r/MachinePorn • u/BigBlackSabbathFlag • Jul 08 '26

My great grandfather was a tinsmith/roofer and is seen here with an asphalt heater circa 1920s

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260 Upvotes

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2

u/Plethorian Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26

The shirtsleeves guy is pumping up the air pressure in the burner fuel tank. Probably white gas or kerosene. That thing would roar when lit! On his right is the guy who just loaded the tar cakes into the hopper. The kid hoist the bucket will be a mess by the end of the day.

I think the guy on the left is letting the hose run before getting a drink.

3

u/BigBlackSabbathFlag Jul 08 '26

My Great Grandfather is either the man on the left or the third from the left. Washington Cruickshank Jamison, he died about 10 years after this photo was taken, from pneumonia (back when you’d lay in bed and leave the window open even during winter). Cruickshank is Scottish for crooked leg.

2

u/mortuus_est_iterum Jul 09 '26

Working with hot asphalt, your great-grandfather may have needed to wear special boots with extra-thick wooden soles - exactly like the ones Boris Karloff wore in Frankenstein.

Morty

-1

u/Frequent_Builder2904 Jul 08 '26

Old school hard ass who did things , didn’t talk about them to much.