Star Windmill History Used in most parts of the US and exported to numerous foreign countries, the ORIGINAL STAR solid wheel wooden windmill was the second most popular wooden windmill on the Great Plains from the 1880's throughout the first World War. Invented by David C. Walling in 1878, it was almost immediately thereafter placed on the market by Flint, Walling, and Company of Kendallville, Indiana. The manufacturer traces its origins to the same foundry first operated at Kendallville about 1856 by William and McComsky, which within a decade had become Hildreth and Burgess, and then W.M. Hildreth and Co. In 1866, David C. Walling and Simeon Flint bought an interest in the business and then in 1872 they were joined in the enterprise by Henry I. Park. Already by 1870, the firm was manufacturing a windmill known as the Hall, but after Walling's 1878 invention of the Original Star, the improved mill became the firm's main product. After Henry Park's entry into the business in 1872, the name of the firm became Flint, Walling, and Company. It was reorganized in 1886 as the Flint and Walling Manufacturing Company. The original directors of the company were Simeon Flint, David C. Walling, Henry I. Park, and Rufus G. Marcy. The Original Star windmill is of the solid wheel pattern, with its wheel set to one side. An additional side vane governor was an optional accessory. One of the most striking features of the Original Star is that its wheel turns counterclockwise, contrary to most mills, which turn clockwise. This mill has curved rims holding its thin wooden blades instead of the more common straight rims as used on its prime competitor, the Eclipse. The Star mills are painted very attractively with white woodwork trimmed with red tips on the blades and vane and the addition of red and blue stars on the vane sheet. The inscription of the manufacturer's name and the words "Star Mill" is stenciled in a black script. Ironwork is painted leaf green on all the casting of its mills to the mid twentieth century. The mills were produced in regular pattern mills in 10', 12', and 14' sizes, while railroad pattern mills were available in 16', 18', 20', 24', and 26' diameters. In 1887, the 10' mills sold for $90, while the 26' size cost $700. Original Star mills remained on the market until about 1920. In the last years of manufacture, the Original Star was made in 10', 12', 14' and 16' sizes only. Although the Original Star has not been manufactured for about 60 years and is not common, examples can be found in most parts of the country. They are seen most frequently in the Midwest and Great Plains. The next all metal mill developed by the Flint and Walling Manufacturing Company was the Star Model 7. This mill was introduced in 1907 and was manufactured for about a half dozen years. This mill was manufactured with 4', 6', 8,' 10', 12', 14', and 16' wheels. These mills also had interchangeable babbitt bearings on both the main shafts and pitmans. 1/5
The governor weights on this mill is one of the keys to the identification of these mills, as it is made from cast iron and in cross section has the shape of a 5 point star used only on this mill. The vane design is a heavy wire bound sheet steel with vertical steel girts across the width. Also the company name is stenciled in black across one side, a red and blue star is painted on the other side. The tips of the steel blades are painted in red, giving the turning wheel a pleasing appearance. As on all Star mills the castings are painted green. The Model 7 Star windmill was produced only from 1907 to 1912. It is frequently seen in the field, particularly in the Midwestern states. As many windmill manufacturers did during the years around the turn of the century, the Flint and Walling Manufacturing Company in 1912, introduced an open twin-gear steel mill. Known as the Star Model 12, this mill has many major parts redesigned and is a distinct departure from the earlier open back-geared mills. On the market from 1912 to about 1926, the Star Model 12 initially was available in 6', 10', 12', 14', and 16' sizes and within a few years 18' and 20' sizes were added. The mill was phased out of production after the company began manufacturing an oil-bath steel mill in the mid-1920's. Other design elements also help make the Model 12 Windmill comparatively easy to identify. In addition to the use of two crank gears, the Model 12 was the first Star mill to employ a cast iron hub enclosing an expanding brake. Its governing likewise is a departure for the firm. Although it uses an off center wheel, the wheel is pulled back into the wind with a compression spring, the first used on a Star. The brake is not connected directly to the vane, but rather is applied only from the ground when the mill is cut off. The distinctive seven sided star sheet steel vane with wire bound edge is mounted on a V-shaped angle steel vane stem which is hinged to the main casting. It is trimmed with a red band around its edge, a red and blue star on one side, and a stenciled inscription of the company name in black on the other. Originally the only bearings available on the Model 12 were the interchangeable babbitt type, but soon optional "No-Oil-Em" bearings made of "perfectly seasoned hardwood" impregnated with lubricant became available. According to company literature, these wooden bearings were considered at the time to be "superior to any bearing or oiling device yet produced for windmill lubrication." To provide oil to the moving parts of the mill, large oil cups, or "oil wells" as the firm called them, were located above the bearing surfaces. The owner of the mill was instructed to pack them with wool or cotton and saturate it with oil to provide "several weeks" of lubrication. The Star Model 12 mills were distributed throughout the US and exported abroad. Thus, they may be seen in most parts of the country where windmills were common in the early part of this century. The Star Model 15 direct stroke windmill, available with either steel or wooden wheel and vane, is an outgrowth of the design innovations by the Flint and Walling Manufacturing Company in developing the Star Model 12. The Model 15 was introduced in 1915 and remained on the market until about 1926. It was this mill which replaced the Original Star mill. The Model 15 with steel wheel and vane was manufactured in 8', 10', 12', 14', and 16' sizes. The style with wooden wheel and vane was available in the same sizes with the exception of the 8' model. Unless babbitted bearings were specifically ordered, the Model 15 came from the factory with treated hardwood "No-Oil-Em" bearings. The wooden wheel available on the Model 15 mills is similar but not precisely identical to that on 2/5
the older Original Star. It consists of thin wooden blades nailed to steam curved wooden rims. The vane has the same general shape of that on the Original Star, but instead of having a wooden vane stem which is an integral part of the vane, it has only lengthwise wooden slats nailed to hardwood vertical girts and is bolted to a V-shaped galvanized steel vane stem. All woodwork of the wheel and vane is carefully finished with two coats of white lead paint, with the tips of the wheel and border of tail in red. Further ornamentation takes the form of a red and blue 5 pointed star on one side of the vane and the name of the manufacturer stenciled in black on the other. The Star Model 15 windmill was distributed in all parts of the US, but today it is probably most often seen in the range country. Often even the wooden wheel Model 15 mills are seen intact, another testimony of the durability of the Star Windmills. In 1924 the Flint and Walling Manufacturing Company joined most of the other major American windmill makers by introducing an oil bath back geared steel windmill, the Star Model 24. This mill remained in production until about 1937. The lubrication on the Model 24 is one of its most interesting points. The two crank gears, constantly dipping into the oil reservoir, carry oil to the pinion gears and three of the four main bearings. In addition, an oil pump actuated by the crosshead delivers oil at each pump stroke to the top of the cross head, where channels carry the lubricant to the tops of the pitmans and guide rods. The oil then flows down the guide rod and carried to the forward main bearing and then back to the reservoir. The mill was available in 7', 8', and 10' sizes with either Timken roller bearings or treated hardwood "No-Oil-Em" bearings. Within a few years 5', 12', and 15' sizes were added, and the "No-Oil-Em" bearings were abandoned and Timken bearing were used exclusively with the exception of the ten foot smaller mills, which could be ordered with "plain metal bearings". The Model 24 employs a new braking system. A contracting metal friction brake is mounted around the back side of the hub. It is engaged by movement of a lever attached to the upper member of the vane so that whenever the mill is cut off from the ground or automatically turns away from the wind, the wheel is prevented from turing. Treatment of the metal work consists of galvanizing of most of the steel parts, dipping the cast iron parts in greet paint and stenciling of a red star on one side of the van and the name of the company in black on the other. This was the first of the Star mills to have only a red instead of a red and blue star on its vane. The Star Model 24 was sold throughout North America and can be seen in most areas where windmills were used in substantial numbers during the 1920's and 1930's. An outgrowth of the development of the Star Model 24 back geared steel windmill, the Star Model 26 is a direct stroke self-oiling mill which was produced with both steel and wooden wheels and vanes. Flint and Walling first placed this mill on the market in 1926, and it remained available at least until the early 1930's. In essence the Model 26 is a direct stroke variation of the Star Model 24. The Model 26 was manufactured with either steel or wooden wheel and vane, but only in 8' and 10' sizes. The steel wheel and vane are similar in design to those on the Model 24 mills, although the angle of the blades is different in order to provide the relatively slower speed of a direct stork mill. Painting of the sheet steel parts is the same as on the Model 24 mill. The wooden wheel and vane also available on the Model 26 are very similar to those on the earlier Model 15 open direct stroke wooden mills which they replaced in the firm's line. The 3/5
principal difference is in their painting. With the wooden parts painted white, and the tips of the blades and trailing edge of the vane completely lacked the red trim seen on the older Star wooden mills. The vane bears only the addition of a stenciled red star, the name of the company and small stenciled patent data on the mill The vane stem is the same as on the back geared Model 24. Governing on the mill works on the same principals as that on the Model 24. Produced for only a few years, the Star Model 26 is a comparatively rare windmill in the field. Although when it is seen it is relative easy to identify as long as its steel wheel variant is not confused with similar and much more common Star model 24 back geared mill. Introduced to the windmill buying public in 1937, the Star Zephyr, also known as the Star Model 37, was the last mill marketed by the Flint and Walling Manufacturing company. The mill is especially significant in the history of American windmill manufacture as the first widely sold water pumping windmills known to have been scientifically designed in a wind tunnel as means of securing the most efficient wind wheel. Produced until the early 1950's, the Star Zephyr is both easily identified and frequently seen in the field. Clearly the most important new element in the Star 37, is its wheel, protected by US patent #2049655. Designed through the use of a special wind tunnel constructed for the purpose at the Flint & Walling laboratories in Kendallville, Indiana, the new wind wheel, according to company literature, "under repeated tests developed 31% more power than the old style wheel and has proved its ability to pump 30% more water in the same wind. " Unfortunately, the maker did not state which wheels the new pattern was compared to. Immediately the evident feature in the appearance of the wheel on the mill is the shape of its blades, unlike those on any other water pumping mill. Instead of being widest at the outer edge of the wheel and tapering toward the center, the blades on the new mill are widest toward the center and narrowest at the outer edge, where they are round instead of sharp cornered. This shape was chosen in order to reduce the friction of the wheel turning in the wind and thus increase its efficiency. In addition, the blades are curved and pitched to make them as effective as possible for their entire length. The wheel arms are also redesigned, having a stream line shape "so that resistance is cut to a minimum." Another obvious change seen in the Star Zephyr is its vane which has a completey different six sided shape. Mounted at the end of an electrically welded and trussed steel vane stem, the "streamlined" rudder...has its control area located on the end of the rudder stem where it has leverage to easily maintain the wheel in working position. This vane has the only ornamentation on the mill, with the exception of the green paint on the casting. It bears the initials "F&W" and "Kendallville Ind.USA" as well as the patent number stenciled in black and bears a large five point star on each side. On some mills the word "Zephyr" is painted across the red star. The brake on the Star Zephyr is unlike that on the model 24. Instead of being engaged both when the mill is cut off and when it automatically turns away form the wind, the friction brake on the wheel hub stops the wheel from turning only when the milll is manually shut off. Governing on the Model 37 is the same as that on the earlier Model 24. Initially the mill was produced in 7', 8', 10', and 12' sizes, but by WWII, it was also was available in 5' and 15' diameters. After the war the 5' mill was eliminated from the line. After the 5' model was eliminated, the other models remained on the market into the 1950's. Today the Star Zephyr is frequently seen in the field, often still pumping water, and is one of the most easily identified of American windmills. 4/5
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