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Vintage
Ink & Paint's
Antique Stone Mills
Vintage Ink & Paint is the only animation art conservation facility which is able to manufacture its own paint to the original Disney paint formula, using the same equipment which ground the paint at the studio for over half a century.
The Machines Behind the Magic
In the mid-1920's, Ub Iwerks set up the ink & paint department at the Disney studios, purchasing three stone mills from Charles Ross & Sons in New York. For the next sixty years, these mills ground the paint for every Disney cartoon and animated feature from the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit shorts in the 1920's, all the way through "The Great Mouse Detective" in 1986. When the new management at the studio scaled back the ink & paint department and decided to discontinue manufacturing its own paint, the two remaining operational mills were sold as scrap. Vintage Ink & Paint acquired these mills, refurbished them, and put them back to work doing the same job for which they were originally intended.
Recently, Vintage Ink & Paint's head chemist, Lew Stude discovered that the manufacturer of these mills, Charles Ross & Sons is still in business. He contacted the owner of the company, who provided the following technical specifications of the mill taken from a 1920's sales catalog.
FLAT STONE FINE COLOR MILLS
The modern Flat Stone Mill used extensively for the fine grinding of paints, enamels and lacquers is the result of years of research and improvement in design and mechanical details. Although many substitutes for the Stone Mill have been offered from time to time over a period of years, none have succeeded in replacing this type machine for fine grinding or the maximum dispersion of the pigments in the vehicles.
No. 9 Water Cooled 8" Motor Driven Laboratory Flat Stone Mill
Our New Model Laboratory Flat Stone Mill is designed for laboratory use for grinding small experimental or trial batches. The complete mill can be dismantled in about one or two minutes time for easy cleaning. The feeder pot, which is removable, is made of steel and has a holding capacity of about one and a half gallons, and is intended for mixing one gallon at a time. The Mill is water cooled and is furnished complete with a one half horsepower motor direct coupled to the drive shaft of the Mill. Motor is for standard alternating current, single phase, 110 volt, 60 cycle. All moving parts, including gears, spindles and other parts are enclosed and operate in an oil bath. The Mill and motor are both mounted on a finished base or bedplate, making a portable, self-contained unit.
FLOOR SPACE: Length overall 28 1/2". Width front to back 16 1/2" Height overall 24 1/2". Height under scraper 10 1/2".
SHIPPING WEIGHT: complete with motor: Net 200 lbs. Can be furnished with or without Feeder Pot as required.
CHARLES ROSS & SONS COMPANY
Established 1869
Brooklyn, N. Y.
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This page is maintained by Stephen Worth. Its contents are copyrighted and may not be duplicated or redistributed in any manner without the prior written consent of the authors. Vintage Ink & Paint thanks Charles Ross & Sons for their assistance.
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