Tie Pilot Chest Box gear found part search

[James Kenobi 1138]

I was looking up nylon chain sprockets, found some getting a little closer.

 

[RBJ]

That’s one of the things that’s so tricky about this part..there’s a TON of almost correct..and gears are in everything.

I think the key to figuring this out is the tooth profile, the thickness and the size vs teeth.

-available in 1975
-white plastic
-thin (so it can’t bear heavy loads)
-18 teeth/2” OD.

It was suggested to me today the center may not be a roll pin mount, but a spool for some kind of tape (look at the gear in a clear white out tape dispenser)

 

[TazMan2000]

I understand the need for having the exact, or nearly the exact same part, to replicate a prop identically, but there must be a 3D model with almost exact characteristics that somebody has modelled. I hope it is found, but as years pass, it will be more and more difficult to find this gear, if that hasn't been demonstrated at the present time which is almost 45 years later.

TazMan2000

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

I have faith. We keep ID'ing stuff all the time. What was it, a year ago, that tubachris ID'ed the thermostat for the Snowtrooper? A couple years before that that we not only ID'ed the Veyron model airplane engine parts used on Han's blaster (as well as all over the frikkin' place in ANH), but that the original parts from the original moulds were still available to purchase from the son of the original maker. It's possible this won't ever be nailed down, but that doesn't make the attempt foolish or doomed to failure.

Now... Does anyone have a line on what sorts of water pumps were around in the mid-'70s in the UK for koi ponds?

 

[dano]

Have you tried looking at the EMA model supplies catalogues? There's gear cogs in there which look the same and they definitely used some of their products, the model makers used EMA quite extensively and this obviously bled through in some areas, the Boba Fett costume appears to be littered with them for example.

The really great thing with EMA is that thier product remains virtually unchanged.

 

[dano]

Well that will teach me, I've just looked on thier website and it looks like one of the few things they have changed is the mouldings for the gears!

Bloody typical!

 

[RBJ]

So we need to find the 1975 EMA catalog!

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

I think you were on to something with oil pumps. I'm seeing gears/cogs/sprockets that look the closest to the real part on oil pump gears.

 

[RoCKo]

That looks promising...

 

[RBJ]

Still trying to figure out what real world part they used in 1975 for the chestbox gear. 2” diameter, 18 teeth, white plastic. I’ve looked at printers, copiers, models, RC cars, oil pumps..you name it. Still can’t figure it out!

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

Film camera? Movie film camera? Sprockets advance film?

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

Vintage computer floppy drive?

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

That's what I've been banging my head against, with nothing to show yet. The two directions of enquiry I've been following have been:

• Pump internals of some kind that Ainsworth had on hand from one of his main product lines.
• Pieces some of the Elstree wardrobe people had from one of their drift-net runs through the local electronics supply shop down the street (where all the switches and switch covers and switch bay covers and panel lights and so forth came from).

Do we know who did the actual deco? We have the pic of someone modeling the one complete ensemble (over a white tank top) with a pile of helmets next to him. Was that at Ainsworth's shop, or on the lot?

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

For me I think it all lies in the teeth of the gear. It's extremely specific.

Is it a gear made to turn another gear with the same teeth?
Is it a sprocket made to move something such as a chain, conveyor material, film, etc...?
Is there a pivoting cam that sits between the teeth and the movement of the gear or the movement of the cam is why the gear teeth looks like it does?

I feel like we need to send photos of the part to people who could at least tell us what it's designed to do, that would narrow down the search.

 

[RBJ]

The outside pics are from Ainsworths shop.

I too believe the key is the teeth. They are too square for a chain, and the gear itself is thin. So I think it meshes against another gear..the low tooth count is a clue as well.

I’ve asked experts on typewriters, vacuum cleaners, and former IBM engineers and haven’t gotten a hit yet.

Ive been trying to track down who would have physically built them or sourced the parts without much success

I’ve looked at:

oil pumps

sewing machines

knitting machines

juicers

computer printers

copiers

toner cartridges

RC cars

RC helicopters

car window regulators

Tamiya model parts

vintage scientific gears

....and still nothing.

it had to be somewhat easy and cheap to get 15 of them in 1975...WE WILL FIND THIS THING!

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

Low speed water pump for the koi pond yard inserts AA made...?

 

[Muddler]

The flattened teeth reminded me of parts insude our bread-cutting-machine.
Though this example is no real match, it might still be another place to look...

 

[RBJ]

This right here has to be the key to finding this. In all my searching..and I’ve looked at a TON of different gears..NONE have this tooth profile or center design.

 

[DaddyfromNaboo]

So why does a sprocket have tapered teeth? Maybe because the teeth need to reliably feed into something instead of move another wheel in the same plane of movement? Ot maybe to transport something like a chain or maybe film?

Now we'd need a real engineer ...

 

[RBJ]

Very close here. Thickness and teeth are very similar. Vintage Meccano building toy from the 70s...very popular in the UK. What’s under the nut part?