before the advent of widespread electricity these engines performed every task that might today be replaced with an electric motor.
Most commonly used on farms for anything from sheep sheering to milking cows but probably most commonly driving water pumps.
This example is water cooled but I have the same engine as an air cooled variant. Single cylinder 1.5 horse power petrol.
The air cooled demonstrated here driving two water pumps.
Very interesting and great to see. Nice to keep some of that history alive.
In a similar way I like to collect, restore and use antique fishing tackle. I have wooden reels that are well over 100 years old and about a dozen old cane rods plus a much older one made of greenheart wood. The greenheart is retired as they tend to dry out in their great age and tend to shatter explosively as used. A lovely object though. I still use all the cane ones. Very rare I use anything modern. The reel in this picture was made in 1944 or 1945.
I also have an old Hardy reel with the makers initials, RMS, stamped inside. This means it was made by Robert Marshall Scott who was employed by Hardy's for a period of 51 years between 1916 and 1967. The particular reel was made between 1932 and 1966. I think it's fascinating to know that.
Restoring the old rods is something nice to do that's fishing related in the colder, wetter winter months.
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