Bullet & Bored - Miscellaneous Minutiae.

Duracuir1 · Apr 7, 2023

A thread to…

We watched a couple of 1930s movies this week and they both showed a watch.

First one from 1934. Murder in the clouds. This blurry watch is quite nice. The main character was a pilot. This was his watch.

Any ideas?

We also watched The Maltese Falcon. But not the most popular version with Humphrey Bogart. A 1931 version. It was quite good. I reported this to @Waltesefalcon and he will look for it. The watch shown here is a much better photo. Worn by the hero Sam Spade.

I looked up Hampden watches on this forum and most entries are for pocket watches in @Canuck ’s thread. But there is (was) one early wristwatch for sale here last year. It is quite nice.

@knafel1983 perhaps you can bump or update your post. Nice watch!

I have been receiving some excellent advice from @STANDY as I try to bring an old leather knife to life. Every bit of advice he has given me, including how to get the horrible stink out of my wet stone has paid off.

Before. Add stink… and after a soak and scrub.

And the blade. Work in progress but already cutting through 8 oz leather with ease.

Finally, I bought an old industrial lamp and rewired it. (That took five minutes). Fits perfectly in my workshop.

Bye for now.

felsby · Apr 7, 2023

I would polish that lamp foot gently and put it at my favorite reading chair. It's a beauty.

Duracuir1 · Apr 7, 2023

felsby
I would polish that lamp foot gently and put it at my favorite reading chair. It's a beauty.

I might do that Sven. Here are closer shots. For my shop the base is fine, but now I think I will do something about it.

Dan S · Apr 7, 2023

I'm thinking that first tank watch may be a Gruen Curvex or Movado Polyplan.

Canuck · Apr 7, 2023

Howard Hughes as a sprout, wearing a watch.

If you look carefully, you can see an AUTOMOBILE 6-VOLT BATTERY on a bracket, on the far side of the bike. Howard Hughes, always in the forefront! The first electric bike in history! (Maybe?)

Duracuir1 · Apr 8, 2023

Professional line sitters! They can’t have much work except for these Swatch events. For anything else the sales are on-line. Am I correct? Photos from Hodinkee.

TDBK · Apr 8, 2023

In NYC, they keep busy. I saw an interview with one who was holding a spot for Tuesday's big indictment, does everything from sales to preschool enrollments.

vintage hab · Apr 8, 2023

Nice work shop Steve! My tools & crap are spread around the garage :-(

MRC · Apr 8, 2023

Canuck
The first electric bike in history! (Maybe?)

Very, very unlikely. The earliest motorcycles were based on bicycle frames and at the time it was not clear whether petrol, steam, or electric motors would be the best. Remember the first Porsche was electric and I have seen a steam powered tricycle. Both on the Brighton Run.

Canuck · Apr 8, 2023

MRC
Very, very unlikely. The earliest motorcycles were based on bicycle frames and at the time it was not clear whether petrol, steam, or electric motors would be the best. Remember the first Porsche was electric and I have seen a steam powered tricycle. Both on the Brighton Run.

Howard Hughes was born in 1905. That picture was likely taken circa 1920. Over 100 years ago. If his was not the first battery powered bike, my contention is that it was an early one. If not the first. Imagine how unwieldy that bike would have been with a 50 pound lead acid battery hanging out over the side of the bike!

TDBK · Apr 8, 2023

Older than you'd think.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US552271A/en

ghce · Apr 8, 2023

TDBK
Older than you'd think.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US552271A/en

Now he was a man well ahead of his times, circular in wheel permanent magnet motor, shame there is no DC to AC convertor or he could put Elon and all those others to shame.

We all stand on the shoulders of giants!

noelekal · Apr 8, 2023

Canuck
Howard Hughes was born in 1905. That picture was likely taken circa 1920. Over 100 years ago. If his was not the first battery powered bike, my contention is that it was an early one. If not the first. Imagine how unwieldy that bike would have been with a 50 pound lead acid battery hanging out over the side of the bike!

He'd have had to get a lean on to ride that thing.

Canuck · Apr 8, 2023

noelekal
He'd have had to get a lean on to ride that thing.

He was confident enough in that contraption that (if you notice), he removed the pedals! It is probably something he cobbled together himself. The smarter move would have been to have the battery either in FRONT in a carrier, or likewise, behind him.

Omegafanman · Apr 9, 2023

We think we make progress……

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centennial_Light

Try and buy a million hours life light bulb now ;0)

Omegafanman · Apr 9, 2023

And with a battery ringing a bell for 183 years and still going strong….Maybe we could have had an electric bike which never needed recharging….

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_Electric_Bell

Omegafanman · Apr 9, 2023

Omegafanman
And with a battery ringing a bell for 183 years and still going strong….Maybe we could have had an electric bike which never needed recharging….

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_Electric_Bell

Modern scientists have made a detailed sketch to help explain how it all works 😁
.