Martin Coopland wrote:
>
> Nice item, I have never seen that before, does any one else have pictures of
> similar oiling devices? How do you fill that one? Simply pour oil down the
> seat tube?
Holdworth in England for one, sold these oilers as kits to be installed on the frame by the buyer in the 1930s. A cork was pushed down the seat tube till it was just below the newly installed oiler to seal the tube and the seat post was removed to pour oil into the seat tube. While you were riding you could tip down the spigot to start the flow of oil for a few seconds to oil the chain.
I have seen two in person. A '36 Bianchi that has a small tube with screw cap towards the top of the seat tube that is used as a filler and my '39 Bianchi that you remove the seat post to pour in the oil.
These were quite common on racing bikes in the thirties judging by the race photos of the period I have looked at.
Chuck Schmidt
SoPas, SoCal