From:Mark Szmyt e-mail:Mtszmyt@comcast.net
Subject:RE: Henderson Tank dyes Date:Mon Mar 21 19:26:20 2016
Response to:6149


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I have had these for almost 15 years. And were part of a trade with a
gentleman in his late 70's. He had been using them to restore Henderson
tanks but had said they were original not that he had produced them.

Matter of fact he had said the only reason he had them were the company
threw them away and it was not an issue for him to take them.

Again what they were specifically for is what I am hoping to find out and to
find a good home for them. I am not trying to make a lot of money, at the
same time I am hoping for a fair offer. And that they can be used to help the
current enthusiast not just become paper weights, they have done enough
of that.

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I'm sure I saw those at Davenport a number of years ago along with some
cylinders and other engine parts. There didn't seem to be anyone with them
as I recall and then they were gone. Those looked like the shape of the
short tank deluxe. There was only the two parts (appeared to be top dies)
with those flat bars welded on obviously to clamp on to something or be
supported some way. The material of the tank shape appeared to be about
1/4" thick.

I remember not being convinced they were original top dies used at the
factory for actually pressing the side panels of the tanks unless there was
some sort of support part that these were mounted to. I'm somewhat
familiar with punch press dies, their solid, strong characteristics, how they
function and the pounding tonnages that are required to do a particular job
without tooling flexing or deflecting while the work is being performed.
Usually press dies are much more solid at least these days. I could be
wrong as the tank material was very thin, perhaps 22 gauge or thinner yet
and of the drawing type.

I wondered about those over the years actually and considered if these
were for another purpose such as trimming guide for trimming the ragged
edges of the pressing or maybe some repair/rework operation.

I don't mean to de-value these pieces and as I mentioned, I could be wrong
as to their intended purpose. They are very interesting and appeared to be
very accurate with a fair bit of time and expense involved when they were
originally produced therefor not likely something cobbled together in more
recent years by someone in order to throw a tank together for a project but
that too is possible. Its amazing what you can do with snips, a hammer and
a tig welder these days as we all have seen or do.

Maybe they were a change-able wearing part that was easier and cheaper
to make that would be discarded when warn and a new one installed to the
press die.

Like I said, I wondered about those a lot over the years.


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Hello all, I was referred to this site to hopefully do two things. Identify these
and find a new home for them.

I purchased these tank dyes over 15 years ago with hopes of using them to
make new tanks for retro "new" bikes. However due to poor health that
never took off.

I was told they are original dyes to the Ace, Henderson and Indian / Ace of
1926-27.

The height in the middle is: aprox. 5.5 inches

The length of dye is: aprox. 23 inches

If you can help verify what bikes they would have been used in that would
be fantastic.
If you know of someone that would actually use them for restoration tanks
please let me know.