POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Sparkplug cleaner by Hipswell

Object No. 85/1564

This is a Hipswell brand sparkplug cleaner. Early spark plugs got very dirty quickly, largely because the piston ring/cylinder clearances were not as closely machined as they are today (2017) and the petrol and oil was not of the refined quality that we are now used to. If the engine was a two stroke (wherein the oil was actually added to the petrol) then the plugs fouled far more quickly than in a four-stroke engine. The cleaner worked by screwing the sparkplug into the hole in the top cover. The valve on the left was opened, probably admitting compressed air and sand or kerosene under pressure, into the sealed container, thus cleaning the plug under pressure. The compressed matter was then exhausted through the exhaust valve at the rear of the lid.

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Summary

Object Statement

Sparkplug cleaner, 'Hipswell', 1920-1940

Physical Description

Sparkplug cleaner, 'Hipswell', 1920-1940

DIMENSIONS

Height

487 mm

Width

245 mm

Depth

225 mm

SOURCE

Credit Line

Purchased 1985

Acquisition Date

16 August 1985

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