OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Collectors Corner Collectables PLANE BRAND - Old Knapsack Duster

Not sure if this is in the right place?.
Some might find this old backpack duster interesting, I got it from the tip 2 bucks looks very old I may just give it to the museum in town..

great looking piece of kit it is . might be the right place for it in a museum too . love the geardrive setup .
good find chris

Hello Chris125 and vccomm

I think this is the right area: it's horticultural / garden related, and
you own it. I did a little bit of quick research ...

Mclean's 'Plane' Brand dusts were manufactured from 1931.
[The last ad below gave me that info]. Your Duster could date from
the 1930s, 1940s, up to the early 1950s.

I've seen a few ads in Australia-Italian newspapers down in the Riverina.
They were popular with tomato growers, etc...

I thought I might add this one.
I wonder how many of these dusts would be considered dangerous by
today's standards? [The advertisement is from 1944]

p.s. I think VW use(d) some of these mixes in their diesels

Ive really got to get to this tip of yours when I come up to visit Mate! You find the coolest stuff...

I really love the decals, they've got great detail...

Hello Chris

I was thinking ...

I think it is a noble thing that you would consider donating it to the local museum.
For all collectors, though, there is a danger in donations.

I have heard 'horror stories' of donations simply being dumped down the track.
Unfortunately, you have to give museums 'reasons why' information.

Why is this sprayer historically relevant?

I like it because:
- it's Australian made;
- it represents a time when the dangers of chemicals were not fully grasped;
- it represents a time when chemicals were the only answer;
- it represents the company, the 'Plane' brand logo and meaning
- it is a great conversation starter at dinner parties.

Thanks for sharing this collectible with us.
-------------------------------------------------------
JACK

G'day folks,
Nicotine and Lead Arsenate are the real nasties in those dusts, but I wouldn't be keen on breathing in any of them!

There wasn't much available in the way of respiratory protective gear in those days, either.

But until the advent of the synthetic insecticides post WWII, those chemicals were the only effective means of controlling insects on crops.

All of those which contain Arsenic would now be classed as Schedule 7 [purchase restricted] Poisons. The same class as Strychnine and the Cyanides...

The classification of mixtures containing Nicotine extracts is a bit more complicated; here's an excerpt from the Oz regulatory authority's website.

https://www.tga.gov.au/book-page/21-nicotine

Nicotine, and tobacco extracts/dusts, have a long history of use as insecticides - the first recorded use [for control of head lice] is from around 1681!

An interesting, albeit rather technical, article from the RACI journal about the Australian history of its use is at; http://chemaust.raci.org.au/article/october-2015/nicotine-insecticide-australia-short-history.html

Hi Gadge, I remember when we were on the farm in Mirboo North my father used to spray ragwort with an old probably ex army knapsack that used to leak, and I would see the back of his shirt completely soaked. The chemical he was using was from memory I think it was called val pentoxide which was obviously a pretty nasty product and he lived to 95. I think he was pretty lucky