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Studying, Preserving, and Sharing Knowledge of Tools18th Century Frame Saw from Luigi Nessi Collection Auction
Story begins on page 28
Opening a Window on the Trades of Yesterday, a fabulous shop completely dedicated to sharpening
Story begins on page 12
March 2013 No. 150
M-WTCA 45th Year
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The Gristmill IndexFeaturesCelebrating Our 45th Anniversary .............................................10
Opening a Window on The Trades of Yesterday… Part III ......12
Three Jacksons .............................................................................18
Auction of items from the Luigi Nessi Collection ......................28
Important Message - Looking for a Scrapbook Person ..........31
The Very Best of Everything; Hurricane Sandy Gently Passed By ...........................................32
A Walking Cane and Two Brothers with a lot of History ..........33
Irenus Atkins - Early Bristol Businessman .....................................35
A Bog Iron Instrument Maker’s Plane ........................................36
Your M-WTCA Directory - Don’t Leave Home Without It!........44
DepartmentsChaff ..............................................................................................4
Committee Reports......................................................................4
Area Meetings ..............................................................................7
You Can’t Hear it Coming if it Doesn’t Make a Sound ..........22
Lest We Forget ............................................................................24
Tool Family Trees .........................................................................35
Distinguished Service Award .....................................................37
Obituaries ....................................................................................38
Auxiliary .......................................................................................40
What’s It ......................................................................................46
Copyright 2013 by Mid-West Tool Collectors Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
www.mwtca.org
Editor & Advertising Manager: Bill Kolm11415 Spaulding St. Omaha, NE 68164
Contributing Editors: Bob Roger, James Goodson, John Wells
Graphic Design: Tracie Sis, Green Hat Creative Heads
The Gristmill is the official publication of the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association, Inc. Published quarterly in March, June, September and December.The purpose of the Association is to promote the preserva-tion, study and understanding of ancient tools, implements and devices of farm, home, industry and shop of the pioneers; also, to study the crafts in which these objects were used and the craftsmen who used them; and to share knowledge and understanding with others, especially where it may benefit restoration, museums and like institutions.
President George Wanamaker321 S. Lafayette, Macomb, IL 61455-2233 [email protected] cell (309) 255-2406
Vice-President of Elections Hollis Feeser 1606 28th Street N.W., Rochester, Minnesota 55901-7614 (507) 282-3175
Vice-President of Meeting Planning Larry Thorson 764 Stonebridge Avenue, Onalaska, WI 54650-8813 [email protected] (608) 779-0966
Vice-President of Membership John Walkowiak 3452 Humboldt Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55408-3332 [email protected] (612) 824-0785
Vice-President of Scholarship Mark Eastlick 14530 Mount Pleasant Road, Cambridge Spring, PA. 16403-9776 [email protected] (814) 734-7818
Treasurer Vaughn Simmons3315 Clement Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22801-4723 [email protected] (540) 432-0617
Secretary LeRoy Witzel105 Knights Blvd, Humboldt, IA. 50548-1879 515-890-0262, [email protected]
Elections ................................................. Hollis Feeser
Meeting Planning ....................................... Bob Fields
Membership ...................................... John Walkowiak
Scholarship ............................................Mark Eastlick
Gristmill Editor ............................................Bill Kolm
Special Publications .................................Peter Taran
By-Laws and Policy ........................ Vaughn Simmons
What’s It .......................................................... Jim Dills
Directory ............................................... Larry Thorson
Preservation & Education ........... Doug & Paula Cox
Marion Henley Award ...................................Mel Ring
Displays & Awards ............................ Dick Bradshaw
Family Assistance .......................................Don Riley
Internet ........................................................Russ Allen
Address Labels .................................... Kerry McCalla
Scrapbook ...............................Barb & Mike Slasinski
Where to Send WhatPlease note where to send what so it will reach the right person.
Send changes in your address, phone number or E-Mail to: KLM Computer Services, c/o Kerry McCalla, 104 Engle Ct., Franklin, TN 37069, phone (615) 791-6198, E-Mail [email protected]
Request The Gristmill copies from: Carl Gray, 17140 28 Mile Road, Ray, Michigan 48096-2905, phone (586) 781-9467, E-Mail: [email protected]
Pay membership dues for current year: Dues are $25 for USA, $40 for Canada & $60 for Foreign members. Send your check made out to M-WTCA to Vaughn Simmons, Treasurer, 3315 Clement Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22801-4723 phone (540) 432-0617 E-Mail [email protected]. Please write RENEW and your name and address on your check. Do not use a new member application to renew an existing membership.
Submit materials and advertising information to The Gristmill: Send to Bill Kolm 11415 Spauld-ing Street Omaha, NE 68164, phone (402) 572-1238, E-Mail [email protected]
Obtain scholarship information: Contact Mark Eastlick 14530 Mount Pleasant Road, Cambridge Spring, Penn. 16403-9776 phone (814) 734-7818
The Gristmill (ISSN 2166 8078) No. 150 March 2013
Area ARichard Rayburn, 2012Matthew Kujawa, 2013Allen Snyder, 2014
Area BDarrell Vogt, 2012Gary Kane, 2013Steve McNulty, 2014
Area CJim Crammond, 2012Zachary Dillinger, 2013Mike Stemple, 2014
Area DLee Kallstrom, 2012David Christen, 2013Ed Chabal, 2014
Area ERus Allen, 2012Gary Johnson, 2012Ron Knorr, 2013Don Snyder, 2014
Area FRandy Brown, 2012Bill Marlowe, 2012Mark Johnson, 2014
Area GWayne Michael, 2012Ray Myers, 2013Roy Ebersole, 2014
Area HPeter Habicht, 2013
Area IJames C Goodson, 2013Emory Goad, 2014
Area JJim Dills, 2012
Area KGary Coleman, 2013
Area LSteve Gosselin, 2014
Area MRonnie Glover, 2012Richard Bradshaw, 2013
Area NRandy Knudsen, 2012William Morgan, 2014
Area OBob Weaver, 2012Bill Racine, 2013
Area P Richard Weymer II, 2012Jason Miller, 2013James Leamy, 2014
Area QRob Zaccardi, 2012Tom Konsler, 2013Bruce Bogust, 2014
Area RFrank Flynn, 2013
Area SNeil Bohnert, 2013Wordell Davis, 2014
Directors Committee Chairman
The Gristmill (ISSN 2166 8078) is printed by Elman Print, 6210 South 118th Street, Omaha, NE 68137 phone 402.346.0888
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Coming Up
M-WTCA National Meetings
Spring 2013 June 12-15, 2013 Michigan City, IN. Larry Thorson 608-779-0966, [email protected]
Fall 2013 Sept. 25-28, 2013 Springfield, MO. Larry Thorson 608-779-0966, [email protected]
Spring 2014 June 11-14, 2014 Columbus, OH. Larry Thorson 608-779-0966, [email protected]
Fall 2014 Oct 1-4, 2014 Rockford, IL. Larry Thorson 608-779-0966, [email protected]
2013 M-WTCA Area Meetings
Area F March 9/10, McCormick’s Creek State Park, Spencer, IN Matt Borders (812) 824-9318, [email protected]
Area E March 24, Loves Park, IL Gary Johnson (815) 636-1464
Area D April 7, Omaha, NE Lee Kallstrom (402) 981-0500, [email protected]
Area C July 13, Kalamazoo, MI. Jim Crammond, (734-241-0549), [email protected]
Area S April 20, Topping, VA Wordell Davis (804) 758-3196, [email protected]
Area E Apr. 21, Macomb, IL George Wanamaker (309) 836-6872, [email protected]
Area Q May 4, Waxhaw, NC Bruce Bogust, [email protected]
Area D May 5, Humboldt, IA LeRoy Witzel (515) 890-0262, [email protected]
Area A May 19, Hastings, MN Allen Snyder, (651) 485-4321, [email protected]
Area P June 29, Adamstown, PA Don Stark (717-367-5207), [email protected]
Area D July 28, Mt. Pleasant, IA Ed Chabal (319) 385-4710, [email protected]
Area E August 4, Garfield Farm Museum, LaFox, IL George Cella (630) 377-3646, [email protected]
Area P August 25, Adamstown, PA Don Stark (717-367-5207), [email protected]
Area Q September 21, Raleigh, NC Ed Hobbs (919) 828-2754, [email protected]
Area D Oct. 13, Omaha, NE Lee Kallstrom (402) 981-0500, [email protected]
Area S Oct. 26, Broadway, VA Vaughn Simmons, (540) 432-0617, [email protected]
Area E Nov. 3, Carlinville, IL Bob Terry (618)377-3421, [email protected]
2014 M-WTCA Area Meetings
Area D May 4, Humboldt, IA LeRoy Witzel (515) 890-0262, [email protected]
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As I write this article it is January 1, 2013. So HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you and may you have the best tool collecting, tool selling, and friendships ever this year.
This year is our 45th year as an orga-nization. I think it would be good to review where we have come from. The Mid West Tool Collectors As-sociation had their first meeting
at Dundee, Illinois, in May of 1968. I do not know how many attended, but the organization got off to a start with 29 charter members, three of which are still living and ac-tive members in M-WTCA. The three Charter members still with us are Bill Holden, Algonquin, Illinois; Robert F. Potter of Mineral Point, Wisconsin; and Robert Siegel of Mequon, Wisconsin. As our 44th year ended, M-WTCA had over 3520 members, and I look for that number to continue to grow.
M-WTCA has had 88 meetings all over the Eastern half of the United States. This June will be meeting number 89 at Michigan City, Indiana. It will be the start of our 45th year.
We have had 18 Presidents, counting myself. Presidents still living and active in the organization are William Hold-en, the first President; Kenneth Runkle of Lafayette, Indi-ana; Ray Nissen of Foxfire Village, North Carolina; James
Price of Naylor, Missouri; David Heckel of Charleston, Illinois; Mel Ring of Huntington, Indiana; John Wells of Berkeley, California; Ed Hobbs of Raleigh, North Carolina; and George Wanamaker of Macomb, Illinois.
There have been many other members who have served in the offices of Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Director. There have been members who have hosted both National and Local meetings. Finally, there have been countless others who have helped M-WTCA in ways too numerous to even mention.
All of the above were and are very important, but the list of the most important members would also include every member listed in the 2012 Directory and every other Direc-tory M-WTCA has published. Without you the members, the rest of us would be irrelevant. We would have no job. We would have no Mid-West Tool Collectors Association.
Thank you all who have made M-WTCA the best tool col-lecting organization ever. Now, let us kick off the next 45 years at Michigan City, Indiana, and have as much fun as the last 45 years have been.
I repeat, may this be the best year of tool collecting, tool selling and friendships you have ever had as a Mid-West member. Be sure to attend our 45th Anniversary Party in Michigan City, Indiana, June 12-15, 2013. You will not be disappointed!
Mid-West Tool Collectors Association provides a great op-portunity for members to share with their fellow tool col-lectors, the treasures that are included in their collections as well as an insight into their collecting interests. That op-portunity is the displays which are an integral part of each National Meeting and most Regional Meetings. Providing a display also lets members be an active part of the meeting.
A lot of collections are locked away in tool rooms to be viewed and enjoyed only by their owners and maybe a few of their closest tool collecting friends. The tools seldom travel far from their owners homes. Since I have been Chairman of the Awards Committee, I have noticed that many of the people who exhibit their tools at National Meetings are often repeat exhibitors. New exhibitors are
the exception rather that the rule. The average attendance at the National Meetings is about 300. The average num-ber of displays at National Meetings is about 24, or less than 10% of the attendees. The most displays that I can remember was 40 at the Lexington, KY. Meeting.
I see members at the meetings, some of whom I see regu-larly and wonder what they collect. Unless I know them well or have seen tools from their collections, I have no idea what they collect. I may even share their collecting interest and not know it. I am sure that you have also had the same experience.
The importance of displays is recognized in the agenda for each National Meeting, where time is specifically sched-
ChaffFrom The President, George Wanamaker
Have You Displayed Your Tools Lately?by Dick Bradshaw
Committee Reports
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Three hundred and fifty five (355) M-WTCA members at-tended the Fall Semi-Annual Meeting in Davenport, IA. The majority of our membership did not. For those not in attendance we missed you. M-WTCA plans and schedules two membership wide meetings each year. The location for these meetings changes in hopes that you will take advantage and attend a meeting being hosted in an area near you. Thanks to the many who volunteer their time and resources. We try to fill the Semi-Annual Meetings with programs of interest to the membership. Tours are added for an opportunity to visit local areas of interest. And as one might expect, lots of tool trading starting with room to room trading within the host hotel on Wednesday, followed by the tailgate session on Thursday and trading within the trade and display room on Friday and Saturday and a tool auction Friday evening. The displays keep get-ting better and better and the What’s It Session is always a Saturday highlight.
Attendance at Semi-Annual Meetings has been running be-tween 300-400. This number includes the spouses of mem-bers so the actual number of members attending is in the range of 200-300. With a membership exceeding 3500 why do not more members attend these meetings? For those of us that attend Semi-Annual Meetings on a regular basis, we are at a lost as to why less than 10% of the members choose to attend. I attended my first Semi-Annual Meeting in Stevens Point in 1995. I felt like a blind dog in a butcher shop, tools, tools everywhere. Tools I had never seen be-fore were laid out on the ground, tables, backs of pickup trucks and the trunks of cars. Since then I have missed only two meetings.
As Vice President of Meeting Planning, I am searching for venues located throughout the Midwest and Eastern states for locations that meet our space needs and our budget. I am currently working on selecting meeting sites through 2016. Our basic requirements include a hotel with a mini-mum of 200 rooms and 10,000 sq ft of trade room/display space in one room. Downtown locations without an open parking lot generally will not be acceptable due to the lack of space for the tailgate session. If you know of a venue that meets the above requirements l would really appreci-ate it if you would contact me with the name of the facility and I will take it from there. I should point out that suitable terms and rates are key determining factors in selecting a meeting site. Once acceptable terms have been negotiated, the selection of meeting sites is presented to the Board of Directors for their consideration and direction.
I am also searching for ways to improve our meetings with the hopes that it will peak your interest enough so you will attend. I am aware of the many demands on your time and money that can be a factor in your ability to attend a meet-ing. I know too that we are all getting older and traveling any distance can be a factor. Nevertheless I would really appreciate if you would contact me at [email protected] or write to me at 764 Stonebridge Ave, Onalaska, WI. 54650 and let me know what it would take to get you to a Semi-Annual Meeting. Any feedback you are willing to provide is appreciated. We missed you at our Fall Meeting in Davenport. Our next meeting will be in Michigan City, IN. June 12-15, 2013. Our hostess Carolyn List and I hope to see you there.
Semi-Annual Meetings “We Missed You in Davenport”by Larry Thorson
Committee Reports
uled and dedicated for the reviewing of displays by the meeting attendees. A display can consist of a table full of tools or one tool. It can be as simple or as involved as you would like to make it. It is up to you. The requirements for displays are included in Section 11, “Displays and Awards” of the “Policies, Procedures and Practices”, often referred to as the three P’s. They are contained in the back of the Membership Directory which all members receive once each year. The rules for the displays are simple but impor-tant, so it is probably not as difficult to provide a display as you might have thought. Displays provide the opportunity to show off some of your tools and to do a little bragging at the same time, and you might even win an award. There
are 16 possible awards at each of the National Meetings and often cash awards at the Regional Meetings.
Meeting attendees, crowd the display area and show a lot of interest by looking, asking questions and taking pho-tographs. You will get much satisfaction and enjoyment hearing the compliments from the viewers. Just ask those who frequently exhibit their tools. Do not just attend the meeting but participate by providing a display.
If you have any questions, call or email me. I am in the Di-rectory and will be glad to answer your questions. Hope to see you and your display at the next meeting.
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M-WTCA ended the 2012 membership year (October 1) with 3,538 members, up 84 from 2011. Although 407, about 12%, of our 2011 members did not renew, we gained 491 new members, increasing our net membership by over 2%. The loss is normal from year to year, so our key to growth is to continue to bring in new members.
In 2012, over half of our new members joined through our website with the rest using the traditional paper member-ship application. Half of the new members listed a “rec-ommended by” name or meeting occasion. One quarter of that group joined at an area meeting and the other 190 fol-lowed the recommendation of a Mid-West member. Those 119 member names are listed below with Joel Moskowitz and Chris Schwarz leading the pack.
Thanks to everyone who takes the time to make the rec-ommendation and hand out an application or suggest the website. Applications are included with each Gristmill and are available from John Walkowiak. Note that if you have been distributing applications and do not see your name on the list, please do not get discouraged. After receiving an application that you have put your name on, many new members are now joining on the website and may just for-get to include your name.
Russ Allen and his Internet Committee have made the website user friendly. Starting this membership year, re-newals and contributions can be made via the website. Keep those cards and letters coming.
Our Membership is Growingby Vaughn Simmons, Treasurer
Committee Reports
Russ AllenDon AltersBill AndersonMarvin BalesCarl BilderbackClarence BlanchardCraig BoylanKeith BradfieldRandy BrownJerry BucklesSteven BunnPat BurnsRon BusenRonald CampbellMike CantlonGeorge CellaEd ChabalEric ChristensenJim ConoverBill CoxDoug CoxJim CrammondRichard CregerJim DavisChris DockeryMartin DonnellyDon EvansBob FieldsEd FistekFred FoxAllene GildeaEmory GoadHarold HardyDennis HarrandLarry Head
Bill HenryJerry & Elaine HeuringEd HobbsAtlee HochstetlerDoug HolderRon HowardGary JohnsonJim KeatsKen KlineRon KnorrPeter KoenigBill KolmArt KushianEarl LathamPathick LeachEd LebetkinFred LeuRalph LuckBobby & Ellen MartinBill MayKerry McCallaAlex McNIshJohn MetcalfPaul MikulaDan MillerDave MilllerJim MoffetRandy MooreJoel MoskowitzClark MountainJim MumaNat NorwoodTom O’DellRobert OehmanEdgar O’Quin
Dan OttoGail ParksAlan Pettydave PowlesBurke PrevratilBill RacineArthur RedingerBill RobertsDon RosebrookKonrad SauerRonald SchooleyChris SchwarzMike SiemsonVaughn SimmonsJohn SindelarIrwin SitkinDonald SnyderAllen SnyderScott StagerDon StarkMike StempleTom SweeneyGayhart SwensonBen TalbottBill TangmanJoe ThomeWayne ThompsonWilliam ThorntonLarry ThorsonRoy UnderhillArt UrbanPaul VanHornDan VernonDarrell VogtGeorge Wanamaker
Dale WatsonSteve WatsonDon WebberWarren WeberDaryl WeirEric WittSusan WitzelLeRoy WitzelHoward WolfSteve WoodFoster WoodwardMark WyattKen Young
Meetings & OrganizationsAllen’s Antique toolsArea A MeetingArea Q MeetingAsheville MeetingBaraboo MeetingBroadway MeetingBusen RestorationCannon Falls MeetingIndiana State FairMillard MeetingMN Woodworkers GuildMt. Dora MeetPeach MeetPopular WoodworkingSt. Francis MeetingSWTCAThe Anarchist’s Tool ChestWoodnet
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As the morning haze began to lift, cars and pickup trucks began to arrive at almost the same time. It was as if they had a strange force pulling them to this same location on No-vember 4, 2012. What strange force? The 32nd Annual George F. Alton Swap-O-Rama in Carlinville, IL. I like to think George would be pleased the with present results of his efforts of years gone by. We are always thankful when the weather is clear as it was again this year. There were several out of Area-E members present.
Glad you could make it fellas. Co-Host Jim Ball-inger and I were well pleased once again with the good turn out. There were five great display tables (free tables). I would like to expand on the display theme next year and possibly have a presentation by the displayer if he is inclined to do so. Once again Robert Green was at the microphone calling
the tool auction. Many thanks Robert. Make plans now and mark your calendar to attend this years Nov.3, 2013 Meet in Carlinville, IL.
Hope to see you there.
Our October meeting brought out more presentations and interesting tools than I have seen in a long time. We met the day following a large tool auction in Omaha. This event brought a number of tool collectors from around the country to our Meet. It was a pleasure to welcome all who stopped by. Hope you will come again.
Marv Bales and Larry Uehling led our What’s-It Session. With their expertise and enthusiasm, they led a most interesting interactive discussion and were pretty con-sistent in the number of items they correctly identified. Thanks guys.
We had perhaps the best turnout as far as presentations that I can remember.
Larry Uehling brought a very cool and rare Walker plane. He said the plane was an Ed-win Walker Adjustable Face Plane. It was a Type 3 and was the last of the types of this plane. Walker only made one style plane and it was this one. There were a total of three different types. The different types mostly had to do with the blade adjuster and where it was located on or near the handle.
The plane was similar to a Stanley #45 or other similar functioning planes. The exception was the fact that the face of the plane was adjustable by loosening the three wing nuts and approximating the shape of the cutter by moving the eight plates that made up the body of the plane.
Edwin Walker is remembered mostly for his ice cream scoops and his wine cork pullers.
I had to take this picture early in the Meet because Larry sold the plane almost immediately and before his presentation.
Area E Carlinville, IL.by Bob Terry
Area D - Fall Meeting Omaha, NE.by Lee Kallstrom
Area Meetings
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Our friend from Hudson, Iowa, Cecil Holmes brought one of his many displays. This time it was a well organized Sar-gent Hand Plane Display. One wonders how he can keep track of the numerous items in the many displays he has put together. They are always a pleasure to see. Keep up the great work Cecil.
Jim Allen, another Iowan and frequent contributor to our knowledge of hand saws, brought a most extensive col-lection of Disston non-saw tools. Jim is becoming the go-to guy for questions about the oddities found in saws up to a hundred and fifty years old. His in-depth study and knowledge about saws continues to uncover the more in-teresting things you never thought to ask. And he has fun with his displays.
Ray Schmidt is also becoming one of those guys with a dif-ferent display of tools at each Meet. This time he presented a fine collection of Stanley wood bottom planes. Ray has been adding to a number of Stanley collections and his presenta-tions are becoming masterful.
Wayne Oestreich has added to his already extensive automatic screwdriver collection. His second board is nearly full and he does not show any signs of slowing down.
Along with doing an exceptional job as Editor of The Grist-mill, Bill Kolm continues to grow his Handyman Displays. The pieces he is missing are the really rare and hard to find items. Here Bill displays both a wall cabinet and storage peg-board full of tools.
To see the item brought by Henry Lakke, you will need to go to page 53 in the December issue of The Gristmill. The article is on a “Demo Charge Computing Tape”. Even though it may not have worked the way it was supposed
to, it is a very cool tool.
I want to express my thanks to the entire ladies Aux-iliary for continu-ing to support our Meets as well as prepar-
ing sweet treats and great snacks. Thanks again to Sally and Fred Leu and Rose and Al Fetty for hosting a great lunch. Our meeting dates for 2013 are April 7th and October 13th, same time, same place. Hope to see you there. Bring a friend. Make a presentation and have more fun.
Area Meetings
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The Midwest Tool Collectors have had a booth at the In-diana State Fair for many years. Mo Arnold, a long time member, now deceased was the driving force for the booths beginnings and success at the Indiana State Fair most of those years. The members of the Midwest Tool Collectors generally staff the booth, but membership is not required.
Our theme this year was furniture-making tools. About 50 percent of the tools displayed in the booth belong to Pur-due Agriculture Alumni Association. The rest were on loan from Bill Tangman, Gil Lynch, and a few from Lee Guyer.
The booth had something for kids and adults. We had one tool grouping that had a tool that did not have any com-mon use with the other ones. Guests to the booth could try to determine what tool did not belong in that grouping. Children could make a dowel by driving it through a dye, use a backsaw, plane or try boring a hole. We had a couple of puzzles for the ladies to work while the men looked at the tools. As always we had the only hammer we know of that is impossible to hit your finger with if used properly, (ask Bill Tangman about that).
Many thanks to the guys who volunteered this year: Les Brandt, Larry Burkhart, Bob Drew, Jim Dupler ,Gil Lynch, Gary Maze, Russ Miller, Art Redinger, and Bill Tangman. A special thanks to Ron Moore, a nonmember, (we are trying to change that); Tim Nannet Show Manager and Curator for the Indiana State Fair who’s support was and is con-stant and enthusiastic.
We are looking for more volunteers. Members who work the booth generally work a six-hour shift. We try to have two people in the booth during busy times, so you could volunteer with a buddy. If you have a friend who is not a member of M-WTCA who would enjoy working the booth, they would be welcomed. In addition to talking “tool talk” and meeting some nice people, members sometimes get leads on tools for sale. You can volunteer for a day or sev-eral days. Bring a buddy, let him catch tool collecting fever. You just might have someone walk into the booth with that tool for sale you have been trying to find FOREVER. If you like people and like to “talk tools” contact Bill Tangman at 317-247-7970 (email at [email protected]) or Lee Guyer at 317-502-2850 (email at [email protected]) to get more details about volunteering. Hey guys, it is fun!
Indiana State Fair Boothby Lee Guyer
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Our Spring meeting will mark our 45th year as an Organization. The Spring 2013 meeting will be held June 12-15 at the Blue Chip Casino-Hotel and Convention Center in Michigan City, Indiana.
Michigan City is located in La Porte County on Lake Mich-igan off I-94, 60 miles east of Chicago. The Blue Chip has two Hotels. The group rate for the Blue Chip Tower is $105 while the newer Spa Blue Tower rate is $140/night. Both Hotels are connected to the Casino area as well as the Convention Center. The rates are good for three days prior and three days following the meeting. Located on the southern tip of Lake Michigan, the area has a history associated with the railroads, lumber industry and mill-work. In recognition of its history, the meeting theme for the men is window and door making tools.
The facility has a large meeting room to accommodate our tool trading and displays. At the Fall meeting in Dav-enport, Iowa, we had a great turnout for the tailgate ses-sion. So much that we ran out of space for everyone who wanted to set up. Space will not be an issue for the Spring meeting, as the Casino-Hotel has a huge parking lot avail-able for us right next to the Convention Center.
In recognition of the sand dunes nearby, the Auxiliary theme for the meeting is “Sands of Time” and the book review for this meeting is The School of Essential Ingre-dients by Erica Bauermeister. The Auxiliary will have the traditional “Meet and Greet Gathering” on Thursday eve-ning for both new and returning ladies. A special presen-tation is planned for Friday evening and on Saturday, the Auxiliary will meet together for breakfast and a program.
Attractions in the area include:
Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets consisting of 120 outlet stores located ½ mile from the hotel.
A tour is planned for the La-Porte County Historical So-ciety Museum which houses the third largest antique fire-arms collection in the world. It is one of 23 G.E.M.’s in Indi-ana named by AAA as a place to visit. The museum con-
tains a wide array of exhibits including a general store, vic-torian furniture, antique dolls and toys, victrolas, antique pianos and an antique car collection. We are also planning a second tour to the John H. Barker Mansion which is on the National Register of Historic places. Mr. Barker was one of the founding fathers of the rail car industry. At one time, Michigan City housed the largest non-government railcar manufacturing plant in the world.
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Park and Mount Baldy is located about two miles west of Michigan City on US Hwy. 12. This 123 foot sand dune is within the boundaries of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Park.
Hesston Steam Museum located east of Michigan City in-cludes steam locomotives as well as other steam powered machinery including a steam-powered saw mill, a railroad steam crane, steam powered electric power plant, steam traction engines and more. Ted Rita from the museum will be making a presentation at the men’s program on Satur-day afternoon.
Celebrating Our 45th Anniversary, Michigan City Indiana - Spring 2013 Meetingby Larry Thorson - Host, Carolyn List - Hostess
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Lubeznik Center for the Arts, located steps from the lakefront, features world class art exhibitions, perfor-mances, after hours events, and is home to an outdoor art collection.
For more information on our Host Hotel go to: www.bluechipcasino.com. For information on Michigan City and La Porte area go to: www.michigancitylaporte.com.
Registration materials will be mailed the third week in April. Carolyn and I look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones in Michigan City. We have arranged great programs for you and know you will have a great time. Come help celebrate our 45th Anniversary and pack your dancing shoes. You will be glad that you came Satur-day night.
If you have a pair of Koeth’s pliers (see Figure 1), please look at the handle joint (Figure 2) for the marking. The one illustrated here is Coudersport, PA. If your mark includes
FARMINGTON MO, please notify our Koeth’s Historian, Charles Garrett ([email protected] or 2660 Delaware Dr., Florissant, Mo. 63033-2506.). Thanks for helping.
Help Needed!by Bob Roger
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My interest in the mystique of early workshops was a rather spontaneous event. Its origins occurring during a stay in east Texas where an inspection of a run down old workshop had been offered up by chance. The follow-ing early afternoon found myself and other family mem-bers on location pondering entry through an access long abandoned. Dark and saturated with thick musky air, the interior of the old shop building displayed an expected measure of disarray commensurate with its abandonment and neglect over many years. Rows of worn wood cabi-nets with rough wooden drawers partially opened spilled out an endless quantity of small parts in jumbled piles silently awaiting selection. It was the late 1960s and my Father had purchased the small East Texas building and its contents for renovation and future leasing potential. Most of the contents present at this time were relevant to a small engine repair business which had been established in the structure for an undisclosed number of years. But… within the confines of the dark corners and the myriad of cabinetry, could still be found evidence of the black-smith trade which was the original trade purposed of the structure. Most prominently noticeable were the overhead shafts and wooden drive wheels used for powering the heavy equipment. If you followed the shaft and its work-ings it would lead you to a small enclosed room where the power ‘take off’ belt angled its way to the ground floor level and was attached to the forward end of a cut in half model ‘A’ Ford automobile. From the dashboard forward, was all that remained or that was necessary. The engine provided the power to the line shaft and a series of equip-ment which had long ago been repurposed elsewhere. To my recollection, only the blacksmiths post drill and quite a large assortment of blacksmith tongs remained from its blacksmith era. I was in a new territory, for me being rath-er young at the time, and an indelible impression began working its magic. The clutter, the smells, the clatter and whirring of the belts and pulley systems, the clanging of the anvil and hammer and the searing heat of a glowing forge that would have brought this scene to life, gave rise within my imagination. How imposing the experience to stand amidst when all came to life?
The very early 20th Century workshops come to life today in the early photographs used on postcards which were originally sent to update friends and family. These views establish visual concepts of many of the trades as they were carried out both in the large and small workshops. The extensive equipment driven by thundering line shaft technology and the expressions worn on the operators, convey a feeling of stark reality few of us have similarly experienced.
From small to great in size, the workshop was the found-
ing source of most every product developed. The ingenu-ity behind its implementation drove as well, its constant redevelopment for keeping pace with the rapidly changing demands of the 20th Century.
This article will explore various workshops, some in forms other that those immediately brought to mind. From indi-vidual to collaborative efforts, the ‘workshop’ is the sup-port mechanism and foundation for production. I enjoy an occasional nostalgic ‘walk’ within these types of images and letting myself absorb the specific atmosphere each projects from its historic past.
Shown here is a machine shop (Nyack Garage inc., N.Y.) ca. 1915 which floors some rather heavy duty equipment for that type of business. There likely was a necessity for machining of parts etc. from local industries to qualify the supporting of a ‘garage’ having this type of equipment at that time.
The ‘fit & feel’ of a shop such as this cannot be translated into the workspace of today. It was a foreign world whose functionality included a dimension of self preservation. Accidents were common and this type of equipment un-forgiving. (none the less, I would love to have that drill press in my own shop.).
Opening a Window on The Trades of Yesterday… Part IIIby James Goodson
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Here is shown a fabulous shop completely dedicated to sharpening. Several types of sharpening systems may be seen both wet and dry. The grinding stones on two of these systems are huge and there are multiple copies of each. Down the center of the aisle between the ‘Schleif-erei’ is a cart on a track for supply and removal purposes. There is a second aisle beyond which appears to operate a different type of equipment as the angle of the supply belts is different. Large standing wooden ‘trough’ looking devices deflect the abrasive particles and moisture during the sharpening process.
Some extremely heavy equipment shops are the rail car shops which construct locomotive engines. The very size and weight of these units necessitates a facility that would dwarf most shops we are familiar with.
A row of locomotive engines is shown in various stages of completion as boilers and smokestacks are added. This photo is of the C.S.W. Machine Shop, Oelwein Iowa ca. 1910. Some variance in the details of the engines would indicate that each issue has some customization to it or in fact, may be an all together different model. Judging from the brick and glass walls comprising the perimeter of this shop, I am not sure just how they intend to remove these cars once they are completed.
The paint shop of the Brooks locomotive works in Dunkirk N.Y. ca. 1906.
No mystery here, either light finish work is completed here or some disassembly takes place to expose the chas-sis for its paint scheme. I have to wonder what they feed that crane every morning to hoist something the size of a locomotive.
No one on the floor for this shot, though there is an opera-tor in the overhead crane compartment. I would love to see if these cars were painted by hand (brush) or if some sort of spray equipment was available back then.
The next two views relate to the forming and finishing of very large circular saw blades used in the timber trades. They are both French cards. The first illustrates a large piece of equipment used to stamp the teeth out of a circu-lar steel blank. A huge flywheel sits low behind the mas-sive gear wheel attached to the crank where an eccen-tric is used to drive the punch up and down on demand. Marks along the edge of the blade indicate that indexing is at least partially a manual proposition. M-W
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14 The Gristmill
One of the final steps in completion of a saw blade back then (ca. 1908) would be to check the surfaces for ‘flat-ness’ minimizing wobble while in operation. Here you can see several workmen very carefully checking the surfaces for flatness with a paddle like gauge. Different sizes of cir-cular blades may be seen around the room and at least one long timber cutting two man saw. There are four young observers in the rear doorway (apprentices?). The quality of a saw blade was highly significant to the productivity of a lumber mill.
Not all shops were elaborate and well furnished with equipment of course. Some of the most interesting to me are those that are basic and furnished with only that which was needed. Many of the fixtures to be found in these are made of necessity by the workman himself. Such is the case with this primitive shingle making operation found in the ‘Schwartzwald’ or Black Forest region of Ger-many. This card is dated 1908 and depicts a sparse shop containing a primitive table saw, a long crosscut saw, an axe and on the wall under the window… a large square. There are two wedges on the surface of the table saw. (Is it my imagination or are these two dead ringers for the Lion and the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz??).
This Japanese sharpener is a Master of his trade. Many dif-ferent types of saws may be seen in and around his work platform which is a simple supporting jig. Nothing fancy required for this extremely exacting trade. Hand setting each tooth and filing each sharp is done by a discerning eye and a familiar touch. An entire shop full of jigs would not be an improvement here as years of exacting tradition and training have taught him what the machines will never know. Truly an artist at work.
Sometimes your workshop is outside. Three young turn-ers turning pipe bowls on belt driven lathes are dressed alike in an apron and a red bandana. In the foreground sits another worker inspecting what appears to be small blocks of wood or perhaps small burls which may be seen spilling from one of the gunny sacks. The young girl by the sacks seems to be selecting pieces to pass along to this fellow for inspection. Qualifying pieces will be used for turning the pipe bowls.
The outside workshop also included the itinerant worker whose ‘workshop’ traveled with him to a job. His expe-rience would be demonstrated using whatever tools he could carry and on whatever site was available to him. Confidence and intuition must have been his calling cards.
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Work did not come knocking but had to be ferreted out so when a job opportunity did arise, one of the greater sell-ing points must have been that necessary repairs or the creation of a product would commence at once. To represent quality or excelling workmanship a stamp, house mark, trade-mark or other identifying mark would be left. This was the early equivalent of the business card and would be sought after for quality work.
Those involved in the ‘small trades’ often created their wares somewhere be-sides an actual workshop. Their skills were applied and the selling thereof depended on a sales ap-proach and the attractive-ness of design and pre-sentation. Here the seller uses an ornamentally turned spindled presen-tation piece for ultimate effect in selling carved wooden spoons. Enhance-ment for even the most mundane of objects was perceived as a critical part of common merchandis-ing. It also conveys a sense of pride in workmanship and sense of quality.
‘Heimatkunst im Schwar-zwald Uhrenschild-Maler’
A painter of clock faces in the Black Forest region of Western Germany is seen here with his tubes of paints and an assortment of porcelain clock faces. Each will be hand painted with different decorative scenes of flowers, plants, birds and numerals etc. A glance up to read the time
will reward the viewer with a bright and pleasant palate of color and decorative design work. Here the workshop is likely similar to that of the artist today… somewhat jumbled and responsive to the application of wet paints or open time involved with the handling of permanent col-ors. These simple yet demanding applications of color and design are still highly regarded today and appreciated for their decorative potential.
Here, the jumbled workspace of an actual ‘Schwartzwald’ (Black Forest) clockmaker. Great card full of detail con-cerning the tools used to carry out this trade. A large work-bench is used to support a small wooden belt powered turning lathe. Above is suspended a rack housing turning
tools, measuring gauges of all kinds, an Archimedes drill, jewelers hand vice, a heavy metal cutting hack saw and etc. Across from the lathe is a spool of fine wire and a wire drawing device of some kind. Small clock weights may also be found and an assortment of gorgeous porcelain clock faces of various shapes, painted and ready for ap-plication. The maker himself sits busy at the framework carcass of what is or will be a rather large clock. In place may be seen at least seven wooden gears on spindles. I now can see in the back, a larger more substantial wooden floor lathe which appears to have an indexing mechanism. This would be for accurately cutting the teeth on gear wheels such as the interior gears and gear clusters shown within the clock framework here.
Another extremely ‘busy’ workshop is that of Johann Re-iter, a well known instrument maker in Mittenwald Swit-zerland. This fabulous view shows a wealth of stringed instruments in various stages of construction. Lutes, vio-lins, violas and everything imaginable in between may be seen awaiting completion in a never ending cyclic rotation of instrument creation. The master himself sits mid photo
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16 The Gristmill
with caliper in hand taking measurements of the thickness of a newly shaped wooden piece which will become the back of an instrument in progress.
Inside or outside, sometimes the workshop must happen where the need is greatest such as this photo of carpen-ters repairing damage from the great San Francisco earth-quake April 18th 1906. Plank by plank, stone by stone, San Francisco would rise from its massive debris field to live and breathe again even in the shadow of not knowing if and when it would all happen again. Each shaving lying on the ground here was a stroke of confidence in the fu-ture of the devastated city.
An unusual and interesting work space is this highly ad-justable platform for constructing ‘lighter than air’ ships such as dirigibles or blimps whose frame structures were immense. Considering the massive amounts of gasses they must contain to operate, the rigid framework of these ships must be carefully and soundly assembled. Access for this necessity lends itself to highly stable and read-ily adjustable platforms and scaffolding. Here again, the workspace must be flexible enough to fulfill the applica-tion at hand.
Another unusual workspace is again a platform base though its layout is much different than most. Here may be seen a number of glass workers in various stages of working molten glass. The middle figure is firing a mass of molten glass in a furnace until it becomes the desired color, telling him that a particular temperature or consis-tency has been reached. The molten glass is then swung within the trenches into the desired shape (cylinders as noted here). Gravity appears to be a welcome tool at this stage. This particular process appears not to require a glass blower as do most hollow pieces produced.
The furnace in this photo forms a backdrop for the staging of an advertising card regaling the achievement of man-ufacturing the largest chain in the world. This card was posted in 1907 and displays a number of the tools required to handle such a process. I note here the use of a ‘hawsing’ iron for dealing with tangled chain links. Most references found today consider this tool a form of caulking iron. Held by the second figure from the right, it is ready for striking by a heavy sledge.
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A series of three postcards (two shown here) depict the building progress of a wooden ship labeled (on back) ‘Jar-row Tyneside’ in Northumberland. The first card shows the tremendous bow rising above the scaffolding having just been planked. Some of the massive supporting tim-bers may be seen at the forward edge of the bow, as well as bracing to secure the project while construction takes place. Several levels of scaffolding are required to access the progressive planking sequence. A lone workman may be seen tending to some details near mid way up.
The second image in the series shows the hull framing timbers in a visually stunning display of geometric curves. The forming of the hull begins to take place here and the ship’s profile begins to change from drawing board figures to visual reality.
The workspace here was created not for constructing but for maintaining. A simple platform deck is used to main-tain and store ocean buoys showing wear and damage from storms and daily use in a salt water environment. An uncommon trade for sure, it is among many trades that I find interesting once given the opportunity to visualize just how they took place long ago. Each is a microcosm of the workplace environment and each reveals some of the particular details involved.
Postcards depicting the trades at work are my favorite to procure. Perhaps it is the nature of the workshop or work-place that I am attracted to as all good things produced are created with the facilities at hand. Some of the simplest of workshops have produced some of the greatest products simply because the skill involved could overcome the lack
of available mechanical aids. The awesome rise of technol-ogy in the late 19th and early 20th C. is also a favorite of mine as the machinery and methodology developed by then conveys with it, an awe-some sense of power and focus. The job gets done, the system changes with the de-mands of each new decade and the progression carries on much as it has throughout all of history.
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18 The Gristmill
It is well known that Henry Disston made a second line of saws that were called JACKSON. From my research, the Disston Firm began production of this line, primarily com-posed of backsaws, Ca 1860. The collection has five Jack-son back saws with Disston’s last type eagle label screw. It was changed to the Keystone shortly after the first Disston & Son saws were made in 1865. One of them has printing 1/16” in height on the back which may be a first type Jack-son made by Disston . Photo #22.
Jackson, Wm. of Monroe, NY. is listed in Erv Schaffer’s “Hand Saw Makers of North America”. The EAIA “Directory of American Tool Makers” lists William Jackson. Both publi-cations have a date before or after 1813 as a working period but with no information. I do not know of a connection of the primary group of saws in the study to the Monroe, NY. Jackson listed above. My guess is a relationship does exist. The collection has a group of 22 saws that seem to cover a time frame from the late 1830s through the late 1850s. These saws are well marked on their backs--JACKSON, CAST STEEL & WARRANTED. NOTE there may be a fairly long dash, a short dash, a dot or nothing between cast steel. I have found no other identification. Nothing found under the wood when handles were removed. A positive way of identifying this maker is the configuration of the letter J in Jackson. Disston’s J has the lower portion with a greater smoother curve than the Monroe work which has a stubby appearance quite like the J of this printer. Carl Bilderback has named it the “lazy J”. We will go with that for now.
The third maker is a JACKSON & Co. I have only one. It is a well made saw. It is the only Jackson I have seen marked SPRING STEEL on the brass back. The Jackson & Co. J is similar to Disston’s. The handle is exactly the same as #10 of the Jackson in this study.
What occurred in the William Jackson Firm between 1813 and the date I have given of 1839 (assuming a connection exists) to the earliest saw in the study is a mystery. The 22 saws illustrated show a rise in quality and design followed by a decline beginning Ca 1850. A short revival of sorts Ca 1858 may have been a last ditch effort to save the company.
An approximate date of 1860 when operations may have ceased would fit into the time line given to the saws in the study. Records on the sale of the Monroe Jackson Firm have not been found. Looks like they just closed the doors. Is it possible that H. Disston saw an opening to initiate a less expensive second line of saws called Jackson? A name that would be recognized.
This study will now deal with the assumed Monroe, NY William Jackson Saw Company. It’s rise and fall is based on the 22 saws used in the research. Did this company
make hand saws? I have not seen one yet. All interested collectors are invited to add or detract in order to further knowledge of the maker.
Photos #1 & #2 reflect the work of other makers of the 1840 period. Henry Disston, James Turner, and Johnson & Conaway are three well known makers of that time. An improvement in design and quality of workmanship takes place in a very short time among all these saw makers. Three cove handles, brass backs, mahogany and apple handles fastened with raised brass screws were part of the upgrade.
To digress, The 19th Century was a time of saw makers, mostly from the United Kingdom, moving to our shores. They shed restrictions that existed in their homeland, placed on them by the Guilds who were very reluctant to change. Mechanics were required to adhere to their guidelines. Now they were free to express their abilities in making beautiful tools that were functional. My records have an invoice and a note from a British hardware firm ordering more saws and stating their superior quality of workmanship over those made in Sheffield.
#1 Jackson, Wm. Monroe, New York, ca. 1839. The old-est Jackson I have seen. Closed beech handle fastened with split nut screws having 7/16” diameter heads. Heavy cheeks, carved base, and a hook is typical of saws of this period. 16” blade. Label screws were not used until ca. 1849. Photo #12.
Three Jacksonsby Philip Baker
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#2 Jackson, ca. 1842. 14” Steel back. Diameter of screw heads now 9/16”. Cheeks little smaller. Nib top and base between horns. Beech wood. Carved base. NOTE!!! Saws #2, 8, and 9 have a nib between horns top and bottom. Saws #7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, and 21 have nib at top. Jackson Co. 24 MB at top. Apple wood on #10,11,12,13, and 14. Raised cone shaped screws on saws #3, 4, 5, 6, and 23. The hook was used on 1-8, 10, 11 and 23. #9 is a triple cove. #5, 7, 8, 9, and 10 - but not #6 with the brass back and single eagle - will have a dash between “cast” and “steel.” #14-21 will have a short dash except for #18 with eagle label screw.
#3 Jackson, ca. 1843. 1st brass back. 14”. Twin Eagles. I do not consider this saw top quality work yet. Beech wood. Large flat heads on tapered screws. W’ taper to blade. Brass back overhangs blade J;,i” at toe, which is more than normal. Warranted and Cast Steel on right of eagles. The upgrade has begun.
#4 Jackson, ca. 1844. 14” brass back. Raised cone brass screws. 5/8” blade taper. Beech handle has hook and carved base. Cast Steel print is larger.
#5 Jackson, ca. 1845. Chamfer stop same as #1. Open ma-hogany handle. 12” blade tapered W’. Raised cone shape saw screws retain the larger flat head found on Disston saws before circa 1846. There is a dash between Cast-Steel.
#6 Jackson, ca. 1845. This brass back was found by itself with no blade or handle. The single eagle under the arch so far is one off. It is from a 16” blade. The eagle is different in design than the double eagles on #3. They are the only Jacksons I have seen with the eagle.
#7 Jackson, ca. 1846. 8” blade with brass back and 3 cove mahogany handle make this a rare saw by any maker. 2 raised screws with one smaller than normal. Note smaller flat on head of screws. Lettering has Warranted to left of arch and smaller letters of Cast-Steel to right. Note dash between Cast-Steel.
#8 Jackson, ca. 1847. Brass back. 10” blade. Open mahoga-ny handle. Dash between Cast-Steel. Hook with nibs. Both horns. 3/8” blade tapered.
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#9 Jackson, ca. 1848. 3 cove handle. Brass back. 14” blade. Raised cone shape screws that have smaller heads. MB at each horn. Mahogany wood with carving at handle base. Dash between Cast-Steel.
#10 Jackson, ca. 1849. Brass back. 12” blade. Open apple handle. First use of apple. Hook. Dash between Cast-Steel. Nib top. 1/2” blade taper. Common split nuts on remainder of saws making #9 the last used of raised saw screws.
#11 Jackson, ca. 1850. This saw much like #10. 12” blade with 1/2” taper. Open apple handle W’ thick. This is 1/8” less than #10. Handle thickness will vary from 3,4” to heavy 7/8” on saws in study. MB at top horn. No dash at Cast Steel. Last use of brass back. Last use of the hook.
#12 Jackson, ca. 1851. 3 cove apple handle. Steel back. 10” blade. First use of the label screw. It has Disston’s look alike 2nd type eagle. This will continue up to saw #16 - exception #13 which has 3rd type eagle - all are marked Warranted Superior.
#13 Jackson, ca. 1852. Apple handle. 8” blade. Nib at top horn. Dash at Cast-Steel. Label screw has 3rd type Disston eagle. 3/8” blade taper. I am not sure who cast the Jackson label screws. They are not true Disston work from my ob-servation.
#14 Jackson, ca. 1853. 12” blade. Open handle. Last apple in survey. 2nd type eagle on label. No nib. 3/8” blade taper. The cheeks of the handle are no longer chamfered. This will continue to the end of the study.
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#15 Jackson, ca. 1854. Beech wood is on handles from now on. Letters are a bit smaller. 16” parallel blade. Nib top horn. 2nd type eagle on label. Note: To this point where the cheeks of the handles meet the blade they have been chamfered (slanted). Now all saws in the study will have a squared edge. No chamfer. Also there is no consistency in the type of eagles that appear on the label screws through-out study. I do not believe they were made at the Disston Foundry.
#16 Jackson, ca. 1855. 10” blade with W’ taper. Open beech handle. Quality of work has gone downhill. No nibs at the horns.
#17 Jackson, ca. 1856. 10” blade not tapered. Smaller print on steel back. Beech wood. Last type eagle on label screw.
#18 Jackson, ca. 1857. Eagle Saw Co. is on label screw. The Jackson stamps is on the steel back. Open beech handle. W’ taper to 10” blade. Can this be a link to obtain further information on what appears to be two different saw man-ufacturers?
#19 Jackson, ca. 1858. 4th type eagle on label screw. Horns are heavier and will continue to be. There is a W’ taper to the blade that is 4 1/8” under the handle and 3 5/8” at the toe. Small lettering continues. Note the Cast Steel and Warranted print is smaller than that of the Jackson.
#20 Jackson, ca. 1859. #19 and 20 are well made. Mark on the steel back same as # 19. Horns continue to be heavier. The handles of these two saws reflect the design many makers used in 1860s. They are a change from previous work.
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22 The Gristmill
Logic and experience guide most of our directives in hunting down our fa-vorite antiques. Our direction is typi-cally focused on traditional sourcing methods such as antique fairs, club meetings, on line listings, auctions and catalogue sales. Variables such as
spontaneity and circumstance however may also play sur-prising roles in building up a collection. The thrill is in the hunt it is said and I agree wholeheartedly with that, but my feelings are little hurt if an enviable piece simply migrates my way… my sensitivity has learned to adjust accordingly!
The gift of the unexpected is a thrill in itself whether it mer-its among the crème de la crème, or the simplest of staple pleasures. Just a bit more ‘gravy’ for the festive table.
You will never see most of these opportunities com-ing your way. They make their move and you make your move… the thrill then is sparked by the unexpected. Blind luck may pretty much be a parallel term for this but I per-sonally believe there are more variables associated with it than that. In any event, it writes its own poetry.
A primitive French scratch stock ‘happened’ into my mail-box years ago, a gift from my Brother’s wife at the time
#21 Jackson, ca. 1860. The end is near. Print on steel back is uniform and very small. 1116” of an inch. Small dash between Cast-Steel. 14” blade. Nib at top horn. Beech wood.W’ taper of blade. I think they made this one and closed the door.
#22 Jackson by Disston, ca. 1861. 14” blade. Print is size of #21 very small 1116”. Only with Disston have I seen print
this size. The “J” is unmistakable Disston. The Warranted Superior label screw has Henry’s last type Eagle. The be-ginning of the Disston Jackson line.
#23 Jackson & Co., ca. 1848. There is a Jackson & Co. who worked 1855-1911 in Sheffield, England. The one in the collection looks to be more American. The wood looks like yellow birch. The mark on the brass back has Jackson & Co. in an arch with Spring Steel on the left and War-ranted on the right. The handle shape is a perfect match of saw #10 in the study which is dated circa 1852. We need more information on this one.
SUMMATION – I believe there are enough saws in this work to come up with a profile of the saws this firm produced, however it is only one persons opinion. To my knowledge there is nothing that is known relating to the history of the people involved, where they worked and lived.
You Can’t Hear it Coming if it Doesn’t Make a SoundWhen the Wind Blows Fair… by James GoodsonM-W
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who was from the Alsace re-gion of France. Her brother was renovating his newly acquired home and out from the interior of the walls came this quaint hand forged stock. They gra-ciously took the time and effort to send it to me with a few other bits and pieces obtained in the process.Not a highly celebrated tool this but genuinely forged and shaped with a character of simplicity and exaggeration to detail. A true favorite of mine.
The economic downturn of the late 1980s was felt nation wide. Houston’s real estate boom previously unburdened by controls of any kind immediately came to a startling near
halt. The pinch was felt by all. Within this timeframe, I came upon a beauti-ful horn plane obviously meticulously constructed by its owner for his own use. I had seen a few of these before where the craftsmanship was above and beyond perfect and the choice of woods was outstanding both for wear and for aesthetics. A beautiful cut of Lignum Vitae for the stock and a gorgeous mass of burl for the horn
itself. All were perfectly cut, fitted and highly polished. The only tool among the varied objects offered, I came to find out that this belonged to a young couple especially af-fected by the downturn in the oil industry and in fact had belonged to the grandfather of one of them. The price was more than reasonable and I was informed that the couple was selling their possessions out of necessity…..including their grandfather’s exceptional hand made plane.
I purchased a small group of four tools listed on e-bay out of Germany. My focus was on a smooth plane whose horn resembled a dragon head. I won the auction for that item though the photo was very poor. I ‘repaired’ the photo a day later and was astounded to find that the saw included in the group had an outstand-ing folk styled handle. When I received the package I was as-tonished at what an awesome piece the saw turned out to be. So the intended prize came with a surprising and consid-erable additional bonus!
Two quaint but highly decorated Cooper’s short jointer planes appeared early in my collecting years at a show in Oklahoma. I was always attracted to decorated wooden tools but knew little about them when these two crossed
my path. They were very un-common here in the U.S. at that time and I was thrilled to add them to my collec-tion. They came to this coun-try via a shipment of pianos and parts thereof. The dealer was a tool enthusiast and collector and the piano ship-ment was received by his next door neighbor and friend. He acquired the ‘rogue lot’ and turned it at the next avail-able show. These two are Austrian and are used for edging the extremely long staves of vats and massive tubs where a longer/larger Cooper’s jointer would not allow the com-plete passing of these staves over their sole once typically inverted and fixed at an incline on the ground.
Looking for lamp shades at a local lighting shop surpris-ingly turned up a few tools set on a small side table for no apparent reason. One of the pieces was a heavy Irish plow plane with a ‘skate nose’ prow or projected front skate in the form of a large curl. These tools were displayed for a friend of the owners and were in fact for sale. The pur-chase of this plane along with two lampshades came with mixed approval from my spouse who decidedly came to the conclusion that I somehow had the ability to make old tools appear where old tools had no business being. Blind luck was not a viable offering to her lack of understanding here. Silence truly heals all wounds…
Oddest hammer I have ever seen! Unsold on e-bay in France the first go round, it surfaced immediately again with the description “Nice looking and cheap, well cleaned. A nice exhibit but I have no idea
what it is. It comes from near Chamonix in the Alps and so might possibly have something to do with cutting into ice.” Its profile would lend itself to this suggestion but fur-ther investigation would reveal otherwise. It is in fact, an ancient style of ‘hammer’ used in leveling out the base or preparing and spreading the gravel and small stones in the setting beds for large stonework. Its forging and shape are both ear-ly and delightful. Unappreciated and priced accordingly, this spe-cial little paving hammer fell at the right opportunity spurred on by its anonymity and confusing physical characteristics.
I like to think I have my collecting abilities rather honed over the years for my purposes. There is a lot of truth in this but realistically many of my acquisitions came about somewhat through the hand of fate. Fate being providence that approaches from the North side facing South!
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24 The Gristmill
Lest We Forget is a series of short articles, each about a tool or implement that was once a common household, farm, or trade necessity, but whose use or existence may soon be forgotten.
Singeing Lamps
Hard-working horses perform much more effectively in the winter when their winter coat is shortened to the length of their summer coat, thereby preventing extreme sweating1. During the 1800s there were only two ways to shorten their hair – clipping with scissors or singeing with a singeing lamp. The singeing lamp was easier to use than the curved hand scissors or two-handed clippers and was the preferred method2. However, by 1905 clipping ma-chines had improved and made singeing lamps obsolete3. Figure 1 shows the evolution from shears to machines.
Figure 1. Scissors, Clippers, and Clipping Machine
There were two singeing lamp exhibits at the 1851 Exhi-bition of the Works of Industry of All Nations. In 1888 a singeing lamp was equal in value to two pair of scissors or ten pitchforks. The horse’s winter hair grows for 6-8 weeks, reaching an average length of 1-2 inches. Clipping is not done until the hair reaches its maximum length. If done too soon the new coat grows unequally. It requires the ability of a professional hair cutter and takes two men 16-20 hours for an average-sized horse to be clipped. Even then a singeing lamp is used to remove hairs that escape the scissors. Singeing requires less practice and is done several times while the coat is growing. The singeing lamp is passed lightly over the whole body (including jaws, nos-trils, and ears), then the coat is washed with soap and water.
The teeth on the lamp raise the hair and draw it into the flame. A complete singeing takes less than 4-5 hours4.
Singeing lamps usually had a wide wick with one edge of the wick opening serrated to serve as a comb to raise the hair to be singed. They burned naphtha, kerosene oil, or a similar spirit and the user could leave the coat any length desired by causing the blaze from the lamp to be directed against the hair at the proper angle. I was able to find two US patents for singeing lamps – 559,580 issued May 5, 1896 to George Hicks, and 1,113,417 issued October 13, 1914 to Ernest C. Daniels. Hicks design added a lamp to the back of a traditional currycomb while Daniels’ design had the more traditional single-edge comb. Daniels, perhaps be-cause singeing lamps for horses were already pretty much obsolete, claimed that his was suitable for singeing the hair of either man or beast.
Figure 2. Hicks’ Patent
Figure 3. Daniels’ Patent
Lest We Forget by Bob Roger
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Figure 4 shows an example of one style of singeing lamp. The Sears Roebuck Catalogue of 1902 (page 412) illus-trates one very similar to the example in Figure 4. The Sears illustration is shown in Figure 5.
The Montgomery Ward & Co. Catalogue #56 (1894-95, page 319) illustrates another style as shown in Figure 6. Figure 7 shows two more examples. The bottom one appearing to be like the one shown in Ward’s catalogue.
Many thanks to M-WTCA member Herbert Caudle for pro-viding the example shown in Figure 4. I do not think you will see very many of these, and hopefully there are not any still in use. But let us not forget them.
Notes:
1. ‘Clipping or Singeing Horses’, Ross Murray, Warne’s Model Housekeep-ing, Frederick Warne & Co., 1882
2. Knight’s American Mechanical Dictionary, 1876
3. ‘The Horse – Its Treatment in Health and Disease’, J. Wortley Axe, Gresham Publishing Co., 1905
4. The Horse, in the Stable and the Field”, John Henry Walsh, Routledge & Sons, 1888, digitized by Google
Figure 4. Example of a Singeing Lamp
Figure 6. Ward’s Catalogue
Figure 7. Two other examples
Figure 5. Sears 1902 Catalogue IllustrationM-WTCA.O
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ture the contents of the Museum and Tool Barn of the late William S. "Bill" Phillips ("whatimean..."), legendary tool collector and dealer of New Tripoli,
Pennsylvania. Some great Pennsylvania "goosewing" axes will be included in our March and April sales as well as select items from the Museum. The contents of the huge barn, where Bill Phillips held court, will be sold in our Last Weekend of July Sale this year on the 26th, 27th and 28th of July. Other collections included in the 2013 sales include items deac-cessioned from the Heckscher Museum of Art, Huntington, NY, the contents of the museum of Dr. David Mills, Setauket, Long Island, the collection of spinning wheels and kitchen tools of Mrs. Sue Bacheller, Plainville, Massachusetts, and the remainder of the vast collection of plumb bobs of the former Nelson Denny,
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28 The Gristmill
Sale prices include a 20% buyer’s premium, and have been converted from Swiss Francs to U. S. Dollars.
The Precision Sundial, Lot 449, was made in Southern Ger-many in the late 18th Century. The engraved and gilded circular brass mechani-cal sundial is mounted on a moveable hanger. The hanger is suspended from a steel C shaped arm sup-ported on an iron and wood pyramidal base. The sundial has a geared mechanism with a merid-ian arc and fixed polar axis and shows the time of day in hours and minutes on a small dial. Due to its extreme rarity it brought $57,490
Three Wrought Iron Calipers, Lot 519, have stylized leaves and flowers etched on their legs. They may have been made in France or England during the 19th Century. They went for $5,110.
The Combination End Nnipper and Tack Puller in Lot 572 was made in Nuremberg or Southern Germany in the first half of the 17th Century. It has curved steel jaws and a tack claw at the end of one handle and a rivet hole align-er on the other. It sold for $10,859
Lot 573, is a Combination Tool comprising a hammer with a curved claw, end nipper, tack puller and riveting dolly. It is
richly etched with arabesque decoration, and was prob-ably made in Nuremberg around 1580. It is 8½ inches long, and sold for $57,490.
The Wrought Iron 12 inch, Dividers in Lot 593 have a horizontal left and right hand threaded screw adjustment. They were made in Southern Ger-many in the 17th Century, and sold for $8,304.
The Small Command Axe in Lot 620 has a 4½ inch blade and was made in the second half of the 17th Century. It is decorated with three dimen-sional carving of mythical creatures in an open work setting and sold for $2,044.
The 18th Century Tyrolean Broad Axe, Lot 623, has an etched image of a man sur-rounded by stylized foliage. It has a 14 inch blade and sold for $12,775.
The Austrian Goosewing Ax in Lot 627 has a short wood-en handle and a 20 inch long
Auction of items from the Luigi Nessi Collection Instruments & Tools, April 2, 2012, Zurich, Switzerland. Koller Auctions by John G. Wells
Lot 449
Lot 573 Lot 627
Lot 519
Lot 593
Lot 620
Lot 572
Lot 623
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slightly curved blade. The blade is decorated with stamped symbols, some of which have standardized meanings. It sold for $638.
Lot 637 is an early 18th Century German Wrought Iron Frame Saw, or Armorer’s Saw. The C shaped frame is dec-orated with scrolls and has an enclosed section that con-tains the screw for tensioning the blade, which is missing. The saw is 17 inches long and brought $1,661.
The Carved Hardwood Plane in Lot 661 has an early flat iron handle and a grotesque face with an open mouth. It was probably made in France in the late 17th or early 18th Century. It is 28 inches long and has an iron marked IW HB. There are a few checks in the wooden body; and one corner is broken off. It sold for $2,555.
The Evergreen Oak Plane with the front knob carved in the shape of a Birds Head, and having a flat iron rear handle, Lot 662, was probably made in southern France or Spain in the 18th or late 17th Century. It is 29 inches long, lacks an iron and wedge, and has some cracks. It brought $959.
The Miter Plane in Lot 666 was made using wrought iron plates joined to the sole by brazing. It has a walnut infill,
is 10 3/8 inches long and was probably made in Germany in the 18th Century. It may have been a little over cleaned, but it was a good value for $1,405.
The 18th Century Fruit-wood Compass Plane, Lot 667, is carved with scallops on its sides and is from the alpine region. It is 8 inches long, has a beautiful patina, and an iron marked Goldenberg. It sold for $511.
The Wrought Iron Glazer’s Hammer in Lot 683 was made in England. It is dated 1731, and is stamped “IOHN FORSTER”. The hammer’s iron neck and hardwood handle are adorned with cylindrical beads and the wood handle has a pommel. It is 8 5/8 inches long, and sold for $1,661.
The 17th Century Spanish Anvil, Lot 691, has a frieze con-sisting of incised and stamped stylized floral decoration. The rect-angular work surface has a small horn at one end, and four beautiful molded buttresses. It
Lot 661 Lot 667
Lot 683
Lot 691
Lot 637
Lot 662
Lot 666
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30 The Gristmill
is quite small, mea-suring only 11½ x 7 x 7½ inches. It sold for $22,987.
Lot 698 is a delight-ful French Bick Iron dated 1763. It is on its original wooden base, and measures 21 x 8 x 15 inches; the overall length is 31 inches. It sold for $7,666.
The small German Wrought Iron Vice, Lot 727, was made in the 17th or 18th Century; it is only 4 3/8 inches high, and brought $638.
The Wrought Iron Brace in Lot 726 has an open work pom-mel. It was made in Germany in the late 17th Century. The C-shaped frame is 12¾ inches long, and it lacks the thumb screw for the chuck. It sold for $575.
The French Anvil in Lot 692 dates from the 17th Century. It has a rectangular work surface and a pointed horn at the side. The front has recessed double arches, and the sides
are stepped. It is modest in size measuring only 16 x 10 x 10½ inches and sold for $6,388.
The humorous Hazelnut Cracker, Lot 758, was made in France in 1760. It is Pear wood and the bearded man’s head with a hat is carved in the full round. It is 6 5/8 inches high and brought $4,216.
The Nutcracker in Lot 763 was made in France dur-ing the 17th Century. It was forged and carved in wrought iron; the jaws are formed in the shape of a dog’s head and the rounded handles are decorated with rings and cupids bow curves. It is 4-3/8 inches long and sold for $1,661.
The beautiful Ink Stand with a Tinder Pistol, Lot 871, was made in France or Northern Italy in the first half of 18th Century. It is Blued steel with Spanish damascene decora-tion in gold and silver and is 4 3/8 inches wide. It brought $7,666.
Lot 698 Lot 758
Lot 727Lot 726
Lot 692
Lot 763
Lot 871
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The wonderful Ivory Paperknife, Lot 894, may have been made in Dieppe, France in the 1890s. The handle is a statue of a young lady, beautifully carved in the round from the waste up, atop a shaft covered with gar-lands of roses on a base of acanthus leaves. A silver band with two acanthus leaves cre-ates the transition to the silver blade. It is 14 inches long and sold on a bid of $25,552.
Photographs for Lots 449, 627, 661, 662 and 667 are copyrighted by Koller Auktionen AG and are used with their permission. All other photographs are copyright-ed by Luigi Nessi and heirs and are used with their permission. Nessi’s photographs were made by Mauro Magliani, Padova, Italy.
Luigi Nessi: Architect, Author and Collector
Luigi Nessi’s remarkable collection began as a study of high quality utilitarian objects that were created with the same care and aesthetic goals that are usually reserved for works of fine art. As he learned more about the trades, his passion grew. At some point in time, he felt he had to leave his successful architectural practice to de-vote all his time and energy to acquiring more artifacts and learning about the artisans who created them.
Eventually he amassed a huge library of books on the sub-ject and a fabulous collection of objects to study. As time passed he became more selective and acquired only the most significant and very best items.
Over a period of 30 years his collection grew to 15,000 items made between the beginnings of the Renaissance (1400) to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the middle of the 19th Century (1850). His library of catalogs and reference works totaled 4,000 volumes.
Selected items from his collection were displayed in three great exhibitions: the first was held in 2000 at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, the second in 2002 at the Museum der Kulturen in Basle and the third in 2005, in a show titled “Tools of Art: The Art of Tools ―from the Renaissance to the Industrial Era,” held at the Pireos annex of the Bena-ki Museum, in Athens, Greece.
He wrote a wonderful book “Antique Tools and Instru-ments, from the Nessi Collection” with five contributing specialists authors. It is illustrated with brilliant photo-graphs by Mauro Magliani. Nessi was assisted in his re-search and in the documentation of his collection by his daughter Daniela Nessi.
Nessi’s collection in Lugano, Switzerland was the focus of a European tool tour held in 2004 for members of the Early American Industries Association. He encouraged the visitors to pick up and inspect any of the items in his col-lection; that evening while they were enjoying a fabulous meal he elaborated on the descriptions of the items that they were interested in and answered all of their questions.
Luigi Nessi passed away on October 15, 2009 at the age of 77. He established a level of quality for the items collected and of knowledge of the items in his collection that is sel-dom equalled. He will be missed by friends everywhere.
Lot 894
Mike and Barb Slasinski have been taking care of the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association scrapbook for so long I cannot really tell you when they started. They have done a wonderful job, and spoiled us with a great product. Now however, they have asked to be relieved of this job for per-sonal reasons.
I have done the scrapbook for the Fall 2012 National Meet-ing in Davenport, Iowa. Ron and Sherrie Knorr have been transporting the books. We are interested in finding a person to take care of the scrapbooks.
The job consists of taking pictures at the National Meetings, although we could probably get the pictures taken and sent to you in digital form on a disk. After you have the pictures, you would need to select the ones you plan to use in the book, take them to a Walgreen’s or some other similar photo processor and, on their machine, digitally place them in the online book. I have not checked, but I believe this could be done from your home computer too.
For about $25, which the club pays, they will print the assem-bled book. You just have to pick it up and bring it and other similar books from the past to future National Meetings. The books are about 8 ½ by 11 inches and about ¼ inch thick.
The first time I did this, I spent about three hours at Wal-green’s, assembling the pictures into the book. Taking the pictures at the meeting might take another one to two hours spread over three days. You would need to get pictures of the displays, display winners, tool trading in the parking lot and rooms, programs, auction, banquet and any other pic-tures you deem worthwhile.
If you are interested in more information or better yet, tak-ing on this job, please contact me as soon as possible at [email protected] or 309-255-2406. To contin-ue this worthwhile historical record of our Association we need a volunteer, that could be you.
Important Message - Looking for a Scrapbook Person
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32 The Gristmill
This auction was spared by hurricane Sandy’s physical destructive forces by a whisker. It skirted through here Tuesday with little physical flooding or damage to structures and utilities. Its earlier presence along the East coast may have made it more difficult for a few of the regulars to attend.
This auction offered the last of John Henson’s collection of beautifully decorated goosewing axes, a few additional sparklers from Clarence Blanchard’s amazing personal collection and several stunners from the best of over 50 consignors. As usual for a Brown auction, there were a number of the very best examples of some of the rarest and most desirable tools. All sale prices include the 10% buyer’s premium; photographs were furnished by Brown Auction Services.
The Very Best
William L. Epperson was listed in the Louisville, KY. city directories as a plane maker in the 1858, 1879 and 1890. He was also listed in the city directories at various times as a carpenter, machinist, cabinetmaker, fishing rod maker and violin maker. Perhaps he focused on what-ever merchandise was in demand at the time. He did pause a while to make several premium quality plow planes us-ing rare and precious woods and decorated them with silver and brass inlay and fittings. His rosewood filletster plane, Lot 342, was made in 1855. It was inlaid with a silver star, and fitted with double brass depth stops; it is the only known Epperson filletster. It is a magnificent plane, and was in Fine near mint condition. It opened at $2,100 and sold for $11,550.
Lot 93 was a Child’s Workbench, 30 inches high and 49 inch-es long. It was made in the 1880s or 1890s in the then cur-rent Eastwood style and was a real beauty. It had head and
tail vices with appro-priate wooden screws, a recessed shelf for the tools that were being used, a raised panel door on the storage compartment below, accent moldings fram-ing the storage space
on three sides, and a skirt across the front just above the floor decorated with scallops and scrolls. It was in Good+ condition and went home to some happy collector’s tool room for $3,740.
The Stanley No. 12¾ Scraper Plane in Lot 411, was from the Stanley Model Shop and then Clarence Blanchard’s Collec-tion. It is probably the only one they made with the grain in the thick rosewood sole running vertically the way it is shown in all of the catalogs. They must have realized as soon as they made one that running the grain vertically did not make it a better tool and added a lot to the cost. This one was in mint, unused condition. The ja-panning was 99% complete, the rosewood handle was per-fect and the tool was rated Fine. It opened at $2,750 and closed at $3,025.
The Sandusky No. 141, Center Wheel Plow Plane, Lot 340, in beau-tifully toned boxwood, with six ivory tips and eight Sandusky irons, was in Fine Condition. It was a good buy for $2,860.
The Philips, Improved Model Plow Plane, Lot 632, with 95% of its shinny black japan-ning, bright red and blue high lights, and gold pin stripping, was in very nice condition. It was conservatively rated Good+ and sold for $2,860.
A 12 Inch Inclinometer Level by the Davis Level & Tool Co, Lot 515, with 95% of the black japanning and gold high-lights in Fine condition brought $550.
The Burlington Clapboard Plane, Lot 629, Patented June 9, 1874, with a bronze body and a decoratively shaped lever cap that earned it the name “the grasshop-per”, was in Good+ condition. I first en-countered one 16 years
The Very Best of Everything; Hurricane Sandy Gently Passed By By John G. Wells, November, 2012
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ago at a Crane Auction. As usual, it lacked the two depth stops and the scoring knife holder that slid back and forth in the dovetailed channel on the rear. It went to an appre-ciative new owner for $1,870.
A Stanley No. 64 Butcher Block Plane, Lot 646, with 98% of the original black japanning was from the Clarence Blanchard Collection and in Fine condition. It sold for $1,320. It is unusual to see one with a slotted cutter marked No.64.
There were two beautiful Goosewing Axes in the auction. Both had nice cutouts in the tail, old handles and were in Good+ condition. Lot 597 had a double “AT” touch mark and a leaf and vine decoration on the 22 inch blade. It sold
for $495. Lot 598, had a “P.P.” touch mark, and a sunburst and star decoration on the 20 inch blade. It brought $412.50.
Lot 613, a very rare Miller’s No.50 Plow Plane in cast iron, with 90% of its origi-nal light copper wash intact, was in Fine condition. It was a good value at $9,350.
Among the many fine ivory rules in the auction these two caught my interest. The ivory two foot, four fold rule from the Stanley Model Shop, Lot 441, with a German silver arch joint and tips, and beautifully white ivory was in Fine clean condition. It brought $880. The Winter & Son New-castle on Tyne, Architects or Engineer’s two foot four fold Ivory Rule with inside beveled edges and many scales, Lot 442, had a German silver arch joint and fittings. The ivory was beautifully white, it was in Fine condition and sold for $418.
Lot 330, a Stanley No.46, Dado, Fillet-ster and Plow Plane, rarely seen in the origi-nal green box, was in near new condition. It came with ten cutters in the wooden case, was in Fine overall condition, and brought $2,475.
Fuller’s “Degree Level”, Kansas City, Kansas, Lot 529, Pat-ented Feb. 16, 1892, was apparently very popular with top level collectors. It opened at $9,500, almost four times the high estimate, and closed at $10,450 after adding the buy-er’s premium.
I have known about this walking cane for about 40 years. The man who owned it showed it to me in the early 1970s. He said that he bought it at a family home auction. I told him that if he ever wanted to sell the cane to please give me the first chance of buying it. He called me this year and told me he would be 90 years old and he had decided to sell me the cane. This cane was hand painted with two robin birds carved back to back below the handle. It is engraved about eight inches below the handle “DJ. Trayn-ham 1876”. There is one more hand carved cane known in Halifax County made by Mr. Traynham. It was on loan several years ago to the South Boston Virginia Museum
A Walking Cane and Two Brothers with a lot of History by Henry L. CaudleM-W
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34 The Gristmill
but was not dated. The man who carved these canes was Rev. David 1. Traynham. Mr. Traynham was a Meth-odist circuit rider after the Civil War. He was born near Harmony, Halifax County, Virginia on February 12, 1844. When only a lad of 17, he joined the Confederate Army of Virginia. He was a member of Wrights Battery of Halifax County (artillery) in which he was a Sergeant. My great-great uncle Henry N. Caudle was a member of this unit as well. He died on sick leave on May 12, 1862.
During the war, Mr. Traynham participated in many battles and was slightly wounded twice. He was carrying the flag of the 59th Virginia Regiment when the staff was cut down by the enemies rifles. Many holes were shot through the flag’s colors. On the retreat of Lee’s army from Richmond and Petersberg, at Amelia Courthouse, he was selected from his company as a cannoner to bring up the rear. At Sailors Creek he shot the last round of ammunition. After-wards, he overtook his company near Farmville, Virginia. At the siege of Peters-burg, his battery sta-tioned about 350 yards north of the Crater, put in some splendid work. He also fought at Staunton River Bridge, the only battle fought in Halifax County, Vir-ginia. On June 25, 1864 about 300 men de-fended the bridge from about 2,000 Federal men. Many of the Con-federate men were old men above military age and boys not yet old enough to serve in the army. It was here that they had their one and only chance to face the enemy as fighting men. A regular army officer who had witnessed the fighting said that no army that ever trod the earth has produced a braver band than the 300 old men and boys who saved the day at Staunton River Bridge as volunteers.
After the war Mr. Traynham traveled to many churches as a circuit rider on a buggy. It is told that his horse was so well trained that he knew the way from one church to the next. Mr. Traynham would sit and carve canes in between trips to churches he was to preach.
In the book Halifax Volunteers in the Con-federate Army by: W. Caroll Headspeath who was born in 1898, wrote that in his youth he remembered seeing Rev. David 1. Traynham, the mar-rying parson of the South of Dan, show-ing off a new hand carved walking stick he had just made.
Mr. Traynham also had a brother Thomas B. Traynham, who
was born in 1836 in Halifax County, Virginia. He was a dashing cavalry man who followed the “black plume” of the incomparable J.E.B. Stuart. At the Wilderness he lost a leg which was replaced with a wooden leg issued to him by the army. It is on permant display at the South Boston Virginia Museum. For a time he was the trusted courier of General R. E. Lee. On his gravestone at Oak Ridge South Boston Virginia Cemetery, it states Sergt. Thomas B. Traynham Sergt. Of Couriers for Gen. R.E. Lee 1836-1910.
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Irenus was born in 1796 and died in 1884. He was one of the most prolific businessmen in Bristol history. He is known in vintage clock circles as a clock maker who had at least 12 differ-ent partnerships over his career. How-ever, Irenus had other interests. He was also a well-known minister who actu-ally went by the nickname of “Priest At-
kins”. He also opened a saw mill in Bristol in 1828. Tiring of buying expensive circular saw blades for his saw mill, in 1834 he opened a saw works next door. His partners in this venture were his brother, George Rollin Atkins, and his brother in law, George Mitchell. As Phil Baker stated in his article on page 44 of the December 2012 Gristmill, his nephew, Elias C. Atkins apprenticed there for many years and learned the trade.
This company catered to the lumber industry, not carpen-ters, so examples of their saws are extremely scarce. The company operated under various names over the years, I. Atkins & Co. and Atkins & Allen being the early incarna-tions. In 1864 the company was sold and became the Porter Saw Co. and then the Bristol Saw Co. In 1879 the company was purchased by EO Penfield and run by him until 1899. It was then sold to MD Edgerton who continued to operate it under the Penfield Saw Co. name well into the 1920s.
There are fewer than a half dozen saws from this company known today. Besides the two back saws in Phil’s collec-tion, I have a full sized saw marked Atkins & Allen and also a keyhole saw. I only know of one other saw from this company in collector’s hands.
Although EC Atkins went out on his own and opened up his own company in Indianapolis in 1857, he also catered to the lumber industry in the early days and did not start making handsaws and back saws until sometime in the 1880s. He went on to become one of the most successful saw makers
in America and his was just about the only company that was able to compete with the Disston Dynasty.
This is a follow up article to the one Phil Baker wrote about Irenus Atkins and saw making in Bristol, CT. If any of our readers have any saws or any information about this early company, please contact either Phil Baker or myself.
All tools in this family used only one hand to both hold and operate them. Members of the family were used by jewelers, dentists, woodworkers, cooks, bar keepers, and others. In use, the handles of most family members were either pushed or pulled to execute their function. When the handle is pushed or pulled, the mechanism inside it converts the linear movement into a rotational motion.
There were four basic branches to this tree, although there was some inbreeding as well. I am sure you have the answer by now, so here is the real question – which branch of this family was the first to receive a US Patent AND be commercially produced? I think you will be surprised at my answer.
Answer on page 42
Irenus Atkins - Early Bristol Businessman by Mike Stemple
Tool Family Trees by Bob Roger
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When I was offered a Bog Iron Plane 20 years ago I was not terribly impressed; it was part of a package that I bought because the other item was a must have for my collection. I did not know anything about Bog Iron until years later when I went on the internet and found that in early times Bog Iron was often a more readily available source of iron than conventional iron ore.
Bog Iron was used by the Vikings from the 8th to 11th Centuries. It was found in Scandinavian countries and in Iceland, Newfoundland, Denmark, Ireland, and England. Bog Iron nodules are formed in peat bogs and swamps. They develop by chemical or biochemical oxidation of dissolved iron carried there by streams from mountainous regions.
Although the Vikings knew of iron ore they often found it easier to obtain iron from Bog Iron nodules which they found in bogs and swamps. They smelted the nodules in a small clay lined stone bloomery or smelting furnace burning charcoal. An air blast from a bellows increased the temperature to the melting point of iron. The spongy iron, which was a mixture of low carbon iron and slag, was removed from the furnace, and repeatedly heated and hammered until most of the impurities were removed and the remaining iron was useable. After this treatment, the iron was still overly rich in silicate. It was not as strong as iron smelted from iron ore; it could be used to make a dag-ger but not a long sword. The silicate impurities gave the Bog Iron a glossy, almost black, coating that increased its resistant to corrosion, but castings made from it had many inclusions of slag leaving pits and pockets.
Bog Iron was widely sought in early colonial America be-cause it was very expensive to import iron from England. The Saugus Iron Works, in Saugus, Massachusetts pro-duced iron from Bog Iron deposits from 1646 until 1668. During that period they expanded and bought 1600 acres of adjacent land to assure an adequate supply of Bog Iron. They also set up a larger production facility in nearby Con-cord, Massachusetts. When the Bog Iron was exhausted in 1694, they sold the land and closed down the produc-tion facility. Bog Iron was used in other areas of North America, and even played a role in the Revolutionary War. It was last produced by the Nassawango Iron Furnace in Maryland which was operated from 1825 until 1850. This facility was closed when higher quality iron ore deposits that cost less to convert into useable iron were found in other parts of the country.
The Bog Iron Plane in this article is similar in form to the traditional instrument maker’s plane. It has a small body with a convex compass sole, and a tail handle to fit in the palm of the hand. The husky body of this plane is Bog Iron; it is very porous because it has many open pockets of slag. It has a glossy almost black surface.
The beautiful and elegant tail handle is bronze. The pom-mel on its end is an ellipsoid of revolution mounted on a concave cone; the shaft that connects it to the plane’s body is tapered and has an octagonal cross section. The lever cap and lever cap screw as well as the front knob are bronze of the same color as the tail handle. The lever cap fits in behind a round steel cross bar; its face is beautifully decorated with a very sophisticated design executed by carving and filing. The lever cap locking screw is quite un-usual: it has two uprising ears that turn in at the top, simi-lar to the “rising scroll” design that was used from 1700 to 1750. The front knob is also decorated but the design is much less sophisticated than the design of the lever cap.
A Bog Iron Instrument Maker’s Plane by John Wells
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Probable date and origin of the Bog Iron Plane
It is unlikely that the screw lock lever cap was made prior to 1844. This is the date of Chardoillet’s French Patent, which is the earliest known use of a screw lock lever cap to hold a plane iron in place.
Bog Iron was being produced in the United States until 1850, when the Nassawango Iron Furnace in Maryland closed down. The plane body may have been cast some-time between 1844 and 1850, or it could have been a much earlier casting, saved for later use.
The shape of the lever cap locking screw in the Bog Iron Plane is consistent with those made in the first half of the 18th Century. The shape was probably copied at a later time because it was an elegant shape that would be conve-nient to use in such a small space.
The style, form and decoration of the lever cap and tail handle are compatible with a design made in the first half of the 19th Century.
I have not been able to find any information on the three linked ellipses stamped on the cutter.
This little Bog Iron Instrument Maker’s Plane may have been made between 1844 and 1850 somewhere near Nas-sawango, Maryland. Or it could have been made at a later date as part of an experiment in the historical methods of smelting and using Bog Iron.
It remains an amusing mystery and I am very happy that I hung on to this little plane.
I have known Lars Larson since my first M-WTCA meeting at Camp Hill, Pa. in 1999. Lars befriended a novice tool collector by showing me around the meeting site and ex-plaining the many aspects of our Organization. Lars dem-onstrated an energy and commitment to the goals of Mid-West and a love for the people involved.
Lars has served numerous terms as a Director for Area C and has hosted about ten Area C Meets. He has served as the Vice President of Meeting Planning and has Co-Hosted National meetings in 1990, 1994 and 2001. Lars has been involved with the publication of The Gristmill magazine and has written many articles.
He was an early leader in the research of tool patents, in which he assisted many collectors and authors in finding vital information concerning their tools. In 2001, Lars co-authored with Clarence Blanchard, a three volume set ti-tled Patented American Planes. He also co-wrote the type study for the Stanley #71 and #71 1/2 router planes and has been a contributor to several other books.
Over the years, Lars has given countless talks and pro-grams at tool meetings, community groups and museums. He has always been willing to share his knowledge with others and gives freely of his time to forward the goals of tool collecting.
His collecting interests are not limited to tools, as Lars is
on the look out for racing memorabilia, fraternal pins, tie tacks and clips and flattened pennies to name a few.
In closing, I have to say that Lars has been an inspiration to me by helping to develop a greater knowledge of an-tique tools and sharing that knowledge with others. He is a prime example of someone who merits consideration for this award.
Distinguished Service Awardby Mark Eastlick, Vice President of Scholarship
Photo of Lars Larson with the Distinguished Service Award and a framed copy of his letter of nomination. The award was announced at the Davenport National Meeting and was actu-ally presented to Lars at a meeting of the Ohio Tool Collectors
held at Grand Rapids, Ohio, October 28, 2012.
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Our fellow M-WTCA member, Willie Royal passed away on November 8, 2012. His love and support for Mid-West Tool Collectors Association knew no boundaries.
Willie first became a member of M-WT-CA in 1986. At that time, North Caro-
lina was part of Area M with only 32 members listed in the 1987 Directory. Concurrently, Willie was also a member of MATCA – Mid Atlantic Tool Collectors Association, which was made up of a strong and active group of tool enthusi-asts in North Carolina and all along the East coast.
Some time after Sam Palmer, the President and Director of MATCA passed away, Willie began to realize how joining M-WTCA would be more beneficial to our NC members as it was an established organization with benefits of quar-terly publications and National tool meetings.
After much discussion and planning over several months, the North Carolina members voted to join M-WTCA in 1993 as a whole unit of 140 members and became their own Area Q. Willie served as one of NC’s local Area Direc-tors beginning in 1994 through 1998. He worked diligently to improve and to grow our Organization. As of 2012, we now have 204 North Carolina members involved and ac-tive in M-WTCA.
In 1999, Willie was asked and agreed to serve as Secretary under Mel Ring’s leadership as President. For the next three years he served as Secretary and then was elected to President of M-WTCA in 2002 and served the follow-ing three years through 2004. As President, Willie contin-ued to recognize the need and importance of developing a strong and growing membership and was instrumental in creating the position of Vice Presidant of Membership. Willie used his past corporate work experience as Vice
President of Lance, Inc. to bring a higher level of order into the running of M-WTCA.
But Willie did not stop there. Willie also worked to build up the numbers in Virginia too. Working with other Vir-ginia members, Willie was again rewarded when Virginia grew large enough to become its own Area S in 2011.
As President, he brought with him his business back-ground and understanding of Board Rooms and how they worked and functioned best. He brought his own style of leadership and led us through some difficult issues dur-ing his tenure. Being a good leader does not always mean doing what makes everyone happy. But rather, it means doing what is best for the overall picture and direction of the organization. There may be some that did not like his style of leadership, but in truth, we all have benefited from what Willie Royal brought to our M-WTCA Organization.
Willie’s accomplishments in life exceeded his involvement with M-WTCA. Willie actively served on the Board of Di-rectors for several different organizations including the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens and the Salvation Army. In his retirement, he became a wonderful gardener and gardened with the same devotion and enthusiasm that he brought to the Board Rooms of which he was involved.
And to Jean Royal, we owe a special debt, as Jean has been involved with tools from the beginning with her husband Sam Palmer, and for the past 19 years with Willie Royal.
When Willie served as Secretary and as President, Jean was his right hand, helping him to accomplish many things for our Organization.
In addition to Jean, his devoted wife of 19 years, Willie leaves behind three children, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren and four step children. He was preced-ed in death by his first wife of 42 years, Betsy Lucas Royal.
Linda passed away peacefully at home in Royal Oak, MI. on June 16, 2012. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmoth-er, teacher and friend. Linda cherished her family, was an outstanding elemen-tary school teacher, a long time and active member of First Presbyterian
Church in Royal Oak and loved to travel. She blessed many people throughout her life with her active engagement, zest for learning, love of laughter and compassion. Linda was a member of Mid-West Tool Collector Association with her husband Dick and contributed many excellent Displays at each National Meet.
Willie Royal, 1922-2012 by Kathy Hobbs
Linda Lu Wade
Obituaries
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Figure 1 shows early examples of the four branches of this family. I call it the One-Handed Archimedean Tool Family. Branch A contains the screw drivers, B the wire (or wire tie) twisters, C the drills, and D the egg beaters and mud-dlers. Members A, C, & D work by pushing on the handle while B works by pulling on it. Examples C & D contain a spring return mechanism while A & B do not. All provide a clockwise rotation as the primary motion. Make your guess now as to which branch was first to have both a Pat-ent and a manufactured example.
Figure 1. Early Examples of the Four Family Branches
Let us look at each branch. While there is always the pos-sibility of earlier Patents or examples being found, here is what I have found.
A: Spiral Screwdrivers. Allard was issued Patent # 80583 on August 4, 1868. I believe this is the earliest Patent for a spiral screwdriver. However, this Patent called for the spiral movement to wind a spring and the spring then to turn the blade. Obviously, this would not work very well and previous research efforts by several collectors all con-clude that this Patent was never produced.
Hofer was granted Patent # 91634 on June 22, 1869 for the first spiral screwdriver in which the push motion directly turned the screw. Again, no one appears to have found an example and the conclusion is that it was never produced.
Allard then received Patent # 157087 on November 24, 1874 for his spiral screwdriver in which the push motion directly turned the screw. This design was manufactured, and Item A is one example of it. This family branch thus probably has a ‘beginning date’ of 11/24/1874 if we require both a Patent and a produced example.
B: Archimedean Drills. Bryant received Patent # 71361 on November 26, 1867 for a dental drill that used a finger on the holding hand and a return spring to move a rack & pinion mechanism back and forth, creating a rotation of the drill. While not Archimedean in design, there also is no evidence that the drill was produced.
The next Patent, # 95483, was issued on October 5, 1869 to Johnson & Tainter for an Archimedean drill. The Patent also mentions uses as a dentist’s drill and a screwdriver.
This Patent was man-ufactured and Item C is an example of it, so the ‘drill branch’ of the family has 10/5/69 as its starting date.
C: Wire Twisters. This branch of the family was used to twist wire, as in short-ening or tightening a strand of wire or mak-ing woven wire bas-kets, and for fastening wire ties to bags, etc. Although I believe this branch to be old-er than 1900, the first Patent I found for it is
#656514 issued on August 21, 1900 to Cassidy for a bottle wiring tool. That design is an improvement over the wire twister shown in his Patent # 656513 which was issued on the same day for his method of wiring bottles, but not for the tool. There were two more Patents for wire twisters (908649 & 978028) before #1027097 issued on May 21, 1912 to Beam. Item B appears to be an earlier version of Beam’s Patent. I have not found an earlier example, so I estimate that this branch began circa 1900.
D: Archimedean Egg Beaters and Muddlers. The earli-est Patent for a one-handed Archimedean beater appears to be # 85460 issued on December 29, 1868 to Mackay. Item D is an example of that Patent, giving the start date of 12/29/1868 for this branch of the family.
Did you guess family branch D as the earliest? If you know of earlier Patents that apply to this family (remember, one-handed operation only), have earlier examples, or know of another branch of the family, please let me know.
Tool Family Trees Answers by Bob Roger
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It is so exciting to meet and greet new friends along the M-WTCA trail. Walter Bizzell is our newest friend. We en-joyed sharing “tool talk” together. He will be attending his very first meeting in Springfield, Mo. this Fall. I can hardly wait to see what he thinks of it. Do you remember your first National tool meeting? The best part for me was the Auxiliary events and meeting women who were absolutely amazing. Some were readers, some did beautiful hand-work and some had outstanding collections of their own. They were all willing to share their knowledge and offer friendship to a newcomer. The very best thing to collect is friends – and with M-WTCA, my collection grows rapidly. It is a wonderful group. Come join us ladies.
I am looking for interested volunteers to fill Committee slots for the next two years. Do you read a lot, you could help select books for our book discussion session? Do
you enjoy the displays? Would you be willing to help judge them or do write ups for the Gristmill? It is not necessary to attend all National Meetings in order to hold an office. There is a Committee for most offices and with internet and cell phones, many things can be taken care of quite easily. You enjoy groups more by being involved. To con-tact me, see LeRoy Witzel in your membership directory.
I am looking forward to our meeting in Michigan City, In-diana, June 12-15, 2013. The theme for women’s displays is “THE SANDS OF TIME.” For book discussion, read The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister. Carolyn List is our Hostess.
2013 will be a great year for M-WTCA folks. Happy collect-ing. Hope to see you at a meeting soon.
We recently traveled to Yankton, South Dakota to the NBWA Association’s Convention. Unlike the M-WTCA (Mid-West Tool Collector’s Associ-ation), this group of craftsmen will tour a facility that offers insights to a specific kind of technolo-gy or techniques that would benefit the business of those observing the company’s abilities.
For instance, the NBWA (National Blacksmith & Welders Association) men toured Dakota Trailer Mfg. which makes aluminum trailers of all sizes for many different circum-stances. Later in the day, they went to Kolberg-Pioneer who are known world-wide for their ability to make con-struction equipment for specific purposes.
The M-WTCA instead brings in a speaker/demonstrator or will tap someone in the organization to share their knowl-edge about specific tools. These are always attended with enthusiasm for the members are eager to learn.
Both of these groups meet the interests of their member-ship by providing either speakers or tours.
What is alike in both these groups, is the sharing by indi-viduals, one on one, about common interests during the time these men are together. They will either email or call one another at other times for information or details of acquisition.
This sharing is reflected in the noise level of conversa-tion between individuals in both the show room/meeting room. I was at a meeting recently where the chairman called the meeting to order. She reflected on the noise lev-el in the room by saying “What I am hearing is the sound of friendship.”
The “sound of friendship” is the greatest benefit to the members of both of these organizations. I would urge members to attend your Association’s planned meetings as you too, will become a part of the “sound of friendship.”
Iowa Ink by Susan Witzel, Auxiliary President
On the Other Side of the Bed by Kathleen Holmes
M-WTCA Auxiliary
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The Auxiliary’s tour included a visit to the Muscatine His-tory and Industry Center. The upper level of the museum, showcases local industrial exhibits of Monsanto, Carver, Bandag, Muscatine Power & Water, Musco Lighting, Stan-ley Consultants, Hearth & Home Technologies, and HNI Corporation.
The main floor features an expansive exhibit of the Pearl Button Industry, which began when button-maker John F. Boepple arrived in Mus-catine from Germany in 1891. From the late 1890s until 1967 when the last pearl button was cut, this Industry em-ployed about 90% of the local population.
Aside from seeing in-ventive methods used to collect the mussels from the Mississippi River and the evolution of the machinery that made the industry so productive, the exhibit provides insight into the lives of those who lived
by button-making. This was a piece work, cottage industry that was labor-intensive. A pearl button was handled more than 30 times from the point the mussel was harvested un-til it was sewn onto a card to be sold.
Cutting machines allowed an operator to cut 4200 round “blanks” (future buttons) from 100 pounds of shells a day. By 1905, Muscatine was producing 1.5 billion but-tons annually, easily earning the nickname “Pearl of the
Mississippi”.
The depletion of the mus-sels ended the pearl but-ton industry. However, buttons are still made in Muscatine from synthet-ic materials. “Made in Muscatine” is a common theme that runs through generations of those working in the local man-ufacturing industries.
Are you ready to Rock ‘n Roll? The Saturday Evening Banquet will feature a Rock ‘n Roll Band playing music of the 60s. Since we will be near the shores of Lake Michigan and the famous Indiana Dunes, our theme will be the “Sands of Time”.
Bring a display if you can, using our theme or whatever you wish. On Thursday evening, the ladies will gather for our ‘Meet and Greet” - a fun get together - to greet old friends and meet new ones. Have you read the book The School
of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister? We will be talking about it in our always lively book discussion. Come, even if you have not read the book, you will want to read it by the time you leave. Do not forget to register for the Saturday Morning Brunch on the registration form. You will want to sign up for the Laporte County Historical Society Museum Tour. (See the men’s article for details). The Light House Place Premium Outlet, with 120 stores is nearby. As you can see there is plenty to do, and places to be. Did I mention the Blue Chip Casino and Spa?
For more info: Call me at 614.436.7468; cell: 614.270.2728 or Email: [email protected]
Michigan City, IN. - Spring Meeting - June 12-15, 2013 by Carolyn List
M-WTCA Auxiliary
Tour of the Muscatine History and Industry Center by Peg Davis
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The idea for my display came to me after trying to think of something different to bring a smile to the M-WTCA members. I thought of this as I was enjoying my sketching and drawing. Since I have lost interest in my hobby of 70 plus years of sew-ing, this was a different hobby for the past year and a half. Usually I like to draw pictures of scenes, houses, barns, trees etc. Then I thought of making a display of 9” x 12” copies of the cartoon comics in our daily paper. I try to draw them exact but do add a few different details. I did acknowledge on a card my thanks to the original cartoonists to avoid copyright problems. I have been saving the original cartoons to send to my 91 year old sister to give her a chuckle.
At Christmas and birthdays, I have made over 50 plus 4” x 8” cards for friends and relatives. So many have given me art supplies to use for my hobby, such as pens, pencils, charcoal
for shading, colored brushes, water color paints, acrylic pa-per, idea books etc. Enough to keep me busy for years. My ad-vice for new collectors and hobbyists is to keep finding ideas that will be enjoyed by all. You have all had many interesting displays in the past.
Annabel won a Judges Choice Award for her wonderful dis-play of hand drawn cartoons. Everyone who stopped by her display had a chuckle and a great smile. Thank you Annabel for giving everyone a “Treasure Chest of Smiles”.
Sue Page won a Judges Choice Award for her interesting dis-play of sewing room items. She has collected these items for over 20 years. Some of her keepsakes are from her childhood and others were her grandmother’s. She also found some in antique stores, flea markets and garage sales. She likes to col-lect assorted sewing items, old patterns, threads, measuring devices and pin cushion dolls. Her advice is to find some-thing you love to collect. Treasures can be found everywhere around the house.
Denice Cox brought a very interesting display to the Daven-port, Iowa Meet. Her “Buried Treasure” was two extremely different size measuring cups. One was very small. It was used to measure 120 drops of liquid and the other was a very large pitcher to measure paint.
She has been collecting for over 35 years and her favorite measuring items to collect are perpetual calendars. Her ad-vice to new collectors is if something is “talking to you”, lis-ten. Whatever it is, it does not have to cost a lot. The cost of the item is in your heart.
A Buried Treasure Chest of Smiles –Judges Choice by Annabel Ring
The following five displays graced the Auxiliary tables at the Davenport, IA. National Meeting.
Hidden Treasures Collected from Long Ago Sewing Rooms – Judges Choice by Doris Hard
Going to Extreme Measures by Doris Hardy
M-WTCA Auxiliary
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Lee and I were blessed to be able to travel throughout our life and because he does wood carving, we decided to collect wood carvings from all the countries we traveled. We collect-ed what appealed to us. We especially love the Austrian and Italian carvings and tend to gravitate toward religious carving.
On our first trip abroad in the mid 1970s, we would jump on the trains and get out of tourist areas to really experience and explore the quaint little towns. One lady working in a large carving shop gave us her home address, met us later and we were able to purchase at a greatly reduced rate, carvings her husband did. We still exchange Christmas cards and have become friends with them. We were also able to track down some relatives of Lee’s mother in Austria and spend a few days with them in wine country.
When we were in Italy, we stayed on Vatican ground and got to meet Pope John Paul II. We sang in the Mass up on the altar
near him. Talk about a “goose bump” experience.
Croatia and Israel also were awesome experiences. We count ourselves truly blessed. Our advice is to just enjoy what you collect but do not become obsessed. Share your knowledge and gift a newly starting collector, to help foster a passion like your own.
Treasures of Our Travels by Cathy Osterbauer
M-WTCA Auxiliary
I am a novice to button collecting, but have always been fasci-nated by the thought of buttons being made from clam shells. I grew up in Ft. Madison, Iowa and spent many hours on the banks of the river fishing with my Dad. Clam shells with round holes in them would occasionally wash up and I would collect them and make borders around our gardens with them. My Dad explained that there used to be button factories all up and down the river that made pearl buttons out of clam shells. He said it was one of the earliest jobs for women. Many widows were able to support themselves and their children by either working in the factories or by sewing buttons on cards at night by lantern light while the children did their homework.
Harriot Baker has inspired me to really delve into the but-ton collecting. My favorites are the pearl buttons. I got a head start with my collection by buying a collection of pearl buttons from Carolyn List at the Peach Meet several years ago. Then I joined Harriot’s Button Club and attended meet-ings when I was down South for the winter. I was hooked. Now I look for buttons in antique shops while LeRoy scouts for tools. The best buys and the most knowledge came from other button collectors, especially my first ever state button show in Florida last January. That was a wonderful learning experience for both my husband and myself.
Since we are tool collectors, I wanted to know how they were made, what the tools were like, and all about the early cottage industries along the Mississippi. It has been fun looking for tools – and buttons – in antique shops as we travel. I have found several tongs, a few crow’s-feet, have had a mussel li-cense and some shells and blanks given to me to make things more interesting. The book by Melanie Alexander, Musca-tine’s Pearl Button Industry has been a good source of infor-mation. The book, Shell Games by Jeffrey S. Copeland, put a
very human face on the whole industry and was an exciting read. The subtitle is The Life and Times of Pearl McGill, In-dustrial Spy and Pioneer Labor Activist.
Pearl buttons are many shapes and sizes. In Victorian times, more buttons were made for men than women. There were buttons on waistcoats, vests and pantaloons, as well as pearl buckles made for shoes. Included in my display are some carded buttons, mostly from factories in Muscatine and other Iowa towns along the Mississippi River. The pearl novelties and hat decorations, as well as pins, buckles and earrings were also made from the shells. I was able to borrow some additional items such as actual button saws in collars, an old photo of a clammer with his rig using the crowsfeet, sales-man sample cards, and a hand file used to fashion the button saws plus a lubricating nozzle used for the cutter machines. It is an interesting era in history that has produced pearl but-tons for us to collect and enjoy. It was the beginning of wom-en working outside the home in the Midwest. The luster and beauty of various types of shells, cut and carved, as well as the utilitarian shirt buttons, fed and housed families until the mussel beds disappeared from overharvesting, pollution and the advent of plastic. It was a special time in the history of the Mississippi River, when folks dug for buried treasure.
Buried Treasure on the Mississippi - Best in Theme by Susan Witzel
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One of the greatest sources of adventure, enjoyment and education is at the finger-tips of each and every M-WTCA member. It is your current Membership Directory. What a source of joy and deepened friendships. It has proven its value many times over.
Recently my husband and I readied ourselves for another exciting road trip. The car was packed, the gas tank filled, plans were made and off we went. It was not long before I asked for the directory. It was missing. Of course, I was in trouble because he always puts it back when he bor-rows it. We made phone calls to get the needed address and continued on our way. After reaching our destination that evening, we were able to visit and have dinner with Car1 Bilderback, our M-WTCA friend. We even got to see his “latest” treasure - a square hole saw.
The next morning we presented ourselves on his doorstep so we could see his collection. I know little about tools, but I do know how to wield a camera. Soon I was snap-ping pictures of two excited collectors who were enjoying the moment, swapping tool stories, and remembering old friends no longer with us. It was a great time.
When we arrived, I had mentioned that we had left the di-rectory at home. He offered to loan us an old one. But – we forgot and left without it.
We “antiqued” our way to the next night’s location. While we were driving, we had a call on our cell phone. It was Carl who insisted on bringing the directory to our motel that afternoon. He said he often visits collectors along the way and did not want us to miss out on any opportuni-ties. We checked the next day’s auction offerings. They
were not exciting. Would there be new items in the morn-ing? At sunup, we scoured the place looking for buried treasure. It was not there. We looked at one another, not wanting to be the first to say it. Finally, LeRoy said, “I do not see anything here that we can not live without.” Re-lieved, I agreed.
We were so thankful our M-WTCA directory was riding with us. We made a phone call to see if we could visit Dave and Jeanne Jeffers. The answer was yes. We were
met at the door by familiar faces. Our eyes gazed at trea-sures – old and new – his and hers. I am not a tool guru but the excitement and pride was there again as collectors shared their finds, their adventures, and some of their favorite “things.” Gazing at tools, beautiful workman-ship and interest-ing display areas, listening to stories and asking ques-tions occupied the next few hours.
Jeanne’s beautiful collection of Westmoreland milk glass was amazing. I did not realize all the different things that were made of milk glass.
Her Swarovski crys-tal took my breath away. I was amazed at all the magical miniatures that sparkled and shone on her shelves. I could not look fast enough. Soon it was time to leave. We continued our visit over a restaurant meal, followed by some side-by-side antiquing in a “new to us” mall. We said good bye, paid for some newly found
Your M-WTCA Directory - Don’t Leave Home Without It! by Susan Witzel
Carl Bilderback and LeRoy Witzel check out a Richardson Brothers timber framer’s saw.
Dave shares with LeRoy the story of his favorite hammer.
The Westmoreland Christmas sleigh is one of Jeanne’s favorite pieces.
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M-WTCA Silent Salesmanby John Walkowiak
Do you sell in a shop, do shows or demonstrations? We have available a Silent Salesman for you to dis-play at these or any other venues. They are light-weight and sturdy self-standing sign holders. They hold a small poster and a pocket that holds the tri-fold membership brochures and are available in two sizes. It is an effortless way for you to promote membership in M-WTCA. You can contact me at [email protected]
Renew your membership online NOW. Go to our website at www.mwtca.org
treasures and continued on our way. Thank goodness for that M-WTCA directory.
We visited another “collecting couple,” Dennis and Janet Eckstein, that evening. We had not seen them for years. Janet had brought wonderful Auxiliary displays to the Semi-Annual Meetings. We seemed to like the same things and I was anxious to learn “the rest of the story.” I was not disappointed. There were interesting things to see every-where. We saw cast iron items, farming implements, kitch-en tools, irons of all shapes and sizes, medical items, corn husking pegs and shellers, large metal signs, sewing items, feed sacks, walls full of treasures, and even a caboose on iron rails in the back yard.
I asked a lot of questions. Janet was gracious to share her knowledge. A great thing about M-WTCA members is that they are always very willing to share information about their collections. If you do not know what something is just ask. They enjoy talking about it. All too soon, it was time to leave. We were sent on our way with hugs, a few feed sacks, a tired camera, and a plate of warm brownies.
Visits to M-WTCA members between home and our in-tended destination were once again a highlight of our trip. Check out the directory to see who lives along your travel-ing route. Enjoy unexpected joys along the way. Life is a golden opportunity - CARPE DIEM!
A drawer full of unusual husking pegs.
Corrections to the December 2012 Gristmill
Jerry Davis noticed a typo while reading Henry Caudill’s article “Buy Quality Summers Bug-gies, Milburn Wagons, Denham Cason, Jewel, GA”. The article lists Barnesville, OH as the “Buggy Capital of the South.” I believe the town should be Barnesville, GA. which was known as the “Buggy Capital of the South” in the 1880s.
Correction to the Peach Meet article in the De-cember Gristmill. The Author of the article was Steve Edwards. Thanks for submitting the nice article and photos Steve, we will endeavor to get the by line name correct on the next meet-ing summary you submit.
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DAVID STANLEY AUCTIONS61st INTERNATIONAL AUCTION on SATURDAY, MARCH 23rd 2013
In spite of this new digital age we are still producing our great, full color catalogs which
include estimated prices, condition coding and postal bidding instructions.
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Tel: (508) 748-1680 E-mail: [email protected]
£24 from David Stanley Auctions, Osgathorpe, Leics. LE12 9SR England
E-mail [email protected] quoting your mailing address and credit card details.
Visit our web site at www.davidstanley.com
1000 Lots of Quality Antique Woodworking and Allied Trades Tools. At the Hermitage Leisure Centre, Whitwick, Leics LE67 5EU, England.
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information and to register. Successful bids using live bidding incur an additional 3% charge.
The 1st offering of the European woodworking tool section of the world renowned LUIGI NESSI
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To include
The 4th portion of the DAVID R. RUSSELLL collection including the amazing ISRAEL WHITE
self regulating 3 arm plow plane.
Our normal absentee bidding system will still be available at no extra charge
Rare USA STANLEY and NICKOLSON planes. Tools by NORRIS, SPIERS, MATHIESON,
PRESTON, HOLTZAPFFEL, RECORD etc.
Carving tools, braces, rules, levels, gauges, bobs, trammels, miniatures, axes, adzes, saws,
kitchenalia, books etc.M-WTCA.O
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March 2013 47
What’s ItPlease do not hesitate to send in photos to be posted in this column. The What’s It Committee would be happy to try to solve any of your unidentified tools.
Fig. 150-1 28” long in this first photo
Fig. 150-3 The base is 3” long
Fig. 150-4 8” long
For more information, larger images, additional photos, more what’s its, and answers, please check out the What’s It page at the M-WTCA web site, go to http://www.mwtca.org/ and then in the Main Menu click on “What’s It”.
Please email your items, answers, and comments to: [email protected]
Fig. 150-2 16” long, the metal piece on this tool can pivot
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48 The Gristmill
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March 2013 49
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50 The Gristmill
A new one of a kind 280 page 8.5" X 11"
hard cover book includes:
A brief history of window glass from Roman times through Europe to the United States.
A List of 500 glass cutter U.S. Patents, 400 company or brand names and 600 BXW pictures and data of 1400 glass cutters.
Available @$24.95 from: Virtualbookworm.com, Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble
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March 2013 51
Wanted: Winchester items, tools, sporting goods or advertising. No firearms. Collections or pieces OK. Please advise price and condition. David McDonald, 14211 Kellywood Lane, Houston, TX 77079 (281) 558-5236 [email protected]
Looking for Gabriel planes and Kenyon saws. Let me know what you have. John Walkowiak 612- 824-0785 [email protected]
Wanted: Any hand forged iron tool (except reaping hooks) marked I-CHRIST or D.Christ. Laurent Torno 7111 Waterman Ave. St. Louis, Mo. 63130 [email protected] Tel/Fax 314-721-3911
Woodenshoe (Dutch) Rare Carving Tools for Sale. Full set, plus. From Americas last master carver (Age 88). 262-242-1571 or email [email protected]
Wanted: An OHIO Tool Co. Number 228 Jointer Plane #8 size. Contact; Dan Miller, 330-297-6344, [email protected]
Junior Tool Collectors, those under 16 years of age, are now admitted to the meetings FREE with a paid member or guest. Let us get these youngin’s to the meetings.
COMPUTER WORKER WANTED I would like to find a Member who is very familiar with computer work and has some time to help the club throughout the year. I would like this person to send out mass email notices of all our Area Meets. There are about 40 a year. If you have the talent and time, please contact me for more details.
John Walkowiak, Membership Chairman
Marketplace
Advertising Information
NEW POLICY: The Gristmill will no longer accept advertising for a date sensitive event, that will occur during the month of The Gristmill’s publication. For example, an ad for an auction on March 25th that is to be placed in the March issue. * For layout purposes, all quarter page ads must be the following size. 3 1/2” wide X 4 7/8” tall.
Typesetting and borders are not included in the page rates. Special artwork will be charged at cost. We must have a sketch or rough drawing indicating how you want your ad laid out. Camera Ready ads are accepted at no additional charge.
For your protection and complete satisfaction, ALL ads should be typewritten and dou-ble-spaced. If this is not possible, please PRINT legibly.
Payment must accompany ad. Make checks payable to M-WTCA. At this time, advertis-ing will be accepted only from M-WTCA members in good standing. For information and membership application, contact John Walkowiak or one of the officers whose address is shown on the inside front cover of this publication.
Send all ads to: Bill Kolm 11415 Spaulding Street Omaha, NE 68164 phone (402) 572-1238, E-Mail [email protected]
ISSUE COPY DEADLINEMarch January 10June April 10September July 10December October 10
CLASSIFIED ADS - RATES$ .18 per word - ALL words. $3.50 minimum per ad.
DISPLAY ADS - RATESSize Cost Word LimitFull page, 4-color, (when available) $275 900Full page $180 900Half page $105 450Quarter page* $60 225 Other sizes $9.50 per column inch (1 column approx. 2-1/4” wide.)25 word limit.
Join the EAIA for our Annual Meeting May 15-18, 2013, in Hyannis, Mass.
■Demonstrations with master craftsmen Craig Farrow, Peter Follansbee, Chris Schwarz & Bill McMillen.
■ Insider tours of Plimoth Plantation, Heritage Museum, & Sandwich Glass Museum
■ Great Planes auctionDetails atwww.earlyamericanindustries.org
YOU’VEGOT
TOOLS
YOU’VE GOT
TOOLS
YOU’VEGOT TOOLS
YOU’VE
GOT TOOLS
YOU’VEGOT TOOLS
YOU’VE GOT
TOOLS
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52 The Gristmill
Brown Tool Auctions27 Fickett Road, Pownal, ME 04069
PHONE: (800) 248-8114 FAX: (207) 688-4831 Order a catalog online now or view items after February 22 at www.FineToolJ.com
Phone: Signature:Exp. Date:
Name:Address:City: State: Zip:
Please send ______ Catalog(s) for the 42nd International Antique Tool Auction on April 6, 2013. $28 US & Canada. $34 US for Overseas. Includes Prices Realized.
Order both ______ 2013 Auction Catalogs. $50 US & Canada. $60 US for Overseas. Includes Prices Realized. Visa/Mastercard No. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
42nd International Antique Tool Sale & Auction
April 5 & 6, 2013RADISSON INN, CAMP HILL, PA
THE TOOL SALE on Friday is a tradition that has been part of the Brown Auction for more than 25 years. We anticipate about 70 dealers filling nearly 85 tables with fine tools. This show is always a hit. Open 1 PM to 6 PM on Friday, April 5, 2013. No show on Saturday. THE AUCTION on Saturday features choice selections from the collection of Chuck and Janet Wirtenson of Rome, NY. Among the many highlights: Sandusky center wheel plow plane with six ivory tips. Chaplin No. 1 low angle bench plane. Chaplin No. 2 bench plane. Stanley No. 43 Miller’s Patent plane with the hook, Chapin piggy back plow. Metfords engineers scales. Ohio center wheel plow planes. Stanley boxed items including a No. 1, 2, 2C, 9, 212, and many others. Union No 44 beading plane. Highly decorated farriers buttress. Patented planes include Traut, Bailey, Chaplin, Miller, Phillips, Rust, Mayo, Ohio, Sargent, Morris, and many others. Large selection of Stanley tools many in “Dead Mint” condition. Bed Rocks. Nicholson plow plane and many other 18th century makers. Gauges, squares, levels, and many other rare and unusual layout tools. Boxwood and ivory rules. Log rules and calipers. Chisels and slicks. Tool chests. Workbench. Advertising and point of sale items. And, as always, a good selection of high-quality box lots. Over 750 lots of outstanding tools. All offered for your consideration without reservations or reserves.LARGE ILLUSTRATED CATALOG #42 mails February 22, 2013. All tools fully described and fairly graded with estimates. Prices Realized mailed promptly after auc-tion. All items illustrated in full color. Absentee bidding available. Catalog $28.00 for US and Canada; $34.00 US$ for overseas. ORDER BOTH 2013 CATALOGS. The 42nd and the 43rd International Auctions. Still only $50 US & Canada, $60 US$ for overseas. Prices Realized promptly after auction. 43rd catalog mails in September 2013. To reserve your copy, call, write, email, or fax us today at:
Brown Tool Auctions27 Fickett Road
Pownal, ME 04069Email: [email protected]
1 (800) 248-8114 Fax (207) 688-4831
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