11-14-11 Buick

[balthazar]

2 part question ~

PART 1 :: David Dunbar Buick, prior to the founding of the like-named automobile company, was a partner in a successful firm manufacturing a number of items. Buick himself is credited with 13 inventions between 1881 and 1889, but one outshone the others to a degree, and was quite unrelated to automobiles. Name this invention.

PART 2 :: Keeping the above answer in mind, name the General Motors Division that likewise produced a product (and name this product) that was rather unrelated to automobiles. In addition; this product is generally and readily associated with Buick's invention (tho there is no direct connection).

[Hudson]

Buick made bathroom fixtures prior to his automotive venture.

[Camino LS6]

Hmmm, maybe something to do with freon?

[Drew Dowdell]

think outside the ice box.

[SAmadei]

1. Refrigerator.

2. Frigidaire.

[Justin Bimmer]

I think Thermo King used to be part of GM. Or something similar to Thermo King

[balthazar]

In that Frigidaire put millions of A/C units in 50+ years of GM vehicles, that's pretty 'direct'.

[Drew Dowdell]

spray on enamel?

[SAmadei]

In that Frigidaire put millions of A/C units in 50+ years of GM vehicles, that's pretty 'direct'.

Actually, I didn't realize Frigidaire was building the automotive A/C units. Most of my pre-'80 cars do not have A/C... but now that you mentioned it, I remember the '76 Blazer (with A/C) saying Frigidaire on the firewall box.

[Z-06]

1. Lawn sprinkler?

2. Oldsmobile (REO) power lawn mower. Patented in 1915?

[balthazar]

Well, Z; the question did mention Buick....

DD; hmmm.........

Answer tomorrow evening (late EST; working an hour away on a PITA job).

[Camino LS6]

Hmmm, locomotives?

[Robert Hall]

Toilets? Toilet paper? (thinking maybe it was something more of a domestic/household type product)...

[mlaker]

porcilin coated bathtub and water heater?

[balthazar]

ANSWER :: Buick was a partner in the firm Buick & Sherwood Manufacturing Co of Detroit, makers of 'sanitary specialties'. Of the numerous bathroom fixtures they designed, perhaps the most lasting innovation was his process for

spray on enamel?

for toilets, sinks & tubs. Rather unrelated to automobiles. Hudson, Olds & mlaker were on the right track here.

The Division of GM that also made decidedly non-automotive related products AND which calls to mind Buick's earlier career is the Flint Faience & Tile Company, started in 1921. FF&TC, a created & wholy-owned GM division, manufactured numerous fine, designed tiles for decorative display. How this came about was the efficiency of keeping AC Spark Plug's enameling kilns running 24-hours, as the cool-down & heat-up process not only took time & energy, such cycling greatly diminished the longevity of the kilns. GM was cranking out ever-increasing quantites of enameled spark plugs, and this offshoot was a way to maximize return. FF&TC lasted through an expansion/move of AC Spark Plug (the 2 Divisions were in physically adjacent plants to each other), until demand for plugs necessitated round the clock production, and FF&TC was shut down in 1931.

Edited November 19, 2011 by balthazar