1935 No. 3 ½ A.C. GILBERT KASTER KIT SET

$75.0 Buy It Now or Best Offer
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Seller Store bghansen
(3252) 100.0%,

Location: Charlotte, Michigan
Ships to: US,
Item: 135339522209

All returns accepted:ReturnsNotAccepted
A.C. Gilbert:A.C. Gilbert
Year:1935
Vintage:Yes

Offered here is a nice example of a 1935(ish) No. 3 ½ Gilbert Kaster Kit. I believe the set is complete though a removable cover over the smelting pot shown in an ad for the set is not with the set. I am not certain if these were actually included in all sets or not. The A.C. Gilbert Company was known for their Erector sets, American Flyer Trains, Mysto Magic sets, and several science-related toys. The Kaster sets were introduced in the early-1930’s; an era when turning kids loose with a smelting pot to cast lead soldiers was considered a good idea! On the other hand, if “Little Johnnie” burned his fingers, Dad probably replied with, “Boy, I bet that hurt! I bet you won’t do that again!” Collectors of Gilbert toys and lead-casting sets in general will note the rarity of this set. The 18” x 10” x 6” box was often tossed in favor of a small shoe box. There is no question that this No. 3 ½ set is “THE” finest Kaster set for display. Gilbert offered two basic styles of Kaster sets: Electric and non-Electric. Non-Electric sets included a ladle for melting the casting metal over a stove. Electric sets had a 110V heating element to melt the casting metal. The No. 3 ½ set was the smallest Electric set. More belaborment of trivial details; Gilbert must have been really proud of this set based on the elaborate packaging. The non-Electric sets were sold in colorful boxes with a boy casting soldiers on the box tops. Naturally, the non-Electric sets were the “cheap” ones. The “premiere” Electric sets (Nos. 5, 5 ½, 7, and 7 1/2) were packed in simple corrugated-cardboard boxes with a B&W label stuck to the side; pretty “blah” packaging. The Kaster sets were introduced during the Great Depression; perhaps it was a marketing scheme to highlight the lowest-cost Electric set by displaying it with fancy packaging? Finally, on to what’s in this set. These sets came with two molds; a two-fer infantryman mold and an officer mold. The auction photos show the top and bottom of the molds; they are flat with no cracks. They likely had little use. Going over the box; the left-hand insert has a steel rod/valve that is placed on the smelting pot’s casting valve lever. This is the large “L” shaped rod with a notch at one end. Next is a brick of unused casting metal. As an aside, I have included several ounces of 60/40 tin/lead solder should the auction winner wish to cast soldiers. I would highly recommend NOT using the original casting metal. There’s nothing wrong with the metal, but it adds to the visual impact of the set in its unused state and should not be used. Next to the casting metal are tongs for handling freshly cast figures. Below the casting metal is an “L-shaped” piece of small rod stock which is used to secure a mold-half to the red-wooden handle. The smelting pot is in the middle of the box. I plugged it in and it does heat up though I didn’t leave it plugged in long enough to melt any casting metal. The casting lever on the right side works fine, the spring that holds the pouring valve is present and works also. The right-side insert has a red-wooden handle which is used to hold the mold half with the round boss on the back of the mold. The aforementioned “L” shaped piece of small rod stock was used to secure the mold half to the handle. The lower area of the right insert holds a long “L” shaped rod which was used to secure a mold half with an “N” boss on the back to the smelting pot itself. Lastly, the far right side of the right insert has a knife for prying cast figures from the molds and cleaning the molds. One quick note about the smelting pot and supplied cord. Gilbert did not include a power cord with these sets; I have included a period-accurate cord with this set. Note that the cord has an ON/OFF switch; a fact I learned when testing the set! Yeah, I plugged it in and the pot wouldn’t heat up. I plugged a voltmeter to the cord, saw nothing, and was about to disassemble the plug when I noticed the ON/OFF switch. The cord switch works; don’t do like I did and assume the smelting pot doesn’t work when plugged in. It works better when the power switch is ON. . . I’ve included two copies of the original instructions, a copy of a Gilbert ad showing the Kaster sets offered at that time and the various molds that were available. Also, a baggie of casting metal and a candle. Candle?!?! Gilbert recommended “smoking” the molds with candle wax as a release agent for the cast figures. A beeswax candle is included for this purpose. The cardboard box in this set is in decent shape and displays well. A previous owner did some repair on one of the box top aprons on the inside of the lid with clear packing tape. A previous owner also repaired the outer box bottom with clear packing tape. This set is all-original EXCEPT for the tall “U” shaped piece of chipboard shown in the auction photos. The chipboard tucked into the box bottom to support the lid. The set was disassembled for packing; everything is wrapped in bubble-wrap and placed under the inserts. The auction winner can reassemble the set using the included copy of Gilbert’s ad, or by viewing the auction photos. Don’t hesitate to ask questions through eBay’s messaging service. Shipping is via USPS Ground Advantage or Priority Mail in a 22” x 13” x 11” box weighing 11 lbs. If you are interested in learning more about Gilbert Erector sets, Google ACGHS for the home page of the A. C. Gilbert Heritage Society. Included in the photos is a sample page of an Erector parts guide I wrote about 10 years ago; it details the variations of all of the parts used between 1933 – 1962 and is available as a free download from the ACGHS website. Another trivial fact; the ACGHS past president and webmaster is one of A. C. Gilbert’s grandsons!

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