Anyone know what these things are?

Brussels Sprout

A friend of mine found these on his farm. Does anyone know what they are? The company no longer seems to exist.

Gods Gift

Brussels Sprout wrote: »

A friend of mine found these on his farm. Does anyone know what they are? The company no longer seems to exist.

Late 19th century WiFi boosters.
But I’m no antique expert.

Say my name

Could be cast iron water heaters.

The slot in the front could have been a slide damper to control the air flow.
There seems to be an inlet and outlet for water.

Is there a door on the back to put the anthracite in?

raindodger

patio heaters?

Lady Haywire

Awesome find!
No idea what they are though. Can I post the pics on my twitter to see if anyone there knows?

mobfromcork

Quick bit of Googling shows R. Robinson's Belfast won a medal at The York Exhibition of Agricultural Implements 1848 for a Steaming Apparatus. He had 10 implements at the exhibition.

From the Mechanics Magazine 1848

Nekarsulm

Greenhouse heaters?

patsy_mccabe

They look like some kind of heater/ stove don't they?

jack of all

Wild guess- heaters for a building site- perhaps to thaw frozen sand/ aggregate to allow winter working?

blue5000

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Greenhouse heaters?

I think it could be water filters? Maybe we're looking at them upside down.

y0ssar1an22

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

They look like some kind of heater/ stove don't they?

was my initial thought, but no clue really.

Alun

Given the small pipe outlet at the top of the bottom section, I wonder if it could be some kind of wood gasifier? If you Google "mini wood gasifier" there are some similar looking tall thin boiler-like devices. Might have been used to power a gas engine for whatever purpose on the farm.

Melodeon

In the mid-1800's, Richard Robinson of Belfast appears to have specialised in taking farm machines/implements from the USA and 'improving' them for Irish/British use.
I have no idea what the devices in the photos are, but these museums might be good places to make enquiries:
Irish Agricultural Museum
Ulster Folk Museum

Brussels Sprout

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Awesome find!
No idea what they are though. Can I post the pics on my twitter to see if anyone there knows?

Sure. post the link as well please

mobfromcork

Having another look online there and the guy who made them was called Richard Robinson - from Lisburn but then opened an Ironworks on Eliza Street in Belfast. He is down as an agricultural engineer and machine maker. He got a patent in February 1848 for a Steam Boiler Water gauge.

This gauge was fitted to the front of a boiler at the level of the general water line. There was a glass plate embedded in the gauge to be lined up with one long or a series of short openings. You could then see the level of water in the boiler dispensing with the need for gauge-cocks.

This is from the best-selling - Iron: An Illustrated Weekly Journal for Iron and Steel ..., Volume 48.
There is a drawing of the gauge on p349.

https://books.google.ie/books?id=QX04AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA166&lpg=PA166&dq=richard+robinson+iron+works+%22belfast%22&source=bl&ots=JccFn2SR-I&sig=ACfU3U1pgj4HrCZTcc8wsbByMB_KhsbVyQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjRruXO54nqAhU1RxUIHTwUC9sQ6AEwAHoECAYQAQ#v=onepage&q=richard%20robinson%20iron%20works%20%22belfast%22&f=false

It looks like the slot at the front might be where the gauges were fitted - there are 4 screws - just like in the diagram in that book.

Richard Robinson, d. 1853 m. Jane ? who d. 1853, aged 44.
Richard manufactured agricultural implements and bobbins.He lived at 13 Eliza St., Belfast

carrollsno1

Be interesting to see a paddy appear on Pawn Stars with those.

Base price

carrollsno1 wrote: »

Be interesting to see a paddy appear on Pawn Stars with those.

My lads used to love watching it and in fairness there was some interesting stuff.

ruwithme

Its getting late so , a pair of exhausts for the zetor crystal

chooseusername

Firebox or chimney for fish or meat smoking ?

Alun

Usually these Victorian era engineering companies had extensive catalogues with all their products in. As mentioned above, maybe a museum somewhere might have an old one still. Maybe also it could be worthwhile investigating the history of the company. It's possible they were bought up by or amalgamated with another one that still exists.

carrollsno1

Base price wrote: »

My lads used to love watching it and in fairness there was some interesting stuff.

Was the highlight of meself and a mates day during the bad winter of 15/16 in a cold damp caravan in gael force winds over in England for a spell.

Lady Haywire

Brussels Sprout wrote: »

Sure. post the link as well please

Only getting to it now, laptop died so had a forced retirement off boards for a bit.

mobfromcork wrote: »

Having another look online there and the guy who made them was called Richard Robinson - from Lisburn but then opened an Ironworks on Eliza Street in Belfast. He is down as an agricultural engineer and machine maker. He got a patent in February 1848 for a Steam Boiler Water gauge.

This gauge was fitted to the front of a boiler at the level of the general water line. There was a glass plate embedded in the gauge to be lined up with one long or a series of short openings. You could then see the level of water in the boiler dispensing with the need for gauge-cocks.

This is from the best-selling - Iron: An Illustrated Weekly Journal for Iron and Steel ..., Volume 48.


It looks like the slot at the front might be where the gauges were fitted - there are 4 screws - just like in the diagram in that book.

Richard Robinson, d. 1853 m. Jane ? who d. 1853, aged 44.
Richard manufactured agricultural implements and bobbins.He lived at 13 Eliza St., Belfast

Though if they are these, they're already ID'ed.