Clik here to view.
Monochrome Meccano
Before there was colour, there was monochrome. Same with Meccano. Before 1926 or '27 the parts were not painted, but nickel-plated.Clean and shiny, these date to around 1920 and would have come with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Manufacturing firm footing for Meccano models
The tinkering with the small screws of the Meccano has grown a bit - so has the collection of parts. Even though there is a wide variety of parts to build many different types of models and mechanisms,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Colourful covers of Meccano literature
The very early Meccano parts were 'monochrome' in nickel and brass, the literature did come with colourful covers. The instruction books with models, but certainly the magazine covers of the late...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Somebody just had to already have tried this
When something can be imagined, then there is bound to be somebody that has actually tried it.And so it is with the suggestion that a typewriter could perhaps be constructed from Meccano. This fine...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Most dangerous substance in the house (and a use thereof)
There are a lot of hazardous substances in the house, not least things like bleach and drain cleaner. The small bottle of cyanoacrylate glue might actually be candidate for being the most dangerous...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Small physics demonstration
In the '28 manual, there's an instruction to construct a Newton's disc. The small apparatus with a colour wheel should demonstrate that the primary colours (or colours of the rainbow) fade into white...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fine steel wool and some wax
New arrival - not in a black leathercloth case. The case has sustained some scuffs and scratches, protecting the item inside. Nickel plating direct on plain steel is not the most durable finish,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fastening the iris screws
This is the item in the cleaned-up wooden case.This is another Bausch & Lomb microscope. A biological microscope with a 3-position revolving nosepiece, condenser and simple stage with clips. Came...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bausch & Lomb 32mm 4x objective
The newly acquired microscope came with two objectives on a three-position nosepiece. One empty spot to fill - ideally with a low power objective. The 10x objective is of the divisible kind, the lower...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Beige machine spotted
A beige and angular typewriter; Torpedo 'Cicero' in a shop.Looked a bit dejected, three keys down.To avoid any confusion, a small label explains that it is 'decoration' and not for sale. Either way, it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Oy oy oy Jozsi
Shellac record...Little surprise in a stack. A very 'chipper' record in a small stack of shellac records on the Imperial label. In an old box were about 15 records dating from around '32 from the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Spanning almost a century with spoked wheels
Loosely based on a model in the instruction manual, a small motorcar built from early nickel parts.Ribbon added by the kids; it's quite robust to be played with too. Survives rollovers just fine....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Moteur à ressort
An instruction leaflet for the Meccano motor number 2 (reversing). The address in Paris was the French factory at that time. This grand building still stands, currently a school.This sheet must've been...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Principal Operating Parts of the Remington Noiseless Portable typewriter
Have had a Remington Noiseless Portable typewriter for a while now. Given the age of such machines when acquired second-hand, not surprising this came without its user manual. Recently just happened to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Magnification table and butterfly wing scale dimensions
As far as I can tell Bausch & Lomb didn't include a magnification table inside the lid of their microscope cases. This was common practice for most European makers. Sometimes filled out by hand for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Boxes - archeologists tools
Unexpectedly, two typewriter shipping cases turned up in a small local archeology museum. Hadn't expected anything this modern there. These were on display as part of the archaeologists tools. (With a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Safari sightings
In the few local thrift shops, there hardly ever are typewriters. Maybe they're gone quickly, or just not brought in that often. This time round however there actually were typewriters. Three of them...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Colourful Columbia
Playing music from a stack of records from the early thirties...Quite a few American records were in there that somehow found their way across the Atlantic. (The market here always was very...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Replacing the paper tray on a Remington Portable 2
Already a while back the paper tray of this black Remington Portable 2 typewriter was replaced with a nicer specimen. From having bought a parts machine and a box of assorted Portable parts, there's a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Produx pocket calculator
A very simple mechanical calculator of the Troncet-type, more commonly known here as 'an addiator'. This Produx was probably the main competitor to the Addiator. This particular little calculator...
View Article
