[charlie]

The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) at Reading have an archive containing information about the Mayfield see https://rdg.ent.sirsidynix.net.uk/client/en_GB/merl/search/results?qu=mayfield&te=&lm=MERL2

[charlie]

I suggest you try telephoning, the e mail address may have changed or be incorrect.

[charlie]

Jay, it is not unusual to have one valve larger than the other, if the valve fits the seat then it is the right size. One valve may have been replaced which would explain why one has a slot for screwdriver and the other doesn’t, I believe the slot is so you can use a screwdriver when lapping the valves in.

[charlie]

Well worth contacting Stuart see following for details.
https://home.hccnet.nl/m.hooijberg/bristol.html

[charlie]

Jim does have an Auto Culto page on facebook.

[charlie]

Very simple pump with ball bearings acting as valves.

Attachments:

1. 
2. 

[charlie]

Jim Beacon is the Auto-Culto man. Should be OK for weight I have had a SIMAR 56 in the back of my Land Rover 88 with no problem, it needed a bit of dismantling to get it in.

[charlie]

That is an incredible number of entries, hope weather is kind to you and all goes well. Looking forward to seeing photos and report in The Cultivator.

[charlie]

Heat and penetrating fluid, not WD40, will help and be patient. Once some movement is achieved working the axle back and forth will also help.

[charlie]

Could you please add a photo so we can see what your seeder looks like, the numbers you quote don’t help identify it.

[charlie]

I think you are right about size of handle and how it is attached. Round stair hand rail might be about the right size or it could be a job for someone with a wood turning lathe.

[charlie]

If I have understood your description correctly and looking at the photos I would say the handles were round and the two bolts in the photo go through to hold the handles in place, although they may not be the original ones as they appear to be too long. The square holes are for the square under head of bolt.

[charlie]

An interesting old roller well worth preserving. A google search has found a couple of references to the makers James Clay(Wellington) and Wrekin Foundry
The key to painting is the preparation, rust removal by sand blasting, wire brush or chemical rust removal is the first stage. Before doing this get a colour match to the green paint that remains, this may have faded with time. What the handle should look like is more of a problem. What shape are the holes in the top of the frame? There are several references to James Clay in the archive at MERL (Museum of English Rural Life), it may be worth searching these to see if there is anything showing the roller and what the handle may have looked like. Do any other museums have imformation, eg Black Country museum. The Garden Museum at Lambeth may be another source of information.

[charlie]

Photo files need compressing to reduce file size below 3072KB.

[charlie]

The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) at Reading have a collection of Mayfield literature and information in their archive.

[Author]

Posts