Rumpy pumpy

Your letter from C.E. in Cyprus (November 29) struck a real chord in terms of the 'ankle breaker' cheap Chinese foot pumps flooding the market. Maybe he (and you) might consider joining me in my 'sustainability' campaign - to drive these from the market by discovering and renovating old vintage British foot pumps from the 1900-1950 period. There are thousands of these old pumps around - they are usually found in the back of old garages, go under such evocative names as Kismet, Sutty, Aerite and British Goodrich - but are destined for landfill unless someone intervenes. They are invariably of heavy duty, high quality manufacture and often only need only some oiling of the internal leather washer (or replacement of this) to give them a new lease of life. They are built with screw threads and bolts so they can be dismantled and overhauled - unlike the 'ankle breakers' which are often held together with plastic and bits of bent tin. Please put C.E. of Cyprus (and your other readers) in touch with my email address. As my wife will confirm, I have a garage and half a house full of restored vintage foot pumps. I sell some on, give refurbishment advice to other 'sympathisers' and keep the most beautiful examples to sit in a glass display cabinet in my living room.

Asked on 24 January 2009 by

Answered by Honest John
That's an interesting philosophy that will find a lot of sympathy in
classic car circles. And anyway, there is not much point in 'disposable' products if their disposability does not keep people employed in the homeland. Anyone wising to contact G.E. should e-mail: geassociates@btinternet.com
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