At last I have had the opportunity to fit two sets of the bespoke springs I have had manufactured into a Smiths 2860 (for those still waiting I can only apologise and promise I will get to you. To those wanting to fit the springs themselves I warn it can be difficult and your 'Smiths' could very well require more than just fitting the springs to get them working correctly, as these did).
The 2860 is a medium sized version of the Smiths, manufactured by James Cartland and Son Ltd and it can be found on page 30 of their 1927 Brassfoundry catalogue, volume no 327.
The setting for the Smith's were the inner entrance doors of a beautifully converted school house attached to the 200 year old Methodist Church and owned by the very nice Paul and Diane.
In the Cartlands 2860 version of the Smiths there is no cut out section in the back wall of the box as can be seen in the above shot (compare this with other models and variants further on in this blog entry).
See below for shots of some of the subtle differences that can be found throughout the different models of the Smiths.
James Cartland & Son Ltd 2860 Smiths for medium size doors (No cutout, stop, strengthened turret area and gudgeon).
Wm Newman & Sons Ltd 283 Smiths for Heavy doors (Cutout, stop and no strengthening of turret or gudgeon.
Next is James Cartland & Son Ltd 'Cartlands adjustable' as mentioned in a previous blog post. Although not sold as a Smiths this model from Cartlands Great Western Foundry appears to be an improvement on Smiths design, having no cutout, no stop and strengthening to turret and gudgeon area.
The inclusion of a second wheel to the pivot and as importantly the removal of the stop is an ingenious way to counter for wear. Any slackness is taken up by the claws ability to continuously press against the wheels on the pin through the contraction of the springs.
The inclusion of a second wheel to the pivot and as importantly the removal of the stop is an ingenious way to counter for wear. Any slackness is taken up by the claws ability to continuously press against the wheels on the pin through the contraction of the springs.
In this final shot you can see an as yet unidentified 'Smiths,' having a very small cut out and no strengthening to the gudgeon.
The simple but effective means by which closing of a door is achieved through the Smith design can be found at the heart of many floor springs right up to and beyond Newman's Britannic of the 1950's.
Robert Adams, Smith & Turner, James Adams, William Tonks and others all have models that incorporate this lay out and method of achieving a draft free, safe and secure building.
As always feel free to comment readers and thanks to Paul and Diane for their hospitality and desire to get the 2860 Smiths working correctly.
Robert Adams, Smith & Turner, James Adams, William Tonks and others all have models that incorporate this lay out and method of achieving a draft free, safe and secure building.
As always feel free to comment readers and thanks to Paul and Diane for their hospitality and desire to get the 2860 Smiths working correctly.
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