Unity Headlight
Thread Starter
|
Road Master
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,035
Likes: 2
From: Western Washington
Unity Headlight
I bought a 40’s or 50’s era Unity Spotlight made in Chicago. It was probably a spotlight from a patrol cruiser. Wired 6 volts. I sand blasted the bucket, hand sanded and polished. The craftsmanship is superb. It has a copper mounting bracket attached to the bucket with brass rivets. The bucket is solid brass and the nub on the end is aluminum attached with brass rivets. And I made the mounting bracket from a couple valve handles off an old boiler gauge glass. The stock 5-3/4” headlight dropped in there perfect. Cost of the light $35, but countless hours of hand finishing.
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,371
Likes: 46
From: In the foothills of southwestern NC - US of A
"...And I made the mounting bracket from a couple valve handles off an old boiler gauge glass..."
Those are site glass/water column blow down valve levers that originally had chains on either side of them that draped down to ground level from the water column of a steam boiler, and in your case, it was a "Cleaver Brooks" boiler. A pull downward on the left chain opened them up and a pull downward on the right chain closed them! It's part of a very important preventive operation for steam boilers that has to be done once a day to prevent sediment from forming inside the water column that could give a false water level indication resulting in one helluva ka-BOOM should the boiler be able to continue firing after it's water level dropped down to dangerous levels.
We had these [three valves on each water column] on our [4] 100,000 lb per hour boilers [slightly larger than the 125 hp CB boiler I just opened up this morning] in the plant I used to operate.
'Very ingenious of you to incorporate them to use as your headlight brackets! Well done, looks great!!
=8^)
Those are site glass/water column blow down valve levers that originally had chains on either side of them that draped down to ground level from the water column of a steam boiler, and in your case, it was a "Cleaver Brooks" boiler. A pull downward on the left chain opened them up and a pull downward on the right chain closed them! It's part of a very important preventive operation for steam boilers that has to be done once a day to prevent sediment from forming inside the water column that could give a false water level indication resulting in one helluva ka-BOOM should the boiler be able to continue firing after it's water level dropped down to dangerous levels.
We had these [three valves on each water column] on our [4] 100,000 lb per hour boilers [slightly larger than the 125 hp CB boiler I just opened up this morning] in the plant I used to operate.
'Very ingenious of you to incorporate them to use as your headlight brackets! Well done, looks great!!
=8^)
Thread Starter
|
Road Master
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,035
Likes: 2
From: Western Washington
Thanks drewbone I didn't want to bore everyone but it's cool you know what they are. Gauge glass sight glass same thing. I'm a class II Operating Engineer working in a steam plant. I made my air cleaner cover from an old brass plaque from a type F water tube boiler that has been decomishend. It is a Babcock Wilcox burner plate. I kind of started a boiler theme on accident. The brass foot pegs are machined from OS&Y valve screws.
Trending Topics
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,371
Likes: 46
From: In the foothills of southwestern NC - US of A
Yeah man!! I absolutely love to see when people take objects that most people wouldn't know what they were and then use them for appropriate purposes so far removed from their original intent! It takes a wonderful imagination [or maybe too much time on your hands sitting around watching the dials and gauges?!] and vision to do so. Hats off to you and keep up the good work! 'Got anything on the back burner??
I did 8 years as a stationary engineer at our Bethpage NY steam plant facility [I started at Grumman in 1978 as a welder/fabricator, now it's "Northrop-Grumman" and I'm an operator] which closed in 2004, and am currently operating and maintaining everything here at [what's left of the complex] the facility from a single lowely 1hp hot air unit to a couple of vertical [gawd I hate those things they suck] 30 hp HPS boilers and half a dozen 125hp LPS Cleaver Brooks scotchmarine boilers. Always something to do!
Ride safe man!
=8^)
I did 8 years as a stationary engineer at our Bethpage NY steam plant facility [I started at Grumman in 1978 as a welder/fabricator, now it's "Northrop-Grumman" and I'm an operator] which closed in 2004, and am currently operating and maintaining everything here at [what's left of the complex] the facility from a single lowely 1hp hot air unit to a couple of vertical [gawd I hate those things they suck] 30 hp HPS boilers and half a dozen 125hp LPS Cleaver Brooks scotchmarine boilers. Always something to do!
Ride safe man!
=8^)
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
|
Road Master
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,035
Likes: 2
From: Western Washington
I'm currently making a set of pipes. I'm kind of a hoarder of odds and ends that go in the trash or recycle bin. Mostly brass and stainless. Kind of keep things around until something pops in my head. I keep pretty busy at work but as you know with all the machinery around and some free time here and there. A little government work might get done. 
. Here is a link of my bike at work. Shows the boilers and cats.
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/sportster-models/929988-new-photos-of-my-ride-at-work.html
. Here is a link of my bike at work. Shows the boilers and cats. https://www.hdforums.com/forum/sportster-models/929988-new-photos-of-my-ride-at-work.html
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,371
Likes: 46
From: In the foothills of southwestern NC - US of A
Noyce!! 'Love the bike and the squeakie clean facilities! Our plant was built in the mid 60's [yes, I am old, LOL] to service our huge steam demand for mostly process purposes, with the peak usage being around 250-300,000 lbs per hour via an 8 mile long above and below ground system of piping, even running under our active runway and over RR tracks. We had LoNox burner assemblies installed in the late 90's and all four boilers were downrated to 97,000+ lbs per hour respectfully. And even though the control systems were somewhat dated, the Hagan pneumatic equipment worked very well, as long as calibrations were performed on a scheduled basis.
Seems odd talking about this stuff on an HD discussion board but that's how friendships are made eh?!
Thanks for the conversation and for sharing the pics, great stuff.
Be safe out there and keep us posted with any new additions, looking forward to your next [non canned] mod!
=8^)
aka Andy
Seems odd talking about this stuff on an HD discussion board but that's how friendships are made eh?!
Thanks for the conversation and for sharing the pics, great stuff.
Be safe out there and keep us posted with any new additions, looking forward to your next [non canned] mod!
=8^)
aka Andy