Mystery Mill #1

[Coulteryan]

Went to pick up tower the other day and ended up saving a few items from the scrap yard.
I thought I was getting two Baker WC heads out of the long grass, but when I got home I'm not convinced. I am pretty sure about the one on the right, but not so much about the one on the left.
Any help would be appreciated.

[windybob]

They are both Baker heads. One is earlier. The one with the slotted hub should be an AC, the first of the W series style. The other is a WC, but a later WC. It has the 5 spoke hub. Earlier WC heads have a 6 spoke hub.

The AC ran from '32 to '40. However, there is some overlap in models. It can get confusing. A few parts from the AC can be swapped in the WC, but not all of them. All the cast parts should have part numbers, such as AC21, or WC21 etc. etc. The AC series is usually a "long-neck" style, the head riding a foot above the tower.
WC models can be either "long-neck", or standard 'sit on top of the tower' mills. ALso, WC mills came in either 5 or 6 spoke models.
All the W series Monitor mills have a slanted mainshaft, 1 inch in 16 inches. The (fan) wheel has a definite slant, visible from the ground. If the hub, or wheel does not have the slant, it's because the brass half-round bushing in the snout is worn too much.

[Coulteryan]

Thanks for the info. The AC has no cap so is frozen. I have no idea if I can get it working or not.
The WC has a top and turns freely with a little slop in the front bearing surface. I assume its complete inside but haven't removed the top yet.
I did also manage to get a 100% complete 6' Dempster 12 at the same as these others, so I'm accumulating them faster than I can work on them

[windybob]

Slop in the bearing of a W series Monitor is normal. There is no bearing on the top of the mainshaft, just on the bottom 1/2. So you can lift the hub easily. All the force is down on the bearings. What I am always concerned with is shaft endplay. The way the brake works....it usually won't for several reasons, shaft endplay being one.

The AC hub and shaft probably aren't frozen, it's in brass bushings. More than likely several things inside that are steel-on-steel are rusted, keeping the shaft from moving. These can be murder to work on in severe rusty cases because it's really hard to get to stuff.

The Dempster should be the most difficult to work on. I always say that once you fully understand and rebuild a Dempster head, you can do almost any other brand.