by Tony James » 23 Aug 2014, 10:06
Chris – thanks for that. As I said, I only know what I know and what I know about crocodiles is Fred Tickner. As Edwin used Wal Kent figures I would therefore expect Joe Parsonage and Tony Green crocs produced for Supreme to be a similar design. I’d never appreciated that this style was in modern terms ‘the standard’. I’m glad I asked.
Do you think the Tickner style reflects an older pre-war standard design? I wouldn’t have expected Fred to be the only person to have produced crocs in this way.
But, going back to what I said and based on my experience of using this style I would still suggest that side hinging is a far simpler and easier way of attaching the lower jaw and incidentally, easier to produce than the gathered material masking the under jaw and forming an access to the body.
Yet if it is easier what are the advantages of the Kent style?
A side hinge like Fred’s is a simple triangular plate with the top point cut off and three holes drilled to fix. The two in-line bottom holes are screwed to the side of the lower jaw. There is not that much depth of timber at the back of the lower jaw but sufficient. At that point the throat end is concealed behind the front edge of the sleeve body. Fred left that part uncarved so each side is straight and square for an inch or so. I use round head screws as they sit flat and tight against the metal.
The top hole works best with a slightly larger and longer, pan head screw. This is the pivot point of the hinge screwed into the head where there is a great deal of timber available to screw into. Obviously the pan head screw is the pivot and is screwed in less tightly or the pivot wouldn’t swing easily. Occasionally – once every few years – that screw may need slightly tightening, especially if it’s short. But there is more than enough head timber to take a longer screw. The body which masks the hinges needs to be fitted to the head and lower jaw in such a way that you have access to the hinges by turning the body inside out.
Hope this helps anyone out there who isn’t familiar with this method which, from what you say Chris, is likely as the other style is so common.
And now for a story. In 1993 I was working in Dublin and Helen was flying out to join me so I set off to meet her following signs for Dublin Airport.. No satnav in those days! On the outskirts of Dublin I came to a T junction with a sign in front of me saying Airport to the right and Airport to the left!!! I was on the last minute so I asked a passerby which was the quicker way.
I couldn’t believe what he said: ‘If I was you Sur I wouldn’t start from here at all. Go back half a mile……………’ and I never heard the rest. I was howling with laughter. I couldn’t see for tears. I became conscious of a car horn behind and a policeman got out and came to see if I was alright.
I told him what had happened and he didn’t find it at all funny. In fact he said the man was correct and repeated the directions.
So much for yokels Chris!
Tony James
Magic With A Punch!