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Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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Compressor identification
"DanG" wrote in message
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A young fella at work brought in a compressor head that he picked up out of
the junk. He wants advice and help on fixing.
Good/excellent condition vertical 60 gallon tank. Old and heavy.
The castings, paint, and shape would appear to predate 1950.
V twin 2 stage.
Big cylinder 2 1/2
Little cylinder 1 3/8
Reeds are shaped a bit like a lava lamp.
Back check/unloader is a fist sized bronze casting with a brass thin shell
sleeve inside pushing a rubber "washer" like end, no spring.
2 journals on the crank. Each journal has two bronze looking rods on a
bronze pivot block.
Heavy copper lines with cooling fins.
No brand or ID except for one in the crankcase casting. Fine lettering
around the perimeter which says Made in the United States of America.
There may have been 3 letters in the center of that area, though they have
been obliterated or were mis-cast. The exterior paint is mighty uniform,
and would appear to be factory (I know there are no guarantees) - it is a
dark green, darker than SpeedAire or John Deere, but not all the way to
Hunter Green.
We tore it down some to see the rings, etc. The cylinders are in
excellent shape, the pistons look great, the rings seem OK to me.
Tore down the reed plates. The piston side has two lava lamp shaped
reeds{one flat against the port, one arched to pressure the ends, not the
center} above each piston (one large, one small) held in location with an
aluminum plate with holes and the two reeds trapped in a recess. One of
the large ones is eaten through. All should probably be replaced as I can
feel the "ditch" where they have been hammering against the port.
Had him take a cylinder and a reed plate down to a local compressor repair
shop. "Boy, that sure is a heavy duty compressor, but I've never seen
anything like it." Same at another one. I've not gone out to the Quincy
source, yet.
Any ideas about brand?
Any ideas about parts source?
Any ideas about a satisfactory reed material? The big ones are 2" long
and 1" wide where they are fat in the center. Kinda rules out using
feeler gauges I know about.
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______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)
If you have to make the valves, most tool suppliers have steel shim stock
that might be suitable.
Don Young
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