Vintage Windmill and Wind Generator Forum

Alston 33 wrote: Mon Apr 19, 2021 9:37 pm Peter,
I think you may have answered the question for me. The collar you have underneath the star bracket I have put immediately below the top ball bearing swivel when it looks like it goes below the star bracket.
Can you tell me if the tube going trough the bracket has a piece taken out of the side of it? Mine looks like someone has taken a hacksaw to it and and cut across the tube about half way through and removed about 25 - 30 mm (inch or more) from the tube.
If I can work out how to load photos I'll try to show you
Thanks for your photos - a great help
David.

The pipe is flat on the bottom.

joe herman wrote: Tue Apr 20, 2021 9:12 am What tools did you use to straighten out that mess?
I have an 1897 Aermotor Bell Hub wheel that is in about the same shape.

Joe,
A bloody big hammer covered with lashing of sweat!
It was really a case of picking one piece at a time and I had to make three fins the old fashion way with a bag of sand with a 'valley' in it and a rubber mallet to give me the required shape. The steel cover was missing and it had been lying in a paddock for decades and had completely seized with parts missing. I bought it for my wife (raised on a farm) but I knew nothing about windmills and how they worked but a a little more educated now and I'm happy with the outcome - more importantly my wife is!
I think I have sorted the rotation binding problem thanks to Peter so the adjustments will be made and it will be raised again. I put pivoting footing legs on it so it can be raised and lowered at leisure(!) and if you do this, because of the angled legs of the tower, a modification needs to be done on the first two footings when you concrete those in to ensure the pivot points on both sides are aligned and parallel otherwise the pivot won't work when raising it.
Apologies the picture is sideways!
When raised the other two footings drop into the holes for concreting and if it needs more work two large bolts can be undone and it can be lowered again.

Peter vk wrote: Tue Apr 20, 2021 5:48 pm

Alston 33 wrote: Mon Apr 19, 2021 9:37 pm Peter,
I think you may have answered the question for me. The collar you have underneath the star bracket I have put immediately below the top ball bearing swivel when it looks like it goes below the star bracket.
Can you tell me if the tube going trough the bracket has a piece taken out of the side of it? Mine looks like someone has taken a hacksaw to it and and cut across the tube about half way through and removed about 25 - 30 mm (inch or more) from the tube.
If I can work out how to load photos I'll try to show you
Thanks for your photos - a great help
David.

The pipe is flat on the bottom.

Peter,
This is the issue and my proposed solution once I have filed it for welding in.
Ignore pinch bar on the left!
David.

David, looks like it got worn like that from rubbing against the bracket.
Peter

Peter vk wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 7:06 am David, looks like it got worn like that from rubbing against the bracket.
Peter

Yes it's a strange one really but the width of the missing part is narrower that the width of the bracket.
I have welded in the piece I made and it's reassembled and up and all seems good now.
Thanks to you Peter for your advice and photos and others who also gave advice.
Still trying to fathom how someone in Canada has come across an Australian windmill!
Kind regards,
David.

I traded with a guy in western Australia. I have
2 Alston, Planetary 6ft
1 Alston, Double Crank 6ft
1 Alston, Aqua 5ft
1 Comet 6ft
1 Stat Implement Works, Boomerang 6ft
1 Stat Implement Works, Baby 6f
I sent him 5 from Canada, all 8 footers. We only traded the cast parts and samples of the wheels and tails so we could build new ones. I posted pictures if you want to see search for Australian Mills on here.
Peter

Thanks for doing that Peter. It's a great thing to have those mills in this hemisphere to be able to see.
I bet the logistics on doing that were a nightmare.

windybob wrote: Sun Apr 25, 2021 10:28 am Thanks for doing that Peter. It's a great thing to have those mills in this hemisphere to be able to see.
I bet the logistics on doing that were a nightmare.

It wasn't so bad, It all fit in one of those plastic liquid containers that is on a steel pallet. It went from Montreal to Vancouver to Perth Australia, to get it through customs was a bit of a hassle and the fees were way more then to send it there.
Peter