Kim McCann
Mac-Valve Maestro!
As well as doing airbrush art, I collect vintage airbrushes. I have nowhere near the astounding collection of @DaveG, but I still have a passion for restoring them, playing with them and displaying them proudly among their great-great grandchildren.
I've had a couple of recent finds that were pretty great, but this one put a big old smile on my face. It came from an estate sale. The person selling having no idea what it was, so I got it for $22. Original packaging, serial sheet, manual, and case. All in excellent (if somewhat yellowed with age) condition.
Based on the serial and the make number stamped on the metal behind the trigger, it looks like this is from sometime between 1933 and 1943. The seller thought it was 1930s, but I suspect that the make number stamped on it and the style of the handle place it a bit later than that. The bakelite handle is a bit delicate having shrunk a bit with age, but still retains most of it's shine, and mechanically it checks out brilliantly.
Some mild corrosion on the needle where it was exposed to air in the bottom of the cup, but nothing that I can't clean off with the ultrasonic and polish out.
Going to test it out later once I figure out how to adapt it to a modern compressor. Very odd thread count on the air valve, and nothing I have quite fits. That won't be too hard to sort out.
For $22, this was an amazing find.
I've had a couple of recent finds that were pretty great, but this one put a big old smile on my face. It came from an estate sale. The person selling having no idea what it was, so I got it for $22. Original packaging, serial sheet, manual, and case. All in excellent (if somewhat yellowed with age) condition.
Based on the serial and the make number stamped on the metal behind the trigger, it looks like this is from sometime between 1933 and 1943. The seller thought it was 1930s, but I suspect that the make number stamped on it and the style of the handle place it a bit later than that. The bakelite handle is a bit delicate having shrunk a bit with age, but still retains most of it's shine, and mechanically it checks out brilliantly.
Some mild corrosion on the needle where it was exposed to air in the bottom of the cup, but nothing that I can't clean off with the ultrasonic and polish out.
Going to test it out later once I figure out how to adapt it to a modern compressor. Very odd thread count on the air valve, and nothing I have quite fits. That won't be too hard to sort out.
For $22, this was an amazing find.