Share your Magna memorabilia!

[HopefulSSer]

"Tempered" Masonite back then was quite hard and impervious to moisture. Yes Masonite is a brand name. Yes it killed many a steel saw blade.

Today's tempered peg board is nowhere close to the 'original' that was banned due to environmental concerns regarding the tempering process oils.

It's something I almost never use so I was unaware of a change but I remember my grandad using it a lot. What changed specifically? I thought "tempered" just meant it had been treated with linseed oil.

[JPG]

IIUC, it was not linseed oil, but some other environmentally dangerous substance that was 'outlawed'.

[HopefulSSer]

Ah!

[jpdalton]

Prospect Kit for Authorized Dealers - circa 1955

Magna Engineering Corp undertook a variety of steps to support their independent dealer network in the latter’s efforts to sell Shopsmith machines back in the 1940s and 1950s - they produced advertising campaigns in national publications; they produced media spots for local TV and radio; they produced materials for use in trade shows and other in-person events.

But once interest had been generated, the Magna team understood the criticality of staying organized around prospects who visited your store, and around maintaining contact once those prospects became customers. So in addition to the standard product literature items - many of which have been featured in prior posts to this thread - Magna made available a special Prospect Kit:
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Here’s a bit more detail on the construction and contents of the Kit:
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And while it’s great to be able to read about these sorts of items in original dealer literature that itself is already really rare, it’s an even bigger thrill to be able to see one pretty much as it looked 70 years ago…
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It’s a really solid box with finger joint construction, and a Shopsmith logo printed on that’s amazingly intact. I’m dating it to 1955 based on the SPTs listed on the “owner” side of the contact card - which only included the jointer, jigsaw, and sprayer.

It’s a great little time capsule of the dealer experience in early Mark 5 days.
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[chapmanruss]

Nice find. I wonder if the Wooden Box was made on a Shopsmith.

The box does look different than the one illustrated in the Dealer's Book. Just something I noticed. It does seem to fit the actual dimensions listed in the what's included list better than the illustration shown.

[jpdalton]

The box does look different than the one illustrated in the Dealer's Book.

Russ - good catch on that. I think what you see is some artistic license from the illustrator. A truer image with the lid open would show no logo, so the artist likely took some liberties. That person did get the wave style of the lid seam correct!
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Hope it was built on a Shopsmith!!

[chapmanruss]

Thanks for the side view picture. It does look more like the illustration now.

[jpdalton]

First Visitor to “The Museum”!

Had a very nice visit from The NH ShopSmith Guy today, and took the opportunity to show him my recently decluttered Shopsmith Museum (aka, my home office).
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He had found an unusual accessory attached to an old Mark 5 he had acquired - it looked to be in rough shape, and he didn’t have any interest in fixing it. In other words, right up my alley!
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…and from the “When It Rains, It Pours” department, you all may recognize this as a well-worn version of the NIB Key Switch & Outlet Box accessory that was featured in this thread earlier in the summer…
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So, for those wondering, the Museum is open to all who will venture here, but the price of admission may likewise be an addition to the exhibit!

[thedovetailjoint]

What a cool space, John!

[jpdalton]

What a cool space, John!

…and yet missing an MGR segment to truely validate it!