Featured Risdon Corp, CT, WWII

The machine on the far right with boxes of file folders or whatever near it is a very heavy-duty "floor" arbor press. I recognize it because I saw one just like it for sale recently. I love presses but that would be an unneeded duplication of existing capabilities. In fact I took a pic of it, it is the 2nd machine from the right, the far right one being a surface grinder (you knew that already, right?)

 

Thanks, Spring. I know not a thing about ANY of those machines!

 

Go with this.....
They're, mostly, astonishingly heavy!!!
Absolutely no chance of the building they are in ever floating up and off into space

 

Going left, the squarish green thing in background is a vertical metal-cutting bandsaw. The larger ones like that have a blade-cutter, spot-welder, and annealer built-in. Guess why? Next green machine that's a bit humanoid with its prominent head, is a Bridgeport milling machine, an item once seen in almost every machine shop. Big blue one, I fergit! Dark one also with head is a CNC milling machine (Computer Numerical Control.). It can make metal or composite parts of any shape once programmed, and each part will have measurements identical within a thousandth of an inch, or more precisely if needed. It doesn't tire or make errors.

Above and behind the CNC mill are around 300 NOS cardboard boxes with white labels, of Acco decorative chain, 50 ft lengths, brass plated steel I think. I now own them all but only loaded half before the owner got too tired to hand any more down from the rack. Will get remainder next week. I think I'll give some away here and invite people to reimburse postage if they like. You can hang lots of lamps with 1 1/2 miles of that chain! I bought the pallet Racks too but can't pick up until owner sells all the junk on them in the next few weeks.

 

I don't have to guess why.

 

If you guessed that machinists cut perfectly good continuous bandsaw blades on purpose, you are correct. Betcha some folks wonder why they do that on purpose, because it takes a good while to weld it back together and anneal it so it will work again.

 

This is true.
Takes some learnin' to get them welded successfully.
I used to do it but my old, very old, bandsaw does not have this option.

 

Photos like this interest me... groups having a party or celebratory meal.

 

The Naugautuck Historical Society is interested in using this photo--may we have permission?

 

@SBSVC ....... ( shout out !! )

Wait for a reply.......... but nice of you to ask !!!

 

in the meantime...can you shed any light on the reason for the photo??

 

I have replied to Ms Carley. She is apparently an architectural historian and historic preservation consultant and is also the author of Litchfield: The Making of a New England Town.

I have asked the reason for the requested use of the photo, but I am sure it will turn out to be just fine, in which case I can probably provide her with a larger copy.

My biggest question regards the fact that Danbury (where this photo was taken) is in neither the Naugatuck Valley nor Litchfield County, but it's not far away, either.

I'll keep you all posted!

 

that sounds close enough for architectural purposes...

 

think i saw that risdon photo,recently in the danbury news times,,,,not sure if it was there....i think risdon was a ball bearing factory?...

 

Well, I have not heard back from Ms Carley, but I did find out that Risdon had a Naugatuck location at one time...

Sav, I wouldn't be surprised if there were other copies of that photo out there. There are a lot of people in the picture, and I imagine they might each have been given a copy, back in the day.

Actually, tho, I'd be interest to know when the NewsTimes ran that photo. I read the NewsTimes online every day (believe me, it doesn't take long!) but I suppose I could have missed it. I couldn't find it in their archives today, but that really doesn't mean anything.

As for ball bearings, no, I don't think so. Farther up in this thread, I posted a bit about what Risdon did produce.

I recall a ball bearing factory in Danbury, at the corner of Crosby St and Maple Ave, but I can't remember the name of it. (My dad owned the building & lumber supply business that used to be next door to it, on Crosby St, where the Brookview Commons apartments and a condo complex are located today.) We used to pick up ball bearings off the ground nearby when I was a kid. I still have a couple of them.