Brian Knowles
Curious about Wooden Canoes
Hi, I am just finishing restoration of Old Town Number 135397 , and am begining to work on 67104 and would like any info you could come up with. Thanks in advance. Brye
Need serial numbers decoded
- Thread starter Brian Knowles
- Start date
Kathryn Klos
squirrel whisperer
Hello, Brye--
Old Town canoe 135397 is an 18 foot AA grade Guide model with open mahogany gunwales and other mahogany trim (per AA grade) and fitted with a floor rack. It was painted dark green and shipped April 2, 1943 to Mr. Charles B. Park in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Mr. Park is "superintendent" of something--- a camp? A prison? Perhaps only the canoe knows for sure...
Old Town canoe 67104 is a CS (common sense) grade Otca with Western red cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, 20 inch birch decks, and a keel-- it was painted dark green and shipped January 25, 1922 to Joseph A. Marks and Company in (can't read town well) Michigan. Following the canoe's color is something I can't read well... as though they put the wording "made in Japan", or something like that, on the canoe. A notation on the back states that Old Town received a letter in regard to this canoe from Frank B. Stone on 4-7-71.
Copies of the scans are attached below. I'll look at the catalogs from these years and add pictures of the canoes in another post.
If the specs don't match your canoes, we can search again.
These scans and several hundred thousand others were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) and others as you probably know well. A description of the project to preserve these records is available at http://www.wcha.org/ot_records/ if you want more details. I hope that you will renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://www.wcha.org/join.php to renew.
Old Town canoe 135397 is an 18 foot AA grade Guide model with open mahogany gunwales and other mahogany trim (per AA grade) and fitted with a floor rack. It was painted dark green and shipped April 2, 1943 to Mr. Charles B. Park in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Mr. Park is "superintendent" of something--- a camp? A prison? Perhaps only the canoe knows for sure...
Old Town canoe 67104 is a CS (common sense) grade Otca with Western red cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, 20 inch birch decks, and a keel-- it was painted dark green and shipped January 25, 1922 to Joseph A. Marks and Company in (can't read town well) Michigan. Following the canoe's color is something I can't read well... as though they put the wording "made in Japan", or something like that, on the canoe. A notation on the back states that Old Town received a letter in regard to this canoe from Frank B. Stone on 4-7-71.
Copies of the scans are attached below. I'll look at the catalogs from these years and add pictures of the canoes in another post.
If the specs don't match your canoes, we can search again.
These scans and several hundred thousand others were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) and others as you probably know well. A description of the project to preserve these records is available at http://www.wcha.org/ot_records/ if you want more details. I hope that you will renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://www.wcha.org/join.php to renew.
Attachments
Kathryn Klos
squirrel whisperer
Kathryn Klos
squirrel whisperer
I Should Add...
The first and second images posted above are from the 1943 OT catalog, and the third image comes from the 1922.
The first and second images posted above are from the 1943 OT catalog, and the third image comes from the 1922.
Michael Grace
Lifetime Member
That would be "oil in japan". It likely refers to this being an oil-based paint, the drying of which might be normally slow, but is accelerated with Japan drier (an organic solvent base containing metal salts such as cobalt which speed thr drying times of paints and varnishes).
M
M
Kathryn Klos
squirrel whisperer
Thanks
Thanks for clarifying this, Michael.
It's interesting to speculate about the things we see on the build records...
Does it seem that the quick-drying agent was something they were experimenting with, in order to get the canoes out the door faster... or might this have been a "rush order"?
Thanks for clarifying this, Michael.
It's interesting to speculate about the things we see on the build records...
Does it seem that the quick-drying agent was something they were experimenting with, in order to get the canoes out the door faster... or might this have been a "rush order"?
Japan colors are finely ground pigments in an oil-varnish medium. In use it would be diluted with oil (typically linseed oil). This is probably what the build card refers to.
Michael Grace
Lifetime Member
I think "Japan color" is probably correct... why would anyone specifically remark on the addition of Japan drier? That stuck in my mind and didn't think of pigments.
M
M
Brian Knowles
Curious about Wooden Canoes
Thank you for all your help, very much!
Dave Wermuth
Who hid my paddle?
looks to me
Like it says Detroit, Think of the 'd' as the first two letters and the rest is easy.
Like it says Detroit, Think of the 'd' as the first two letters and the rest is easy.
