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The White Steamer

I quite like vintage cars. I also like vintage sewingmachines.




So imagine my surprise when I found out that the White Steamer was made by the same company that made White Sewing Machines. How cool is that?

When Thomas White, the founder of the White Sewing Machine Company bought a steam car back in the 1890s, it inspired his son, Rollin White to develop a steam generator which was made up of stacked coils.  Water was pumped into the top of the coils with steam being produced in the bottom coils closest to the fire. Not only did his design allow water input to be regulated, it also allowed temperature control. He patented the design describing it as being a quicker, safer and more economical way to generate steam power.

Even with the improvements though, the engines still had to warm up enough to start producing steam. That’s probably why the combustion engine became more popular. It was a lot quicker to get going.

Eventually, when steam power could no longer compete, the White Motor Company switched to combustion engines for their cars. They also made trucks, buses and tractors.

I’m glad that their sewing machines went electric though. Not sure a petrol powered sewing machine would have been very healthy. And can you imagine having to sit about and wait for a steam machine to warm up before you could sew? It would be like watching a kettle!  

Bye for now


Olly

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Comments

  1. Frances Leate9 March 2015 at 12:47

    I love a thimble that tells a story. Take care

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Olly9 March 2015 at 23:38

      Hi Frances, me to. :) . The ones that I can learn something from are my favourite. Like the White Steamer above, or Concorde, or the Iron heated by hot coals from previous posts. :) Best wishes Olly xx

      Delete
  2. Agnieszka7 April 2015 at 15:43

    Hi, beautiful thimble and impressive vehicle! :) Pozdrawiam!

    ReplyDelete
  3. mallaneska8 May 2015 at 18:53

    Piękny naparstek i bardzo ciekawie o nim opowiadasz.
    Pozdrawiam

    ReplyDelete
  4. Olly9 May 2015 at 16:40

    Pozdrawiam Agnieszka & Mallaneska, Glad you like the thimble. I love finding out the history behind the picture. It's amazing what you can discover :). Thanks for your comments. Olly

    ReplyDelete
  5. Elisabete22 May 2015 at 18:51

    Hello. It's a pleasure to see your blog! I have a thimble's collection too.
    Grettings from Portugal

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Olly23 May 2015 at 15:55

      Hi Elisabete, thanks so much for your comment. Thimble collecting is a passion of mine that I love sharing with others. Glad you liked it. Olly

      Delete
  6. Olly3 June 2015 at 23:11

    Thanks for dropping by Feyza, glad you liked it. Olly

    ReplyDelete
  7. Linda30 June 2015 at 14:58

    Beautiful. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Olly3 July 2015 at 20:04

    Thanks Linda and thanks for stopping by. Olly

    ReplyDelete

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