Handheld english wheel

[850pete]

G'day everyone, Hi I'm new here and have really enjoyed reading everyones posts and i'm really impressed on how everyone is prepared to share their knowledge to everyone and anyone who is interested!! it's such a refreshing change for an internet forum!!.

I work in a panelshop (bodyshop) here in Brisbane Australia that has been established over 40years, anyway apart from the lovely large Birmingham build English Wheel, large folder,sheer and roller i'm trying to rescue from the scrap metal merchants i came across this item which looks like a handheld English wheel. We're fortunate enough to have tradesman working with us that started their apprenticeships at the shop 20yrs ago and even they can't shed any light on what it might have been used for.

I've got some pictures of it i'm hoping i can share so someone may be able to identify it for me and give me an idea of what it would be used for.As you can see from the pictures (if they've worked) the tool has been neglected for some time and i'm guessing the wheels would need refacing to true them up.

[Kerry Pinkerton]

Welcome to MetalMeet.

There is a SIMILAR unit on Ebay right now.

[img]http://i24.ebayimg.com/02/i/06/dd/53/a0_12.JPG[/img]

"It was made by the Stiles-Herman Mfg. Co. of St. Louis, Mo. It's patented June 1922. These were sold during the T era as a fender repair tool, but, it's small size makes it useful for many projects today."

If your's isn't a Stiles-Herman they were made from the same basic pattern.

The auction link is below

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Stile...QQcmdZViewItem

[slobitz18222]

here is a helmit i rolled with a hand held roller

[slobitz18222]

I have used hand held rollers for many years. I have never trued up the rollers but they still smooth out my stuff with out any marks or scracthes. Even when used on aluminum they work fie and can get into some tight places. Often tomes i hold them in a vice. Along with the styles and hermans I also have some others. Includiing an erace-a-dent that i replace the platted with a roller.

[rsanter]

I know a couple of people who have made versions of these to help work dents out of airplane pannels and one friend that made a long reach version do he could roll the beads into the roof of his project. every one I see come up on ebay will sell well

bob

[jvo]

A local guy told me he had a couple of those hand held wheels, and I thought he was stringing me a line, as he wasn't immediatley forthcoming with them. The next time I went back to his shop he had them there for me to see. One of them looked identical to the one shown above, the other was slightly different, but about the same size made by Gray Tool, here in Canada. Neither of them was for sale. I'll attend his auction, if I outlive him. John V.O.

[Jeff Parker]

Gene Winfield, famous car customizer, was looking for one of those 2-3 years ago. They used them on T's as someone mentioned earlier. Real handy for On-Car dent removal for fat fendered 50's cars.

[jvo]

850Pete, I wanna see the pics of what the Austin cylinder head in your picture belongs to. Is it from an 850 Mini, perhaps? John V.O.

[Hairy-Neil]

Originally Posted by jvo

850Pete, I wanna see the pics of what the Austin cylinder head in your picture belongs to. Is it from an 850 Mini, perhaps? John V.O.

Is definitely Austin A Series, and if you take a guess that the 850 in his name has a connection with it then it can be one of two vehicles that used the 850cc unit. The Mini used it in transverse form and the late model Austin A35 vans inline.

[850pete]

Hi John,

The cylinder head i left on the bench to give people an idea of the wheels size, Its actually a A series cylinder head from a 997cc Morris Cooper, I'm restoring a Morris 850 which is the first series of mini available in Australia, which also has an A series motor fitted and this head is the hop-up for the smaller 850 motor i have in my car.

Although these heads normally bring good money so i'm fairly tempted to sell it to keep my restoration moving. The head is factory fitted with nice chambers,large valves,double valve springs etc (casting no 12G295). It has an Austin Rocker cover sitting over it to keep the dust off at the moment.

I'll try and post a couple of pics of my mini if i get a chance later on.

Cheers Pete