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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Original Post:
Posted on March 1, 2016 Clint once again was able to gather up some remarkably rare pics and text of one of the rarest of all chassis, the Oborn designed “New Monarch” and “Triumph.”
Some of us had been wondering why their design included a seemingly odd close set of dual rope sheaves set on one side of the receiver bell? Well, with Clint’s article and rerouting the rope graphic with some Photoshop magic, we now know.
For those that do not know, in the New Monarch and Triumph design, the whole back of the chassis has an open rope path running from one side to the other. No other trolley has this feature and it really was a mystery until now.
And with that…..let’s restore one of these unusual chassis. The Oborn designed “New Monarch Timber” is unusual because it has three distinctly different attributes only found in one or two other chassis. Firstly, The “New Monarch’s” frame is supported at the truck on single side. In other words the frame extends to the upper truck on only one side. That is an attribute we only see on some of most unusual cable rigs that required them to be immediately “strung” on open air (field) cables. If you haven’t read the “About Trolleys History” tab on the front page you can read all about how trolleys were used outside long before they moved into the barn. Just know the New Monarch is a later model (1900-1905) and was always a barn rig. In short, it means there is an open channel that we will see the extends right across the whole waist line of the frame. Secondly, The “New Monarch” has both sheaves on one side of the receiving bell. This is explained above in the original ad and appears in no other chassis that we are aware of at this time. Thirdly, The run of the company is a mere four years, as the founder died at a company picnic while playing football (thank you Clint!) All of this comes together to make this chassis unique and, as there only three known, unusual to see at all let alone in an in depth study.
In this restoration we will rebuild a rig recently found by a HTH member, complete with its center drop. Literally resting neatly on its pile of rope, waiting for somebody to give a damn. We will do all the “regular” restoration work and, as one might expect, get into some piece specific restoration as well. We will address the two rope sheaves as one has the hub completely blown out (shredded) and the other sheave is slightly undersized (explained by the slight deformations found on the axle peenings as an early replacement part.) In other words, we will return the sheaves to as new and go through the whole chassis as well.
There appear to be no breaks, cracks, bends, absent parts on this chassis, a great relief after the Frank Patten chassis welding exercise. No one knows what color, if any, the New Monarchs were so that will remain an open issue until something just “sticks.” It all should add up to an interesting look into a great chassis. Hope you all enjoy it. Anyway…pics to follow!
Dan[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
– Responses:
So here we go:
As she was found in the barn….waiting….a long, long time!
Here are some preliminary shots of the New Monarch that will go into restoration.
The chassis is in generally pretty typical shape for a trolley. When we are done it should be a real gem.
Handsome unit with strong styling cues in the upper truck to Milwaukee/Leader
But its the back that is the interesting part of the chassis. We can see clearly why this chassis is so unusual. One can simply reverse the rope layout by dropping the line over the sheaves when ready.
And the color is! Blue, a deep old fashion blue that should be a great new color to work with there is enough here to properly identify. I use special software that reveals the color even when the eye cannot see it.
The work list….
1. A poorly target original center drilling of one of the timber roller axles caused an uneven leveling of one of the wheels. That shredded that wheels hub. We will fill the hole on the frame and properly drill it out. We will remake the hub to perfect, fix the axel and reset the upper truck so it levels the load out across all four wheels.
2. We will remove both of the rope sheave axles, and deal with the mismatched sheaves. I think I know which sheave is the original one but a close inspection of the open frame will tell us. We will make the wheels match, rework them to perfect, provide new axles and set it all right. I can tell by the peening that only one hs been worked on, that makes the sheave nearest the receiving bell most likely original.
3, We will clean up the flat surface areas, stabilizing and removing all pitting etc.
4. Reset the legs back to square and true the whole frame to them.
5. Attend to the lettering and make it all right.
This leg says “MARION, O.”
This leg says “OBORN BROS.”
This leg says “PAT’D MAR 31”
And this one says “NOV 24 1885”
6. Reshape the receiving bell back to round….lots of years of strikes….and misses! I have to test the frame to see what the metallurgy is on the pieces that we are going to work on.
A good deal of work, but a chassis well worth it! Folks, this is all going to take some time.
Let me know if this interests you all, it takes a good deal work work to restore these let alone write them up.
Awaiting its return to ship shape, another hard working trolley will be safe and sound again!
Dan
Incredible. Absolutely Incredible trolley.
Clint
Clint,
This is a very interesting catalog picture. We have yet to find this frame.
1. The lock-up is completely different. The lock up IS the trigger bar! Looks like the bar is knocked to the side….maybe lifted?
2. A three wheel frame is new as well. Notice that that part of the frame with the sole wheel is dropped much lower than all known frames. And we know why, the strikes on the receiving bell for the model on hand show that the tying off location was not well thought through.
The frame in this ad already knows that and has lowered the tie off area. We will make an improvement.
3. A rope tie off sitting between TWO rope sheaves is a bad idea! LOL! Wont take much to pull the knot right through, even with that frame bolt.
4. Love the fact that they left peened and went with nuts on all axles.
5. Answers the “four hole” rope sheaves are correct answer! Big step forward for me as the one in restoration had one 4 and one 5 sheave.
Many thanks
Dan
The work on the New Monarch begins. We finish up on a number of the listed projects….and add a whole lot more.
1. The repaired and badly drilled timber wheel axle hole is first on the list. Now we know, that axle was already swapped out once in the life of this chassis. Seems that the original axle must have been broken clean off where the axle entered the timber roller wheel. The repair work, done back a long time ago, was done poorly. They drilled the new hole off center AND at an angle! Really piss poor work. Want to know why? Folks, when you weld up on cast the carbon migrates into the weld. That new steel weld is hard as can be and one needs high carbon drill CARBIDE bits to drill it out. The person that did this work either had no clue about straight and centered, or allowed the bit to find a purchase wherever he could because the bits he was using was too soft.
We heat up the the timber wheel leg to allow for a clean exiting of the old, repaired axle….
It gets knocked out….Lord, look how off center that hole is!
And we weld up the hole…Torch Tolman is at work again! All side dressed, nice! Really nice!
I will use a drill press of consequence with a vice table to hold the leg set-up properly. The new hole will be drilled with new high carbon bits on center and perpendicular to the the facing of the legs.
I threw out the old axle and will machine out a new axle as exact as the other three. The timber wheel hub will then be drilled to perfectly round and a new bushing set permanently in place. Then the wheel and new axle will then be set back into the newly drilled hole in the leg and peened. More on this after the machining.
2, We do the same for both rope sheaves. Now we know both rope sheave axles have been taken out and that both wheels have been worked on. They do not match. Everything will be reworked. New matching wheels that are proper and rebushed and new axles for both! We are up to milling three complex axles…oh boy.
Same thing, everything is made hot. Ground down and knocked out…
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And then we go back and clean every surface back to new…
These sheave axles are complicated! One side of the chassis has larger holes for the axle than the other side! We will duplicate everything as new.
How worn are these hubs? Some are right to the outer hub rim.
And…here we have what was #6 above, we need to make the receiving bell round again. Years of battering have knocked it out all over the place. Hint? No rope tie off to properly center the mushroom head’s strike.
Lots of perfectly applied heat! And beating with the right hammer and she is round again! Let it cool down naturally or it will crack!
Here is a new work order on this chassis. The rope tie-off mentioned above. With it, the CDP will hit dead center every time. I decided to make a new rope tie off that matched the wear pattern on the tie-off bar. I used one half of a double swivel-eye set (now separated) and a single eye lag bolt. I cut the shaft off the eye bolt and set it through the side of the swivel eye that has the hole. Then we weld a washer to the lag bolt’s shaft sticking through. Now the tie-off swings and rotates and fits the frame perfectly. The rope model slips right through. I will grind off all the markings and prepare the surface.
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And…… yet another new work order. I will need to remove the CDP axle to restore and stain out the wood wheel….and we need to straighten the mushroom head back to perfect.
We have parts and pieces and a whole lot more to do! Stay tuned, the vast majority of work has yet to come. I figure 10-14 hours on this chassis. Well worth it as there are only a handful known.
Dan
Appreciate the kind comments, these articles take a very long time to do, shoot, edit and post. Your comments make me think that at least someone finds it worthwhile. Again, thanks!
One of the most common question I get asked is how I deal with a bad surface on a carriage. Well folks, lets be clear here, almost any surfact can be brought all the way back….but it can be a simple 30 minutes job or a true all American PITA.
This wonderful New Monarch had one panel that must have laid either on other iron (bad) or on wet hay (bad) and I thought we would address it for everybody.
Some initial thoughts:
1. All common trolleys held for oneself should have the best surface that you can find. Trade and track until you get a good surface, you will find it.
2. Restoring surfaces is best done in wide open spaces. Broad surfaces allow for the easiest treatments. Small, cramped areas, say with letters is 5X the work. But it is still all possible.
3. Good fresh filler is a must.
4. Using the right amount of hardener is a must.
5. Right sanding and clean-up tools is helpful.
6. Wear eye protection and a good quality face mask.
7. Clean all your tool when done.
Anyway lets get going:
This piece is the back plate of the New Monarch. Lets take a look..
Well, there it is…a classic pitted surface that means very high carbon count and some bad environment.
Clean! If you aren’t able to blast your parts to clean then expect it to come apart over the next 25 years. Clean, well perhaps in a controlled environment (freeze/thaw) it can last forever.
This was shot at 80-85 pounds with what has become my go-to media..FIRST CHOICE (T P Tools.)
Clean, now we need a clean work space with elbow room and a trip to your automotive supplier.
You are going to buy: putty with hardener, a small size plastic “spreader,” some 150 sand paper, a dust face mask and a small roll of roofing flashing. Also get some High Body Primer in a spray can.
You will also need a drill with old bit, a razor knife, a coffee mixing stick and a set of needle files and electric sander (square) is nice.
1. “ICING” filler. This is a very smooth., very fine final body putty filler used by shops that care enough to really do fine work. We use it because it is able to lay way down on the first pass and works up really well. Will it stick? Absolutely! Is it tough? Absolutely! It comes with a hardener tube as well.
2. We will go to the hardware store and get some thin aluminum roof flashing and cut it into a nice small work plate. I have stacks of these all done and waiting. They are superb for paint mixing, adhesive work, body putty, etc. etc.
3. Knowing how much putty to use comes with time. You can always add more later on, but too much just gets thrown out.
We lay a thin bead of hardener on top. This picture actually has 30% too much. All that means is that it will harden faster (what I needed at the time.) Wood coffee mixers….collect them like crazy. From paint to anything…wood coffee mixing sticks rock.
Here is our small flexible spreader from the auto supply house. Start in the center mass of the pieces and work the material flat. Do not try to smooth too deeply. Just work the material from one side to the other. Don;t stack the putty, get it down to flat, but don’t drag and drag.
IMPORTANT : This material will set up in minutes AS SOON AS IT STARTS to set-up and harden….STOP!
Nice squar electric sander (thin) fits all the surfaces that we need.
Take it down! We want some original iron to be showing (the high spots) as we will then know the low spots are filled. How smooth? Very smooth, really nice! Too smooth? No, not after the special primer.
When the sanding is done, clean every hole with either a set of needle files…
Or an electric drill with the side (!!) of an old drill bit. Be sure to check out the back side too.
Wipe everything down, and then shoot the parts with a High Body primer. Folks, fine…..simply outstanding results.
Dan
I will be finishing this one up over the next number of days.
A great deal of work has taken place behind the scenes on this trolley. This is one of the most complex and thorough restorations done to date. This rare old trolley will essentially be good as new.
I actually completed three trolleys (HHF, GRIT,STRICKLER) all while working on all the repairs of this one trolley.
The time spent on this trolley was unusual but that is what the really rare ones should receive.
Be sure and check out the photos of the original repair issues that I detailed way above….
From the beginning I knew that we would need to rework all the wheels to set their hubs right.
I also knew that we would need all new axles for all the rope sheaves (chassis and the CDP) as well as a new axle to replace the offset axle from the last repair along time ago.
I also knew that I would have to make up a proper rope tie off that realigned the hit point on the CDP on the bell ( a common New Monarch issue).
The timber leg would need to be redrilled and when the new axle and dressed timber wheel set in place, peened to the frame as per original spec.
I am happy to say all that work is now done…
Lets take a look.
First we see all the new rope sheave axles and the repaired rope wheels. The wood roller and its new axle are peened one in the newly centered leg hole.
Important note here, The New Monarch has a very complex arrangement where one side of the chassis has larger axle hole than the other. And it is important to note that in the original, all the sheave axles were peened on both sides. Not that is a really bad idea. How bad? Almost nobody did it. IT is also why the few New Monarch chassis found have wrecked wheels. The owner simply used them to failure.
I made the decision to change that to one side peened and one side threaded and actually went as far as to make up three custom nuts. We used custom nuts to undersize the exterior dimensions so they looked better and fit inside the chassis lovely raised panel bosses. This will become more clear on re-assembly later.
Next the proper centered hole was drilled on the leg and the new axle with repaired timber wheel was mounted and peened over.
That peened assembly was then primed as were the wheels and threaded nut axles…..and every other newly finished and repaired part.
Here it is……ready for final paint, final assembly, final over-spray and lettering at a letter time….stay tuned.
This is a shot of every piece that makes up a New Monarch (wheels excluded, they dry on the peg rack.) Its been along time since this chassis was in such good shape and that is a great feeling around here! Whew…..
Time for a nice break in the Northern Kingdom. There are over 1,000 islands out there all waiting for the summer winds to play on.
Dan
I’ve been thinking about what color to paint the New Monarch for the best part of a month now.
NOTE: ( Not to worry! I finally shaped up and matched the original coloration!)
I’ve decided to use a deep and very rich red/maroon that is made by a sign painting company called One Shot. This paint is simply fantastic, coverage is great, depth is great and it has the richest color of any paint made today. Tough too, super tough.
But it is old world paint, high in solid content and I am going to actually brush it on. The surface flow of this paint allows that to work perfectly, but it takes a good deal of time.
I’m going to shoot the wheels and sheaves in gold and match that with the gold letting….really regal for the “New Monarch” in town. (I didn’t do it….as you will see)
I’ll start by shooting the sheaves and makes sure that the gold paint works well. If it does, I’ll mask off the timber legs and shoot the peened wood rollers next.
Then I’ll paint all the rest of the frame and parts.
Stay tuned.
Dan[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]