Vintage Windmill and Wind Generator Forum

I was sitting hear eating supper and enjoying some of the Custer Co. Nebr. Photos by Mr. Butcher when I came across this photo with a rooster sporting windmill. I have a hodge podge of Elgin stuff but not any #1 parts that I am aware of. However, I am wondering if this is a #1 and I am also wondering what weight that is? Elgins are among my favorite mills but early information is scarce and what weights went on what mills in the early years is confusing at best. Someone please enlighten me. Thanks

"Windmill Weights" by Rick Nidey and Don Lawrence may reference this very picture. If this is photo no. 675 of the Solomon Butcher photo collection, with enlargement it has Nichols Mill on the beam. Don told me that there were similarities between the Nichols and Elgin mills. This mill used the Barnicle Eye Rooster. Maybe someone more knowledgable than I can weigh in on relationship between Nichols and Elgin. If memory serves me, I believe he called this the Nichols Centennial mill.

Thanks Sandhillmills, I just got out Dr. Baker's book. Interesting read about the companies that made this mill. You must have had a higher resolution photo to blow up than I did because I sure can't make anything out from when I enlarged it? Does anyone have a photo of drawing of this mill's working parts? I am trying to understand the similarities and differences between the early Elgin mills. Thanks again.

Here are 3 photos from our Solomon Butcher book. This has "NICHOLS MILL PAT'D AP? ?????" on the tail beam. Next is a Halladay Standard And the last one is the Flint and Walling Star Mill

Rust Buzzard, Do you have any history on the Elgin Model E run in oil mill?

I don't really have any history, a have a couple. Looks like a complicated spider hub to cast and finish to me but a lot of Elgin stuff seem over engineered. I am probably eventually going to put one outside over a well but I would like to find a repro of the rectangle weight box because I get tired of people saying it looks like a cobbled up L.

Elgin has always been at the fore-front of engineering. That's why they were first at making a self-oiling mill. They were engineering maniacs. lol Just look at the Tip-Top and others that were before the self oiler.

The model E that runs in oil was before the Wonder. Rust Buzzard you say your weight box is rectangle mine is a round cylinder about the size of a 16lb shot put. When I was painting my E to put up I got together all the loose pieces and counted them. There were 64. So I took them to a guy who does powder coating and asked him how much. He said $2.00 a piece I couldn't say yes fast enough.

KRB, are you talking about the rectangular weight box that the small Hummer rooster sets in? In the photo of the Nichols mill, there appears to be a hanging weight just above the platform. Does anyone have a better photo of it? Thanks, Ron

Sahillmills, I was talking about the model E I am wanting to put up, here is a pic of the box I would like for it. I shamelessly stole this from the old forum so sorry to whoever it belongs to. I think I have seen it on two or three Es but most had the ball like the F and L.