N.F. Ramsay & Brother, Newcastle on Tyne

4/23/2016

These six handsome pneumatic 'Invicibles' manufactured/sold by N.F. Ramsay & Brother are from the Winson Green SDA Church, Handsworth, Birmingham. The Church was built in 1904 and is well attended and enjoyed by the local community.

N.F. Ramsay & Brother parted company on the 31st of December 1906 (Two years after these floor springs were put in the ground) but continued on as N.F. Ramsay & Co Ltd thereafter.
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28001/page/1608/data.pdf

The 'Invincibles' were in need of some major work, 4 were so badly seized the mechanism that aligns the doors, set in the shoes had bent, fortunately however not beyond repair.

The guide pin for the piston, set in the cover had been worn/rusted away to almost nothing.

The piston seals were beyond repair so we manufactured new ones....after a little experimentation.

The six doors are now opening smoothly, centering, gently closing and checking with a reassuring phhesssstt!

MFS would like to thank Eddie for is hospitality and taking us to an outlet that makes and sells the best curry in Birmingham.

Please feel free to leave any comments readers, they are much appreciated.

5 Comments

Jess the door closer doctor

4/24/2016 05:39:50 am

Rod/MFS,

loved the read about the pneumatic Ramsey & Brother pneumatic floorsprings, loved the pictures of around the church building,

that one closer photo showing all the parts in the floor before you took them out, looks like lots of grease of different colors in that one, dark brown, light brown, yellows and different shades of orange in that one, can only make out whre the dampening cylinder is and the "fork" part of it, in the world of floor closer repairs, seems it at times can be rewarding and at same time a gross nasty job, especially when comes to the fluid and the result of what that fluid looks like after 50+ years of not being serviced, or when it gets contaminated with water, eeks! it seems it turns into a lottery to see what is left of it after all that time since its last service. it may be dirty job, but someone has to do it, and if it makes the $$$$ by all means grab your tools and get rebuilding!!

I liked your fixture you made to press out the piston seals, looks like some form of a round thing and a piston ring spring compressor for a car engine piston, if it helps you make the piston gaskets, who says the piston ring compressor is just for working on car engines!? you've found a way to use it to work on pneumatic floor springs!

hehe loved at the very end when you wrote about that reassureing sound of the floor spring as the door shuts, I have been known to mimic that sound, for both pneumatic and hydraulic closers (and even power drills)

as always.... I love your blog posts!! they never bore me, also, have you gotten my last emails to you, they were about floor springs, some had pics of one from vietnam (BIGGEST floorspring I have ever seen in my life!) and other emails were about my Rixson (adding transmission fluid/magnet)

_Jess the door closer doctor

mp-allen

5/16/2016 04:52:25 pm

really enjoyed catching up with your Blog - you sure do some interesting work.....keep it up. looking forward to September

Rod link

4/15/2018 07:30:30 pm

Sorry for the late reply Allen and thank you for your comment. I do really enjoy what I do and the wonderful places I get to go to to work on these mechanisms. I only wish more would see the importance (in my opinion) of these old floor springs and realise they should be kept as part and parcel of the fabric of the building and a (often not considered) part of our industrial heritage.

Roger Garside link

4/9/2018 10:24:06 pm

As a grandson of N F Ramsay, I am delighted to read of the trouble taken to restore these door closers, and proud that they should have inspired such a labour of love. To the talent and hard work of my grandfather I owe the education I received at Eton College and Cambridge University.

Rod link

4/15/2018 07:40:03 pm

Hi Roger,

Thank you so much for your comment and recognition of my efforts to promote and bring to light these little considered hard working mechanisms. The next N.F. Ramsey floor spring I come across I will dedicate to your grandfather on behalf of us both. Please feel free to share any and all information you care to/see relevant regarding Mr Ramsey. My best wishes to you Sir.

N.F. Ramsay & Brother, Newcastle on Tyne

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