Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.
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mikeC
Joined: 31 Jul 2009 Posts: 1776 Location: Market Warsop, Nottinghamshire
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 5:44 pm Post subject: Any ideas what this is? |
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I have had this contraption rolling around in my goodies box for years, and have never been able to identify its use... any ideas?
It is labelled "Motorine" so presumably has a motoring connection; it consists of a steel tube approx 1.5" diameter and 3.5" long, with an internal plunger which can be locked in the 'down' position, or pulled out approx 1" against a pretty strong spring. As you can see, it has a flange mounting with two wing nuts, so presumably it is intended to be demountable... but I cannot for the life of me imagine what it's for
[IMG]
I would date it as probably early 1920s, but who knows |
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Penman
Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 4763 Location: Swindon, Wilts.
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michael1703
Joined: 22 Jul 2009 Posts: 349 Location: suffolk
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:27 pm Post subject: |
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some cars had a greasing system where you could grease all the points with one pump or crank
this could be where you put the grease in, twist it and the plunger pumps the grease to the lubrication points |
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47p2
Joined: 24 Nov 2007 Posts: 2009 Location: Glasgow
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 9:11 pm Post subject: |
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I wonder if you maybe fill it with grease or oil and the spring slowly releases the lubricant _________________ ROVER
One of Britain's Fine Cars |
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michael1703
Joined: 22 Jul 2009 Posts: 349 Location: suffolk
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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according to google, motorine was owned by prices lubricants
price is still in business in battersea with its renowned candle factory on battersea park road
they produced engine oil and upper cylinder lubricant and possibly were something to do with kismet foot pumps
some info here
Price's Motorine
Edward Price & Co was established by William Wilson and his partners in 1830 to manufacture candles using a recently discovered process from coconut oil. (There never was an Edward Price; the name was invented to hide the true owners' involvement in the business.) Developing new saponification techniques to create better candles in the 1850s, Price's found that a by-product - oleine - made an excellent lubricant and initially sold it to cloth companies. By the turn of the century, Price's had introduced their "Motorine" for the growing number of cars and even attempted, in 1902, to drive a car to the South Pole to demonstrate the quality of their lubricants!
The soap giant Lever Brothers bought the company in 1919 and three years later sold an interest to a consortium of Shell, BP and Burmah Oil, who supplied it with raw materials. As the lubricants became more important than the original candles, Lever lost interest and sold out to its partners in 1936; by then Motorine had acquired a reputation as a high quality product marketed as the "oilier oil".
In 1951, it introduced Britain's first multigrade oil (Energol, a name originally used by a BP predecessor in France), which proved so successful that BP dropped the Price's name on lubricants altogether in 1954. The candles business remained owned by the three oil companies until 1982, when Shell bought out its partners, before selling the company to management in 1998.
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=7WsUfpdkli8C&pg=PA24&lpg=PA24&dq=%2Bmotorine+brass&source=bl&ots=V23kgOfcZ2&sig=LWw7TeD0wvG9zVC-rEqSFmFHsyw&hl=en&ei=MCrPSvjTFsX3-Aax8uj6Ag&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7#v=onepage&q=%2Bmotorine%20brass&f=false |
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Scotty
Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 883
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Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 8:41 am Post subject: |
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I think its a "tap" type device used in conjunction with large drums of motor oil to dispense oil.
There would be an outlet hole with a flange almost at the bottom of the side of the drum where this device would be "clipped" onto, thus providing a means of dispensing oil without the need to lift or tip the drum to pour the oil from it's top outlet. With this tap fitted all the mechanic needed to do was to place his oil can under the hole you can see in the device, operate it's plunger and oil would flow out of the drum, through the tap and into his can.
Scotty |
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mikeC
Joined: 31 Jul 2009 Posts: 1776 Location: Market Warsop, Nottinghamshire
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Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 8:49 am Post subject: |
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Scotty wrote: | I think its a "tap" type device used in conjunction with large drums of motor oil to dispense oil.
There would be an outlet hole with a flange almost at the bottom of the side of the drum where this device would be "clipped" onto, thus providing a means of dispensing oil without the need to lift or tip the drum to pour the oil from it's top outlet. With this tap fitted all the mechanic needed to do was to place his oil can under the hole you can see in the device, operate it's plunger and oil would flow out of the drum, through the tap and into his can.
Scotty |
Ah-ha!
That makes sense - that would explain why it locks shut, and has to be held in the open position, and also the Motorine id would be upermost and visible.
Many thanks |
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