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Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

Twins

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From my previous comment, some photos of the Ransomes and Lloyd's edgers. The lloyds has more of an old patina and surface rust but it works and everything moves freely, the Ransomes top cog is seized and there is a lot of play in the cutter spindle, one handle is broken (they tend to fall over backwards and the handles hit the floor). Will play with it when I get chance to get it as good as the lloyds . For now. 

 

Clive1997 Wed, 04/11/2020

Hi Lee

You have a nice pair there, re the handle, assume the metal one is broken? rather than the hand grip,  which one as I have a spare can't remember if left or right, will check when I can, also other spare bits.

Lee Smallwood Wed, 04/11/2020

Sorry Clive, it's the wooden grip, I should have been more clear, thanks though, one thing you can help with, regarding the wooden grips, what are they held on the frame with, they look like 2 mega rivets through each handle, do you know how to remove and replace, do they punch out or is there a technique? How are you BTW?  

Clive1997 Thu, 05/11/2020

Hi Lee 

Not so bad if its just the wood, I agree they appear to be a large rivet type arrangement, but can't remember seeing one in bits, my two whole ones have intact handles, but can have a probe around the spare one I have. Assume a nut & bolt carefully recessed in the wood would do the job.

Things here fine, but have just furloughed Father Christmas for our 2 x Nov weekends, don't let any children know!!! Managed to move them to Dec where we have 1600 booked now so fingers crossed.

Lee Smallwood Thu, 05/11/2020

Blimey, fingers crossed for December, 

I'm contemplating using wooden dowels instead of nut and bolt for a cleaner grip but would prefer to use the rivets if theres a way to get then out so they're reusable.

Still need to come and see you and museum again, hopefully relieve me of some money and you of surplus beauties. Won't be until next spring if this mess isn't sorted, maybe even longer. Itching to come down though. 

 

olcadmin Thu, 05/11/2020

They are rivets with quite large flat heads. Not in a position to photograph mine at the moment but if I can in the foreseeable I will.

I believe they are made of copper and will look a bit like the ones in the photo below. If I remember correctly, the ones you'll need have a thinner shaft. At the other end would be a copper disc with same diameter as the head and with a small hole in it - you push the shaft through the hole and pean it over to make the fastening.

I suspect it will be quite difficult to track the right thing down (and I might be wrong about the type you need anyway) so perhaps a different approach will be needed. There are flat-headed brass bolts available that  look a bit like the ones underneath. That might be a simpler approach with much the same effect.

 

mikehpw1 Thu, 05/11/2020

I’ve just completed my edger and mine were steel rivets. The only way i could get them out was to carefully drill the heads off. Ive ordered some special bolts, once I’ve tried them and they work I’ll send details pics attached 

Lee Smallwood Thu, 05/11/2020

Thanks guys, sounds like the brass brass bolt would be quite a nice thing to use, I won't be restoring either to that extent, just getting them working, clean up and preserving oil will be all they need. Is that a ransomes or lloyds edger you've done up? 

mikehpw1 Thu, 05/11/2020

Hi Lee

its a Ransomes. Going back to the bolts Rivets they were actually a piece of round bar / pin with a washer either side and permed over. I tried to replicate them but very difficult, thinking they may have done it with the pins hot originally???

hillsider Thu, 05/11/2020

The rivets on my machine were flat heads with no washers but the situation remains the same when it comes to installing new rivets without damaging the new wooden handles I looked around for an alternative and found some M6 X 30 cabinet connector bolts that had heads of the same diameter as the old rivets. The new bolts are flat headed and have a hexagon socket in each end that could be either filled or covered to hide them if required.