Boker Cutlery Story

The Boker scissor pictured are surprisingly comfortable scissor to use.  The handles permit a firm grip that gives them real stability.   They would be very useful on heavy fabric or leather. 

 The Boker Company story is a challenging and winding tale that kept reinventing its self because of the quality of the products and the flexibility of its leadership.  Even after losing its home factory and business during WWII, the company found a way to continue.  It is truly an American story with worldwide roots.

In 1837 Hermann Boker immigrated to the United States from Rhemscheld, Germany for the purpose of selling quality made cutlery from his homeland and from England.  He established the H. Boker company in New York.  In 1852 Hermann returned to Germany and left the company to his children.  The company grew, but increases in tariffs began to cut deep into the company profits.  In 1899 Carl F. Boker decided to produce cutlery in the United States and secured controlling interest in the Valley Forge Cutlery Company in Newark, New Jersey,

which had been in business since 1891.   In 1914 the Valley Forge Cutlery went into bankruptcy.  Two years later, 1916, Broker secured the company as its own, more fully developing itself as an Americanized brand.

On January 3, 1921 Boker Cutlery opened a new manufacturing plant in Hilton (Maplewood), New Jersey.  It boasted of 58,000 square feet of modern daylight design on eight and one-half acres.  The product line included clippers, pruning shears, toilet clippers, horse clippers, and barber shears. 

The Maplewood factory produced pocket knives with both the Boker USA and Valley Forge markings until 1950, when the Valley Forge brand was dropped. In  1948 Boker bought the Solid Steel Scissors Company located in Ft. Smith, Arkansas to nullify  competition over government contracts  and shared customer basis.  In 1965 the Boker Company merged with the New Britain Machine Company, which merged with Litton Industries.  Then in  1969/70 the Boker Company was purchased by the J. Wiss & Company, makers of scissors. The Wiss Company was sold to the Cooper Industries in 1969.  After the New Jersey plant was closed, knives were made in Apex, North Carolina until 1984, at which time they were production was discontinued. In 1986  the Broker division became a part of the Broker  Company of Germany.  Boker Cutlery USA in Denver, Colorado became - and still is - the importer for the German company.  The marking for the Boker brand is the famous tree symbol.    

One of my favorite Boker is the "Daniel Fisherman" scissor which has all kinds of  features designed into it.  There is the fish hook remover, bottle opener, fish scaler, serrated, screw cap opener, nut cracker, hammer, screw driver, and plier!   




The traditional fabric scissors made by Boker are among the best.  They are quality made, easy to keep sharp, and comfortable to use.

Some of the most charming Boker's that I have in my collection are two children's scissors. 

Then, there are the tool type of scissors.

The Boker company is truly a world-wide company because the "Boeker"  family spread out from Germany and ended up in areas of the globe that offered opportunity to expand their business and ply their trade.  They kept an important brand going, even though they faced challenges that would sink most companies.  It was because they always made top quality products.  While they are known mostly for their knives, they created a variety of great products.  Quality in workmanship never goes out of style.

Information gathered from:
  Goins' Encyclopedia of Cutlery Markings
  American Scissors and Shears, by Philip R. Pankiewiez
  The Boker USA web site, history
  Blade form discussion
  American Cutlery book by Google
  Various other web sources

Valley Forge Cutlery Company

Valley Forge, in Pennsylvania, was the site of a military camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777-1778.  It was a hard winter but the early Americans reflected what was to come in the American spirit.  It was in that American spirit that the Valley Forge Cutlery Company was begun.

In 1892 Edward Grafmueller headed up the new cutlery company in Newark, New Jersey.  The idea was to make American cutlery products of high quality, along with featuring some imported products of equal quality.  The pictured collection of scissors reflect the successful accomplishment of that goal.  I have four different kinds of scissors from this company, each one has a particular function. 



The first is a beautiful 9 inch fabric or paper scissor.  It has long blades with carefully carved gold handles.  The sleek look is almost sword like.  It would have made an eye catching decorator item on a side table in an early American home or on the desk of an well established business man.  The length of the blade permits an extra-long straight cut. 

A closer look at the decorated handles reveals careful attention to detail.  Art and craftsmanship combined to make this an attractive tool. 

The barber scissor made by Valley Forge is also a work of art.  The handles are hammered steel that glistens like diamonds.  If you look closely at the handles you will be reminded of the work of Carl Monkhouse, who we will feature later.  Such a stately tool would give any barber more confidence and his customer a better haircut!

 

The red handle kitchen shear was a very functional tool for the American homemaker.  It includes a bottle opener on one side of the handle.  There are teeth cut into the inner handle that becomes a grip for unscrewing tight lids.  A flat place on the outside of the handle works as a hammer, perhaps to crack a hard nut or to gently tap the edge of an canning jar lid to loosen it, revealing some of last years garden produce which will end up on the evening dinner table.

 On one of the blades are groves that would hold whatever the homemaker was cutting up while the cutting blade could be closed resulting in a clean cut.  Unlike modern Kitchen Shears, this one would not come apart easily for cleaning, but then there were no automatic dishwashers with a utensil tray!


The small scissor is a fabric or thread cutter.  Even though it is small it is well made.  This was not a "throw-a-way" item.  It could be sharpened and used for years.  In fact, it still can be used.  There was pride in craftsmanship that was personal in early America.  Not only was it evident in the production of working tools, but also in those who used the tools for their work.  Homemaking was a full time and demanding job.  Many, if not most, homemakers were equally skilled at their craft.  They could, for example, take last years clothing and turn it into a quilt that would keep one warm on a cold winter night and become a work of art as well.  These small scissors had a big job to do.  They had to be well made.

In 1914, after thirty two years of providing quality products, Valley Forge went into involuntary bankruptcy.  Two years later, in 1916,  they were purchased by the Broker company who wanted an American brand for their knife business.




Sources:
American Scissors by Philip R. Pankiewiez
Goins' Encyclopedia of Cutlery Markings
Wikipeda

Daniel G. Chase

 

 

 

 

What does this pair of strange looking scissors and this candy have in common?

Daniel G. Chase was born on May 2, 1819. He was, among other things, an inventor.   Daniel came from a family of inventors.  He developed a tool called a “Shank-laster” which would make it easier for a shoemaker to pull the leather over a last – a wooden foot form that was used to shape the boot or shoe.  The paten was registered in November of 1859. You can see the actual patent on the right.

 

His talent of inventing also included the strange looking scissor pictured above.  If you look closely at the end of the scissor you will see that there is a round jagged object on one point and a razor blade like cutter on the other point.  This is a buttonhole cutter. The round point turns so you can adjust the length of the button hole and then bring the two points together cutting the fabric with the blade point.

The pivot part of the scissor reads, “D. G. Chase, Pat. Dec. 30, (18)69.  I have not been able to locate a copy of his patent with the patent office yet.  Perhaps it never got filed!  But that did not stop the production of this interesting little tool.  In 1872 he invented an “improvement in curtain-fixtures” with the registered  patent number 127,565.  Daniel Chase’s inventive talent did not stop with these useful hand tools and improvements.   Remember, he came from a creative and industrious family.  

Daniel had two brothers named Oliver and Silas.  Oliver had a pharmacy which in those days would use a lot of sugar to enhance the taste of medicine.  As part of his business he make lozenges from gum Arabic, peppermint and brown sugar.   In order to expedite his production in 1847 he invented the very first candy manufacturing machine in the United States.  It was called a Lozenge Cutter.  Then in 1850 Oliver invented a machine that would pulverize sugar. His candy business began to grow rapidly. He enlisted his brother, Silas joined him in this new candy manufacturing enterprise.  The two brothers formed the “Chase and Company”, which later became the New England Confectionery Company, or NECCO Wafer.

It is said that Admiral Byrd took some of the Wafers to the South Pole and during the WWII the U.S. Government bought most of the company’s production for the troops. The company is still in operation today and may be the longest operating candy company in the country. I just bought my very own roll of candy wafers at the Cracker Barrel to enjoy!

  

Daniel G. Chase joined his brothers in their candy company.  According to the company history web page he invented the method of printing on candy hearts, which has become a standard during February’s Valentine season. Daniel became the head of the western division of the company in Chicago.  That part of the company was lost in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.  He returned to Boston where the company continued until it moved to its new nearby location. 

 

 

E. R. Leighton - Seam-ripper

E. R. Leighton - Seam-ripper 1900

Eugene Leighton was an inventor who lived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1899.  He was a creative gentleman who sought to improve the lives of people with simple, yet effective improvements.  One

of the designs he created was called a “Couch-Bed” which he secured a patent on in February of 1901.  It was similar to a day-bed which would pull out to make a full size bed. When one considers how small many of the bedrooms were in houses at the turn of the century, this invention could increase the daytime livable floor space. 

His skills were also used to create the pictured “seam-ripper” which he Patent in May of 1900.  The unique and strange design of this small scissor was created to lift the thread up with the pointed blade.  The long round handle could be held using three fingers to grip the tool in the palm of the hand and stabilize the forward motion.  After the seam was raised from the fabric, without any damage to the fabric, the index finger could be used to bring the cutting blade down on the thread. 

I don’t think that the issue was that seamstress made a lot of mistakes in the early 1900’s, rather they were thrifty and repurposed fabric.  This would make such a task quicker and easier to accomplish.  I am sure that the strange design of this little tool would become a conversation focus as well.   The bone like material of the round long handle was possibly browed from knife makers who decorated their knife handles with similar materials.  

Below is a copy of the patent design registered with the U.S. Patent office.  It shows how creative minds work!   U.S. Patent 649 939.

 

 

 

 

Hook & Scissor Club

My collection:  I discovered this 1945 lapel pin on eBay.  Immediately I started wondering what relationship to scissors and an American story this might hold.  After much searching I uncovered a delightful story of creative leadership and strong community building.  Here is the story.

Hook & Scissor Club – Where it originated.

In the 1880’ Ferdinand Thun and Henry Janssen moved from Germany to the United States to carve out new careers.  They were introduced to each other by a mutual friend, Max Mittendorf.  After they became aquainted, they purposed to work together on a project of build a braiding machinery which would compete with German manufacturers.

On July 5, 1892 the two friends opened the Textile Machine Works in Reading, PA. which was located at  222 Cedar Street.  Four years later Thun and Jannsen  needed a larger building so they built one in  Wyomissing, Pennsylvania.   As the company grew two new company were started.  They were the Berkshire Knitting Mills and the Narrow Fabric Company. The manufactured fashioned hosiery and narrow fabric goods like lace.  In 1927 an employee training program was started with Penn State furnishing the instructors.  It became known as the Wyomissing Polytechnic Institute.   

Major changes took place in the narrow fabric industry so in 1958 the company offered to Penn State University the training centers property and it became part of the University Center in Wyomissing.  The schools web site has additional information on this wonderful cooperative effort of early industry and educational institutions. 

Hook & Scissor Club – Building a team spirit at work.   

 A fun news article in the July 25, 1928 “Reading Eagle’ newspaper tells a story of creative team building by company leadership. Using tools that were used in the making of their products - hooks and scissors, - they created a team building organization.  It reads in part, “Members of the Hook and Scissors Club of the Narrow Fabric Company held their third annual outing at Boone’s grove, along the Tulpehocken Creek.  Games and refreshments were enjoyed by the members.  Music and entertainment were furnished by the club’s quartet and the Miller Harmonica Band.  The singing was led by the club’s song leader, John Sensenig.  The speaker of the day was Thomas Stoudt, who addressed the meeting on “Better Americans for America.”

The story continues, “The games resulted as follows: Baseball, the Hooks defeated the Scissors, score 4 to 3.”  It was clear that the “Hooks” were more athletic than the scissors because they also won the tug-of-war!  The article concludes with, “The club will hold its annual election of officers for the coming year at its next monthly meeting.” 

A 1961 notice in the “Reading Eagle” reminds us how important it was be belong to this company group.  It also is a reminder of the valuable gift of talent and leadership that immigrants have enriched America with.  It reads, “Egidio Cataldi, 74, of 236 S. 3^rd St., died yesterday in the Reading Hospital.  Born in Italy … Cataldi had been employed by the Narrow Fabric Co. for 15 years prior to his retirement. He was a member of Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church, and the Narrow Fabric Hook and Scissors." 

From this simple lapel pin and the story it tells, we can see how important the job, skills, and community was.  America is build on people who dream big dreams, do simple tasks well, believe in what they do and in those they work along side of.

R. Heinisch

Scissors of R. Heinisch

Rochus  Heinisch, is the American story of an immigrant who, in 1825,  left his home in Leutmeritz, Bohemia (Austria) and immigrated to Brooklyn, New York.  There he started a business of making surgical instruments.  Soon after he moved to Elizabeth, New Jersey and in 1835 to Newark.  He enlarged his cutlery business making scissors and even knives.  He had three sons who worked with him in the business.  A fourth son joined them after serving in the New Jersey volunteer regiment during the Civil War.  After that the company was known as Heinisch’s Sons Company.  For a short time Jacop Wiss, of later Wiss scissors, worked for the Heinisch Company.  The Heinisch’s Sons Company ceased production in 1914.  Wiss purchased the manufacturing plant and became the largest scissor company at the time. 1

 

My personal collection includes the above four scissors.  The one that first caught my attention was the older large tailor shears with the unique thumb rest.  This pair is one of the most comfortable working shears.  They are made of a combination of iron and steel.  Even today they work well.  The brass pivot is stamped with the R. Heinisch as the inventor.  

 

The sense of pride of workmanship is seen in Mr. Heinisch’s willingness to put his own name on the shear and note himself as the inventor.  This act also speaks to a time when individuals saw their work as a contribution to the welfare of others.  As I worked with this pair of shears and felt their smooth movement I could almost feel the pride of its inventor.  The power that the handle’s design facilitated sends confidence the operator.  The quality of this kind of tool enables the craftsman’s skill. 

  The following pair of Heinisch scissors measures more than twelve inches.  It was to the early tailor what the cutting wheel is today.  The length of the blades enables a longer straight cut so the workman can accomplish more in a shorter time.    The look is almost knife like and a little intimidating.

 

 In the picture below you can see how the scissor designs changed over time.  The earlier tools appear to have been made for the professional tailor whereas the later scissors appear to be designed for more domestic use.  The R. Heinisch Company was versatile and developed cutlery during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.  Their cutlery products have stood the test of time and even today some are still in use.  They are desirable to collectors of early American cutlery for both their unique designs and their place in the American story. 

1.        A great source for collectors of American scissors of this time frame is a recently published book by Phillip R. Pankiewiez, American Scissors and Shears, published by Universal-Publishers, Boca Raton.  Also, Goins cutlery book has extensive information about knives, many of whom made scissors as well.   In addition there are additional sources on the web, if you are willing to work for them.