MTFCA Forum

I have been collecting Stevens tools and products for years. I have never seen anyone ever mention a seldom seen product line of theirs. The long box with lock washers I show in the pictures, is shown in their tool catalogs. The little cardboard cans with the tin lids I have never seen listed in any form. The five cans I have are sold as "Automobile Specialties" or 'Automobile Necessities". My five products in the little cans are cotter keys, square nuts, taper pins, ball bearings, and brazing speltzer. I think the brazing speltzer is what they may use to braze the pan arms and other ugly rough brazing jobs on the crankcase. ???? Any insight as to what "brazing speltzer" would be appreciated. Anyone else have any of the little cans with different products ... ??

The box of lock washers is 11-7/8 inches long for size.



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Speltzer: all but obsolete form of bronze welding (brazing)
Brazing Speltzer: alloy for bronze welding

Donnie, that's pretty neat to have those...consumables and paper products just don't normally last

Scott. "Obsolete" that fits our Model Ts to a T I may have the spelling wrong. It may be spelter instead of speltzer. My label is missing half of the word, but there is a "ghost image" of what looks like "tzer" where my label is missing those letters.

I have actively collected and searched for Stevens tools, catalogs, and other products for over 40 years. These are the only little cans I have ever seen... They were not found as a group. They all were found one at a time over the years ... I would think they would have stood a better chance of survival as a group, than me being lucky enough to find them one at a time ....

Those are washers and etc. that are extremely hard to find. It’s amazing you found them at all. Small items from long ago usually have gotten pitched out or simply gotten lost over many years. I’m not an expert in old tool collecting but this probably was a shop kit that was around before you had the selections at hardware stores as we have now, Just a guess but a rare find to be sure. Neat.

Donnie, I think Speltzer morphed into Spelter. And "Spelter" is also a term used for cheap (but now collectible) zinc cast statuary. After casting, the zinc was copper plated and then patinated to look like bronze...thus the tie-in for the nomenclature. It was very popular with clock manufacturers and used to make cheap and plentiful castings for ornamental clocks. They all did it, but I think Ansonia outdid themselves in its use. The better ones vied for buyers of more expensive european bronze cast clocks and tempted them with much lower prices.

Donnie,

Thanks for collecting, photographing, posting these images and sharing the information. We are all blessed by the generosity of the members on this forum. You have contributed to the quality of life for us.

Thanks and Merry Christmas,

Dom

Scott, Thanks for the info. I love all the knowledge and info that the members of this forum possess.

Dom, Thanks ......

Donnie I have only seen the rusty lids..., Thanks for solving the mystery in my head!

Hank

So far no one has said they have any of the little cans. Do I have the only ones left. ?????

Sometime in the last few years I posted about coming across one of those little cans of automobile fasteners. It is a little short can with a screw on lid. The lid is embossed with something that I can't remember right now. The can is over an inch high and about an inch and a half in diameter. It is full of cotter pins.
I'm not near it right now otherwise I would get a picture of it.

Herb, that sounds like the little cans I show above. They are small cans with screw on lids.

I tried to do a forum search to see if I could find the post I had made about that little can of cotter keys. It didn't come up. Perhaps someone else can find it.