OK, we dragged these two objects out of the scrap but we don't know what they are. We put them near our railway siding and people have been asking what they are. I need to put a signboard on them.  Nearest we can figure is that they are presses or filters of some kind. Highly likely they have a connection to the mining industry. Any idea what they are?

It looks like turning the shaft would cause the weaights to lift tgen drop 

could it be an old hammer mill for crushing ore? 

 

Just a guess i really have no idea

 

du

Whats about that - a filter slurry press 

you only have to find out which slurry or sludge it is worth to execute for further processing. I think there are plenty of mineral resources in your region that are worth it (diamond splinter, gold, seldic earth)

 

Plate filter. Some wineries use them.

I saw them being used at  some of the wineries I did work for. Breweries also use them. Basic design where you add or subtract the number of plates depending on what and how clean you need.

The filter media is missing.

 

OK, Thanks for that. I'll call it an old time slurry filter press.

 

Darryl!

They are "filter presses" for sugar milling.

I'll dig up a photo from my E.S.C.A Catalogue of 1911 which has them under "sugar milling equipment"

I havent seen them in the mining section, but that is probably because they didn't want to print it twice!

Here are two from online

We use smaller pressure filters like this design to filter sand out of Maple Syrup.  When the sap comes up from the ground it beings sand with it and when boiled down the sand follows along the syrup. 

Woody! You have nailed it! It is quite likely they were used in the sugar industry, as I know quite a lot of our stuff came up from the Innisfail area. You have seen these at our place - in the scrap on the other side of the river, but I didn't think to ask you about them when you've been here.  I think we have an ESCA catalogue somewhere too, so I'll check.

The maker is S.H. Johnson & Co Ltd - but not sure what country Stratford is in. I guess there are a lot of Stratfords. Can't find any company reference on the net.

 Thanks for the pics.

Cool! I was pretty sure i was dead wrong!

The first time i saw them i had no idea, then i was doing some light reading with my morning coffee, found the cut and took a photo, and completely forgot to mention it the next time i was up, you know how distracted i get up there!

19 hours ago, iron woodrow said:

You know how distracted i get up there!

Yeah, I know our coffee shop is a distraction for you.

And I found out that the Stratford works of S.H. Johnson were  established in 1876 in London. (Grace's Guide) Now under the London Olympic Stadium.

They went underground in a big way!

I worked for S H Johnson & Co Ltd in the late fifties.  They made filter presses for many different industries.  British Sugar and I C I bought a lot of them.  Boake Roberts was a neighbour in Carpenters Road, Stratford, East London and they used the filter presses for chemical processing.  They must have sold all over the world as the ones in the top picture turned up in Australia.  

The frames were cast in the foundry which looked like a scene out of the 19th century.  They also made the filter cloths but the rubber gaskets were made by Northern Rubber in Retford.  The works backed up to the river Lea.  This is a picture of the area  

 

Cool picture!