Dempco?

[PaulV]

Anyone know what years DEMPCO was used on Dempster tail vanes?

[windybob]

Never saw THAT before! The kind of lettering style is different also. Or so it looks like from here.

[windybob]

Maybe it's a "one-off" tail they made 75 years ago to see where it winds up. Maybe it has a HUGE reward or something.

[Minnemiller]

Interesting you found one also! Not a one off but I'm not sure what the story is. I picked up a 6ft Dempco mill from Ivan quite a few years ago. It has a sticker (yes just an adhesive label) on the bottom of the gearcase instead of a cast in name. We haven't been able to figure out if it was something they did for prototype mills (like protect the reputation in case it doesn't work out) or a someone copying them but the numbers seem to be low enough it wasn't just a time period where they changed their whole company brand from "Dempster". I've been meaning to research it but you know how that goes.

[PaulV]

It's an odd duck. 10 ft no 12 on the case. No cast name. The mast pipe has a sticker on it with dempco. All painted a tealish blue/green.

Tail pin is interesting... a tube internal threaded on the ends...all-thread and jamb nuts at each end. Suspect not original but is a clever MacGyver.

[Minnemiller]

Mine is the same odd color. Judging by the fact there's paint still on yours and even more on mine, it appears they were later in Model 12 production. If thats true maybe there is someone still living in/around Beatrice that knows the story on these.

I think my tail pin is like a regular Dempster but will have to look at it to verify.

[CTXmiller]

I didn’t find much via google, by it could be tied to this fella.

[Windcatcher530 Dan]

Your probably right Michael, thanks for the info. !!!

[Minnemiller]

Found some more info searching the name given. There is an archive by the Homestead National Monument of America (part of park service) with these records. So it seems it was a renaming/restructuring of Dempster in the 60's but its still a bit odd how so few of the mills have been found. It must have been a brief period or production almost stopped during this time? Interesting. I'd like to browse the files at the Homestead National Monument of America someday. If I'm reading the report right, boxes and boxes of Demspter files are archived there.

[mtblah]

Just when you think you've seen everything , or a lot of things , something "odd " pops up !