Magnetos; A Noble Quest

Our Friend, Gary Bahre has the Sears 9 HP Economy engine from Buck's Branch, just above Martin, Kentucky, that we collected some forty years ago.  It is a beautiful engine now, on a new drop-center cart, with a bright paint job, and riding on heavy duty wheels from a Case threshing machine.



The only thing spoiling the restoration for Gary is the magneto setup.  This engine came out in 1920 with a Webster mag and ignitor.  Gary has the ignitor base, but the mag is missing.  It was changed out for a Wico EK mag on a blacksmith-built mount in the '30s or '40's, probably because EKs were easily available due to oil and gas production in Eastern Kentucky. 

This is how his Sears 9 looks now, with a rustic, but whopperjawed and somewhat ugly adaptor to hold the Wico EK.

This is the type of mag that the Sears should have.  It is a pretty little machine in its own right; made of iron, steel, brass, aluminum and copper.  Websters are poetry in motion as they produce the sparks to make these old motors run.  We had a couple phone calls with Gary today, and he is hot on the trail of some good leads.  The chase is a thrill, and bagging the one you want is as good as a thirty point buck.