Balcrank (Cincinnati Ball Crank) grease guns

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Wingnutt
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Balcrank (Cincinnati Ball Crank) grease guns

Post by Wingnutt » Sat Feb 03, 2018 1:41 pm

In White, Vol 5, Chapter 40, Fred Coldwell and I identified Cincinnati Ball Crank or Balcrank as a second supplier (in addition to Alemite) to Willys for the A-213 9-oz push type grease gun, Balcrank model number P-9. Nobody has ever seen one in the wild, as far as I know. Or in a photo.

More recently, Balcrank (known as Cincinnati Ball Crank until 1933) has come up in discussions related to the CPA’s Major War Supply Contracts records, linked here.

Silly's MB posted an ad showing some grease guns (also other lube-related garage equipment), that I am taking the liberty of re-posting here.

Balcrank1.jpg
Balcrank1.jpg (233.37 KiB) Viewed 1296 times

I have a request in with Google Books to unlock an article in a book from 1941 talking about a new Balcrank “lever-push” "one-man hand gun" and calling it "the most efficient hand lubricator ever developed”. That could be the P-9. I have an ad showing a push-type that could also be the P-9 that I will be posting tomorrow (it's stored on a different computer).

But here are some other ads I found. The second one is particularly interesting. It's labeled "hydraulic" but seems to show a simple push-type.

Cincinnati Balcrank lever type GG ad 1945.jpg
Cincinnati Balcrank lever type GG ad 1945.jpg (103 KiB) Viewed 1296 times
Cincinnati Balcrank push type GG ad 1948.jpg
Cincinnati Balcrank push type GG ad 1948.jpg (35.65 KiB) Viewed 1296 times
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Re: Balcrank (Cincinnati Ball Crank) grease guns

Post by henry501 » Sun Feb 04, 2018 8:16 pm

Roger and Greg,

Thank you very much for posting these photos.

Roger,

Is it possible to tell from your original of this photo what the capacity of the circled measure is? Also is it possible to tell if there is any other information stamped below the Brookins logo on the same measure?
IMG_1942.JPG
Balcrank ad marked up
IMG_1942.JPG (215.7 KiB) Viewed 1248 times
Thank you very much,
Henry

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Re: Balcrank (Cincinnati Ball Crank) grease guns

Post by Silly's MB » Mon Feb 05, 2018 11:57 am

Hi Henry,
I don't have the original but it is here if you want it.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1936-BALCRANK- ... 513998301

Just as another bit of information, it seems as though the Brookins Trade Mark was registered in 1947.
Last edited by Silly's MB on Mon Feb 05, 2018 1:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Balcrank (Cincinnati Ball Crank) grease guns

Post by Silly's MB » Mon Feb 05, 2018 12:32 pm

vintage-usn-balcrank-grease-gun_1_63874352ad2539facf57aeb02536c674.jpg
vintage-usn-balcrank-grease-gun_1_63874352ad2539facf57aeb02536c674.jpg (15.86 KiB) Viewed 1228 times
vintage-usn-balcrank-grease-gun_1_63874352ad2539facf57aeb02536c674 (1).jpg
vintage-usn-balcrank-grease-gun_1_63874352ad2539facf57aeb02536c674 (1).jpg (10.29 KiB) Viewed 1228 times
vintage-usn-balcrank-grease-gun_1_63874352ad2539facf57aeb02536c674 (2).jpg
vintage-usn-balcrank-grease-gun_1_63874352ad2539facf57aeb02536c674 (2).jpg (22.44 KiB) Viewed 1228 times
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1942 August Willys MB
Complete MVMTS 100% sourced in the ETO

Empty vessels make the most noise .......

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Re: Balcrank (Cincinnati Ball Crank) grease guns

Post by Wingnutt » Mon Feb 05, 2018 12:40 pm

That's a nice find, Rog! Even has the correct model number. Now that we know what we're looking for, who will be the first lucky SOB to get one for his MB?! :)
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Re: Balcrank (Cincinnati Ball Crank) grease guns

Post by Silly's MB » Mon Feb 05, 2018 12:42 pm

Wingnutt wrote:
Mon Feb 05, 2018 12:40 pm
That's a nice find, Rog! Even has the correct model number. Now that we know what we're looking for, who will be the first lucky SOB to get one for his MB?! :)
Preferably without the USN Marking !
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Re: Balcrank (Cincinnati Ball Crank) grease guns

Post by Wingnutt » Mon Feb 05, 2018 1:45 pm

Yes. I'm guessing the marking on the models sold to Willys for MB issue is the same or similar without that. I'm also guessing that the models sold to the Ordnance Dept in late 1942 and 1943 probably had a US Army or possibly Ordnance Dept marking in the same place as the USN.
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Re: Balcrank (Cincinnati Ball Crank) grease guns

Post by mudbox » Mon Feb 05, 2018 2:00 pm

Wingnutt wrote:
Mon Feb 05, 2018 12:40 pm
... who will be the first lucky SOB to get one for his MB?! :)
I wonder if there’s any left to be found in Cincinnati?

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Re: Balcrank (Cincinnati Ball Crank) grease guns

Post by zoob » Mon Feb 05, 2018 3:11 pm

Greetings! I had a look through my tool pile and found one. marked...."Ballcrank Cincinnati P-9." I think I had at least one extra....unless I sold it a few years ago. Also noteworthy....this grease gun is depicted in the ORD9 G-502 tools illustration...for 3/4 ton Dodge.

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Re: Balcrank (Cincinnati Ball Crank) grease guns

Post by Wingnutt » Mon Feb 05, 2018 4:19 pm

zoob wrote:
Mon Feb 05, 2018 3:11 pm
Greetings! I had a look through my tool pile and found one. marked...."Ballcrank Cincinnati P-9."
Congrats, Zoob! You're officially the first! Please post some photos of that critter and its markings.

My hunch is there may be more out there that other collectors have simply unwittingly ignored, since Balcrank was never considered "correct" in the hobby before, never cited as an A-213 grease gun supplier by Naholtz, JeepDraw, or any previous sources. In addition to updating and correcting the prior references and the status quo knowledge base, it was always Fred's and my hope that publishing our guide in White, Vol 5, Chapter 40 would spark some new discoveries - like this - as well.

So this is very exciting news to me.

All,

I should've been much more comprehensive in my summary of the Balcrank grease gun situation above. Note that there is a little ambiguity in company name and model number. As Fred and I reported in White, Vol 5, Chapter 40, QMC ES-422c dated 4-9-42 and TAC ES-422g dated 1-12-43 list an optional supplier under the name "Cincinnati Balcrank" and the model number as P-9. Willys MB-Basic and MB-NOM-12 BOMs list the optional company’s name as "Cincinnati Ball Crank Co." and the model number as 40811. As I alluded to above and on the CPA MWSC thread, the confusion is understandable, since they used Balcrank as a trade name, and continued to be referred to by others as Cincinnati Ball Crank long after they changed their name to Balcrank, Inc. (no Cincinnati) in 1933. As for the model numbers, while we are inclined to give more credence to Willys documents for Willys factory issue ground truth, we certainly wouldn't look down our nose at a P-9, and the 40811 may be in as much error as the reference to the company's obsolete name is.
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Re: Balcrank (Cincinnati Ball Crank) grease guns

Post by Rustman » Tue Feb 06, 2018 12:07 am

There is one of those Brookings 1 gallon measures at the antique mall near my work. Been eyeing it up but they want $65. I can check on it next month when I'm back there again (traveling for work right now)

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Re: Balcrank (Cincinnati Ball Crank) grease guns

Post by Wingnutt » Tue Feb 06, 2018 2:07 pm

All,

Zoob sent me photos of his Balcrank P-9 grease gun, a close-up of the markings, and a RAPD figure from the G501 GMC DUKW TM and I have his permission to post them for him here. I have asked him to try to chalk the marking as it is not very legible. I have also asked him to provide a direct and verbatim transcription of the marking.

I said it before, but I'll say it again - this is very exciting!

Ballcrank Co GG.JPG
Ballcrank Co GG.JPG (61.52 KiB) Viewed 1169 times
Ballcrank Co. markings.JPG
Ballcrank Co. markings.JPG (79.63 KiB) Viewed 1169 times
Balcrank G501 GMC DUKW RAPD.JPG
Balcrank G501 GMC DUKW RAPD.JPG (138.65 KiB) Viewed 1169 times
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Re: Balcrank (Cincinnati Ball Crank) grease guns

Post by henry501 » Tue Feb 06, 2018 3:05 pm

Rustman,

Even if you don't buy that 1 gallon measure. Please take photos of everything that is embossed or printed on it. I think I am very close to being able to create a photo annotated timeline of what one should be looking for in a Brookins (Cincinnati Ball Crank Co./ Balcrank Co.) measure to distinguish a pre-war, WWII and post-war measure but I would like to get as many photo examples of the markings as I can to make my sampling base as big as possible.

I'll continue to work on this study and put down my findings on this thread.

http://g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f= ... s#p1701897

Thank you,
Henry

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Re: Balcrank (Cincinnati Ball Crank) grease guns

Post by Wingnutt » Wed Feb 07, 2018 3:58 am

All,

Zoob sent me some additional photos of his grease gun, including some of the markings after chalking, and a transcription in case it's not legible.

Ball Crank.JPG
Ball Crank.JPG (55 KiB) Viewed 1149 times
Ballcrank markings 2.JPG
Ballcrank markings 2.JPG (78.99 KiB) Viewed 1149 times

Verbatim:

THE CINCINNATI BALL CRANK CO.
OAKLEY-CINCINNATI-OHIO
MODEL P-9
MADE IN U.S.A.

Note that the Model P-9 grease gun Roger posted above, from a SOLD Worthpoint auction, the one with the "U.S.N." stamping, is marked "BALCRANK, INC.", not "CINCINNATI BALL CRANK CO.". Everything else is the same. Unfortunately, this suggests that Zoob's example might be from before the name change. Again, if we can trust their own website, that occurred in 1933.
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