Kvarnbacken Odds and Ends museum. English version

Odds and End museum Storvik Sweden. Ref 1

At one excursion we drove with our motorcycles to visit the Odds And End museum in Storvik.
It was a bit hard to find because the museum did not look like what we expect. It was situated just in the north end of Storvik and the museum was a nice little old cottage which once acted as the local general shop. It was also planned with a smaller parking place.
Here the owner Bo Byman greeted us welcome and asked us to go inside the museum first room. Here he told us the story how his museum had grown and it's early history, while we with interested eyes looked at all old stuff which was offered in old times to the customs.

There are many different collection things to gather and those which I tell you about here from this museum are only those I am interested in. As we all in the gang I were here with are a bit up in the age we can recognize many of these things, with some distance of course. The picture shows lots of them. Note the shelves which show a obvious bow under the pressure. Note the stand with brown paper. You don't see such thing today, but it should be a good thing to use when wrapping Christmas gifts. Furthermore it is almost impossible to buy a roll of brown paper. If you must, go to a butcher's shop and try to buy one, but then you will get white paper. Another early grocery can be seen here.

On the first picture above you can see the owner Bo to the right telling us about the old village shopkeeper. It will always make comments from we older visitors when gathering at a place like this. This is quite annoying for those who are interested to hear the story. This because he easily drop his line. In the middle a picture of all kind of plates and cans which was the main storage space at that time. From these the assistant brought out what the customer wanted and it was put into a paper cone. This cone was rolled by the brown paper and filled till the client had got sufficient amount.

The village shop was during it's active time also the local telephone station, and you can see the actual telephone exchange lowest to the left. Shops like this usually were handled by a married couple and the wife took care of telephone service. To gather all these telephones was a natural thing for the owner. The old phones at this time normally were made to be positioned on a wall. A large collection of telephones can be seen at technical museum Stockholm. The construction of private telephones was so good that they could be used up to when the digital technics took over.

An old gramophone player from time before En gammal grammofon från tiden före tje 78 rpm plate. Ref 1

All odds and ends which Byman has collected in his nostalgic collection has he found in the neighborhood. Most of them he has talked to get for free, some are offered to be on stand in his museum. This is necessary as none can be wealthy from the entrance fee. Illustrated by Mrs K Öström dishwasher. It was invented and made during her control. I can imagine that all her dishing forced her to invent this device. How it was constructed was not told but some kind of pressurized water had to be connected to the round container. Other type of device was the old time of music machine.

They work like a music box and had different kind of system to get a hardened plate to vibrate. May be called a "tonegiver" and with different length one gets different tones. Just like a mouth organ. The one that I have taken a photo of has a round plate with holes and the "tonegivers" generate the music. These types of music machines can be seen at Sparreholm, Rydaholm museums or at Sinsheim museum. Other types have long paper slips.
Some old engines working with hot air principle, steam machine and some diesel engines from early times.

Byman's parents were early car owners. Ref 1

The owner's father who once owned the old village shop, was also very interested in cars and general technics. It was also because of his collecting and keeping parts who gave his son the direction for an odds and ends museum collection. There was a multi picture of old cars and here I show all of them expect the 1903 T-Ford. The T-Ford in Storvik with father Byman at the steering wheel. The next may be a Pullman?

King Gustav V visited once Storvik with this car. The car is a Benz 1907 equipped with a tonneau chariot once bought by Prince Eugen. Look at the wheel types . They are all of the same type. With steel or wooden spokes. In the childhood of cars this was the most common solution. Even Thulin cars from 1920 had this type.

In the main exhibition room he had gathered most of his different nostalgia odds. One can also have a feeling what Byman is most interesting in or he only exhibit the odds that most people want to see.
A wheel carried music organ including of a movable old man. The player must have been mechanical, but what I remember is that he had mounted an electric motor for driving. It just started when engaging the switch.

An old time petroleum engine fabricated on license from Daimler. See also the petrol (kerosene) engine with the starting crank also with Daimler badge.
In another side room he had his collection of children toys with connection to technical interest. Most men in age over 60 surely remember Meccano building set. Today youngsters will only remember building with plastic blocks..

Hockenstrom
All this text and pictures are from the paper Signalhornet April 1987. Ref 39
The car is in daily talk called "Hockenstrom car". There is no official name for this locomotive like car, as in official registration papers it is just called the car 1910. This car is bound to the museum for one of the two remaining part still in existing, the cooler and the first engine.

The car was hard to kill, built by the legendary locomotive driver Lars Hockenstrom in Bollnas He was considered up to his dead 1928 as an odd person.

The cause for this was his meaning that he intended to build a car, and he did it!

This during the first years of 2000 century. Most people in his area had in mind that the horse was much more reliable and also a horse had a better smell, than an automobile.

In Bollnas people still talk about Hockenstrom with great respect. The car is a continuous reminder for this man's energy. It was near that his car went forgotten for good.

When he died the car was stored in a outhouse and became known again when this house had to be removed for some years ago.
Stored on dry soil floor for half a century had not made damage the chariot so much. The chariot was made of wood and paper and fully undestroyed, just as the folding top, still original.

Lars Johan Hockenstrom

The car has been renovated with a light hand. The second owner, Wiktor Blomgren, who bought the complete estate of Hockenstrom have for the moment transferred the car to Ingvar Asph, who has started a car museum in the Rehnstedtska Manor in Bollnas.
The unique thing with the car is that all screws and nuts have been produced by Hockenstrom hands.

This has made that The Technical museum in Stockholm has been interested in the car. In Hockenstrom's mind it was important that his car should look like his dear locomotive.
The chariot is made of board from the local paper works. The original painting is tar and it is still ok.
The cylinder block is also made in a simple way. The cylinders are casted at the local factory for casting in Arbra. He machined them in the local railroad workshop where Hockenstrom worked.

The first engine was a two cylinder boat engine from 1910 and it has been found in south of Sweden renovated. It had only a single horsepower and people told Hockenstrom that it was faster with a real horse. Of course they were right. But the obstinate man instead build himself a new 4 cylinder in line engine. It was equipped with a OHC camshaft. It was also air cooled.

The T-Ford specialist Bengt Hellstrom (not the owner) in Ljusne has renovated the car and is the only person that can get it running.
-The only factory produced part he know about are the connecting rods, but they are reworked. They are T-Ford rods but extended 10-15 mm.

The crankshaft is built of a thick plate. The carburettor is also said to be home made, but during the storing time it has disappeared and instead a T-Ford carburetor is put in place. The original was stolen.

Camshaft lobes on the outside mounted shaft were adjustable. In this case Hockenstrom has for sure tested to get the right settings.
Every single screw and nut has different thread and dimension and can only be mounted in it's special place. Bengt Hellström discovered this when he put the engine together.

The camshaft chain is placed outside front of engine and is oil from a can filled with oil

In the small outhouse where the car slept it's about 50 year long storage, Hockenstrom worked with advanced, for this time, astronomy. Large mathematical calculations and many drawings for the car in this outhouse were burned and eventual spare parts for the car were sold once in time.
Bo Byman though was there and succeeded to lay his hand on the cooler for the first engine. It was placed on the pile for scraps.
The car is today complete drivable and has succeeded registration control without any note.
Wipers are missing but it is possible to clean with hand.
In principle the brakes are not sufficient but according the top speed of 35 to 40 km/h they are good enough.
Today this a bit special look like or ugly car seems to be fragil, but it was built before welding could be done and for this reason it is a technical masterpiece from a private man. Don't you think?

Note. The car was complete destroyed in a fire and exist no more. The only parts are the cooler in this Odds and Ends museum and the watercolled engine (the first) which was noticed in paper Signalhornet Sept. 1987. The seller though is dead and a child don't know which one took care of it.

Indian 1901-1953
There were three mates that came together. Hendee, Hedström and Henshaw. This was the necessary mix of persons to start with engine driven cycles. They wanted to see what such a thing was good for. They got together. Hendee wanted to build, Hedström designing and Henshaw was a helper.
For a long time they ordered engines from Thor factory, but soon they realized that there were more money in manufacturing if they had their own engine. This happened 1907 when the V-twin was announced.
Despite many attempts, with joining of Royale Enfield, Vincent and Matchless, to start again there were not any continued existence.
The Indian mark is so loved by people that production of parts has been started for all models.
To buy an old Indian is not is not a spare part problem.
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EBE 184 cc 2 hk
equipped with snifting valve 1919. Was produced by EBE factory in Åmål. The cycle was a copy of Furir and equipped with free hand operated free wheel. The original Furir had not this. Involved in this was Carl Georg Lindkvist.

He had got patent for this. The cycle was sold for 500 Skr. This was much money for this time.

Furir 118 cc 1915-16.
Produced by Emil Jern in Gävle, as a help engine for bicycles. This little engine became the first series produced help engine in Sweden. 1918 people had realized that it was better that the engine was mounted in the middle of the frame. Now production moved to Stockholm and the power went to rear wheel over a chain. The name changed to Colibri.
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ÖWA Hillfersmotor
83 cc 1 hk 1925 produced in Germany on license. This cycle came from the beginning from Austria and the Austrian Motoren Werke Arsenal. After WWI this type was produced as substitute for war material. Then cam a government descision that tha factory had to b tear down. Several countries bought license for this type and all production tools were sold. Anyway unclear how this was made.
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One can also find some pedal cycles from different years and models. There are also several chain saws.

Article about Widlund in paper Arbetarbladet

One very interesting part was the old TV from 1932. It was made by Helmer Widlund. Sorry to say the Widlund family has brought it away from the museum 2010.

Helmer Widlund from Storvik made a TV and the first time he got a picture in it was between Christmas and New Year 1932. During 1933 were there test transmissions from London four nights a week and the broadcast lasted for half an hour. During 1933 Widlund got contact with pictures and sound 52 nights with variable quality. He died 1962.

But how could a radio technician in the beginning of his carrier create this new media. He of course read several radio technical papers. But he could not read or speak English and in such papers he had to concentrate on wiring diagrams in the English spoken papers. Swedish papers must have been very rare.

After having read a little how he manage it seems rather simple.

Radio knowledge came to Sweden in the beginning of 1920 and several bought a small crystal receiver. Even Helmer had one and he was also one of the very first in Storvik.

It was a German inventor Nipkow who had patent for a system which could generate pictures from a broadcaster. Just like today he could chose between two systems. One english and one German. Helmer chose the English.

The system worked with a rotating plate of aluminum, perforated with lots of small holes and a glow lamp. To be able to receive the TV signal he used a simple radio receiver which he built. The hard thing was to get the right frequency.

The plate was of aluminum material and was the important part. It had to rotate exactly 750 rpm and the glow lamp was affected by the TV signal and gave stronger and weaker light. In this way it mirrored a picture on the screen.

As every radio fans he wrote a card to the responsible for the broadcast in England and told what he had seen. He got answer which told him that it was the the most far receiver they know about.

All this was working during 1933 when England changed system and Helmer Widlund's TV was place in the attic.

One note for the English system is that thanks to these trials the development of radar was several years ahead the German. This made that the English defence could localize the German airplanes in good time when the came sweeping over the channel 1941.

On the upper floor Bo Byman has also a collection of old toys.

Here one can also see an old solarium.

Odds and Ends museum Storvik
The car name Flanders in this museum
Page 5
Back Swedish version

The actual Flanders car in basement. Ref 1

The engine for the actual Flanders car. Ref 1

EMF History

Walter Flanders car builder.
After an article by Håkan Ericsson.
Walter was born 1871 in Vermont as first child to George and Mary Flanders. The father was a doctor but he died already when Walter was 12 years old. This had the fact that Walter had to quit school at 15 years old.

Because of this he started as a pupil at a mechanical workshop. He was quick solving problems and learned things fast. Later he got job at Singer Sewing Machine. He made his name as one who quickly could fix problems in the production hall. He was a good technician. After some time Walter hade worked at several different production companies and had got a reputation to be able to take care of all problems. Henry Ford heard about this. He was working on his car models R, N, S of his car. Ford had problem with his sub suppliers. The never delivered in time and had bad quality.

Ford ordered a test order at firma the unit where Walter worked for 1000 crankshafts. All these were delivered in time, mostly depending on that Walter constructed a faster grounding machine. Now Walter got an offer to be employee at Ford. However Flanders was anxious too loose he freedom within business life. About these thisng Ford and Walter discussed before Walter accepted to be manager for production at Ford Factory.

Walter was a intensive carrier and performed aggressively to take over more power of the production. The economical expert at Ford was anxious that Walter should succeed to take over the control of the factory from Ford. During his time at Ford Flanders built up the complete rolling production and in this way he drastically raised the production. This for model N. Read about this modell under Torsångs Motormuseum.

According to Walter the design of the cars looked like a children wagon. On his own responsibility he changed the design. The cars got full fender around and also a running board. This was accepted by Henry Ford and selling raised again drastic. It became large problem to produce enough with cars.

The problem was that the sales was cyclic because of time of the year and sub supplier had problem to deliver parts to the Ford factory. Walter built up a system where the resellers took upon a responsibility to sell a certain number of cars a year. Now the producers could plan for their production and also lower the price.

The time had now com for Ford to change to a more modern car, the famous T-Ford. It was to close to the big job for Flanders of the organization of production for R, N, S. Walter became desperate over this when he had to rework all his job to fit the T car. This was the beginning that Flanders quit his job at Ford and started to produce cars himself.

Flanders bought another car factory Wayne Auto Co. Together with two of his older working mates Everitt and Metzger he produced a new car brand E-M-F. The goal for this car was that it should have an outstanding quality and a relatively low price with $1200. Flanders had a high level of carrier and never gave up his main goals. This made that he had to change other kind of production instead of cars. He started an a consulting engineer for factories. This was more easy to earn money without investing his own.

Walter Flanders was this time company builder and was involved in most car factories at the time. He died 1923 because of injuries from a car accident.
Read more fully about Flanders in the gallery below. Only in Swedish.

Storvik Odds and Ends museum Storvik
The history about Walter Flanders
Page 6
Back Swedish version This only in Swedish

Everitt
Metzger
Flanders
(EMF)

Pictures from the followint owners have been used in bjorns-story.se with the necessary allowance.
Referens 1: © Björn Bellander bjorn.bellander(at)telia.com
Reference 39: © Hasse Carlsson Signalhornet

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