Can anyone identify this device?

[Mongo]

My neighbor picked this up thinking it was a generator. I have no idea what it is. Looks to be a cobbled together pile of parts from old Army Air Corps support equipment.

WWII Something or other pictures by mongosarcade - Photobucket

 

[Recovry4x4]

Gas powered phonograph?

 

[NDT]

A 2 cylinder aircraft-type engine coupled to a 24 volt aircraft generator. Home built.

 

[jpekarek]

It actually is a cobbled together pile of parts. It is in fact a generator. Part of it is the power supply from a 24 VDC suit heater used in the B52 bombers I think, back in the 40's. The gunners and cargo crew in the back of the plane wore them to keep from freezing.

The machine looks to be a motor hooked to some kind of large 48-120 volt generator. There is obviously a magnito starter system using the generator itself as a starting motor for the engine, a gas can which looks like a standard jerry can and a resistive heat sink on the front probably to lower the generator voltage to 24 volts for use with the old heated clothing in bombers.

 

[Keith_J]

You mean B17 or similar? The B52 is from the 1950s. Pressurized, like the B29. But the B17 was a cold flyer and non-pressurized.

Yes, this is cobbled.

 

[jpekarek]

Yea that's probably what I meant. I am not an aircraft guy. I teach power generation at a vocational school.

 

[Oldfart]

Some where in all my crap I should have a pair of bib overalls that were insulated and heated with 24v DC. My wife used to complain about the cold during our M37 outings with no heater so I got them at a local Army Navy surplus store to try to keep her warm on winter outings. That was about the time I picked up several USAAF leather helmets with like new Air Corps decals on them. (can't find this stuff amy more) The coveralls were US Navy and might have been just post WW2. I recognize the odd plug on the power supply. It looks like someone made a ground based power source for 24v DC heated clothing.

 

[mechanix]

I think what you have is one of the old home built 24v DC welders. They built them with surplus aircraft generator.
http://www.vintageprojects.com/metal-welding/AutoArcWelder.pdf

 

[Mongo]

I think Mechanix is correct.

 

[Mongo]

I guess my next question should be: "What is the value of this?". I am sure that is the next thing my neighbor will ask. He is not a collector and would rather this go to someone who would appreciate it. As a whole, I don't see any real value here myself. In parts, I see some individual parts that could be difficult to find (motor, carb, switches, generator, ect) in the event that someone out there is doing a restoration on whatever these things ORIGINALLY came from. Any ideas?

 

[jpekarek]

Possibly part of a welder. But the machine clearly has a connection port for a cold weather flight suit. Says right on the front.

 

[Oldfart]

Possibly part of a welder. But the machine clearly has a connection port for a cold weather flight suit. Says right on the front.

As I recall from the bib's that I had, the plug end is unique. The spade pattern and width was different from anything I had ever encountered. One of the reasons I never got around to rigging an actual electrical connection, was that I did not want to hack off the connecting wire end to get it attached to the 24 DC in my M37. That and I was unsure how to control the actual heat. Fried wife can make for all sorts of problems.

 

[Mongo]

Possibly part of a welder. But the machine clearly has a connection port for a cold weather flight suit. Says right on the front.

What it SAYS on the front is kinda irrelevant to what it actually is. It has an aircraft generator on it but I know for certain this thing isn't an airplane. My guess is that the heat suit panel was added for the switch to control voltage/amperage to the output for welding....

 

[PeterD]

Well, heck, glue a couple o' wings on it, add a prop, and call it an experimental airplane!

I do think this is a great example of bodging something together with whatever one has at hand!

 

[Mongo]

One of the guys here at work called it "Mechanical Folk Art" and thinks somewhere there is a market for such ingenious items...

 

[jpekarek]

What it SAYS on the front is kinda irrelevant to what it actually is. It has an aircraft generator on it but I know for certain this thing isn't an airplane. My guess is that the heat suit panel was added for the switch to control voltage/amperage to the output for welding....

Well it's obviously not an airplane. There are no wings! I was mearly stating that the front control panel is off from a power supply that is used for cold weather suits LIKE the ones used in old airplanes.

 

[Mongo]

I have to admit that when I first saw the thing I assumed that it was a ground support generator for the heated suits figuring that pilots flying out of Alaska who waited on the tarmac for the ground crews to finish their work would like to keep warm. Then I realized that this was fairly unlikely which is why I came here to figure it out.

 

[ETN550]

Even the wheels are home made