What's new
British Ordnance Collectors Network

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

WWI - Munitions Machinery Adverts

TimG

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Recently, whilst being dragged around an antiques shop, I chanced upon the undershown publication. This and four other were all from the same period - 1916. They were full of articles on the manufacture of munitions and adverts for machinery to manufacture them. (n.b. 3.3" is 18 pounder)

IMG_1461.jpg

TimG

IMG_1492.jpgIMG_1491.jpgIMG_1490.jpgIMG_1489.jpgIMG_1488.jpgIMG_1487.jpgIMG_1486.jpgIMG_1485.jpgIMG_1493.jpgIMG_1494.jpgIMG_1495.JPGIMG_1503.jpgIMG_1502.jpgIMG_1501.jpgIMG_1500.jpgIMG_1499.jpgIMG_1498.jpgIMG_1497.jpgIMG_1496.JPGIMG_1484.jpgIMG_1483.jpgIMG_1469.jpgIMG_1468.jpgIMG_1466.jpgIMG_1465.jpgIMG_1464.jpgIMG_1463.jpgIMG_1462.JPGIMG_1470.jpgIMG_1471.jpgIMG_1472.jpgIMG_1482.JPGIMG_1481.jpgIMG_1480.jpgIMG_1478.JPGIMG_1476.jpgIMG_1475.jpgIMG_1474.jpgIMG_1504.jpgIMG_1473.jpgIMG_1505.jpg
 
I take it by the vast amount of pics, you've bought them Tim?...
They are superb! Well done. I'd give my right arm for material such as this.
 
Last edited:
Thanks Tim great pics.
I like this one in particular, guards removed for the advert, fine,........... but no goggles, gloves, ear defenders........from the days when life was a much simpler and painful place...
Dave.
IMG_1492.jpg
 

This one is also very nice. It's a tool for a graduating machine used to make the No.80 fuze scales. This machine in the following picture is from the Scovill Mfg. Co., Waterbury, Conn. In the picture the tool ring is the left one and the right is the time ring of the fuze (No.85 PTTF)
 

Attachments

  • 165-WW-367B-016.jpg
    165-WW-367B-016.jpg
    202.8 KB · Views: 35
Last edited:
Yes, I like the fact that the open herringbone gearing is right next to the forward/reverse selector lever, 1 slip & you are mince meat!
 
Yes, I like the fact that the open herringbone gearing is right next to the forward/reverse selector lever, 1 slip & you are mince meat!

"Illustration shows machine with gear guards removed" ;) I guess they did not want humans between the gears and also no metal chips.

Such large lathes rotated very slowly, so no googles were required. Tungsten carbide cutting plates allowing high cutting speeds were not invented at this time. But with simple hardened steel + flood cooling + low r.p.m. and a large cutting depth they still were able to produce thousands of shells per week like we wouldn't be able to do today with our degraded industry. When China stops deliveries we wouldn't even have electrical light in our factories :)

In my opinion work safety was still present in this era and not that bad as some may think. But course not that overdone as sometimes today.
 
Last edited:
one more real life picture (fixing the driving band):

Note the lake of hydraulic oil beneath the tool! There was no Environment Agency or HSE to oversee conditions in those days.
Considering the size of the cylinders, it probably functioned under a lower pressure than one might think.
Thanks to all for these wonderful pictures!!!!!!
attachment.php
 
Interesting to see that prior to manufacturing ammunition on a large scale you need a completely different industry with tens of thousends of jobs producing the machines needed for ammunition production.
 
Makes you wonder what happened to all the machinery, lathes, pillar drills, etc, after the end of the great war. Scrapped or sold off to other countries looking to boost their military output? Possibly adapted to produce non military components? Truly wonderful machines.
If only one could travel back in time. With a huge crane and a big lorry.

And a more tolerant wife...
 
Top