THE COLLECTION

The B.K. Elliott surveyor’s transit is a fascinating piece of engineering from the early 20th century. Built around 1910, this…

The 1913 Victor Portable Stereopticon, also known as a Magic Lantern, is more than a piece of vintage technology—it’s a…

In an era before smartphones and fiber optics, the backbone of communication rested on the shoulders of telephone operators. These…

The 1930s were a transformative time for households. With the lingering effects of the Great Depression, home appliances were prized…

Small but mighty, the alligator clip is one of those humble inventions that revolutionized how we connect electrical circuits. The…

I have two types of relays to add to the collection. First up is a Stepper Relay with 10 positions.…

Every now and then you come across somethings you have no idea about, this was said item, when I first…

This scale/balance was found on the floor of a back room, forgotten to the ages! It had broken glass, and…

This started as a surprise, this was a donation to the lab! Speaking of donations, if you have an item…

I was in need of a soldering iron hook for my past torch restoration of the Bernz so I picked…

I have used many pipe expanders over the years, but this one stood out to me as unique, I will…

I originally set this up as a puzzle to my social media group first, so if you are not a…

If you think your modern vacuum cleaner is a chore to drag around, let me introduce you to the Warner…

The Brown and Sharpe Manufacturing Company, founded in 1833, was renowned for producing high-quality precision tools and machinery. By the…

I have a passion for collection unique items, and books are no different. When looking for unique books, there is…

I recently picked up these meters for the lab, sometimes with my experiments there is no replacement for a good…

This was an interesting find, I saw it at an obscure shop on a shelf with some pottery. The wood…

Title: Discovering the Bates Numbering Machine: A Unique Incremental Ink Stamper When I first encountered this Bates Numbering Machine, I…

Embarking on the restoration journey of a 1921 Clayton and Lambert torch was like stepping into a portal to the…

This Anvil was inherited from my late Step father, who inherited it from his father. This Anvil I am sure…

What an incredible find, this was found in the small town of Oakmont PA, and is for Parnassus PA. I…

This is a quick one, it did not need any restoration, just a light cleaning and some oil. It was…

As I carefully refurbished the carbon tetrachloride Pyrene fire extinguisher, I marveled at its design and the science behind its…

From Beginning to End: The Fascinating Journey of Two WWII Relics In the vast tapestry of history, certain artifacts possess…

1892 H.K. Porter Bolt cutters, they where invented by H.K Porter in 1888 for blacksmiths to cut off stock quickly.…

Recently picked up this compass for the collection. Let me take you through my process of the restoration. Here is…

This very unique style of balance scale was found in very bad shape as parts, I set out to bring…

The View-Master  “Stereo-matic 500” Projector was initially introduced in 1953. Lots of information on its history here: https://archivesusie3d.wixsite.com/3-dlegends/karl-kurz As a…

The actual name for this cool unit, is a MASTERGUARD Single Station Heat Detector MODEL: MG 40 FT. I picked…

I could not pass up a chance to get one of these art deco fans from the 40’s This one…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_ray Wiki had a great excerpt on this unique device I linked above. What a history! The unit I picked…

I have a few rare clear demo bulbs made without the usual phosphor coating, to show how they work on…

What a cool piece of history for the collection, and expandable angled parabolic reflector for a camera flash bulb! https://youtu.be/3OrQnkYVTm8

I found this old beat up Power distribution block from an old house main panel. This unit was in rough…

Recent addition to the collection is the New old stock Weston 271 Thermometer ( Pyrometer ) This meter had never…

Such a rare find this was! An old 1950’s Taxi meter made by Ohmer. This one was serviced by the…

Found this S-Model Underwood in almost mint condition, and had to add this 32lb amazing typewriter to my collection. It…

Recently picked up one of those items we have all seen but few of us own! A Fire Hydrant! An…

Here is a rare glimpse into an automotive torque converter before it was finished being built or coated. https://youtu.be/1tp1BpFxlAI Here…

Recent addition to the collection is this 1940’s RC Allen Model 85 Figuring Machine. A fully mechanical adding machine with…

Recently added to the collection, is a very rare solid cast aluminum light bulb. This video will explain more. https://youtu.be/DxX9cK8j1xM

Items like this where needed before the prevalence of laser pointers we have today, these are mini handheld projectors, with…

As my collection expanded in size and diversity, I found it necessary to implement a systematic method for inventorying and…

I recently picked up this broken Monroe LA5-160 Calculator for the collection, it was cheap for it had no power…

Every want to know how a gas pump nozzle works? how it knows when to shut off? In the process…

Recently added to the collection is an old 1970’s Weather Measure Corp, Solar radiation recorder ( Pyranograph )How it works,…

Just in to the collection is a 1829 Henry Troemner solution scale Model 80-B Almost 200 years old! https://youtu.be/YadgWsSxijc The…

Found this recently on a bike ride in the woods, any idea what it may be? It is a heavy…

Worlds first magic marker, predates the sharpie! This marker was designed by Sidney Rosenthal, more on that amazing history here:…

What a cool device, I explain more in detail in the video how something like this works, and is used…

Been trying to find one of these cheap for some time, was able to hunt this one down with no…

Picked this up for the lab, was a fun restoration. After a clean and blasting, it looks like this, now…

What an amazingly useful tool! Got a chance to clean them up and do a quick polish, what a difference!…

I picked up this complete 1930’s full mechanical calculator, with power drive. Sadly even with many years of effort, I…

Recent restoration of a 100+ year old tool. The compound lever was cutting edge tech for ‘cutting edge’ tools ha!…

These are the gauges pulled from my 51 project. Cleaned them up and now have them as part of the…

What a unique wrench! Picked this up as a well warn rusty wrench, and brought new life back to it!…

A Friend donated this to the lab, yes it is real, no it is empty! Just some photos of what…

Recently picked up a 1,500 watt incandescent lamp. This is an old projector bulb. Connected it up to my massive…

https://youtu.be/DzhBwmgbwlY This is the image the artifact is based,

The coolest ‘watch’ you never heard of before. https://youtu.be/5t-e-oLkXBM Upon close inspection I was able to determine it is a…

Setup to come up with a way to display the internals of the gas meter, I used some colored pencils,…

A Bausch & Lomb Duboscq type colorimeter. Recent adition to the collection, longer more detailed video up soon.

What is a lab without an Autoclave, this one was a scrap pile rescue, will update with rebuild photos and…

The inner workings of a natural gas meter are very unique, there is allot going on inside that keeps accurate…

The inside of a parking meter is something to behold! The old analog meters are all mech logic, no power,…

This was an amazing donation to the lab, a working vacuum tube tesla coil in a commercial product! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihda-DlhcXs

A quick look at a unique device from the collection.

Molecular energy demonstration apparatus! This awesome demo, using a piston and ball bearings can visualize a micro event on a…

Picked up a few Liquid oxygen tanks for lab projects.

LEEDS & NORTHRUP WHEATSTONE BRIDGE

Take the best of a crescent wrench and plyers and combine them, you get a set of paralell jaw plyers!…

Amazing donation to the lab, they do not make them like this any more!

How a Reflecting telescope works!This mirror was used in my Schlerin Effect video!

A Very unique vacuum ‘pump’ Big thanks to my amazing friends who help me acquire these items!

DC moving coil, reflecting galvanometer, type P https://www2.humboldt.edu/scimus/HSTC.27-35/Descriptions/RefGalvB.htm?fbclid=IwAR2IPw7dKlxKN-FBwevDVcroX0LnhvG8B8yaHM-_ogRAwSIHoL0qV_vZTtc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnhc7KZPZyI