to the conclusion.after my accident a freind came along and for several months he helped fix things and build things around the house. 1 of the things he noticed I needed was a bolt bin.
So 1 of my sheds has a 10 foot long set of 3 rows of bins for bolts.
3/8ths carriage heads from the old wood post signs,along with alot of square nuts that come in handy on some T projects
5/16ths of several different lengths along with flat washers ,nuts and etc.
And some other stuff.
it turned out I had cut off milk jugs full of bolts in my CLOSET I had forgot about ,each day I had a few in my pocket i guess i just threw them in the jugs.
Fast forward to today, I use bolts from that bin on most everything I do. If I "design" a project,it of course uses bolts I already have.
I can't imagine the price of the hardware I have used over the years that would have been wasted.

Isn't it nice to have things like that on hand. It's well worth the space it takes up even if we only use some of it.
I mentioned this brochure a while back. In the mentioned collection were another stack of these Stromberg WS brochures.
https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php? ... rg#p225113 Here it is again to enjoy. I'm sure it came from the same Ashton, Id dearer. If anyone would like one, just send a stamped self-addressed envelope to me at: I will get it right out to you free. I don't need this many.
Folded it is 3 1/2" X 6 1/4".