Inventions of W. J. Baumbach

Plumbing inventions over half a century used around the World

Inventions of W. J. Baumbach who was issued both U.S. and Canadian patent's

He even received an award from the US Patents office for being awarded so many Patents. (I need to add picture of this)

Suds-N-Flood Tamer Backflow Control

Suds & Flood Control The Flood Tamer is a patented unique device to stop the nuisance and costly damage associated with the backflow of water, suds, and sewerage.

STILL BEING SOLD & USED TODAY!

https://www.sudsnfloodtamer.com

Pat. No. 3,047,013 (1962) and 4,098,287 (1978)

Back Water Valve

This gets installed outside in the yard underground in a pit on the main sewer pipe.

Tt's an electric motorized system that will detect the backflow of water coming from the county sewer system, and the gate valve will automatically close, thus preventing sewer water from backing up on to the house.

Note that this was only drawn up on paper, and a patents issued, but it was never manufactured or sold.

Automatic Sewage Valve Pat No. 4,242,640 (1981)

Fixture Flush Valve

That Control Jet Works In Oil To Prevent Foreign Matter From Clogging Hole.

Designed By W. J. Baumbach June 1959

The control jet works in oil to prevent foreign matter from clogging the hole.

When fixture is flushed by releasing water pressure in chamber #9. tripping valve #11. pressure of water from inlet #1 will force against diaphragm #5. forcing oil from bottom chamber #7. through check valve in steel plate #6. into top chamber #7. causing diaphragm #5. to flatten close to steel plate #6 allowing sufficient flow of water over the edge of seat at space #2. to flush fixture.

While fixture is being flushed part of the water goes through large bypass #5. applying pressure in chamber #9. pressing down on top of diaphragm #8. that in turn applies pressure on oil in chamber #7. forcing it back through small bypass back into chamber #7. that in turn forces diaphragm #5. down on the seat cutting of water to fixture.

The purpose of this design valve is to prevent any foreign matter that may be in the water such as rust, scale or salt from coming in contact with the small bypass hole that controls the opening and closing and speed of the flushing of the fixture. The size of the bypass #3 is 1/8" or approx. 30 times larger then the bypass hole that controls the flush of the fixture. #3 bypass can be made as large as desired as long as the water at valve#11 from tube #10 is released sufficiently fast to let the water escape from chamber #9 faster then the water can enter through #3 and allow diaphragm #8 to be forced up by the oil from bottom chamber #7 and will allow the fixture to flush

Lusterock and Shellmar Mfg.

A few pictures of the molds and products that Baumbach manufactured.

Here is a website talking about Lusterock with pictures of items by other people.


Lusterock franchise, and the Shelmar franchise my father started

Below is a post I made back in 2019

https://retrorenovation.com/2013/02/18/lusterock-kitchen-counter-tops-readers-share-stories-about-this-interesting-1960s-material/

William Baumbach says

August 7, 2019 at 11:02 am

My father WJ Baumbach was a large manufactured Lusterock located at 4147 Wilson Blvd. Arlington Virginia, it was manufactured in the back of his plumbing business, the plumbing showroom had lots of Lusterock sinks, counter tops, etc. 

So anyone in Northern Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland area who has or had Lusterock in their home or business, purchased it and had it installed by his plumbing company W. J. Baumbach, INC.

When I was a kid, I even help make a few sinks, counter tops, etc. I made some ashtrays, Clocks, Pen holders, butterflies and owls, etc. Sold a few at the James W Robinson, Jr. Secondary School store.

Lusterock was a franchise, my father invented a new way the manufactured Lusterock, that was faster, cleaner and gave it a much smoother shinier surface, and he started a new franchise named Shelmar Mfg Co. Involved using a special plastic only available from 3M, and a vacuum table, and a heat gun, there was no longer a need to use wax, or clean up a big mess.

As a kid, in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s I traveled (traveling salesman) with my father on the East Coast as he sold the new Shelmar franchise, I remember one trip to Amishville Pennsylvania, first time I saw horse and Buggies on a street, he sold the Shelmar franchise to a company there, and several other manufacturing businesses on the East Coast too. We also visited the businesses he purchased the colored stone from.

Above Linda talks about her stepfather making and selling Lusterock in Arlington Va. Her stepfather would have been employed by my father, I wonder if I met him, was his name Mike? To answer Linda’s question about why we stopped making it, in the early 1970’s my father sold the 3/4 of the city block he owned in Arlington Va, which included the plumbing and Lustrock / Shelmar manufacturing buildings, and moved the family and the plumbing business to Fairfax Station Va. and there was no place to manufacture the stuff there. For many years, several hundred pounds, if not a few tons of the colored rock, abalone shell, Texas pea gravel, etc. sat in bags in our backyard. Might of even still had a 55 gal metal drum of the resin too.

I am sure the resin was toxic, I remember mixing the resin with the catalyst, you could not put things that would melt in the sinks and countertops, because as the resin cured, it got very hot, if you did not get the mix of catalyst correct, and put too much, it got so hot, the resin would crack.

The only way to clean up the resin from your hands, countertops or floors was to use acetone, we had a lot of empty 1 gallon plastic acetone containers, I made a BIG mistake one time, as a kid, I wanted to make some Kool-Aid, and used one of the empty acetone containers to mix the water, sugar and Kool-Aid, I will just say this, that was a BAD IDEA!!!

I still have all of the paperwork and documents about the Lusterock franchise, and the Shelmar franchise my father started.

Self-venting trap

for under the sink that my father invented and had patented, he sold at lot of them to our US Military for use on their battle ships.

Edit, added more info

My father told me it was self-venting, but the Patents say Anti-Back Pressure Trap, same difference.

I also upload the picture of the real trap. Sometimes items are only Patents, but never created or manufactured other than on paper, I know because my father has one one paper only, a Back Water Valve Automatic Sewage Valve Pat No. 4,242,640 (1981) but more of that another day.

I had forgotten, my father not only held US Patents on his inventions, he also held Canada Patents too.

Self Venting Trap Anti-Back Pressure Trap Pat. No. 2,910,997 (1959)

Anti-Back Pressure Trap US Canada Patents 1959-11-03.pdf

Both the US and Canada Patents for my W. J. Baumbach Anti-Back Pressure Trap.

Message I posted to Facebook 09-16-2023

A self-venting trap for under the sink that my father invented and had patented, he sold at lot of them to our US Military for use on their battle ships.

Edit, added more info

My father told me it was self-venting, but the Patents say Anti-Back Pressure Trap, same difference.

I also upload the picture of the real trap. Sometimes items are only Patents, but never created or manufactured other than on paper, I know because my father has one one paper only, a Back Water Valve Automatic Sewage Valve Pat No. 4,242,640 (1981) but more of that another day.

I had forgotten, my father not only held US Patents on his inventions, he also held Canada Patents too.

The words "FLOOD CONTROL" Are Copyright of W. J. Baumbach

Reg. No. A-977,548 (1968)