What type of air compressors back in the 30s?

WeirdDeere · Nov 8, 2009

Just had a random thought...

Air compressors are pretty much a standard part of many farm shops for working on tractors or vehicles.

But what about when pneumatic tires were first introduced? Farmers would need a good way to pump up their tires on the farm.

I guess I'm asking about before electric air compressors were "standard". Would there be a compressor powered by a small engine? I've heard about and seen a few PTO airpumps advertised...but they don't seem to be very widespread? I could be very wrong.

Thanks,
Brandon

buickanddeere · Nov 8, 2009

In that era the old timers complained about the darn fool new expensive pneumatic tires that were being forced upon them.
Wood, solid rubber and steel was good enough for their Pappy & Grand Pappy. It was good enough for them.
A check valve abomination with a hose and chuck that threaded into a sparkplug thread was popular. With a multi cylinder engine of course. Can't see how the gasoline fumes did the inner tube any good.
Then some variations of using one motor to drive another. With the driven motor having the sparkplug check valve.
The old classic bicycle pump.
Pto driven piston pumps chained onto the drawbar became very popular around here. And remained so into the 1970's.Still drag one out every once and a while for use in the back 40.

Gun guru · Nov 8, 2009

At my old place of employment we had an old style piston compressor that looked like it belonged on a battle ship from WW2. It was a Quincy 2 stage 15HP I believe. (way to old and inefficient) We upgraded to a 25Hp rotary screw.

Dick2 · Nov 8, 2009

What buickanddeere said; plus we had a couple of foot operated air pumps that were easier on the back than the "bicycle" pumps.

Neighbor had a big old 1-cylinder compressor from the 30's. I finally found him a 3 HP electric motor that would run that compressor.

Dusty MI · Nov 8, 2009

The thing that was screwed in place of the spark plug pumped fresh air into the tire not air that came threw the carburetor. And they were slow but not as slow or as hard as using the hand pump.

Dusty

brokenot · Nov 8, 2009

Where did the fresh air come from if it wasn't drawn through the intake tract?

Pale Rider · Nov 8, 2009

Air compressors of that era were typically spindly, universally cursed and operated by placing both hands on the horizontal handle and vigorously raising and lowering it countless times.

fixerupper · Nov 8, 2009

I saw a compressor conversion made from a Model A Ford engine that used two cyliders to pump the air while the other two cylinders powered it. If I'm thinking right this was a commercially available kit. Anyone else seen one of these? Jim

fixerupper · Nov 8, 2009

My dad, being the conservative type, never bought a compressor in his life. He screwed the spark plug type into the JD A and pumped away. Then grandpa felt sorry for him and bought him a Wards 1/2 horse compressor for Christmas in 1962. I still have the wards and use it occassionally but it's sooooo slow. Jim

Steve A W · Nov 8, 2009

Here is a compressor from the mid thirties.
the motor showes a patent date of 1924,
the tank was made in 1935.
I saved it from the scrap man. I didn't need another compressor, but I couldn't let it get
melted down into cheap tools. Now I've got to
sell it so my Wife can park in the garage.

Dusty MI · Nov 8, 2009

The device was/is about the same size as the spark plug. As
someone said it had check valves in it. It had slots in the sides of
it where the fresh was drawn into the cylinder then pushed out
the top into the hose and on to the tire.

Dusty

Anonymous-0 · Nov 8, 2009

I have an engine/compressor made in the mid 70's, it is a 231 CI Buick engine, the right bank has a special cast head that employs special intake and exhaust valves, it is rated as 55 CFM. I have completely rebuilt/restored it. I use it for small sand blast projects. It was marketed under the name of PORTA-AIR. The manufacturer also made units using Jeep and Ford 302 engines. I have seen similar units employing a Model A Ford engine, using the two inner cylinders for compression.

Anonymous-0 · Nov 8, 2009

Being that the tank in the picture looks to be an arc welded pressure vessel, I question whether it was made in 1935. An old service station that's since gone had a big air tank of about 120 gallons that was completely rivetted. Is there an asme tag on the tank that says date of manufacture, 1935? Could the 3 be a 5 maybe? Looks a little too modern to me. Dave

XRogerX · Nov 8, 2009

The was the LeRoi Tract-Air which had the motor and two air cylinders all on the same block. Reavell made a combo-pump and diesel drive unit with a Petter diesel. I imagine there were more than a few steam driven and flat-belt driven units to be had. I have seen Brunner units with small engines from that far back.

Dave Sherburne NY · Nov 8, 2009

From Ebay
JD PTO tire pump

trucker40 · Nov 8, 2009

The whole thing looks like maybe its been pieced together.I saw something like this a long time ago with a gasoline engine on it and a different tank.Kind of doubtful a tank would last from 1935.The tank could have been changed or added later.However there were welding rods that had flux on them in 1935.They had oxy/acetylene rigs in the 1920s with tanks that look a lot like ones today.They could have welded it with oxy/acetylene but probably didnt.In the 1920s they had flux coated rods welding pipelines.Was 1953 before there was a mig welder but they had an automatic welder in the 1930s they used to weld ship decks and building floors that used granulated something to cover the arc.Its still used today I saw it on some show where they were building a skyscraper today welding a floor with it.It was 1959 when they invented flux core wire.Its hard to say what all they welded and how in the 1930s.BY then they had most types of welding that we do now except MIG and TIG that was like it is today.By 1940s arc welding was used a lot especially during the War.Arc was even used in WW1 but not sure about flux coated rods or what they welded.Before 1920 there was flux coated rods,but dont know how good they were.By the 1920s they had rods similar to what they have now except not low hydrogen.Something like a 6010 and 7024 seems like what they described in what I read.They were doing lots of arc welding in the 1930s on pipelines and tanks for refineries.

Steve A W · Nov 8, 2009

135 Fan
The tank is gas welded or brazed.
Here's the tag for the tank and motor.
The compressor is a Devilbiss.

Steve A W · Nov 8, 2009

Trucker 40
It is a Devilbiss unit. The pumpto tank
line has been rigged, not to skillfully.

Steve A W · Nov 8, 2009

Here's the pump tag

Steve A W · Nov 8, 2009

Here's the motor tag.

Wardner · Nov 8, 2009

Here are a couple of farm engineered solutions.

<a href="http://s140.photobucket.com/albums/r16/Wardner/?action=view&current=650aiarcompressor003.jpg" target="_blank">

650aiarcompressor003.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket

</a>

<a href="http://s140.photobucket.com/albums/r16/Wardner/?action=view&current=creeper074.jpg" target="_blank">

creeper074.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket

</a>

My first air compressor in the '50's was an air brake compressor running off the PTO of a IH Cub. My second was an electric Coplematic refrigeration compressor.

Anonymous-0 · Nov 9, 2009

That must have been a real luxury in 1935. It wouldn't have been brazed and may even have been arc welded, possibly using bare electrodes. I didn't look up when covered electrodes were first used. It also might have been welded with the submerged arc process. It has a "U" stamp which means it's an ASME certified pressure vessel.
Sub arc is one of the oldest arc welding processes and one of the first applications was welding beer kegs. Sub arc would be impractical on a skyscraper but is widely used on pressure vessels and tanks or any long flat seams. I think there is another fairly new process that uses a granular type flux that could be used out of position but can't recall the name. TIG, invented by Linde was before MIG and might have been around in the late 30's for welding aluminum and other difficult to weld metals. Any manual arc welding in the 20's was done using bare wire electrodes. I think that's why old welding machines were made to have the smoothest arc possible. MIG was introduced in 1948 by Airco but I think in collaberation with some other welding companies as well. MIG was originally to be a faster process for materials that were usually TIG welded. Any electrodes back in the 20's would be a far cry from the electrodes of today. Way back then you had to be a real craftsman to get good welds. Cylinders have been basically the same however. Dave

trucker40 · Nov 9, 2009

Thats not right about welding electrodes in the 20s.They had thin coating electrodes before the 1920s but after WW1.In the 1920s they had thin and thick coated rods.I looked for a couple of hours to find out.Now how wide they were used before 1920s,maybe not very much.During the 1920s rods were used with thick or thin coating as well as oxy/acetylene.After 1930 lots of welding with rods.I worked with an old man that welded with bare rods at a factory that made metal window frames.He also said the first rods he used with flux were a lot like the ones I was using which was 7024.I believe that was in the 1930s maybe the 1920s.He was 65 in 1975 and a WW2 vet.So if he was welding when he was 20 that would be about late 1920s to 1930.He also came from Chekoslovakia and emigrated to this country.Real good welder but he could cuss you out and you couldnt tell what he was saying but also spoke English as good as anybody.What Im saying is there were rods with coating being used in the 1930s.Lots of things were welded with oxy/acetylene in those days but they had rods and maybe even TIG around that time and some kind of automatic welder for auto differentials.

trucker40 · Nov 9, 2009

Wow,and they welded it with oxy/acetylene too.No mistaking that date.Im surprised it lasted this long.Also didnt know Devilbiss was around in those days either.Interesting.About all I found was Chicago Pneumatic,Campbell Hausfeld,and some others when I was looking this stuff up and that was interesting too.

ACSam · Nov 9, 2009

I have one of these that is stuck but complete. Very interesting outfit. The guy I bought it from 25 or so years ago used it for spray painting barns and metal roofs. I would sell it cheap.

mike pawlek · Nov 9, 2009

I have this one out in the barn its a Devilbiss the date on the tank is 1941 but I think the pump and motor are older the motor is a Westinghouse and it has open brushes and plain bearings with wick type oilers. The thing still builds 125 psi and I use it occasionally to air up a tire.

Anonymous-0 · Nov 10, 2009

Coated electrodes were invented in Sweden and I think used in Europe way before America. I had the Lincoln Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding, that showed a lot of pictures of early welding breakthroughs, but loaned it to someone and don't have it for reference. Diff's were welded with the sub-arc process. Dave

buickanddeere · Nov 10, 2009

Anybody still sell those sparkplug aircompressor adapters?

WeirdDeere · Nov 13, 2009

I don't know about new, but Ebay sells 'em LOL

I finally figured it out, they are Schrader spark plug air pumps. Search for that on the web and you'll find some info. Here's one page:

<a href="http://www.derek.com.au/tyregauges.html">http://www.derek.com.au/tyregauges.html</a>

Brandon

What type of air compressors back in the 30s?

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