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Dr. Grabow Pipes
"America's One and Only"
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drbridges
Search Master
Joined: 19 May 2008
Posts: 1381
Location: Bryan Texas
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 Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 3:52 am Post subject: |
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The temperature around Waco has exceeded 100 every day this month! Who would want to open their car windows anyway? The only reason she might open a window is for the carhops. Just tell her to skip the Sonic drive-in and get her Dr. Pepper drinks at the Whataburger counter.
My VW van had a broke heater cable. To make the heater work I had to crawl underneath and wire up the heater flaps. So for about the half the year the heater was ON. And for the other half the year the heater was OFF. The day to day temperature was irrelevant.
Passengers used to ask, "Is your heater on? It's 85 degrees outside." And I would respond, "Yeah, my heater is on because this is still March, and it might be cool in April."
The stamping machine looks like a hand lever contraption. Is that it? That little round thing on the desk?
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LokoMac8
Tru-Grain
Joined: 19 May 2008
Posts: 985
Location: Heidenheimer, Texas
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| Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 4:56 am Post subject: |
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| drbridges wrote: | The temperature around Waco has exceeded 100 every day this month! Who would want to open their car windows anyway? The only reason she might open a window is for the carhops. Just tell her to skip the Sonic drive-in and get her Dr. Pepper drinks at the Whataburger counter.
My VW van had a broke heater cable. To make the heater work I had to crawl underneath and wire up the heater flaps. So for about the half the year the heater was ON. And for the other half the year the heater was OFF. The day to day temperature was irrelevant.
Passengers used to ask, "Is your heater on? It's 85 degrees outside." And I would respond, "Yeah, my heater is on because this is still March, and it might be cool in April."
The stamping machine looks like a hand lever contraption. Is that it? That little round thing on the desk? |
Yea well, that's the problem -- the failure managed to occur when most of the windows were down!
I think the forcast for the week here were temperatures from 101 to 105 or so for for or five more days. Then a cold front will be moving in and we will have to break out our sweaters as the temperture is supposed to drop to a high of 100 degrees even for a couple of days. It doesn't take many cool days like that before you're wishing for the warmer ones again!
You'd think for all my interest in the stampings, I'd gotten some better pictures of the process! I think either my shutter finger was getting tired or the group made a quick move toward the pipe filter machine in a far corner of the factory and I hobbled after them trying to catch up. Besides, I wanted to leave an excuse or two to go back! I think TED can easily explain better about what you see in that photo. Maybe Terry got some better shots, too. --RJ-- |
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drbridges
Search Master
Joined: 19 May 2008
Posts: 1381
Location: Bryan Texas
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| Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 12:59 pm Post subject: |
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Oh yeah! If the windows are stuck down then you either gotta pull over & fix it right away or sell the car. I can understand the urgency now. Makes sense.
The photos are great, Mac. You did a yeoman's job on the Sparta Tour 2009 assignment. A few times in my life people have paid me to take photos for them, and I don't believe I could have done a better job than you did for us.
I imagined the stamping station was tall enough for the operator to stand, and it had a foot pedal operating the hydraulic clamping, kind of like a pressing machine at a laundry/cleaners. The machine in your photo looks very different from that. |
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LokoMac8
Tru-Grain
Joined: 19 May 2008
Posts: 985
Location: Heidenheimer, Texas
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| Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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| drbridges wrote: | | The photos are great, Mac. You did a yeoman's job on the Sparta Tour 2009 assignment. A few times in my life people have paid me to take photos for them, and I don't believe I could have done a better job than you did for us. |
Really, David, it was quite pleasurable for me since I was already there. I would have taken those photos even if you weren't paying me. The check's in the mail, right?
| drbridges wrote: | | I imagined the stamping station was tall enough for the operator to stand, and it had a foot pedal operating the hydraulic clamping, kind of like a pressing machine at a laundry/cleaners. The machine in your photo looks very different from that. |
Well, other than he was sitting down, I think that is pretty much how it operated. The machine should take care of my old complaint of light stamps, which come to think of it, later Dr. Grabows don't seem to suffer from. As a matter of fact, all the mail order IP&A Grabows I got WERE VERY DEEPLY STAMPED. I think Mike told me that it also applied a bit of heat when it stamped the name, also. The Big Pipe I had specially stamped for me while I was there didn't seem quite as deep, but it was a good clean stamping and deep enough -- not something that's buffed off easily. I guess it CAN compensate for a much bigger diameter shank and smaller ones.
When we discussed stamping later, TED speculated that maybe why so many of Linkman's old Grabows were so faintly stamped was that the pressure to do the stamping was probably foot power alone, increased only through some levers. By the end of a long work day, maybe the person doing the stamping was getting a bit fatigued and light on the pedal. Makes sense. Plus that could explain some of the doublestamping and where those old Linkman's would occasionally get one stamp overlaid on top on another stamp. Come to think of it, it IS sort of mind boggling now to think of how much time and effort was spent stamping pipes -- The name and line stamp, the "Pre-Smoked" stamp, the patent number stamp, the number stamp -- and they'd get all that on even their smallest and slimmest offerings! I guarantee you, if they were to do all that stamping in Sparta, they would have developed a machine that would DO IT ALL AT ONE TIME! --RJ-- |
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steverino
Golden Duke
Joined: 15 Oct 2008
Posts: 787
Location: Piedmont North Carolina
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| Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 5:42 pm Post subject: |
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| drbridges wrote: | | Just tell her to skip the Sonic drive-in and get her Dr. Pepper drinks at the Whataburger counter. |
Well I'll be dogged. I sure thought we were the only ones that had Whataburgers. Of course, I'll have to admit I'm not that well-traveled like RJ. |
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Terry292
Golden Duke
Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 313
Location: Tennessee
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| Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 9:59 pm Post subject: |
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You've certainly been busy, Mac. All those photos posted and comments written for most, and, here I am, still trying to edit. Besides just being lazy, I've also had car problems. My car died at a stop light Friday, and, while I managed to get it started and home again, I had to go out Saturday and buy new plugs, wiring harness, and rotor, and then, try to figure out where everything is on a Saturn Ion. We also had a dinner at church today after services, and that took some of the time I'd hoped to use for posting photos. Hopefully, I'll be able to get something up Monday or Tuesday, although my photos pale in comparison to yours. Next time, I think I'll hire someone to take the pictures and concentrate on what's being said. I think I missed a lot of content because I was more involved with trying to get the photos, and not listening to what Frank and Tom were actually saying.
As far as next year, Sparta IS definitely the place. And, I can adjust my schedule to pretty much any time that's good for you guys. If I know how many will be coming, I'll even bring the steaks, and we can have an old-fashioned BBQ at Ted's house, maybe? (If that's OK with Ted, of course).
Terry
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If I cannot smoke in Heaven, then I shall not go...Mark Twain |
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LokoMac8
Tru-Grain
Joined: 19 May 2008
Posts: 985
Location: Heidenheimer, Texas
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| Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 11:36 pm Post subject: |
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| steverino wrote: | | drbridges wrote: | | Just tell her to skip the Sonic drive-in and get her Dr. Pepper drinks at the Whataburger counter. |
Well I'll be dogged. I sure thought we were the only ones that had Whataburgers. Of course, I'll have to admit I'm not that well-traveled like RJ. |
I think the FIRST Whataburger started in Corpus Christi, Texas in the 1950s. Not that well-travelled, but I WAS surprised to find a Whataburger in Florida. I don;t know where Dairy Queen started, but I know they have a BUNCH of them in Texas and I know of at least one in Arizona -- 'cept'n in Arizona they put relish on their hamburgers and in Texas it was lettuce, onion and tomatoes. --RJ-- |
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LokoMac8
Tru-Grain
Joined: 19 May 2008
Posts: 985
Location: Heidenheimer, Texas
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| Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 11:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Terry292 wrote: | | We also had a dinner at church today after services, and that took some of the time I'd hoped to use for posting photos. |
TED has been kind not to mention it, but I wouldn't miss any meals either. I always do better work on a full stomach . . .
| Terry292 wrote: | | Next time, I think I'll hire someone to take the pictures and concentrate on what's being said. I think I missed a lot of content because I was more involved with trying to get the photos, and not listening to what Frank and Tom were actually saying. |
Man! I could've made some money and bought more pipes. With the money that I think DRB said he's sending me, and what you would have paid me, just think of the possibilities! Maybe I misinterpreted what DRB said.
But you're right. In hindsight I at least would have rather shot video with sound to both capture the motion of the machinery AND, most importantly, what was being said! (My son has an HD video camera, but probably not enough memory in it except for short clips. He probably won;t let me use it, though.) At the very least, maybe had a small tape recorder. One thing for sure, I wish I would have listened better and remembered what I heard better. Manual note taking fell by the wayside at the first operation we got to -- that was hopeless. --RJ-- |
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ted
"Old Timer"
Joined: 23 Jun 2008
Posts: 1171
Location: NC'
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| Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 12:01 am Post subject: |
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| Terry292 wrote: | If I know how many will be coming, I'll even bring the steaks, and we can have an old-fashioned BBQ at Ted's house, maybe? (If that's OK with Ted, of course).
Terry |
I couldn't do it a MINUTE before about 10:00 tomorrow....ted |
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BWThomas
Golden Duke
Joined: 12 Jul 2009
Posts: 450
Location: Leesburg, VA
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| Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 12:28 am Post subject: |
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So, what is the deal on factory tours/visits...do they hold them all year round? I don't think that I can wait a year to see the place.
I was sitting here in my office taking pictures of my pipes when my wife popped in and asked ...what's up. I told her about the forum and the tour I missed at Sparta. She was kinda miffed, said she would have gone in a minute. Made me feel like a fool for not bringing it up....well at least I'm familiar with that feeling.
So, if there is a chance of getting in to see the factory, I'm gonna head south.
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