machine id's

[mark roberts]

I have some pictures of the wadkin factory which was built in 1922, this must be around that time judging by how empty the place is. What is this machine

And is this a lathe

Is that a high lathe or a small person

 

[Mikes]

Interesting old photographs. I think that is a small man. Looking at his shoes - they appear tiny!

 

[GaryS65]

Last lathe is taller than usual.

Looks like it has a copy attachment at the back or operator controls a stylus that follows a master at the back.

A lot of the machines will be specifically for one job in a production facility, like making leadscrews. Or producing one type of shaft.

You only have to look at DSG and Colchester, they had specifically built machines for doing their leadscrews, machining headstocks, etc.

Clever sods, you'd see nothing like it today. A lot of that knowledge and ingenuity had been lost to time.

The first machine could be some sort of gear shaper producing two gears at once.

 

[Agroshield]

The first machine could be some sort of gear shaper producing two gears at once.

Sunderland gear planer.

 

[Shiny Steve]

I like the pile of bricks in the background of the last picture?? Still building?

 

[500e]

 

[mark roberts]

I like the pile of bricks in the background of the last picture?? Still building?

Thats the flooring, they used pine end grain blocks. The whole factory was done in them. Not sure if they were still laying the floor or repairing something.

 

[Shiny Steve]

Ah yes I love that style of flooring it’s stunning.

 

[mark roberts]

Ah yes I love that style of flooring it’s stunning.

I rescued some of the flooring from the picture when it was getting demolished a few years ago

 

[Agroshield]

That's the flooring, they used pine end grain blocks.

What would be the small detritus mixed in with it? It has the character of brick rubble and mortar.

What analogous material from a pine floor would look the same?

What follows is complete speculation: please assess for plausibility.

You tell us the factory was built in 1922. You infer from its sparsely populated nature that the photos date from that date. Could there any possibility they were taken during the war (where staff were called up)? Is there any record of the factory being bomb damaged?

 

[Bullet2012]

no record of damage during WW1.
bit of history
all thanks to mrs google.
vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=2238

 

[Agroshield]

no record of damage during WW1.

Is that a typo.? If the factory was built in 1922, it could not be damaged in WWI. I was speculating on WWII above.

 

[mark roberts]

What would be the small detritus mixed in with it? It has the character of brick rubble and mortar.

What analogous material from a pine floor would look the same?

What follows is complete speculation: please assess for plausibility.

You tell us the factory was built in 1922. You infer from its sparsely populated nature that the photos date from that date. Could there any possibility they were taken during the war (where staff were called up)? Is there any record of the factory being bomb damaged?

I have a period mention of when they moved machines from the old factory a couple of streets away on london street that they couldnt fill the vast space of the new factory. The place would of been bouncing with war work, if it were 1939 onwards, the development of new machines was restricted but they churned out lots of stuff to make propellars and gun stocks.
This is from the 50's

The flooring was laid on concrete using hot bitumen. I can only presume they are repairing something under the concrete layer. At first I thought they had machines working whilst they were still laying the floor but as you say it looks like rubble.