Traditionally styled windlass

[David Schweizer]

For years I have been hoping that I will find a traditionally shaped windlass rather than the welded lumps which are normally available at Chandlers these days. Ideally I would like a pair of bronze or alternatively Iron/steel ones, but I have been unable to locate any for sale to date. I have a couple of Cooke windlasses, but as they have very small sockets thay will not fit anything these days.

 

I know that Midland Chandlers advertise that they sell them, but if the image on their web site is accurate they are poorly finished, having spent too much time on the polishing wheel which has removed all the crisp edges, and anyway when I called into the Braunston Depot last weekend, they did not have any and there was no space for any on the rack.

 

My apologies to Derek for pinching his photo, but this is the style I am looking for.

 

 

If anyone knows where I can purchase any, or if anyone has one (or two!) they wish to sell please contact me

Edited November 27, 2011 by David Schweizer

[Guest]

David - they very occasionally pop up on eBay - though none on there on the mo. - it would worth saving a search on there and you will get an email when somebody lists one...

[carlt]

I'm pretty sure I've got a steel one you can have, David.

 

I will wander up to my garage, this afternoon and have a look (it may have a small socket, like yours though).

[Timleech]

For years I have been hoping that I will find a traditionally shaped windlass rather than the welded lumps which are normally available at Chandlers these days. Ideally I would like a pair of bronze or alternatively Iron/steel ones, but I have been unable to locate any for sale to date. I have a couple of Cooke windlasses, but as they have very small sockets thay will not fit anything these days.

 

I know that Midland Chandlers advertise that they sell them, but if the image on their web site is accurate they are poorly finished, having spent too much time on the polishing wheel which has removed all the crisp edges, and anyway when I called into the Braunston Depot last weekend, they did not have any and there was no space for any on the rack.

 

My apologies to Derek for pinching his photo, but this is the style I am looking for.

 

 

If anyone knows where I can purchase any, or if anyone has one (or two!) they wish to sell please contact me

 

I've got probably a dozen or so unused galvanised Grand Union sized windlasses, somewhere. Not much use now, I gather (not boated in that direction for 25 years), but if you want any I'll try to remember where I put them.

 

Tim

[Laurence Hogg]

For years I have been hoping that I will find a traditionally shaped windlass rather than the welded lumps which are normally available at Chandlers these days. Ideally I would like a pair of bronze or alternatively Iron/steel ones, but I have been unable to locate any for sale to date. I have a couple of Cooke windlasses, but as they have very small sockets thay will not fit anything these days.

 

I know that Midland Chandlers advertise that they sell them, but if the image on their web site is accurate they are poorly finished, having spent too much time on the polishing wheel which has removed all the crisp edges, and anyway when I called into the Braunston Depot last weekend, they did not have any and there was no space for any on the rack.

 

My apologies to Derek for pinching his photo, but this is the style I am looking for.

 

 

If anyone knows where I can purchase any, or if anyone has one (or two!) they wish to sell please contact me

 

Try John Bolsom at High Line (Boatmans cabin Co) he may have some old stock bronze ones, other wise Tim and WFBCo always had some about.

[David Schweizer]

I'm pretty sure I've got a steel one you can have, David.

 

I will wander up to my garage, this afternoon and have a look (it may have a small socket, like yours though).

Thanks for that Carl, if you do find it could you please let me know. I am happy to buy it from you.

 

I've got probably a dozen or so unused galvanised Grand Union sized windlasses, somewhere. Not much use now, I gather (not boated in that direction for 25 years), but if you want any I'll try to remember where I put them.

 

Tim

I would be happy to buy a few from you, We are on the GU so they should hopefully fit, there still seem to be at least two sizes of spindle.

 

Try John Bolsom at High Line (Boatmans cabin Co) he may have some old stock bronze ones, other wise Tim and WFBCo always had some about.

Thanks for that, I will try High Line, although they seem to be discontinuing a lot of their brassware. I wrote to them recently about Pole/Plank racks but they are discontinued.

 

I had heard about WFBco having some but did not know who to speak to, I will give Tim a ring.

Edited November 27, 2011 by David Schweizer

[Ray T]

David, I got these at Foxton show earlier this year and have had them chromed. (have shown this picture before).

 

They were a £5ver each, considerably more to chrome though.

 

Edited November 27, 2011 by Ray T

[alan_fincher]

I would be happy to buy a few from you, We are on the GU so they should hopefully fit, there still seem to be at least two sizes of spindle.

David,

 

I suspect when Tim refers to an old "GU sized spindle", he means the size that was used on the lower GU, and the Leicester, before they got reduced to the smaller size they now are ?

 

The size that is still used on the Ham and Baker gear on the Birmingham GU main line, as well as a few of the surviving 1970s hydraulic monstrosities elsewhere, whilst broadly the same size as the old GU tapered spindles are actually almost untapered, and I would suggest that using an old GU tapered windlass on them would be less than ideal, and probably damage spindles over time.

 

If it's windlasses for using that you want, then I don't think the standard old GU ones now fit anything properly, unless you had them adapted to reduce the taper size, (which is possible - my brother used to have a decent GU sized windlass with a clip in insert that would enable it to work on the narrow canal style spindles).

 

I think the current problem is that on the Southern GU, neither the old "big" or the old "small" size is suitable, as the current highly tapered spindles are sized a lot smaller than "big" but a bit bigger than what usually passed for "small".

 

I'm guessing that the larger eyed one in Ray's photos is designed for the original "Southern GU" style spindles, so I'm curious if he actually uses it anywhere now, or whether it is just a decorative item ?

[Ray T]

[/qoute]

I'm guessing that the larger eyed one in Ray's photos is designed for the original "Southern GU" style spindles, so I'm curious if he actually uses it anywhere now, or whether it is just a decorative item ?

 

 

Alan, the larger windlass is one of the "old" GU style ones. Our boat was originally based at Rickmansworth and I also have another similar sized steel one. I intend to have an insert made so I can use it on the northern part of the GU.

Edited November 27, 2011 by Ray T

[alan_fincher]

Picture posted before, but this 1970s example is now just a decoration as it stands.....

 

I'd not wish to try using it on any spindle I have seen since getting back on the cut 6 or 7 yeras ago.......

 

 

I don't seem to be able to find it at the moment, or I would measure it!

[Speedwheel]

I suspect when Tim refers to an old "GU sized spindle", he means the size that was used on the lower GU, and the Leicester, before they got reduced to the smaller size they now are ?

 

Absolutely criminal. BW hacked off the old spindles, some of which were stamped with GJCCo and threw them in the scrap.

 

[alan_fincher]

Absolutely criminal. BW hacked off the old spindles, some of which were stamped with GJCCo and threw them in the scrap.

 

Aylesbury Arm ??

 

I'm struggling to remember if the narrow arms of the GU still used the larger size ?

 

If you had asked me, I would probably have said "no", but I'm guessing from the picture that is a big spindle size, and it is clearly not on a double lock!

[Speedwheel]

Aylesbury Arm ??

 

I'm struggling to remember if the narrow arms of the GU still used the larger size ?

 

If you had asked me, I would probably have said "no", but I'm guessing from the picture that is a big spindle size, and it is clearly not on a double lock!

 

I think it is, but not totally sure.

[Speedwheel]

I have started a new topic to avoid hijacking any further.

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=42887

[Yamanx]

Try here

 

Link to windlass

[alan_fincher]

Try here

 

Link to windlass

It does seem a bit optimistic to me that anybody would be offering a serviceable bronze windlass at only £28, so I'll be interested if anybody manages to obtain one. (Particularly as Midland Chandlers list the current item as about £46).

 

The reference to "Large Eye" and "Small Eye" on that HLY list does sound a bit like something from the past, and I'm seriously wondering if this relates to moulds made before the paddle gear on the Grand Union all got altered to a new smaller spindle size.

 

FWIW, I have managed to find the windlass pictured here, and can confirm that although I think old GU spindles used to be referred to as 1 1/4", the windlass has easily that dimension at the smaller end of the taper. At the wider end of the taper the square in mine measures marginally over 1 3/8".

 

As I said earlier, I do not now know of anything these would fit reliably, without the aperture being reduced by some adaptor.

 

[Guest]

I'm intrigued by the round licence holder HLY have listed on that site aren't BW licences a different shape..... Edited November 28, 2011 by MJG

[alan_fincher]

I'm intrigued by the round licence holder HLY have listed on that site aren't BW licences a different shape.....

They are now......

 

But they used to be a lot like a car tax disk, and, if you wanted, you could remove them from the BW sealed plastic packaging, and reduce them to a round format.

 

 

That price list just looks like it is 30 yeras old, in terms of some of the things listed......

[Laurence Hogg]

Try here

 

Link to windlass

The 5402 is the one to go for its a copy of a Neales no1.

 

It does seem a bit optimistic to me that anybody would be offering a serviceable bronze windlass at only £28, so I'll be interested if anybody manages to obtain one. (Particularly as Midland Chandlers list the current item as about £46).

 

The reference to "Large Eye" and "Small Eye" on that HLY list does sound a bit like something from the past, and I'm seriously wondering if this relates to moulds made before the paddle gear on the Grand Union all got altered to a new smaller spindle size.

 

FWIW, I have managed to find the windlass pictured here, and can confirm that although I think old GU spindles used to be referred to as 1 1/4", the windlass has easily that dimension at the smaller end of the taper. At the wider end of the taper the square in mine measures marginally over 1 3/8".

 

As I said earlier, I do not now know of anything these would fit reliably, without the aperture being reduced by some adaptor.

 

 

That is almost certainly a early BCC windlass or if it has an arrow in it one of Selwyn Jordans, either way its gunmetal bronze and high quality.

 

I'm intrigued by the round licence holder HLY have listed on that site aren't BW licences a different shape.....

 

The original BCC licence holder was square, only when BW changed to the pop out disc did we use an adopted port rim. I beleive they still hold some square stock.

 

It does seem a bit optimistic to me that anybody would be offering a serviceable bronze windlass at only £28, so I'll be interested if anybody manages to obtain one. (Particularly as Midland Chandlers list the current item as about £46).

 

 

The reason for this is production has ceased and the prices reflect the final UK produced ones. BCC under both mine and Johns tenure only used proper gunmetal bronze casters for these windlasses. Also we tested them for strength. I have no idea what the quality of a indian bronze windlass is like but its sufficent to say I would never want to use one.

 

Years ago some "rip off" merchant cast brass windlasses and tried to pass them off as bronze, one snapped injuring a lady quite badly, we were approached as the manufacturer, however the windlass concerned was slightly smaller overall than ours, a casting off a casting an in the wrong material to boot.

[David Schweizer]

I have been phoning around and the chap at Boatman's Cabin seemed to think they did not have any bronze ones left, but he is going to phone me back. Similarily Tim at WFBCo did not have any bronze ones left, but I have lcocated some chrome plated traditional double headed ones like the red one in Speedwheel's photo (see below), so I am going to try and aquire on of those for a start.

 

Edited November 28, 2011 by David Schweizer

[Hairy-Neil]

Here's one I made earlier....

 

 

[David Schweizer]

Here's one I made earlier....

 

 

They are exactly what I am looking for, are you taking commissions? I would have a couple.

Edited November 28, 2011 by David Schweizer

[Hairy-Neil]

I'll give it some thought....

 

Though must say, making just a couple is hardly going to be a profitable exercise....

[Speedwheel]

That is nice. What is it made from?

[alan_fincher]

I'll give it some thought....

 

Though must say, making just a couple is hardly going to be a profitable exercise....

I'm sure there is a definite market for someone to produce a good forged windlass that fits most "modern" spindles.

 

Even at a premium price, I'd consider a few, knowing it is something that I couldn't snap the top off, and could (usually!) retrieve with a magnet, if the worst happens. Neither of course is true of (say) a Dunton Double, and I'm still nervous of pushing too hard on anything alloy.

 

I'm guessing though that the work involved might make them seriously expensive.

 

Give us a target price, and you can start to find out if you might have got yourself a side business!

 

Personally, pretty though they are, I wouldd hesitate to spend a fortune on a cast bronze one these days. I'm certainly not convinced about strength, and with my crew's track record the might be too easily lost for good!

 

I note that a certain person trading from old boats is now offering a carbon fibre windlass, (but it ain't cheap, I think!).