Source for material for air compressor reed valve

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

Hi Guys,  Happy Holidaze!

 

I'm rebuilding an antique air compressor from early 1900s (at least that's what I think the date code says)

 

The reed valves are totally shot.

 

I've searched high and low on the web for a suitable material.  I know that I should use 1095 carbon steel shim stock.  The old valves are 0.010" thick.

 

These valves are 3/4" wide X 3-1/4" long.

 

The smallest piece of stock I can find is maybe 6x6, enough for a dozen valves... and $$$

 

Question is this:  Anybody know of a source to buy just a small piece of the shim stock I need?

 

Thanks for reading!  Happy Holidays!

 

[1995 520H+96+97 937]

Do you have a feeler gauge. to adjust valves and or points?

[Handy Don 12,481]

16 minutes ago, 1995 520H+96+97 said:

Do you have a feeler gauge. to adjust valves and or points?

Are you thinking to sacrifice the 0.010 blade?  Clever!

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

1 hour ago, 1995 520H+96+97 said:

Do you have a feeler gauge. to adjust valves and or points?

 

Sure do and would gladly sacrifie but alas, not big enough.

 

This is a BIG old compressor, 2 cylinder, single stage.

 

The reed valves are a flat piece, 3-1/4 inches long, and 3/4 inches wide.

 

I did look for big wide feeler gauges also but could not find any big enough.

 

I'll try to put some pics up later.

Edited December 22, 2020 by Jeff-C175

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,107]

What about a piece of the blued strapping/banding we see?

[wallfish 17,084]

How about this?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/010-Blue-Tempered-Spring-Steel-Shim-stock-2-5-x-6-0-010-010-pinball-tatoo/273877491502?hash=item3fc45edf2e:g:lpYAAOSwje9c-BTx

 

 

[WHX?? 49,193]

2 hours ago, Jeff-C175 said:

put some pics up later.

[Stepney 2,325]

Would like to see this too, I had an ancient Worthington double acting air compressor once. Had a mechanical valve gear though. Had a Gardner with those reed valves. Could always just order a small sheet of .010 shim sheet off Grainger? I used to buy 2x4" pieces for making bearing shims on our old engines. 

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

I'll take some pics tomorrow.  There's no name on it anywhere except on the big wheel and I think that says "DELCO" but it's got about ten coats of paint on it so hard to read and be certain yet.  If the wheel is even original to the compressor then I don't think it's as old as I think it is.  Delco wasn't around in 1910 to my knowledge.  I believe this thing is a hodge podge of parts from over the decades.  The motor is a 50s era Craftsman which still runs great.

 

I will NOT use the original tank!  It's rusty as all get out inside and I've seen too many pics of tank explosions.  I'm going to keep it together with the rest of it but not plumb the tank to the air.  I have another tank I'll 'remote' into for air storage

 

Thanks for all the suggestions!  I think I'm going to have to resign myself to spending 25 bucks and having lots of leftover material.

 

I am also going to have to make head gaskets.  I have a source for some soft copper for free.  Not sure how I'm going to cut them out yet,  maybe a Dremel with a cutoff wheel.  The old ones are usable as a pattern.  Open to suggestions on how best to accomplish this.

 

Also can't decide on painting it up pretty or just leave the 'patina'.  I think it was originally red but maybe only the head.  Need to do more forensics.  I'm certain the wheel was originally Japanned black.

 

Hope it works when I'm done!

Edited December 23, 2020 by Jeff-C175

[Bill D 1,946]

I can't wait to see pictures.  I sold an old wayne air compressor to a member here.  The tank was shot on that one too.  The pump and motor were great.

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

OK then... here's a couple pics.  Cold in the shop this morning so I didn't try to get 'photo studio' grade shots, but they are good enough to see what I'm working with.

 

That cast in part just below the cylinders and above the sump says  "  1  10  " and there's another on the sump casting that says " 12 10 " 

Those are what I figured might be date codes but I'm beginning to doubt that because the face of the wheel says  " DELCO LIGHT " and has the same sort of markings as the other castings so presumably the wheel IS original to the compressor.

 

 

Ya think these reed valves need replacing?  

This unit had 2 pieces stacked, then the piece on the left on top of those, I think that controls the 'rebound' of the valve so it doesn't flex as much.

I did go ahead and order a 6" x 24" piece of shim stock from McMaster last night for $16 + shipping.

I'll find some use for the remainder somewhere I guess.

 

 

I'm leaning toward a full repaint, looking around for local shop that can do some soda blasting for me.

Edited December 23, 2020 by Jeff-C175

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

I've found some information that "Delco Light" was formed by Charles P Kettering in 1909 to manufacture ignition products for Cadillac.  DELCO is short for "Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company"

 

www.delcolight.com/2.html

 

In 1916 they entered the business of providing electricity to rural farms.  They sold a 32 VDC system with a gen-set that would charge the batteries, automatically starting and stopping the 'charger' as the battery voltage required.

 

In 1935 Roosevelt created the Rural Electric Administration that seems to have eliminated the need for these DC voltage systems.

 

The last Delco-Light system was manufactured in 1947.

 

What I'm not able to determine yet is if they ever manufactured air compressors, and the wheel that's on this compressor could very well have come from one of those 'light plants'.  BUT... the markings on the casting seem to be the same format which leads me to believe it's the correct wheel for the compressor.  Perhaps after the fall of the light plant business they branched into compressors and other things.  

 

back to Mrs. Google.  She knows all!

 

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

I found a website for collectors of the DELCO LIGHT farm electricity setups and emailed the guy.

 

He said: "It's a reciprocating compressor for refrigeration systems.  Delco Light manufactured them for Frigidaire from 1921 to 1926."

 

So it's not as old as I thought, but still almost 100!

 

[oliver2-44 9,875]

3 minutes ago, Jeff-C175 said:

 

: "It's a reciprocating compressor for refrigeration systems.  Delco Light manufactured them for Frigidaire from 1921 to 1926."

 

 

Being that vintage it very well could have been for an  system that used Ammonia as the refrigerant. 

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

1 hour ago, oliver2-44 said:

 

Being that vintage it very well could have been for an  system that used Ammonia as the refrigerant. 

 

Could be!  There was an old home near here that I would visit from time to time, I knew the people who lived there.  It was once Armand Hammer's mansion home.  Down in the basement was a large compressor such as the one I have with the ammonia lines running up to the kitchen.  The 'Frididaire' it used to run was long gone but this thing was still there.

 

May also have been Sulfur Dioxide.

 

I believe the display items in this pic on Shorpy.com are this compressor.

 

https://www.shorpy.com/node/9226

 

Hard to tell for sure, but I'm certain that the flywheel is the exact one.

 

Kettering did develop Freon 12, but I believe that was later on, so this could be an Ammonia pump for sure.

 

One last piece of info... this was owned by my Father-In-Law who owned a service station in Long Branch, NJ in the late 30s and through the 40s.  He was a very resourceful guy, and I have no doubt that he salvaged this compressor turning it into an air compressor to use at his service station.

 

Edited December 24, 2020 by Jeff-C175

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

I got the reed valves finished.  Cleaned the rust out of the compression chamber and reassembled the valve plate.

 

Now on to the gaskets... I have some pieces of soft copper that's a tad thicker than the original gaskets at .014 vs .010  which I don't think will make any difference.

I actually don't really care if it's not a good performer, it will be nice to look at when I'm done and it's running, cleaned and painted.

 

Not sure how I'm going to go about cutting the copper out.  I know I can just trim the outside with heavy scissors, but cutting the cylinders, bolt  holes and such might be challenging.

I was thinking about using my fly cutter in drill press for the cylinder holes.  Maybe I can find a round punch cutter to do the bolt holes.  I have extra copper to experiment with.

CNC with water jet would be awesome!

Edited January 5, 2021 by Jeff-C175

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

15 hours ago, Jeff-C175 said:

some pieces of soft copper

 

Yeah, well, no I don't.

 

This isn't solid copper at all but rather double sided glass epoxy printed circuit board material.

 

I've never seen PC board material this thin.

 

Back to the drawing board.

[squonk 41,464]

McMaster-Carr

 

https://www.mcmaster.com/carbon-steel-shim-stock/shim-stock-6/

 

https://www.mcmaster.com/copper-sheets

Edited January 5, 2021 by squonk

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

40 minutes ago, squonk said:

McMaster-Carr

 

They're fast but their shipping is too much for my taste.

 

Still, that is where I got the shim stock from though.  $16 for the stock, $10 to ship, had it in two days (I think their distro is in the next county).  I would have paid more with free shipping from Amazon but still come out $4 cheaper.

 

Amazon has some 28 ga dead soft copper for about 10 bucks, I'll add it to my next order.

 

Edited January 5, 2021 by Jeff-C175

[lynnmor 7,356]

18 hours ago, Jeff-C175 said:

 

Not sure how I'm going to go about cutting the copper out.  I know I can just trim the outside with heavy scissors, but cutting the cylinders, bolt  holes and such might be challenging.

I was thinking about using my fly cutter in drill press for the cylinder holes. 

I don't know what machine tools you have, but I would sandwich the copper between steel plates and cut thru everything.  I have a blade welder on my vertical bandsaw so the cylinder holes could be sawed out of the sandwich.The head could be used as a drill jig for the bolt holes by clamping it over the sandwich.

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

23 minutes ago, lynnmor said:

what machine tools

 

Mostly wood tools.  Only the drill press for metal.  But this material is only 0.016 soft copper and easily worked with a hand nibbler, a whitney punch, and scissors.

 

I sorta like the caveman method.