narragansett speedbag platform- genuine or not

[looster]

I recently saw a post here from a couple of years ago- someone posted a pic of a narragansett speedbag platform, looked real to me, and the comments were that it was not the real deal. OK, I just bought one after looking for one for years. I believe mine to be the genuine article.
( I do not suspect that mine is anything other than original, i just want to know what to look for )

SO- what are the signs to look for ?

Also- the item was damaged in shipping, the adjustment wheel for the height was broken. I have contacted machine shops, they tell me that a broken cast wheel will always break. any suggestions ? ( I did grab a couple of industrial cast wheels and am sure I can make it work, but the wheel will not be original.

photobucket link to pics -

http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f203/LMV-001/narragansett%20speedbag%20platform/

see pics- comments welcome. thanks to all.

[Bag-A-Holic]

Hey Looster, nice find. I am not qualified as to what to look for in a genuine Narraganset, but I as well have been looking for that model. May I ask where you were lucky enough to find a Narragansett Speedbag Platform, and how much it cost??

[Dutchman]

This is the genuine article all right, no doubt about it. As far as the height adjustment wheel, McMaster Carr is your best bet http://www.mcmaster.com/#hand-wheels/=ktmjwm

These are essentially the same pattern wheels that NMW used when they built the platforms. Cast iron can be repaired by brazing the breaks, but it's time consuming and good welders that can do this don't come cheap. If you're going to actively use the platform I would obtain the closest to the original wheel from MC.

[looster]

Antny- Hi, thanks for the note. I could not find one at all, so I placed " want to buy " ads in certain online publications. A gentlemen contacted me and we eventually agreed, and I bought it. as for the price, I prefer to keep that confidential and between the seller and myself, I hope you understand

[looster]

Dutchman- thanks a million, I appreciate it. I will check that link, I did not think that there would be any replacements, but that is why I asked. Much appreciated.

OK- last question - one can see the condition of the unit, I want to clean it up and repaint it before hanging it, maybe replace some of the fasteners, etc. Sometimes that can destroy the value of the thing, I dont want to do that. any comment on refurbishment/repainting, etc ?
thank you again

[looster]

and finally.... as a former welder, I was confident that I could braze it back together. I contacted 3 old school welding shops, all said " cast iron wheels, once broken , are fragile and you can bet they will break again, we will not do the repairs for that reason " , in so many words. BUT, a new cast wheel will do the trick.

[Dutchman]

The finish is not all that bad from what I see. There is a discussion on these boards about "japan" finishing which was done to a lot of machinery in the later half of the 19th Century. Narrengansett used this type of finish on their equipment.

[Dutchman]

As far as the breaks in the wheel spokes, yes, the metal in the area of the failures has been stressed and even the best brazing work will fail eventually. I've had a lot of experience with cast iron gears, and know all too well what the failure rate is on a brazed piece under load.

[Bag Man]

The finish is not all that bad from what I see. There is a discussion on these boards about "japan" finishing which was done to a lot of machinery in the later half of the 19th Century. Narrengansett used this type of finish on their equipment.

Don't paint. There is no need to. Clean it with Dawn detergent, or similar liquid.

Can't comment on the welding of cast iron, other than "Ace Brewer" a machine shop teacher of mine from years (30 +) ago said it was a difficult job as the cast metal gets brittle when heated. Maybe the techniques have changed. Why not get the replacement wheel and save the originals/ That way you ahve the best of both.

BTW: you might get bonus points on the unit. The wooden mounting blocks appear to be the original. If the bottom one is machined to accomodate the gear, you have a winner.

[looster]

Hey Bag Man- thanks for the info. FYI, the finish on the unit is pretty lame looking. Japanning something this big is out of the question, I do not have any oven that big. I have looked into it , there are a couple of rattle can engine enamel paints that many swear looks just like the Japanned finish. I think I will go with that, as well as replacing fasteners, cleaning rust off of the tubes, etc. the wooden platform looks fine the way it is.

Thank you all for your immense help and information.

Happy New Year.

[Zaza]

I know...in theory you shouldn't refinish it....but I think you have to ask yourself if it's something you want to keep & use for years to come or it's an investment that you want to resell for a profit?

I'm of the mind that I wanted my vintage platform to see years of use...and hell...they cam bury me with it! It WANTS to be hit on, not looked at.

I took it all apart and had a local shop sandblast it with walnut chips....then powdercoated it black. I just lightly steelwooled the platform to get a few years of crud off it and rubbed it down with Murphy's Oil Soap, then finished it off with Pledge (with the lemon scent!). It is just beautiful!

This one dates back to 1917 and will now give years more enjoyment (and look good doing it).

Thread about it:

http://www.speedbagforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3561

Picture album:

http://www.speedbagforum.com/forums/album.php?albumid=84

[looster]

Hey Zaza- great stuff. thanks very much for all of the post and the links. Your Spalding piece is beautiful. That is basically what I plan to do with mine, I bought it to use and and while it is an investment, I do want to use it and hang it. Mine has enough rust, missing paint, and imperfections that I just would not put a rusty hunk in my little home gym.
also, the wooden platform that I have is in fine shape with a nice patina, so just a little Lemon Pledge and Murphy's Oils soap is all that it needs. I am an old gearhead, so I naturally want to take everything apart and put it together again.
BTW- that was a GREAT find on craigslist. thanks for your thoughts , pics and details, I appreciate it.
ya know I have this feeling.... they just dont make things like they used to, maybe is it just me. lol.

[J102]

Brazed wheel

Hi Looster
I posted some pics of a Narragansett Manufacturing Platform on this forum that is still being used and has been for some time now. In one of the photos it shows the brazed wheel. I know that this wheel was brazed over 35 years ago. So far it still is holding up. I'm not a metallurgist or a welder, so I'm not an expert on this.
Maybe another option is to cast a mold of the original wheel.

That is a nice piece of history you have there.

[looster]

Hi J102 - hey, thanks for the input. I will look for that post.
appreciate the insight.