Very strange question?

[FloodSpectre]

Hello. I've been looking online for any information about a few things I found at what appears to be an abandoned military plant of some sort in Rochester NY. One of the objects I found is a small hexagonal cylinder made of a clear plastic, with "CHANDLER-EVANS CORP. SO. MERIDEN CONN U.S.A." printed on one side. I searched for Chandler Evans online and found that they seemed to have a hand in creating aircraft components, so it's a fair assumption that this has something to do with that. The tube looks as though it's filled with tiny quartz crystals, and on the opposite side it says "PROTEK-PLUG", but I can't find out what that is via my online research. It seems to be sealed with an orange cap.

This may be completely unrelated to aircraft in any way (I'm honestly not sure), so I apologize if this post is misplaced on these forums. This might also be far too vague to ever figure out. But if anyone has any ideas about what this thing is, I'd be appreciative.

 

[syscom3]

Do you have any pictures of it?

 

[FloodSpectre]

I should be able to take a picture of it later today. My camera's batteries are dead, but I'm planning on returning to the site where I found it today to do some photography, so I ought to have some batteries by then. I hope.

A quick search online brings up no images of the object, so I'll definitely need to take a photo and upload it.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yes because a photo would really help, chances are someone here will know what it is by the photo.

 

[k9kiwi]

Chandler-Evans made Carburetors for the Alison range of engines under the CECO brand.

NASM

Down the bottom under "Engine Data Plates", 2nd line in the middle.

That was possibly one of many things they made.

Also listed here under Government Funded ww2 industries

O - P : Selected Gov't Funded WWII Industries

Engine, Hydraulics, Fuel Systems2

Has a Chandelr Evans Fuel pump picture.

 

[HealzDevo]

Could the quartz be to carry a charge? People talk about quartz watches. Alternatively it may not be to do with aircraft but perhaps ground vehicles as quartz crystals would need to be close together to make sure they don't get flung around in flight on an aircraft...

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Could the quartz be to carry a charge? People talk about quartz watches. Alternatively it may not be to do with aircraft but perhaps ground vehicles as quartz crystals would need to be close together to make sure they don't get flung around in flight on an aircraft...

No, the quartz crystals power the flux capacitors...

 

[evangilder]

Here is a little suggested reading about quartz crystals and how they are used in watches...

Howstuffworks "How Quartz Watches Work"

 

[HealzDevo]

Okay, wasn't aware of how exactly the quartz crystals worked

 

[SHAEF1944]

I know this is an old question, but I just joined the site. This sounds like a silica moisture absorbing device. Used when shipping or storing stuff like A/C instruments, sights, and carbs, etc... to keep the wet out of the internals where it would ruin the part, hence the " Protek " Plug name.

 

[Clave]

Sounds likely - we had a similar 'plug' on the fuze of the Bloodhound missile - It was held in place by 4 screws, had a cylindrical body with a gauze filter on the part which stuck inside the fuze, and a square top on the outside. The top part had a small glass window to allow inspection of the crystals which changed colour on contact with water...

 

[lawheelock]

I happened on to this site when I did a Google search for Chandler-Evans corp.
I have 6 of the Protek-Plugs and I was looking for more information and a source for purchasing them.
I am a licensed airframe and powerplant mechanic and am working on a Franklin aircraft engine that was apparently overhauled in the late 1960's and has been sitting ever since.
The Protek-Plugs are Dehydrator plugs that are screwed into the spark plug ports in engines while in storage to prevent rust and corrosion. The "crystals" are silica gel which turns from blue to pink when moisture is absorbed. The pink silica gel may be re-activated by heating for 16 hours at 250 deg. F.
The old Franklin engines use 14mm spark plugs instead of the 18mm spark plugs that most aircraft engines use.
Aircraft Spruce and Specialties co, a parts supplier, carries 18mm dehydrator plugs under the designation of AN4062-1, but I need 14mm plugs to put back in this engine for storage after I get through restoring it after sitting and rusting for 40+ years.
The 14mm Protek-Plugs that were in it have turned pink and I was trying to find a source of 14mm dehydrator plugs. These are the first I have seen that had 14mm threads.
When I put Chandler-Evans into Google, this web site was the first to come up and since no one had really answered the question, I just thought I would.

 

[Cathy S]

I happened on to this site when I did a Google search for Chandler-Evans corp.
I have 6 of the Protek-Plugs and I was looking for more information and a source for purchasing them.
I am a licensed airframe and powerplant mechanic and am working on a Franklin aircraft engine that was apparently overhauled in the late 1960's and has been sitting ever since.
The Protek-Plugs are Dehydrator plugs that are screwed into the spark plug ports in engines while in storage to prevent rust and corrosion. The "crystals" are silica gel which turns from blue to pink when moisture is absorbed. The pink silica gel may be re-activated by heating for 16 hours at 250 deg. F.
The old Franklin engines use 14mm spark plugs instead of the 18mm spark plugs that most aircraft engines use.
Aircraft Spruce and Specialties co, a parts supplier, carries 18mm dehydrator plugs under the designation of AN4062-1, but I need 14mm plugs to put back in this engine for storage after I get through restoring it after sitting and rusting for 40+ years.
The 14mm Protek-Plugs that were in it have turned pink and I was trying to find a source of 14mm dehydrator plugs. These are the first I have seen that had 14mm threads.
When I put Chandler-Evans into Google, this web site was the first to come up and since no one had really answered the question, I just thought I would.

I found one of these protek-plugs on the beach in Sidney,BC on the site of an old garbage dump. The site is near Victoria international airport which was used during the Second World War by the airforce. Thank you for your information. I was very curious to find out what it was.

 

[fubar57]

10 years later I'll say thanks for the info L lawheelock and yes I know he hasn't been around since his reply but I'm freakin' bored and wandering aimlessly through old threads

 

[GrauGeist]

It's amazing how many archaic threads have been resurrected lately.

One of them was from 2004...which may be a forum record of some sort

 

[fubar57]

I go to the Members/Current Visitors page and follow the robots and guests

 

[GrauGeist]