Need battery supplier

[David OBrien]

Does anyone know of a supplier who handles the 1.5 volt batteries of the design these old engines once used? I can remember using the same style battery in my middle school science class, twently some odd years ago. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks Harry for this fine websight.

[JohnMN]

Here is one source I found:

http://www.sargentwelch.com/product....ell+Battery_E_

but look at the price - Ouch! And, I don't think these are rechargable; once they're dead, it's all over. I've been using small motorcycle batteries for a few years now. They are inexpensive, rechargable, and last for years if properly cared for. The old dry cells do look kind of cool, but hidden inside a battery box, nobody can see my motorcycle battery anyway.

[Elden DuRand]

Originally Posted by David O'Brien

Does anyone know of a supplier who handles the 1.5 volt batteries of the design these old engines once used? I can remember using the same style battery in my middle school science class, twently some odd years ago. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks Harry for this fine websight.

I've seen some sealed lead-acid rechargeable batteries that are virtually identical to the old doorbell batteries. I think they came out of some telephone switching equipment.

The guy duplicated the label from an original carbon-zinc battery and, except for the terminals, you could hardly tell the difference.

You might want to search the web for them.

Take care - Elden
http://home.cybertron.com/~edurand

[Dick Welty]

David,

I think that Elden is right that drycell batteries were last used in the Telephone industry.

My Father said that as a teenager he used to use "Hot Shot" batteries to run his $5.00 or $10.00 model T Fords when the magnitos went south.

As a kid I used them for experiments and to start model airplane engines.

They were expensive though at about $1.00 each. Cheap flashlite batteries were 5 cents and the good ones were 10 cents. The drycells were called doorbell batteries as a lot of old houses used them for the door bells. They also were sometimes used for the filaments on portable type tube radios.

I curently have several that I got with old handcrank telephones. They are Everady Columbia Grey Label Long Life Telephone Cells. They have brass Finstock clips which are very convenient. Normally they had brass thumb screws on the terminals. One terminal was conected to the zink shell and the other was conected to the carbon annode. The space was filled with an acid paste electrolite material.

I intend to carefully remove the cardboard label and top fron the cells that I have and find a sutable size tub to make a hollow lookalike that I can put a rechargable remote control car battery in.

I also have a metal Western Electric Telephone 3 cell battery box that looks almost like new. I can get 2 cells and a model T coil into the box which is similar to a Fairbanks Morse battery box but is narrower.

I think that it will make one of my buzz coil ignition engines look more original and will certainly clean up the wireing.

e-Bay has had a Fairbanks Morse 1 1/2hp Dishpan engine that has an identical battery box to the one I have and It looks almost original.

I have part of an original Fairbanks Morse battery box that is too banged up to use but those boxes in good condition are a rare find.

I did a quick search of the web and was unable to find a reasonable priced source for any dry cells of this type. You could buy 4 of the $15.00 drycells on the site listed above and glue on the Eveready cat labels on to make them look original. Then hook up them up in series $60.00 plus to get 6 volts but drycell batteries don't have a very long shelf life so you are going to have to repeat the drill in a couple of years anyway.

I believe Harry may have a link to the site Elden talked about that has a good printable Eveready Cat label for reproduction dummy cells that will conceal a rechargable battery.

I also have some black epoxie that I can use to fill the top with that will hold brass thumb screws in place that are connected to pugtails with a battery plug atached.

The batteries that I remember were often filled with a tar looking filler seal at the top that the black epoxie will duplicate quite well.

If there are enough Stakers interested in aquiring them I might consider making some up. I would make some that had the wire battery lead and some that were direct thru-put complete dummies that could be connected in series to make the setup look more original.

The rechargable remote controll car batteries last for years. I have some that are at least ten years old and still work well, they are usually 6 1.2 volt c cells in series that put out 7.2 volts and they are made to put out a fair amount of amperage so they work well with buzz coils.

If anyone has any ideas as to what kind of a metal tube is the right size to use for these dummy cells please reply with the information.

I don't think that PVC would look or work very well.

Any Ideas or Anyone interested in me making some up for you?

[Elden DuRand]

Dick:

You might want to mooch around an electrical supplier to see if there's a size of EMT that will work.

You can still get the brass Fahnenstock clips that were used on those batteries.

Also, when potting rechargeable batteries, make SURE to leave a small hole for breathing. If the batteries get overcharged, they will vent. If there's no place for the vented gases to to, you might have an uplifting experience.

Take care - Elden

[Larry]

What is the EXACT Size of the Batt. I may have a Lead on this Tube thing...Larry

[Dick Welty]

Larry,

The total battery diameter is 2 1/2" with the cardboard label sleeve.

The bare tube would be closest to 2 3/8".

I looked at a scrap yard and didn't find anything suitable.

I didn't think to try some muffler shops for tail pipe.

The tubes would have to be 6" long.

I think that exhaust pipe of the corect diameter cut off with a tube cutter might work well with a minimum of cleanup of the cut.

If anyone has muffler shop experience please let us know if that's an option.

Thanks Larry,

[Ray Cardoza]

Hi there Elden, I was wondering where do you find those solenoid 's that you use for you're "electromotors". I have a bunch of hard drive plates and I am trying to make one so I can mess with peoples minds as to how they work. I definitely want to mess with a kids mind that lives down the street from me, he thinks all motors have to be either gas or electrically powered but i'll try to make one that is self powered.I'm not evil I just like messing with peoples mind's especially family members. Thanks

[Darryl Boyd]

You can make your own from a modern battery from Radio Shack or a hardware store and your computer if you have a color printer.

Try this web page

http://www.crystalradio.net/misc/batteries/index.shtml

Darryl

[GeneratorGus]

A few years ago, a guy advertised in Gas Engine Magazine to sell reproduction "Toy Electric Motors". He offered as an accessory a reproduction of a drycell, the took regular D or C batteries, the loaded thru the bottom. It was a nice large colored ad, but he evidently got little responce to his rather pricey reproduction, as the ad only ran once.

[Elden DuRand]

Originally Posted by Ray Cardoza

Hi there Elden, I was wondering where do you find those solenoid 's that you use for you're "electromotors". I have a bunch of hard drive plates and I am trying to make one so I can mess with peoples minds as to how they work. I definitely want to mess with a kids mind that lives down the street from me, he thinks all motors have to be either gas or electrically powered but i'll try to make one that is self powered.I'm not evil I just like messing with peoples mind's especially family members. Thanks

Ray:

Some of the the solenoids come out of junked equipment and others are samples and left overs I was gonna toss.

You might want to look at Digikey.com and Mouser.com. I think they sell various small solenoids. The ones I use have coils rated at between 6 and 24 volts DC. Adjust wall-wart voltage accordingly although it's not very critical.

Have fun!

Take care - Elden

[Andre Blanchard]

Elden, are you talking about these.

Here are some single cell sealed (I think they are AGMs) lead acid batteries.
http://www.batteryweb.com/hawkersla.cfm
They have a few different sizes.
Here is a pic of the E size cell.
http://www.batteryweb.com/productpic.../0850-0004.jpg
2 volts, 8 ah, 1.75" dia., 3.94" tall, 1.1 lbs.

__________
Andre' B. Clear Lake, Wi.

[Ray Cardoza]

Thanks Elden