I have been interested in electricity and machinery for as long as I remember

The Turn Of The Century Electrotherapy Museum
http://www.electrotherapymuseum.com

Featured Collector: Frank Jones

Frank Jones has been a real pleasure to meet. I don't think I ever shared so many obscure views on Tesla Coils
and early technologies with anyone as I have with him! Frank: Your collection is one of the greatest on the planet -
Thank You for allowing me to share it with others! - JB

I have been interested in electricity and machinery for as long as I remember.

Growing up in a mining town, I crawled in mines and mills and regularly brought pieces of machinery and old electrical items home. I filled our basement with my treasures and was grateful I had understanding parents! At one point I had over 10 steam engines and 50 stationary one cylinder gas engines in that basement.

My first radio was a table top model with two bands. I did not know what the second band was for since it would not work. I learned it was shortwave that required an antenna to receive a signal. When I learned that information I was up on the roof with a board, hammer, nails and wire. An antenna was born. Once the connection was completed I HAD RADIO! Could not believe I did it. I was fascinated and my radio era was born. I literally filled the basement with old 1930’s vintage console radios. I obtained them for free and hauled them home in my wagon. I took them apart for fun to see how they worked. I would reassemble them and learned to make repairs.

During those years I spent many hours at the home of a ham radio operator. He taught me the basics of radio theory, troubleshooting, repairs and soldering. He grew up in the spark gap era and used to tell me about the early x ray machines and office spark diathermy sets. I was fascinated and began to read any book I could find on the subject. I even obtained a neon sign transformer when I was about 10 and made a Jacobs ladder. My parents spent a lot of time and money to replace the dozens of fuses I blew in the house. They made sure there was always a good supply on hand and ready to use.

At about 14, I picked up my first violet ray, a Fitzgerald. I had a lot of fun with it and I think that manufacturer still makes the hottest set. At about 15, I got my first shoe x ray machine from the basement of a shoe shop. Played with it endlessly but eventually broke the tube. I used it to x ray my radio and anything else I could fit in it. I still have the fluorescent screen from that set and the original instructions! I also got my first Faradic battery, a McIntosh with a wet cell and the leads, for $2.00. I spent many enjoyable hours playing with the McIntosh and I still have that set 40 years later.

At about 16, I got some dead Geissler tubes and a broken 20” diameter Wimshurst machine from the high school when they disposed of them. I repaired the machine and sold it 30+ years later. I went to a neon shop and we tried to fix the Geissler tubes without much luck but I was able to experience that wonderful Geissler glow! Those old time sign blowers were magic with soft glass and it is a shame to know they are gone. At the same time, I picked up my first Gas X ray tube from the Catholic high school. I was very interested in its operation and took it to the local hospital for advice. The Doctor told me the tube was extremely dangerous and that I should give it to him! I STILL have that tube today!

In high school, I made a box with a model T spark coil in it, flash light batteries, a high tension lead with a phenolic handle and a ground wire. I used to clip the wire to the desk and touch kid’s backs. That was real fun. I learned about under wire bras then because when you touch the back of a girl wearing one there was an interesting light show under her blouse. Blue arcs would appear from the wires.

My interests continued with sparks and while in college, I got an early oil filled x ray transformer circa 1920. It was about 20” square by 14” tall. I figured out the wiring and fired it up in the dorm room. It made a wonderful Jacobs ladder and blew the power for my floor! At least they had circuit breakers! I got my second X ray tube, a Coolidge dental, and tried it out. I put 2 neon sign transformers on my bunk and using a 6V motorcycle battery the tube fired up. I turned out the lights, put my fluorescent screen in front of the tube and watched the glow! I watched the tube for awhile and then turned the lights back on. I immediately noticed the room was half full of smoke! The transformers were arcing inside and had melted the tar. I was lucky the fire alarm did not go off but the smell of tar stayed in my room, bedding, and cloths for about a week! I still have that tube as well.

I was able to get many x ray tubes from the university plus a Hogan Spark machine and a floor model Fischer Dental X ray unit. I repaired and use to run these machines in the dorm room. That caused many problems with the radios in the dorm. I also discovered the dorm floors had a lot of metal in them! My heel still has a horseshoe shaped set of tiny scars where the RF arced thru the nails in the heel of my shoe and into the floor! Luckily I was able to avoid paying for the damage to the burned and stained tiles. Once I restored an antique gas engine in my dorm room and actually started it. I was on the 7^th floor at the time and they thought there was an earthquake because it shook the entire dorm wing!

There was the time I mixed a batch of ammonium iodide crystals and sprinkled them on one of the dorm floors. One student got a bunch in his socks but nothing happened. I waited patiently but still nothing. After awhile I forgot about them. Later we were racing down a flight of stairs and I could hear a thump, thump, BANG, ouch, thump BANG, cussing, thump, thump, BANG, BANG and then more profanity. When he finally got back upstairs, his socks were in shreds and purple stains all over his feet! I had earned the reputation of being very strange and dangerous in the dorm and it stayed with me during my college days!

As you can tell I have been collecting medical electrical, x ray, quackery, scientific, radios, old gas and steam engines since I was a child and still have that obsession today. I enjoy this early technology, strive to understand it and then restore it. Of course parts are impossible to find and I have learned to rebuild, repair or fabricate pieces to bring these wonderful machines back to life. When ever I can, I get old stock and salvage junk sets for parts. My garage and barn are full of these items. When we moved to this house 13 years ago, we moved over 40 tons of property and 90% of that was antiques and parts! We tripled the size of our house and barn and still out of storage room!

My passion is with the history and design of all this and enjoy sharing my collection and knowledge with anyone who is interested!

Thanks to all,

Frank Jones