Pattern lifted directly from the surviving half of the original.

Restoration

Mill Wheel Hub, Restored

The mill's original cast-iron hub had split along an old flaw and been welded shut twice before it reached us. Welding gray iron rarely holds, so we made a new one. We took a sand impression directly off the surviving half, rebuilt the missing spoke sockets in the pattern, and poured a fresh hub in iron matched to the original chemistry. It turns on the same shaft it did in 1911, and the mill grinds flour again on Saturdays.

Category

Restoration

Year

2022

Alloy

Gray iron (matched to original)

Weight

430 lb

Dimensions

31" diameter

Now at

Historic Grist Mill · Columbia Falls, MT