# Erector set part number 'BP' Tip Bucket



## BGHansen (Sep 1, 2022)

This string goes through the construction of another Erector set part. This time it’s part# “BP”, the Tip Bucket. First, the obligatory history lesson. . .

The A. C. Gilbert Company bought out the Noble Manufacturing Co. in around 1926. Noble made toys under the “Trumodel” name. Their big sellers were a stiff-leg derrick (crane) and a construction trolley. The construction trolley had a motorized hoist that ran a trolley back & forth along a line strung across a room. The hoist had multiple drums and could raise & lower a string that ran through the trolley to a tip bucket or a clam shell bucket. I’m guessing Gilbert bought the company for cheap with the intent of adding the parts to his Erector sets. Gilbert added the Tip Bucket to the two largest sets in 1927. They continued to offer them in their two largest sets through 1932.

The part is pretty straight forward, sheet metal base and side plates. There were a couple of decorative handles for tipping (dumping) the bucket. The bucket was supported by a bale which locked into a spring-bracket on one side to hold it in the loaded upright state.

I made up a half-dozen of them around 10 years ago without any fixturing. I needed one for a set that’s headed to eBay; figured on making a few to test the waters.

I started by making a fixture for bending the bale. I’d previously done this in a vise with a rod/mandrel welded to a bolt-on jaw. Really tedious to mark the blank and try to hammer in the curves.  I probably made 4 bad ones for each good one as the bends were off location.  

Bale material is 5/32” diameter 303 stainless. The bale was originally nickel-plated steel, but stainless is a good substitute. I laid out an original part and used a piece of ½” thick aluminum for the base of the fixture. Plan was to make the various bends around ½” and ¼” pins to match the radii on the original part.


Drilled a number of 1/2" and 1/4" holes to locate bending arbors.  The center upper hole is for a 1/4" locating pin.  5/16"-18 tapped holes are just above and adjacent to the locating pin for securing the rod blank to the plate.



Two 5/16" cap screws will feed through these bushings made from O-1.  It was 5/8" stock with a 5/16" through hole and a shoulder turned to 1/2" diameter.  The shoulder is just under 5/32" which is the diameter of the rod stock being bent.  These are used to clamp the rod blank to the bending fixture.



Bending bar made out of a piece of 3/8" thick bar stock.  The bending will be done over 1/2" and 1/4" pins.  The adjacent 1/4" holes are for the bending "finger".  I didn't show it, but the ends were Dykem'd and scribed with a circle template.  Rough cut the radius on the DoAll bandsaw and sanded the ends smooth.



Cut a number of 1/2" and 1/4" O-1 pins and used my "shade tree" cylindrical grinder of a cordless drill on a belt sander.






The center of the bale has a “U” loop in it at the center for attaching to string. I’d made a die of sorts for this 10 years ago. It’s just a piece of CRS with a “V” groove cut in it to position the 5/32” rod. There’s a milled-out relief in the middle to clear the upper die (piece of 5/16” diameter drill rod). The CRS piece was held in a vise and set on the 12-ton press. Set the 5/32” rod stock in place, hold the 5/16” rod above the 5/32” stock and ram the 5/16” rod into the 5/32” stock.


Set the rod blank on the die, hold the upper pin in place and mash down on the 12-ton press to put a "U" in the middle of the rod.



That blank is set on the bending fixture and secured with a couple of bushings that screw to the aluminum plate. Then it’s “walk” down the line installing the pivot pins and bending the 5/32” rod with the pry bar. The excess at the ends was cut on the band saw and the ends dressed with a Scothbrite wheel.


Set the rod blank on the bend fixture and position the "U" over the 1/4" pin.  Clamp down with a 5/16" cap screw through one of the bushings.  The bend tool sets over the 1/2" pin, a 1/4" pin acts as the reaction surface when the arm is swung bending the 5/32" rod stock around the 1/2" pin.



Pull on the handle to bend the rod around the "axle" of the bending tool.  A smarter person would mark the "path" of final part on the fixture so he'd remember where to stop the bend.  Maybe another POTD. . .  Then it's a matter of sticking in the next pin, move the bend tool to that pin, and pull away.



Finished part on the bend tool.  The excess at the bottom is cut off on the band saw and metal finished with a Scotchbrite wheel.




I didn’t show any of the sheet metal trimming as these blanks had been hanging around for 10 years. Nothing special, trimming was done on a Tennsmith squaring shear. The 90 deg. notch was probably done with a square punch on my Roper Whitney 218 press as I didn’t have a corner notcher back then. The 60 deg. notch was done with a hand-held Wiss notching tool. Bending of the base part was done at the DiAcro brake.


Components ready for bending, then spot welding.  The stock is 20-gauge sheet metal



 Bending up the base




The side plates and brackets are spot welded to the base. Problem here was the flanges being welded are only about ¼” wide and my spot welder has tongs that are 5/8” in diameter. So how to get right up to the edge as the stock welding tips are conical? Make new welding tips! I didn’t show the work as it was done 10 years ago, but I made a set of offset tips from 5/8” diameter copper. The tips screw into the tongs with a 3/8”-24 thread. At the time, I screwed the blanks into the tongs and scribed a clocking mark on each. Then machined away the sides and back to leave a weld point right at the edge. I also needed to insulate the tongs as if they touch the sheet metal, the welder will try to weld at that point along with the intented point at the weld tips. Real elegant solution here, wrapped the tongs with masking tape. I could get around 40 welds before the tape ignited. Cooled everything down with a wet sponge and reapplied the tape.


The stock weld tips are turned with the weld point in the middle.  The stock tips wouldn't let me get to the middle of the bent flange on the base.  I need to get to about 1/8" from the edge of the part, so made some offset weld tips out of 5/8" copper.




My spot welder is conveniently wired through a foot switch. The stock welder has a real finicky on/off switch. As designed, the tongs clamp up the metal, then just a pinch more pressure turns the welder on. The problem I have is if I’m pulling metal together with the tongs, I’ll hit the welder, then try to release just a little pressure to hold the metal together while shutting the welder off.  If I release too much pressure to turn off the welder, I lose the clamping action letting the two pieces of metal pull apart. Think Goldilocks, not too much pressure, not too little, just right. I bought a momentary foot switch and plugged the welder into it with the welder's on/off switch adjusted to ON all of the time. Now, I clamp the parts together with the tongs, then feather the foot switch to make the weld. The tongs are held tightly while the weld cools and voila, no burn through and nice spot welds.


The offset weld tip lets me get to the center of the ~1/4" flanges on the base.  It's hard to see, but the tongs are "insulated" with masking tape so they don't short out against the buckets.






I did a little metal finishing after the fact with a Scotchbrite wheel. Then a couple of coats of rattle can black paint/primer. Four of these will head to eBay, repro’s in the past usually bring around $50-$75 each. Wish me luck!  As I tell guys who buy this stuff, if I run out, I can always make more!

Thanks for looking, Bruce


A few ready for eBay and shows.



The side bracket captures the bale holding the bucket in the upright position.  Small caption is with the bale slipped out of the bracket and in the "dump" position.


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## markba633csi (Sep 1, 2022)

And, as a bonus they would make attractive little planters for the lady of the house!


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## BGHansen (Sep 1, 2022)

markba633csi said:


> And, as a bonus they would make attractive little planters for the lady of the house!


I actually use the old ones with burned-through spot welds for parts containers.


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## markba633csi (Sep 1, 2022)

What spot welder are you using? Is it an oldie but goody or one of the newer imports?


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## Nutfarmer (Sep 1, 2022)

Great post. Always enjoy seeing your projects.


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## Aukai (Sep 1, 2022)

Very nice, I remember the days


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## francist (Sep 1, 2022)

I always thought it would be cool to have a little tip bucket on the kitchen table. You know, for like putting sugar in your coffee or something. That'd be so cool...


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## BGHansen (Sep 1, 2022)

markba633csi said:


> What spot welder are you using? Is it an oldie but goody or one of the newer imports?


Looks like it's a Duro Dyne.  I just Google'd them and they still are in business.  I got mine from my former workplace in around 1990 when they were cleaning out the Metrology Center (not a lot of use for a spot welder there).  Pretty handy welder that works great on a 20A 110V plug.  I've got pictures of the foot switch being used also.  The spot welder at the school my dad taught at had a timer on their welder which would be convenient.  I recall setting the arrow to the number of seconds, clamp the tongs, then hit the switch on the timer to do the weld.  The foot switch works for me, hit the switch and watch for things to get orange, then lift my foot.

Bruce











Oh, they might have made these too.


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## C-Bag (Sep 1, 2022)

Good luck with the sales. Very cool to see how you do this and the history lesson. 

Hopefully I’ve not asked this before but have you ever run across any pics from the factory or any machinery or jigs? I really like Mr.Pete’s tour of the old  Beverly Shear factory. How things are made has always fascinated me.


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## BGHansen (Sep 1, 2022)

Unfortunately there aren't many films of the old operation.  They did a series of films called something like "The American Flyer Boys' Club" in the 1950s that had a few shots of the assembly line. But those were shots of trains and just the final assembly, not the manufacturing of the components. I saw a video someplace showing the final assembly of some kitchen mixers too.

Bruce


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## markba633csi (Sep 1, 2022)

Nice, I figured it was an old US made spot welder-last a couple lifetimes at least.   I recognize the foot switch too- "Clipper" by Linemaster. Vintage.


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## BGHansen (Sep 1, 2022)

markba633csi said:


> Nice, I figured it was an old US made spot welder-last a couple lifetimes at least.   I recognize the foot switch too- "Clipper" by Linemaster. Vintage.


And reliable. Another case of they don't make them like they used to.


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