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The Fero Air Pump Company was started by my grandfather Berkley M. Fero
and was later joined by my father Russell B. Fero. The company was located in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania and was
in operation from around 1905 through the late-1930's. This was the main advertising brochure. The "cut out"
spot breaks my heart. If you read the text, this was a pic of a Fero Air Pump driven by a stationary engine. I
wonder which one?
Notice the wording on this envelope; Wilkinsburg Branch.
This is an example of one of the earliest Fero Air Pumps.
This was an early vacuum cleaner that they designed and built.
This was the compressor model that they sold the most of. Notice
that it's painted Gulf Oil orange? Notice the round Fero decal that looks a lot like the round Gulf Oil logo? Want
to guess who they had a major contract with? Yep, in the 1930's they supplied air compressors to every Gulf Oil
service station all across the country.
One of their innovations was to balance a two-stage air compressor
by casting the LP piston and rod out of aluminum and the HP piston and rod out of cast iron. Both then were the
same weight. The net result, no vibration. My Dad told me of balancing a nickle on a pencil on the running air
compressor. Pretty impressive when the competition at the time vibrated so much it was hard to even keep it bolted
to a shop floor.
This is an earlier version of the same advert.
Nice detail of the mounting base showing the belt tension adjustment
design.
This is the early style of the Fero Air Pump decal.
This is one of my two Fero Air Pumps. This one was found by Mike
Royster down in North Carolina, the story of which is here.
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