What is the history of your Little Giant?

[Steve McCarthy]

I'm sure most if not all, Little Giant owners know that with a polite email and your hammers serial number, Sid can provide you with the sale date and original purchaser of your hammer. I was just wondering what interesting stories your hammers had to tell. My old style 25 #3370 was sold new on 3/17/1924 to the Quick Meal Stove Co. in St. Louis, Mo. With a short Google search I found out that the Quick Meal Stove Co. started in 1870. It eventually became the American Stove Co. and in 1951 the company became Magic Chef.

I'm not sure when my hammer left Quick Meal Stove, or how many times it has changed hands in the last 89 years. I know that I am at least the 3rd owner after Quick Meal Stove, and it still has an asset number tag attached to the frame. So, how much of your hammers history do you know?

 

 

 

 

[SoCal Dave]

My 50 lb LG was built in 1922 and sold to a company in Los Angeles, Ca.  This company did electrical work and ironwork.  It made it's way through the years and ended up at the State University of California, Long Beach.  A blacksmith ran the metal shop/department and he used the hammer for many years.  He died and the hammer was not used for about 8 years and was auctioned off when i purchased it.  It was the "overkill" hammer on this website with the extensive protective cage surrounding just about every moving part.  I'm sure this was done because it was at a university and governed by cal-osha.  It has been good to me and I plan on keeping it for a long long time. I have removed all the protective gear and will only add a few items for protection soon.   

[Suboc]

My 50# hammer was shipped new in 1911 to the Kasmer and Mastell Mine in Garrison North Dakota. It made its way to Cotton Wood Arizona, then to Flagstaff Az. and then to Tucson.

 

My 100# hammer shipped new in 1975 to Phelps Dodge, Hildalgo smelter in Animas New Mexico, then ended up at the Chino mine in Santa Rita New Mexico. I saved it before it went to scrap. Unfortunatly I wasn't able to save anything else out of the "Boiler" shop, which included a beautiful steam hammer, platten tables, hundreds of tongs, spring tools etc. The hammer is now safe in Tucson.

 

Heck the history of the Chino mine is pretty darn interesting as well:

From Wikipedia

 

"The huge open-pit mine was once the largest in the world, but has been surpassed by Chuquicamata, and is perhaps the oldest mining site still being used in the American southwest. Apaches, Spaniards, Mexicans, and Americans have all obtained native copper and copper ore from this site, once known as the Santa Rita mine, and in the 19th century, a tunnel mine. The present-day open-pit mining operation was begun in 1910. It is the third oldest open pit copper mine in the world after the Bingham Canyon Mine and Chuquicamata."

 

Dan

[HWHII]

My 25 lb was made Feb. 21, 1919. It went to a blacksmith shop, new in Iowa. Then some how ended up in a maintenance shop at a cotton gin in Suprise, Az where Bentiron bought it and took it to Cave Creek, AZ and now I have it in Tucson, AZ

[Bentiron1946]

Harold, Thanks for the info on where my baby came from! Built in 1919, got a few years to go till it's hundred but it's in good hands now for sure. Give it a hug for me, Jerry

[Frosty]

My 50#LG was delivered to LA Heavy Hardware 01/17/12. The only other bit of it's history being I bought it from Irbi Knives  over looking Trail River on the Hwy. to Seward AK.

 

I've only done short searches and don't know if LA stands for Los Angeles or Louisiana, or?

 

She's tight, runs well and she's here in my shop now.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[MLMartin]

I'm sure most if not all, Little Giant owners know that with a polite email and your hammers serial number, Sid can provide you with the sale date and original purchaser of your hammer. I was just wondering what interesting stories your hammers had to tell. My old style 25 #3370 was sold new on 3/17/1924 to the Quick Meal Stove Co. in St. Louis, Mo. With a short Google search I found out that the Quick Meal Stove Co. started in 1870. It eventually became the American Stove Co. and in 1951 the company became Magic Chef.

I'm not sure when my hammer left Quick Meal Stove, or how many times it has changed hands in the last 89 years. I know that I am at least the 3rd owner after Quick Meal Stove, and it still has an asset number tag attached to the frame. So, how much of your hammers history do you know?

 

 

 

25 lb LG 3.JPG25 lb LG.JPG

Steve I believe your cross head is turned upside down. It makes the distance in between the dies very short and the hammer will run poorly like this. Do the arms ever hit the ram guide? 

 

My little giant is a oily mess and the owner before more wore out all the bearing, that is all I know about mine.

[Steve McCarthy]

I had forgotten that BT told me the cross head was upside down. I haven't had the hammer very long and those pictures were are the previous owners shop. It hadn't been run in several years since he passed on. I have kept it well lubricated and it's not as clean now as in those pics. I'll be sure to turn that cross head tomorrow before I forget again. Thanks for the reminder.

[Frank Turley]

At Steve's suggestion, I just sent in my serial # to Sid, so I'm waiting. I acquired my 25 # LG in the early 1970's from the Jones family smithy in Amistad, New Mexico. Mr. Jones dressed many lister shares and did other farm/ranch work.

 

I had to scrape 1/8" black grease from the side and wipe the area with some liquid wrench in order to read the serial #.

[tdaleh]

My 25 # litte giant was sold to the Roach blacksmith shop in Haigler Nebraska originaly . I bought it along with two other hammers for 100 dollars when the where cleaning up a junk mans estate .

[Jakesshop]

My 25# Little Giant serial number 311 was purchased new on 1-31-1910 by a TJ Wilson in South Dakota. Still digging into the history of it.

It has been completely rebuilt and running like new! Going to get some flat dies for it soon. Doing a remodel on my shop and when done it will be mounted to the floor with a rubber mat under it.

[Suboc]

Love hearing the history of these hammers. Very few machines made today (hammers or others) will live as long. Too much plastic and built in obsolencence.

Dan

[macbruce]

 Very few machines made today (hammers or others) will live as long. Too much plastic and built in obsolencence.

Dan

From what I've seen, modern fabricated steel utility hammers are far stronger than LGs and are easier to repair. The self contained jobs not so much but their track record isn't bad. Now take a HF drill press or lathe and you're absolutely right, they will crap out and parts can be a problem.

[Bob S]

I've only done short searches and don't know if LA stands for Los Angeles or Louisiana, or?

 

lower Alabama?  :P

[Frosty]

Like ARGHHHHH!  ;>~

 

Frosty the Lucky.

[KYBOY]

Ours was made in 1904..Havent got farther than that yet..LOL

[dmac27]

My 25# LG is a new style and was built in 1947 and shipped to a wholesaler in Seattle ,WA.   Star Machinery Company I believe...will have to check their brass plate when I get home.   Nothing else is known about it.   I bought it from azmike and he bought it from Brent Bailey.   I will be re-pouring the bearings soon as the top rear bearing was cracked in three places.   I am a not worried about pouring the main bearings in the least but am a little apprehensive about the pulley bearing.   I have Sids video and I completely understand the method... but my lathe is too small and while I do have a friend that has access to larger machines I would prefer someone who has knowledge of this process to help.   If you guys know of any machinists with experience doing these please let me know. 

[Black Frog]

My 25# LG is the transitional style- not many of them made.

Made in 1939 and sold to Henry Guelig in New Holstein, Wisconsin according to Sid.

I bought in near Green Bay, WI last summer so this old girl may have never left the Cheesehead state.

When I got it, it had never been converted over to electric motor use and it doesn't look like it had much use in its life.

I was thrilled to find it!  And for once, be the first guy there to jump on a deal like this.

I haven't used it yet, I'm debating rebuilding it this summer with new bearings and such...  Could be a fun project.

[GMoore]

H-3260 (Little Giant 25#) was sold new on 4-2-1923 to L. R. Pyke of Kevin, Montana.  It was sold by Williams Hardware of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

[Bentiron1946]

Frosty, LA could be Los Alamos too. If I remember my place names correctly it has something to do with cottonwood trees.
Little Giants seem to hold up pretty well consider how old they are.

[dsloan]

Here's a fun one.  Does anyone know the date of delivery on one of the last frames ever made?  Trick question though, the hammer in reference was one of the last three produced by LG of Mankato, but never assembled.  So it could be considered a brand new hammer.

 

The best purchase story I've heard still comes from Phil Cox.  How much beer does it take to purchase a LG?

 

Plus, another trivia question when was the first 25 lb. LG shipped?

 

Dave from Diller

[Steve McCarthy]

Here's a fun one.  Does anyone know the date of delivery on one of the last frames ever made?  Trick question though, the hammer in reference was one of the last three produced by LG of Mankato, but never assembled.  So it could be considered a brand new hammer.

I know the answer to that one! I've only saw pictures, but it lives about 30 miles from me.

[AndrewOC]

May I include an Aussie made clone?

Called a 'Waratah' made by Hands and Scott.  They appear in newspaper classifieds between 1909 and 1920 as blacksmiths (making castings??) in a suburb 11km south of central Sydney.  see; http://trove.nla.gov.au/list?id=11584

A few have appeared on Ebay over the years.

AndrewOC

[peacock]

My 25 cost me $175 worth  of Buckhorn beer.  18 years ago that nearly filled a pickup bed had to go to 3 stores to fill the amount.

 

 First 25# shipped 1/1/1908 I think.

[macbruce]

My 25 cost me $175 worth  of Buckhorn beer.  18 years ago that nearly filled a pickup bed had to go to 3 stores to fill the amount.

I'll wager he wasn't the ''most interesting man in the world'' :lol: At least he didn't want a truckload of Miester Brau..... ;)