beautiful old rigging equipment and more…

J. Cowhey & Sons hardware was a chandlery in Red Hook. Three containers of their old marine and rigging equipment will be on sale today, Sunday, at Atlantic Basin in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

The metal tools and equipment were in time capsules freshly opened. Foundries from towns I have never heard of made beautiful pieces. Some of the factories are gone, and some of the jobs these tools were used for are no more.

Steel Products Corporation, South Windham, ME:

The Caldwell Company, Rockford, IL: the Adjust-A-Leg Equalizing Sling

Boston & Lockport Block Company, Boston, NY  (I didn’t know there was a Boston, NY; did you?)

New England Butt Company, Providence, RI: a line counter that still works, clicking away as it measured 50 feet of beautiful old manila rope that a shopper, Ben P and I fed through it.

“What’s that called?”

“A Headache Ball.” ouch.  It reads: “Swiveler, SWL 3 TONS, WGT 35 LBS, Model SAS5”

Huge shackle, anyone?

130 ton–it can hold, or it weighs?

Huge oar not included:

A Skookum block:

I liked these: female and male container lifting gear lying over each other on a pallet.

These are made in Japan. From Marc: “Twist locks, used to stack and lock marine containers on top of one another.”

Rope through every link of a chain? “Elevator chain. Keeps the chain well-oiled,” said another shopper, Steve R, peering into the three barrels of the stuff.
Girlfriend With the Tanker says “The rope keeps it quiet! So it doesn’t klank as the elevator and chain go up and down.”

Voluptuous hooks, like Henry Moore sculptures, but sexier.

Beautiful, wonderful things. A gun rack from around the 1920’s. A perfect cast iron stove from Florim Foundry, Florim, PA. A Jacob’s Ladder. Hooks galore. Old wooden blocks. Go, admire, puzzle, wonder.
More information here.

PortSide NewYork Heavy Metal Sale:

Sun 7/27, 11am – 4pm

Atlantic Basin, Red Hook

Pier 11 loading dock, south end

Brooklyn, NY 11231 

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happy july! happy city of water day!

Happy summer everyone! this blog will be taking July off, back in August. Events abound on the 6th boro! MWA’s City of Water Day is July 24. Portside and many other organizations, along with our working flotilla of schooners, sloops, cruising vessels, ferries and water taxis will be out in force. If you have a happening on the water or waterfront this month, feel free to add it on…

Coastal Tanker Mary A. Whalen, 1938

Length:

172ft

 

Ocean Liner RMS Queen Mary 2 , 2003

Length:	1,132 ft (345 m)
Beam:	135 ft (41 m) waterline,  147.5 ft (45.0 m) extreme (bridge wings)
Height:	236.2 ft (72.0 m) keel to funnel
Draught:	33 ft (10.1 m)

Propulsion:	Four 21.5 MW Rolls-Royce/Alstom “Mermaid” electric propulsion pods: 2 fixed and 2 azimuthing
Speed:	29.62 knots (54.86 km/h; 34.09 mph)[6]
Capacity:	3,056 passengers
Crew:	1,253 officers and crew