E. L. Moore's Mountain Water Wheel Mill is one of his earliest and finest works. It's in rough shape, and will take a bit more that just some dabs of Weld Bond here and there to restore it.
It's an amazingly detailed and clever model. The roof comes off, and the inner workings of the mill are all there and finely made. The wheel itself is mounted to a brass axle that protrudes from the far end of the building, and the way the axle is finished suggests that maybe it was powered by a motor hidden in the model's diorama. And, when the axle's spun, it spins smoothly without binding. Very nice indeed. There's even a light bulb buried in the first floor. I'll have to see if it still works. This model is 60 years old, but I think with some careful restoration it can be returned to its former glory.
It is a very fine and grand model. It is a testament to the care Lowe took when building his "craftsmen's" like structures, that it has held up so well over all of these years. I am glad that it is in good hands.
ReplyDeleteI think you meant Moore, but yes, his craftsman was very good, and unfortunately under appreciated.
DeleteHope to see an update Jim when you have it restored
ReplyDeleteI've got it started. It took awhile to realize there was a mystery piece included along with this model. That'll be the subject of the first post.
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