Posted 3 years ago
AnythingOb…
(1778 items)
Well OK, OK, I guess most people would just call this a "showerhead". IMNSHO, they would be wrong -- this near antique fixture simply works FAR too well and is FAR, FAR too overbuilt for that common everyday term. ;-) :-) Physically it is at least a couple pounds of nickel plated cast and machined brass, the front is a little over 4" across and is detachable by undoing three knurled screws held captive to the back with cotter pins. (pic 4) The large nut on its back holds a swivel ball captive in oakum packing, so its angle can be adjusted. Around its outer edge it is stamped "NIEDECKEN PAT. 7.20.26 HOFFMAN & BILLINGS U.S.A. GT. BRITAIN 71.26. CAN. 11.23.26".
I recovered it maybe 20 years ago from a long unused shower stall in a ca. 1928 gymnasium building that was being remodeled. Sadly, I couldn't also get the no-doubt just as wonderful single handle water valve that fed it out of the wall with it.
Ever since, I have enjoyed every shower underneath it -- any/every bit of water that can flow thru the pipes in my bathroom becomes the most gentle (and plentiful!) 'soothing rain' -- no spinning pulser thingies or needle jets needed, and *certainly* no "water saver" flow limiters. <eeek><nono> Turns out it really does work just as well whether the faucets are full-blast ON or not -- the 'gentle' is about the same either way, so it just depends on how fast I want the shampoo rinsed out of my hair??! :-) :-) :-)
AnythingObscure, Cool. :-)
So, a water dispersal machine, huh? };-) Niedecken himself called it a sprinkler head.
Did the single handle water valve look like this?:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/194300850151
Your boy Niedecken was busy man, patent-wise, so it took me a bit to find this particular one (not to mention the Google version of the patent listing to avoid the smart phone-unfriendly USPTO one):
https://patents.google.com/patent/US1593134
HI keramikos -- thanks once again for the patent research!! <applause> I actually do have that 'stem valve' that went with it (but not its handle -- now I know what to look for there!) but couldn't get the actual 'faucet' valve in the wall, which was a large round thing with a single big lever that worked like many modern ones (especially in hotel rooms) but was no doubt also a much more substantial thing than today's equivalents. ;-) [I'll go looking to see if its also in Neidecken's patents?!]
THANKS MUCH also going out to Newfld, fortapache, Watchsearcher, Alfie21, vetraio50, Irishcollector., blunderbuss2 & vcal for your love it>s!!
:-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
AnythingObscure, You're welcome. :-)
Here are a few more Niedecken patents for your dining and dancing pleasure:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US1321238
https://patents.google.com/patent/US1579564
https://patents.google.com/patent/US1608115
https://patents.google.com/patent/US1836491A
https://patents.google.com/patent/US1943140
https://patents.google.com/patent/US1960278A
That next-to-last one is probably the 'valve' that I didn't get keramikos, or at least what I kinda remember it looked like from the front -- I'd suppose that several of the others were also incorporated into it?! :-) :-) :-)