Thursday, December 9, 2021 Cloudy -4 C 24.8 F
A Reader asks me to Identify an Unknown Cast Iron Toy Truck
Early this week, I received an inquiry from a reader. Jamie Green's Husband had inherited a cast iron toy from his grandmother, and Jamie wanted to know who the manufacturer was, and when the toy was made.
The toy was in excellent condition, but what caught my attention was the fact that in the topmost photo, a flathead screw with the cut for a screwdriver was blatantly the most apparent thing that I noticed. Immediately, I eliminated all of the 1930's manufacturers such Hubley, Arcade, A.C.Williams, Dent, and Kenton as possible choices. The reason was that none of them ever used a screw to attach the 2 halves (left and right sides) of the toy together. Most would have used a flat head bolt on one side, with the other side cut and flattened to attach the 2 sides together. Also, if you look at the second photo, you'll notice very apparent grinding marks from a grinder. The cast iron toy companies that I previously mentioned used very fine sand in their moldings. When the molten iron cooled after the casting, the 2 sides were carefully removed, and the casting surfaces would be very, very smooth. Any defective or flawed castings would be broken down and melted, with the molten iron to be reused again.
