Vintage Windmill and Wind Generator Forum

Several months ago I bought a 14' Southern Cross that was COMPLETELY filled with grease and then I COMPLETELY underestimated the amount of time it would take to clean it out. With two rolls of paper towels, a garbage bag of clean rags, a putty knife, and close to six miserable hours, I got things c...

Windy, When you say, "the gears in backwards", are you talking about the pinion gears? I haven't even loosened the large gears but I'm pretty sure that when I put the pinion gears back on the shaft, they got mixed up (as far as which direction they travel). Only one side of them has the c...

The fish butchering machine reminds me that a long, long time ago, I worked with a guy who helped invent skinless hot dogs. He said the crew all worked 8 hours a day in a big refrigerator and wore fishing waders while standing in piles of hot dog meat and it lasted for over 6 months! Finally, they ...

Thanks, Windy! That's exactly what I needed! Usually, I can figure things out even when I don't remember to take some photos. I figured manufacturers design mechanisms that assemble only one way so it was a complete surprise how easy it was to get it wrong. (I'd better stop daydreaming and pay bett...

I've never worked on, nor even seen what's "under the hood"of a Dempster windmill. I found a 12A in nice condition with only a "mouse-house" and after pressure washing it out of there, decided that I'd take the main shaft out, replace the bearings and cups, slip it back together...

Dan, that ELI is a really early one with the small diameter wheel, the earliest oil box, and the lettering cast into the frame . It's rare enough that it's going to always live in my office. (It should look great next to the model Tim Cook made) One day soon, I'll have to show the one I'm fixing up...

All over the radio right now: "WINTER STORM ARRIVES TODAY BRINGING HEAVY WET SNOW AND STRONG WINDS" With all of that sunlight in the daytime and stars and moonlight at night, how do you guys in South Texas get anything done in the workshop? At least I can rely upon getting weather-strande...

I would hate to see the amount of hours that I have spent thinking about and making work-stands! I can tell you, the better they are, the more they seem to become "display stands" and the longer it takes to finish my work. My Grandpa was a blacksmith and I'm sure he is watching me from be...