Framed or unframed, desk size to sofa size, printed by us in Arizona and Alabama since 2007. Explore now.
Shorpy is funded by you. Patreon contributors get an ad-free experience.
Learn more.
- Texas Flyer wanted
- Just a Year Too Soon
- WWII -- Replacing men with women at the railroad crossing.
- Yes, Icing
- You kids drive me nuts!
- NOT An Easy Job
- I wonder
- Just add window boxes
- Icing Platform?
- Indiana Harbor Belt abides
- Freezing haze
- Corrections (for those who care)
- C&NW at Nelson
- Fallen Flags
- A dangerous job made worse
- Water Stop
- Passenger trains have right of way over freights?
- Coal
- Never ceases to amaze me.
- Still chuggin' (in model form)
- Great shot
- Westerly Breeze
- For the men, a trapeze
- Tickled
- Sense of loneliness ...
- 2 cents
- Charm City
- What an Outrage
- Brighton Park
- Catenary Supports
Photos submitted by Shorpy members!
Print Emporium
American Dream: 1942
February 1942. Akron, Ohio. Firestone Rubber. "Conversion. Beverage containers to aviation oxygen cylinders. After shatterproof oxygen cylinders for high altitude flying have passed all tests in the metal division of a large Eastern rubber factory, hot air is blown through the cylinders to remove all trace of moisture. The cylinders are then sealed and stacked for painting." 4x5 nitrate negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Air mortars
I used to work in the special effects craft for the movie industry, and these tanks, when we could find them, made great air cannons. We'd cut a two-inch hole in one end, and weld on a half-coupling. To this would be connected a big ball-valve, with an air ram and solenoid valve rigged onto it, so we could remotely "dump" the tank instantly. Often there would be a big funnel screwed to the ball-valve's outlet, and with lightweight debris loaded into the funnel, you could safely simulate an explosion, like a mortar hit on a battlefield.
Farktory Job
Private Enterprise
An enterprising company (Sanborn) bought a bunch of these after the war and used them to make portable air compressors. I used to own one.
Shorpy.com is a vintage photography site featuring thousands of high-definition images. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. Contact us | Privacy policy | Accessibility Statement | Site © 2024 Shorpy Inc.
On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5