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Established inauspiciously at the outset of the Great Depression, the Airguide Instrument Company—originally known as Fee & Stemwedel, Inc.—managed a 60-year run as one of the country’s leading producers of “weather instruments,” i.e. thermometers, barometers, rain gauges, hygrometers and other instruments such as speedometers, tachometers, and the like. (Didn't Ed Roth's cars have Airguide guages?)
Electrical engineers Albert L. Stemwedel (b. 1904) and Richard L. Fee (b. 1900) were part of the same generation of young entrepreneurs who’d launched radio giants like Zenith, Motorola, and Admiral.
Fee spent the ‘20s (which were also his 20s) working as an electrician in Waukegan, while Stemwedel—a graduate of the Armour Institute of Technology—was an electrical contractor living in Rogers Park.
they hired Howard Taylor, who’d recently been laid off by Western Electric because of the Wall St crash and great depression, as a service man for them, as he had an inquiring mind and a lot of practical know-how.
At the height of its popularity, the Airguide brand name was associated not only with weather measuring devices like this one, but a slightly broader line of products one might categorize as “scouts equipment.” Advertisements in Boy’s Life and Popular Mechanics during the ‘40s and ‘50s showcased a healthy assortment of Airguide compasses, telescopes, and binoculars
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1947 advertising
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1948
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Makes a lot of sense to make opera glasses, binocs, and spy glasses at the same time
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not only did they make a compass for snowmobiles, they made an altimeter. Yes, for snowmobiles
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I grew up in snowmobile country, never saw any with an altimeter, and frankly? Have no god damn idea why the hell a snowmobile needs an altimeter. A flare gun? Yes. A winch? Absolutely. Extra gas tank? Are you kidding? Of COURSE they need an extra gas tank. But an altimeter?
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1957
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they were so compass crazy, they even put a compass on a hand grip
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then used that hand grip for their wind speed indicator
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this nice condo building at the intersection of Winnebago and Wabansia in Chicago is their old factory
I hope you've enjoyed this look at the variety of things they made, and aren't you glad neither of us are collectors of every neat thing we see?
Very, wery interesting. I remember that digital thermometer, too!
ReplyDeleteI spent about 6 hours on this post and half of those were after you commented... you might see new stuff I added if you look again
Deletetotally enjoyed post --- wonderful look at analog Tech
ReplyDeletecompass on a hand grip --- very useful for taking bearings aboard vessels
Sad. Sad. Sad. We used to make things in the country. Little shops and small factories. Made a profit on their products and sold all they made. Didn't feel the need to dominate the market, just to be a part of it. Greed. Greed and ignorance on the public's part.
ReplyDeletethe old carburetted snowsled engines were sensitive to decreased air pressure as altitude increased; early ones with diaphram carbs had adjustable jets and could be tuned on the go, but later Mikuni carb models required the main jets to be changed out for every 1-2000 feet of altitude change in order to maintain the air-fuel ratio by weight.
ReplyDeleteBefore my time, thanks! I didn't know that
DeleteYes knuckledraggertech - this was also the reason my cars first owner fitted the altitudemeter, as he lived in Colorado.
DeleteHe then had a little chart in the car, that showed him when & how much he should adjust the jets, as he got up in the mountains.
The “clinometer” brings to mind my good fortune during the summer of 1967 when I worked as a deckhand on the SS City of Milwaukee car ferry, owned and operated by the GTW Railroad. The railroad had three such vessels in their fleet, the Milwaukee (now a museum in Manistee, Michigan), the Grand Rapids and the Madison. Each of them had had four railroad tracks in their belly that held about 40 rail cars (fifty footers) which were carried between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Muskegon, Michigan. One of the three mates supervised the loading process relying on a list on the cars making a given trip and a device that functioned as a crude clinometer. It was nothing more than a four or five foot length of steel, about three inches wide that swung freely with a pointer on the bottom. It was attached to one of the boats (any vessel limited to the Great Lakes is a boat, not a ship) massive center columns, and the pointer had to be almost dead center on the line marked on the column before the boat sailed. Once the mate was satisfied the weight was evenly distributed he would tell us to secure the rail cars to the deck.
ReplyDeletedang, you've had an interesting life! I'm familiar with the clinometer because I crewed on two subs, and those have a couple, one for angle down, one for side to side.
DeleteLoved the blog, GREAT memories, my father was Harold Fee, No relation to orig owner, he was in charge of the production line for years , till he passed in the 70s. I was Very familiar with most of the instruments, I have alot of the old parts that my father would bring home to trouble shoot, just couldnt bring myself to dump them as they were his life and livelyhood. He was proud of his background in weather instruments, but the most i learned was a demostration he helped my sister with for school to teach kids how they worked. GREAT info on here. THANK YOU for reminding me of Airguide and his time there. You are appreciated!!
ReplyDeletehow in the heck is there no relation to the orig owners? Dang, to me, a family tree specialist, that's a challenge! Anyway, it is so cool you kept a bunch of your dad's work stuff.... no one in my family had any sentimental attachment to anything, and there is nothing to show anyone from my grandparents generation and earlier, existed.
DeleteThat must have been one cool school show!
Thanks for the comment, and the compliment!
How the heck did you find my blog and this article?
Hello all. I have been inhere before reading about this great maker of cool thingies for boats - home - cars etc etc.
ReplyDeleteMy cars 1st owner fitted Airguide gauges to his brand new 122S in 1966.
Then in 1978 shortly after I bought it, I accedently fried the clock, when charging the car battery.
Unfortunally did I throw out the clock (kept the nice chrome housing) and after I got computer have I tried many times to find another.
Yesterday luck came my way = found one for sale, with a "buy now" so now I hope it gets to my country in one piece.
The reason I never found it, was that I didnt know that series of gauges, were named "Sebring" after learning that I soon found 1.
It will join the revcounter - vacuum & altitude meter.
I have a question = the car also have amp, and oilpressure gauges, from a different make (SW) these are fitted in chromed bullitt shaped pods, with the exact same foot, as the airguide ones, so are those pods also made by Airguide ? never seen an other like them.
And the gauges dont fit 100%.
Thanks for reading.
are the pods that have been in your car for over 50 years made by Airguide? No one can answer that.
DeleteThe might be, or, they could be aftermaket ones from JC Whitney, or lots of other parts suppliers
The altitudemeter - clock - revcounter & vacuum are all genuine Airguide Sebring items.
DeleteBut the smaller (2") amp & oil pressure from SW are fitted in these unknown bullit shaped pods.
They are beautifull & very high quality = cast in White metal, and then chromed, so very heavy.
Just tried to search for JC Whitney and chrome pods, but nothing turned up.
Finally got the clock, that have been missing in my car since 1978 - here is a picture with it, sitting next to the rev counter & vacuum gauge. The altitude meter is already back in the car. https://flic.kr/p/2qiWnY7
ReplyDeletethat's terrific! I'm HAPPY to hear you've got through the time and challenges of finding and purchasing that! GREAT! My compliments!
DeleteThanks Jesse, the custom impounded it, so had to pay an additional 94 $ in toll.
DeleteFining out that this series of gauges were named "Sebring" made my search a lot easier.
In all the 25+years attending swapmeets around Scandinavia - England etc, I never once saw a gauge from Airguide.
SW can be seen, but also rare.