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Hello Gary,
I’m not aware of any specific guide for dating the steel boxes of erector sets. However, a little investigation and research could come close to dating your two set boxes. Greenberg’s Guide to Gilbert Erector Sets would be a great start. Also, on this website under “Erector Set Galleries” there are photos of the sets.
I would start the investigation with the color of the box. Are they red? For example, beginning in 1947, all of the metal box sets were painted red. Than what label is on the top of the box? Gilbert changed that over the years. Another clue is what is on the inside label? Below is a picture of my 1954 8 1/2 set. As you can see it doesn’t have brass corners.
The early versions like this 1946 and 1947 did have the brass corners.
Notice also the label and blue parts. That’s another clue. Hopefully your sets still have the inside label.
That should at least get you started in your investigation. Let me know if I can help any other way.
Best regards,
MichaelHello Gary,
That’s a good question. The P55 motor was only around for 3 short years. 1948 to 1950. The Girders and Gears website has a complete history of the erector motor.
History of the Gilbert Erector Motor
That’s a pretty rare motor you have. It was only produced for the top-of-the-line No 12 1/2 sets. That’s a nice set to have.
There is no book or video on hooking it up. Best thing to do would be to get the manual that came with the set. It’s possible one might come up on eBay or even a reproduction one.
I hope that at least gets you headed in the right direction.
Hello Gary,
I’m going to assume your No. 10072 is a 1958 “The Musical Ferris Wheel Set.” It was actually the first version of The Musical Ferris Wheel set and makes a superb display set. The attached photo is of the cover that came with my set which is original. The manual number is M3934. It has 84 pages including the covers.
I hope that helps.
Hello Douglass,
Unfortunately, I’m not fortunate to have a Hudson set in my collection. What I did find out was part “LR” is a “Special Drive Wheel” first appearing in 1931. I haven’t been able to find a photo of the “LR” part, as I don’t have a Hudson manual.
Hi Gary,
Welcome to restoring vintage Erector Sets. I think you will find it quite rewarding. Every time I restore a set to it’s original glory, I feel I’ve contributed to continuing the magic of A.C. Gilbert.
There are different viewpoints on restoring. On side feels leaving it untouched is the route to go, rust and all. The other side strips the paint and repaint’s/refinishes all of the parts. I think I’m somewhere in the middle. I like to keep my sets as original as possible with careful cleaning. For my model builds (which I use extra parts, not from my set collection) I will strip and repaint the parts.
There are different processes as well. Probably too lengthy to discuss here. I do plan on writing an article for our newsletter on restoring parts and the process I use. To answer your question regarding removing the lead paint, yes it is safe if you are careful. Don’t try scrapping or burnishing off the old paint and get it air born. Use a liquid paint remover like “Citristrip” which is quite safe and smells good. I use “EVAPO-RUST” by Orion to remove rust from parts, as it is safe for the environment and the user.
This website has a lot of good information on many topics:
Girders and GearsI hope that helps and good luck restoring! Don’t forget to look for my article in an upcoming newsletter.
Hello Gary,
Bruce Hansen published the Erector Parts Guide from 1933 to 1962. I don’t believe he published one for earlier parts. I have an Erector Parts illustrated guide of which I have no idea who published it. (See photo below.) As I recall, it was purchased on ebay.
That guide list all or most parts, but is not very detailed. The illustration of parts, I believe, is taken from the manuals. The index for the parts list a 2 digit year at the end of the part listing (See photo below.), which I think is the first year that part appeared.
Of course you can always go to the parts list in the manual to identify parts as well.
I hope that helps a bit.
I realized, I may have made the response more confusing. The manual number on these covers is actually just for the covers. The same covers with the same number was used for several different set sizes. That makes it a bit confusing. One way you can tell which manual you have and for what set, is by looking at the last few pages before the “Erector Separate Parts” pages. For your manual, at the top it should say, “Models Built with No. 12 1/2 Erector” and for example my No. 6 1/2 manual says, “Models Built with No. 6 1/2 Erector” on those pages. See photo below. I apologize if I only made things more confusing.
Hi again Gary,
I’m 99% sure the correct manual for your 10093 Master Builders set is numbered M4263 pictured below:
I think you are missing the inside cover and first page, which looks like this:
If you wanted to purchase a complete manual, I just saw one on eBay and the link is below:
1959 Master Builder instruction manualI hope this answers your questions and good luck with restoring your set.
Michael D. Foster
Hello Gary,
I’m not aware of any list for the manuals. However, there is some information on the 1959 No. 10093 Master builders set manual in the Greenburg’s Guide. That manual is numbered M4263 and copyrighted 1959.
Here’s what the cover should look like depending on your set, if it was early 1959 or late 1959:
Hello Gary,
There happens to be a new listing on eBay for “rvcoin” that makes reproduction parachutes. You could email the seller from the listing or purchase the 4 he has listed. If you visit his store you will also see 4 of the Red Parachutes for sale.
Hope that helps,
Michael D. FosterHello Gary,
In my set the parachute men are already attached to the parachutes, (see image attached)
I believe the plastic sticks attach to the parachute and men, circles with a hole attach to the top of the parachute. (refer to the attached image) The string is used to attach the men to the model.I hope that helps. I will also post on the Facebook page where there are many experts in this.