Thanks once again Kurt. That patent number wasn't on the unit I've got here. Jan. 2,1951
is the newest patent number on mine, you must have a later one.
And again, I'm printing that one out for this evenings read. I find the wording in these
patent documents really hard to decipher. Seems like they could describe what they mean
in English, with my limitations the legalese might as well be Chinese at times.
But what I’ve been able to sort out so far partially agrees with what I discovered back in
'05 when I took the one out of my '50 for cleaning. I'd heard a lot of mention back then
about the piston seal being made from "leather". When you first take a look at the seal, it
could pass for leather unless you do some discovery. I think a lot people still believer it’s
a leather seal and just slab some grease around expecting them to work like new. I did a
little digging back then and found that it was actually a woven material that was
impregnated with that "something". I suspected that it had some graphite in it also but
there seemed like there was something more to it.
From my reading last night they describe the “cup packing material” used in the piston
construction as a woven fabric impregnated with a cellulose nitrate plastic which is
infused with graphite. If I’m interpreting what they are saying correctly, before the piston
plates are assembled the fabric is loaded with grease which assures an adequate supply of
lubricant over the life of the motor. Also the talk about an expander plate the keeps
pressure on the packing flanges.
Interesting that the last patent you posted Kurt, does makes mention of the disc valve
which isn’t addressed in the earlier patents.
I would like to get a few cadavers from guys that have upgraded to the electrics so I can
do some autopsies. I’m also going to be on the lookout for some materials that can be
used as a replacement for the packing. So if any one has any junk that’s taking up shelf
space I’d like to talk at you.
As an addendum, I just won a couple of Trico vacuum fans on eBay. One rubber blade
and one metal w/a guard. For what I paid for them I doubt if they’re any good but at
least I’ll be able to find out what makes them tick and that‘s what turns me on.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL
Last edited by Denny Graham; 02/17/2012 6:34 PM.
