weight identification

Generally speaking, this area is for general discussion about windmills, in most cases.
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weightdude
Posts: 27
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2019 1:55 pm

weight identification

Post by weightdude »

looking for help identifying weights to help finish weight book i'm working on , does anybody have any literature that contains illustrations or parts list? looking to confirm some of the unidentified weights from previous books, for instance, i watched a video quite some time ago that featured the stars and stripes gov weight where it was claimed that it belonged to the challege banner vaneless mill, # 303 in lawrence and nidey book, also would like some verification if there is a windmill with a buffalo #298, eagle #299, large arrow #290, that's it for now, u can pm me thanks in advance
Lake Seldom
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Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2019 2:06 pm

Re: weight identification

Post by Lake Seldom »

Just curious, will your weight book include any information on distinguishing between original weights and reproductions? I know there is a lot to learn about weights and being able to identify the imitations would be great help for beginners and someone who wants to collect originals.
weightdude
Posts: 27
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2019 1:55 pm

Re: weight identification

Post by weightdude »

definitely will devote a couple of pages to that subject, i may show some pics of repops
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PaulV
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Re: weight identification

Post by PaulV »

weightdude wrote: Thu Nov 14, 2019 8:35 am i watched a video quite some time ago that featured the stars and stripes gov weight where it was claimed that it belonged to the challege banner vaneless mill, # 303 in lawrence and nidey book, also would like some verification if there is a windmill with a buffalo #298, eagle #299, large arrow #290, that's it for now, u can pm me thanks in advance
Interesting and worthwhile project. Preservation of the current trove of knowledge is important to me.

I've seen quite a few windmill weights on ebay and craigslist, but was hesitant to investigate due to price, and my lack of knowledge as to what is 'real' and what was a repro.

This is a relatively young forum, so our document library is small. Perhaps some of the folks on here can post documentation they've collected over the years to help you verify some of your weights.
PaulV
hedgerow
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Joined: Wed Jun 12, 2019 6:26 pm

Re: weight identification

Post by hedgerow »

PaulV wrote: Wed Nov 20, 2019 7:03 pm
I've seen quite a few windmill weights on ebay and craigslist, but was hesitant to investigate due to price, and my lack of knowledge as to what is 'real' and what was a repro.



I too have found a few over the years at swap meets flea markets and such but the owners are always wanting a big price and I had no way to know if the were real or not. I am sure wanting to learn more about them also.
billcobb
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Re: weight identification

Post by billcobb »

Add pinterest to the list of on-line info sources. There are a few 'Weight Bibles' for sale on Amazon, etc.
weightdude
Posts: 27
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2019 1:55 pm

Re: weight identification

Post by weightdude »

buyer beware is my best response on for sales over internet, i have bought several governor weights off ebay and other sites and i have been burned a few times, i chalk those up to cost of education , lol, if can i offer my humble advice almost every weight has been reproduced especially counterbalance weights. know and trust your source, watch out for grind marks and sharp edges, inspect mounting holes for wear, most mounting holes are tapered, walk away from drilled holes, hope that helps, p.s.pay attention to the rust whether is new or old rust
Minnemiller
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Location: Elko New Market, MN

Re: weight identification

Post by Minnemiller »

weightdude wrote: Thu Nov 14, 2019 8:35 am looking for help identifying weights to help finish weight book i'm working on , does anybody have any literature that contains illustrations or parts list? looking to confirm some of the unidentified weights from previous books, for instance, i watched a video quite some time ago that featured the stars and stripes gov weight where it was claimed that it belonged to the challege banner vaneless mill, # 303 in lawrence and nidey book, also would like some verification if there is a windmill with a buffalo #298, eagle #299, large arrow #290, that's it for now, u can pm me thanks in advance
Weightude, some thoughts organized by weight number below:

#303: Its interesting to see someone mention the Banner but seeing who you are it makes a little more sense now. Given that, you should already have your answer. The Banner mills that your Dad and Roger Bailey had/have had a plain governor weight, matching the complete mill cuts in the literature. What video are you referring to about someone talking about a "stars and stripes weight"? The number you provided is for a shield, which has the same profile as a Dempster Des Moines Capital vaneless counterbalance weight, so the most logical explanation is that the small shield was off a Dempster Des Moines mill. Perhaps it was used on a 12' capital vaneless regulation or an older/newer version of the 10ft mill. I'd speculate the confusion was likely due to the central ironwork on the Banner being very similar to the Capital vaneless. Many people would have a hard time distinguishing between a Banner, Dempster no 1, and a Capital vaneless if the weights were not there. As you know, all these are rare enough that identification isn't the easiest. I've got some literature on the Banner but unfortunately have never found a parts list for the mill. Its one of my favorite mills, and I hold out hope to find one. I was encouraged by the Challenge catalogue claim that it was the most popular wood mill on the market, however, I call BS on that since there have only been two discovered as far as I know. The weights are pretty rare too. We've been fortunate enough to pick up a couple of the ball weights over the years. I'm curious if they typically had a weep hole or if they were intended to be mounted with the big hole facing downward? [EDIT] I see now the brace rod can only mount into the weight if the hole is facing up. We have one that has a weep hole and one that doesn't.

#298: Rick Nidey has a copy of an very old photo that shows what appears to be a buffalo on a mill. Its not a very clear image but he should be able to show it to you sometime. That's all I'm aware of for that weight.

#290: Let me do some checking, I may have seen some old grainy newspaper ad that showed this. That is an interesting weight for sure and one that was likely to have been plucked from the scrap heap before .
being melted down. We can't say the same for Banner balls.

Its mysteries like these that make this hobby an interesting one.
weightdude
Posts: 27
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2019 1:55 pm

Re: weight identification

Post by weightdude »

#303 ,i was wrong in saying banner, he claims it belonged to the dandy mill, so much for my memory lol, video is still on youtube , just type windmill weight collection, it was my feeble attempt to get a little discussion going so that's working, talked to rick he is going to send me a copy for buffalo, 10-4 on getting these identified, just taking a last stab with the internet so i could reach as many people as possible, stay warm
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