This is a great help to me. Thank you very much. I've pinpointed what the problem is, it's a "key" lock that locks into place in a groove on the large cog, and in another groove on the hand crank shaft. I still will have to disassemble the blower in order to fix the problem, but it should fix it. There is a considerable amount of rust, due to weathering, and It will take some time and precaution in taking it apart, but nothing out of reach of a blacksmith, eh? Again, Thanks for your time, and this has saved me hours of headache.