a lavish palace where theGovernor would entertainimportant guests. It is outfittedwith many actual antique fur-nishings of the time and hadbeautiful gardens to strollaround. As you enter the palacethe first sight is the armsarrangement in the front hall.The Palace hosted the colony’sfashionable society and finestentertainments. The capital ofVirginia was moved toRichmond but not before thefirst two American governorsresided in this palace: Patrick

Henry and Thomas Jefferson. After leaving the palace we strolled down the center

of town thru the Palace Green. Off this green I saw theGeddy Gunsmith & Foundry shop and stopped in. As Iwalked in I immediately noticed the large riflingmachine in front of us and above it was a rack of beau-tiful flintlock long guns. It was a small shop with twocraftsmen working, demonstrating the craft of gun-smithing. They are surrounded by tools hanging in theirracks, on shelves, and from pegs. The craftsmen com-bined their fabrication talents with a mission to educate

• • • A Journal of Tool Collecting published by CRAFTS of New Jersey • • •

ContentsA Trip to Williamsburg by Bob Garay 1President’s Corner 2April Meeting by Dave Nowicki 3Charles H. Amidon-Part 2 Off to Buffalo by Randy Roeder 4Kean Kuttins by Herb Kean 10Tool Events and Want Ads 12

� � CRAFTS PICNIC � � September 11, 2011 - 9AMBrady Camp, Pottstown, NJ

� � � � NEXT MEETING � � � �November 6, 2011 –1PM

HOST Masonic Lodge, Highbridge, NJ

Please mark your calendar

NUMBER 164 JUNE 2011

A TRIP TO COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURGThe Largest Living History Museum

By Bob Garay

Continued on page 6

This past fall I took a shortvacation with my wife toWilliamsburg. I had been

there once before back in 1975,but that was in my pre-tool col-lecting days. Even so I remem-bered it as something specialwith little shops and bustlingcrowds gathering around activi-ties going on during the day.This time was going to be quitedifferent. Fellow tool collectorHank Allen had given me thename and number of CRAFTSmember and former EAIAPresident Jay Gaynor, who isdirector of Historic Trades at Williamsburg. I called Jay andhe agreed to meet me one day to show me around. Weentered Williamsburg along the picturesque ColonialParkway that was a kaleidoscope of color. We started off inthe visitor’s center watching an informative movie about thehistory of Williamsburg, which was a perfect introduction toour visit. We caught the shuttle bus to the town center andstarted our self guided tour.

We started at the Governor’s palace. Williamsburg wasthe capital of pre-revolution Virginia and the EnglishGovernor and his family built this mansion to reflect theirEnglish civility here in the primitive Virginia setting. It was

The only way to tour Williamsburg is a carriage ride.

Collectors of Rare andFamiliar Tools Societyof New JerseyPresident BOB GARAY, Hopatcong, NJ

e-mail, takeadip@optonline.netVice President DON KAHN, Hackensack, NJSecretary ANNETTE VLIET, Danielsville, PATreasurer HANK ALLEN, Glen Rock, NJ

The purpose of CRAFTS of New Jersey is to encourageinterest in early trades and industries, and in the iden-tification, study, preservation and exhibition of toolsand implements used and made in New Jersey as anintegral part of our heritage.

Membership in CRAFTS is open to anyone who sharesthe above interests. Annual dues per person or coupleare fifteen dollars for the membership year of July 1through June 30. Membership fees may be sent to:Hank Allen, 524 Harristown Road, glen Rock, NJ07452 (write check payable to CRAFTS of New Jersey).

CRAFTS of NJ meetings are held at the HOST MasonicLodge in High Bridge, N.J.

Take 1-78 to Route 31 exit at Clinton. Go north onRoute 31, two miles to second traffic light at the HighBridge exit. Turn right and go about half a mile toDennis Avenue. Turn left, then straight to the MasonicLodge (on the left).

Tailgate sales in the parking lot begin at 10 A.M.,meeting starts at 1 P.M.

THE TOOL SHEDPublished four times a year for members of CRAFTSof New Jersey. Editor: Don Kahn, 185 ProspectAvenue, Hackensack, NJ 07601e-mail- ddak@optonline.net

Articles, especially about early tools and trades, areencouraged and may be sent to the Editor.

CRAFTS WEBSITEwww.craftsofnj.orgContaining general information about CRAFTSand its activities including: meeting schedules,Tool Shed articles, etc.

President’s Corner

It has been a really busy spring. It started with the CRAFTS Auctionwhere I set up for tailgating. I have been selling at many eventsthis spring which is a lot of work. But meeting the people interest-

ed in old tools is the fun part. I met many CRAFTS members at theseevents and introduced CRAFTS to many interested collectors. I think itwill settle down now for the hot days of summer.

Speaking of the CRAFTS Auction, if you did not attend you missedone of the finest auctions we have had in a long time. It started earlywith tailgaters spreading all the way to the upper parking lot. Whenthe auction started it was standing room only. Tools sold rapidly andwe wrapped-up selling 500 lots by 2:00. As this is an all volunteerevent it is amazing how smooth it all runs. This is due in large part tothe experience of Steve Zluky and Greg Walsh, our auction managers.Of course the networking and accounting table is run efficiently byJames Travis, Dave Nowicki, Hank Allen and Annette Vliet.Organization and timing is important to keep it all running smoothand this is attributed to our tireless group of runners spearheaded byEd Mudgno and George Duin. There were many more runners whodelivered tools without a break and I thank them all. Of course thanksgo out to Dennis Auctions and the Oldwick Fire House for hosting usand providing food.

We are now making plans for the CRAFTS picnic Sept.11. Wewill start with our tail-gate sales offering a wide assortment ofantique tools. Dealers come from as far away as Maine to sell, sostop by early for some great deals. We are also planning on havinga historical trade demonstration like last years Cobbler presenta-tion. This will be a spot of interest to break up the tool hunting.Think about setting up a display inside, as this is a great way to letothers see what great tools you have. These displays can rangefrom one tool to fifty tools. We have displays of the “Most BeautifulTool”, the “Ugliest Tool”, the “Most Unusual Tool” and the “MakeDo” Tool or “Repair” Of course the “Whatsit” table offers a lot offun at the end of the meeting. It is your participation at this eventthat makes it a good picnic with friends, so participate. You will bereceiving the picnic flyer this summer.

Stew May is gearing up for our membership renewal drive the endof this month. You will receive a mailing and your quick payment isappreciated. The $15 membership fee is a great deal and we workhard to keep this membership fee low. It has not gone up in the fifteenyears I have been a member! A great idea is to buy a second member-ship for a friend or relative as a gift. It is something they will appreci-ate and then you will have a friend to drive with to our events. As thisis a club of friends who are interested in vintage tools your friendsquickly become our friends. Especially important is to get youngerpersons involved, as often they have not been exposed to these toolsbefore. As the world has changed, the schools do not have “Shop” andmany homes do not have a “shop” area any more. The days ofGrandpa’s basement shop are fast disappearing. CRAFTS can be eyeopening for younger members who have never seen these vintagetools before.

Enjoy the summer, Bob

New MembersJohn Esposito Jr Mount Bethel, PAJake Gardner Carrboro, NCRobert Gerrits E. Windsor, NJWalter Hunter West Windsor, NJJoseph Kays Piscataway, NJKevin Matthews Freehold, NJWylie McVay Bloomsbury, NJAnton Pecha III Randolph, NJRichard Smith Staten Island, NYEthan Stemmer Basking Ridge, NJMike Stemple Jasper, MIGeorge Vasu New fairfield, CT

The Tool Shed June 20112

The Tool Shed June 20113

Do you know what a cordwainer is? I didn’t either until MarcBenedict began his presentation at our April meeting. Acordwainer is a shoemaker. How about this: I thought acobbler was a shoemaker but I was wrong. According toMarc, a cobbler can’t make a pair of shoes because he wasnot trained in the craft of the shoemaker and doesn’t knowhow to make them; he only knows how to repair them.These are but two of the many questions that were askedand answered by our speaker during his presentation, enti-tled Cordwaining 101. Marc portrays the craftsmanship ofa 19th century shoemaker and told us that his study ofshoemaking began when he was working for a man whowas making leather items for reenactors.

Shoemaking has a rich history in southeasternPennsylvania and shoemaking tools arereadily available in the antique shopsand flea markets, mostly because noone knows what they are used for.The tools needed to make shoesare very simple but the variety isoverwhelming due to an industrywhere every inventor or manufacturerwanted the patent rights for their particular tool.Marc’s pieces are sold as soon as they are finished.He sold his first pair of shoes to a museum. For hispresentation he brought with him the only pair ofshoes that he had, which were, in fact, the first pairhe made for himself.

According to Marc, it is a well known “fact” thatpeople from the 18th and early 19th century were small-er and subsequently had very small feet. This is one ofthose, so called, “facts” that has absolutely no basis inhistory. Just as today, back then people came in allshapes and sizes and so did their feet. From the 17thcentury through the 18th century shoes were made “onthe straight”, meaning that the last was straight and notcurved, because there was no distinction made betweenthe right and left foot.

All shoemaking begins with a last. A last is the wood-en form upon which a shoe is constructed. The earliestlasts were hand carved. The very first last-making

machines could not make asymmetrical forms. Since theshoemaker did not make his own lasts, when he needed onehe went to the last maker, and relied on them to make what-ever forms he needed. The shoemaker also did not make theheels for his shoes, that was the job of the heel maker, justas his leather came from the tanner. Each trade had theirown secrets of manufacture. But the shoemaker did havethe ability to take what items he could not manufacturefrom other trades and turn them into a pair of shoes.

When asked about making a pair of boots, Marc told usthat it is much harder than making a pair of shoesbecause fitting the calf is extremely critical to the overall

comfort of the wearer. Marc once made apair of boots and said he would neverdo it again. Too tedious!

Marc is primarily self taught andgained his knowledge through books,

magazine articles and talking to othershoemakers, very much the same way

that we all learned about collecting tools.Apprentices learned their craft of a

period of 5 to 7 years. InEurope, the Guilds con-

trolled the shoemakingcraft. Each country inEurope had their ownway of making shoesand there was verylittle variation withineach country.Without a Guildsystem, no one

controlled thes h o e m a k i n gindustry in

America andshoes were being

made by individuals comingfrom Europe with their variedshoemaking knowledge whichwas ultimately blended togeth-er over time.

During the 18th centuryshoes were custom made foreach customer. The shoemakermade each pair on order andthere were almost no ready-made shoes waiting for a cus-tomer, with the exception oflarge cities like Philadelphia,

April 2011 meeting by Dave Nowicki

Continued on page 8

Speaker:

MARC BENEDICTPeriod Shoe Maker

featuring a pair of short, springless jaws that were designedto be “simple, cheap and durable.” The 1880 chuck, inex-pensive to manufacture and elegant in its simplicity, wouldremain in production until the mid-1890s. An 1883 ratchetbrace that used a single disk-type pawl to control the direc-tion of the tool’s rotation was not as successful.(Comparatively few have survived.) Amidon’s partnershipwith Saxton lasted five years.

Amidon’s 1883 ratchet patent On August 28, 1883, Charles H. Amidon was awardedUnited States Letters Patent No. 283,844 for a ratchetingbit stock with a disk-shaped pawl. Although the use of abeveled edge, disk-type pawl was not new to Amidon’sdesign, his idea was considered novel in that the disk pivotson a center pin held captive by a clevis that slides back andforth within a slot. As the spring-loaded disk is rotated, theangles of its beveled edges control the direction in whichthe brace’s ratchet wheel is allowed to revolve. The similar-ity of Amidon’s idea to an earlier design (Pflegar, 1876) mayexplain the two and one-half year wait between his applica-tion and the award of the patent. It could be that the inven-tor needed a fair amount of time to convince the PatentOffice of the originality of his creation.

Last issue we followed Charles Amidon as he startedup a business with Levi Gunn while working at theGreenfield Tool Co. Due chiefly to the Barbers patent

brace they did so well they took on capitalists partners andformed the Miller Falls Tool Company. Amidon’s profitableBarbers improved patent brace allowed the company to behighly successful. Yet Amidon left this company to start uphis own business. By 1876 he had fully exhausted hisresources in failed manufacturing ventures. It seemed itwas time to move on, as he was an inventive mind he lookedto a past business partner for his next undertaking

E.R. Saxton had done well since his departure fromGunn, Amidon & Saxton a decade earlier. He had become apartner in the Buffalo Forge Company, a steam forge found-ed by Henry Childs in 1863 that specialized in the manufac-ture of axles for rail cars and heavy duty shafting. Interestedin the workings of his new hometown, Elijah Saxton becameactive in Republican Party politics and was elected alder-man for Buffalo’s Second Ward. His decision to purchase theequipment of the Amidon Bit Brace Co. factory was madewith an eye to setting up an operation for the manufactureof small items for the hardware trade in Buffalo. TheGreenfield newspaper reported that Saxton intended tomanage the operation himself and to take on “an experi-enced mechanic from the East to oversee the workmen.”The article made no mention of a role for Charles Amidon.

Two months after the sale, Charles Amidon assigned halfof his patent for a brace wrench to Elijah Saxton. On March

19, 1878, he assigned Saxton half interest in a thumb screwbit brace he had developed. The men became partners andset up shop at 31 Lloyd Street in Buffalo. It is not unreason-able to suppose that the interest in the patents formed asubstantial part of the bankrupt Amidon’s buy in. The rela-tive strength of the men’s positions in the firm is evidencedby the name of the enterprise—Saxton & Amidon, ratherthan Amidon & Saxton. On April 20, 1880, Amidon wasissued United State Letters Patent No. 226,646 for a chuck

The Tool Shed June 20114

Charles Amidon-Part2Off to BuffaloBy Randy Roeder © 2011

Amidon’s 1878 patent thumb screw churck.

Amidon’s 1880 patent short jaws chuck brace.

Amidon’s 1883 patent disk ratchet brace.

The Tool Shed June 20115

In October 1883, Charles Amidon partnered withAnsley D. White to set up a factory at 135 Main Street inBuffalo. The Amidon & White shop initially occupied twofloors of the building with each floor measuring thirty-fiveby 150 feet. Once up and running, the operationemployed forty to fifty workers who collectively earnedanywhere from $300 to $350 each week and who manu-factured $100,000 worth of goods per year. Since Amidonhad retained the rights to his post-1877 braces, the oper-ation sold a spring-loaded variation of his 1878 thumbscrew bit brace and a series of braces featuring his 1880chuck. The company named the thumb screw model theUniversal Brace, and the 1880 chuck was featured onboth ratcheting and non-ratcheting models.

In 1884, Amidon developed and patented a corner bracethat would set the standard for the appearance of this typeof tool. The basic design of the tool—an L-shaped framewith an angled crank that resembles a standard bit brace—became the predominant pattern for most of the cornerbraces manufactured in the twentieth century. It wasdescribed as “being indispensable to carpenters, bell-hang-ers and plumbers” and “the only practical tool for boring incorners and close to walls.”

Amidon’s Corner BraceCharles Amidon patented a corner brace while in partner-ship with Ansley White. The chuck on the example seenabove is marked “Amidon’s Pat. May 13, 1884.Manufactured by Amidon & White, 135 & 137 Main St.Buffalo, N.Y.” Amidon’s patent (No. 298,542) madeallowances for both universal joint and geared linkages. Thebrace seen here features a universal joint.

Far less successful was the odd-looking chuck Amidondesigned later that year. Featuring oversized wing-typejaws with hemispherical inserts, the tool was clumsy, diffi-cult to adjust and expensive to manufacture. Much wasmade of its ability to handle bits in a variety of shapes andtapers, but the tool never caught on.

Although Charles Amidon lost the rights to his BarberImproved Brace when he left the Millers Falls Company,nineteenth century attitudes toward deliberately confusingadvertising were fairly relaxed, and Amidon & White felt lit-

tle compunction in marketing a product with the misleadingname “Barker Improved Brace.” The Barker Improved wasoffered for at least a half dozen years, and there is no indi-cation that the business was ever enjoined from using thename. At one time or another, Amidon & White marketed aratchet brace referred to as “The Eclipse”, a corner breastdrill, and lathe chucks. The partners maintained a sidelinein gold, silver, nickel and copper plating.

When Amidon and White parted company in 1887,Ansley White moved on to become active in the AmericanBit Brace Company. Charles Amidon went into businesswith Walter Bastedo at 1451 Niagara Street (Amidon &Bastedo 1887-1892). Amidon & Bastedo continued offeringthe Eclipse model, the Barker Improved Brace, Amidon’sthe corner brace and braces featuring the 1880 patentchuck. In 1894, Amidon affiliated with Charles Dumont tobecome part of the Amidon Tool Corporation, a firm thatwas located at the Niagara Street address. Amidon toolemployed twenty-five hands, a number that included fiveshop boys under the age of sixteen.Although it continued tobe listed in various business directories as late as 1901,Amidon Tool was formally dissolved in 1898. The primaryfocus of these latter businesses involved the fabrication ofbit braces, but other products were offered as well. Amidon& Bastedo is on record as providing nickel plating services;

Continued on page 11

Corner brace unlversal joint.

AMidon’s 1884 patent corner brace.

Amidon’s 1884 patented wing nut chuck

visitors. It was an actual shopsetting as it would have beenin the 1770’s. I was amazed atall the different skills thatwent into gunsmithing and theprimitiveness of what they hadto work with. Yet the finishedproduct was a piece of beauty.Making a gun barrel and aflintlock requires the ability tohand forge iron and steel intoshape. The pieces of a lock arefiled and fitted together thenhardened and tempered forwear resistance. The stock is made from maple, walnutor cherry. The same tools any woodworker would useare used to inlay the metal parts into the stock andshape the stock to final size. Firearms are usually dec-orated with relief carving on the stock and engraving on

the metal surfaces. The gun-smith also has to cast metalssuch as brass, bronze and silverto form the butt plate, triggerguard and side plate. It is amaz-ing to see the technical complex-ity accomplished by these crafts-men. As the gunsmith explains;“Probably, the most importantthing I’ve learned is that preci-sion work is possible with hand-tool technology. For example,using equipment we have here,I’ve been able to ream the bar-rels so their interior diameters

differ by only 0.0005 ofan inch.” The shop alsomade a boring machineand a rifling machine togroove the barrels tohigh quality standards.I was very impressedand delighted to handlethe rifles.

We walked a little fur-ther down the Palace

Green and we were at the center of Williamsburg’s mainthoroughfare, Duke of Gloucester Street. As we gazeddown its western tree-lined length we could make out thehazy outlines of The College of William and Mary at the farend of the street. Established in 1693 by royal charter, it isAmerica’s second oldest college. To the far eastern end of

The Tool Shed June 20116

the street is Williamsburg’s Capital building. Our next stopwas at the Lumber House. It is here that you make a reser-vation for a carriage ride to tour the town. We also stoppedin to meet Jay Gaynor as he was going to take us around tosome of the different shops and explain some of the behind

the scenes workings ofWilliamsburg. We were luckythat Jay could spare some timefrom his busy schedule and bothDonna and I came away fromthe experience with a muchdeeper appreciation of the workdone here due to his kind efforts.

The blacksmith shop is set alittle off the main road but I couldsmell the furnace burning andsoon I heard the ringing of theanvil. James Anderson’s black-smith shop had seven forges and

was the largest and most successful blacksmith shop in thearea. He was appointed the public armorer in 1766 and wasresponsible for keeping arms at the Powder Magazinerepaired, and for the ironwork needed by theContinental Army duringthe American Revolution.Anderson employed jour-neyman gunsmiths andblacksmiths, and he alsoemployed nail makersand up to 9 apprenticesat one time. With 7 fireslit, this was a very busyblacksmith shop. Theseblacksmiths also made and repaired hinges, householdgoods, farm implements, tools, and locks.

What I learned from Jay is that one of their primary mis-sions is to research and accurately portray the buildingsand trade work of the time. Like many of the original build-ings in Williamsburg, the original Anderson’s blacksmith

shop had long sinced i s a p p e a r e d .Archeologists andarchitectural histori-ans reconstructed theAnderson shop afterstudying the excava-tion of the originalworkshop site. TheAnderson blacksmithshop today at ColonialWilliamsburg is a

reconstruction of that original shop. After careful study,local craftsmen reconstructed not only the building, but theforges to resemble what actually existed in the originalworkshop. As I entered the blacksmith shop they had a long

A Trip to ColonialWilliamsburgContinued from page 1

Williamsburg Governor’s Palace.

Gunsmith working at vise

Anvil with ladle mold in side.

Gun barrel showing hand forging

Blacksmith shop with blacksmiths at forges.

The Tool Shed June 20117

counter displaying thedifferent products theymanufactured there forvisitors to pickup andstudy. Along the wallsthere were work bench-es sitting under largewindows supplying plen-ty of light. In the middleof the shop was thework area with large firehearths with massive bellows. The anvils are close by withthe blacksmith’s post vise attached to heavy timbers setdeep in the ground for sturdiness. As one of the blacksmithsdescribed the work to the visitors another blacksmith wasbusy at work making a tool for use at another shop in thevillage. As I talked to the blacksmiths and took pictures ofthe shop and tools I realized my wife had left. I went outsideto find her sitting under a shade tree on a bench enjoyingthe beautiful surroundings. I could have stayed at this shopfor a couple of more hours but I could see that we neededto move on in our tour.

There are many shops and taverns along this street and itwas quite busy. We stopped at the Printing Office & Bindery. Itis around the back and in a basement-like room under the postoffice. This building was the central hub of communication for

18th century Williamsburg.Here tradesmen used handpresses to print copies ofWilliamsburg’s 18th-centurynewspaper. In 1730, printerand publisher William Parksopened this printing officeand his successors main-tained the business at thissite from 1746 to the springof 1780. Some of their prod-ucts included almanacs, actsof the Assembly, handbills,

pamphlets, Virginia Gazettes and tickets. As I watched the pres-entation I thought about how this printing office would play akey role in spreading news and information that influenced thechoices Virginians made during the Revolutionary years.

Duke of Gloucester Street has many fine taverns and aswe walked down the street the smells of southern cookingwet my appetite for some lunch. We stopped into the KingsArms Tavern and got seated right away in a small roomupstairs. We enjoyed some southern style soup and sand-wiches but for desert the bread pudding was absolutelydelicious. As we left the tavern there was a lot of commo-tion in front of the Tavern. They were saying that BenedictArnold was coming to speak to the town about theRevolution. We followed the crowd down the street to theCapitol. Here a large group of tourists gathered for a reen-actment of the speech of Benedict Arnold, who took overthe town of Williamsburg for two days after his betrayal to

the Revolution when he joined theBritish forces. The reenactment waspleasantly realistic and educational.As the audience actually grew hostileto Arnold due to his reputation as atraitor to the American cause for free-dom. At Williamsburg it is easy to getcaught up in the times of this period.

As we walked back to the center oftown there was one shop that washigh on my must visit list – Hays

Cabinetmaker’s shop. Nestled back in a shady quiet area ofthe town Hays Cabinet shop is a keystone for knowledgeand mastery of the cabinetmaker’s art, preserving eigh-teenth-century skills. The shop is filled with workbenches

and tools, many thatare represented in myantique tool collec-tion. As you enter theshop a cabinetmakergreets you and pres-ents samples of furni-ture made in theshop. But I wanted tosee the shop itselfwhere shavings litterthe floor and antique

tools hang on the walls. As you enter the shop sunshinestreams through large windows as the cabinetmakers arebusy working on projects. As I talked to Mack Headley, theshop’s master cabinetmaker, I discovered that the toolsthey were using were reproductions of 18th century toolsmade here in Williamsburg. Because of the nature of their

work they did not want to use actual 18th century tools asthey were historically valuable. Thus they studied the toolsin their archives and made historically correct copies to usein the shop. It was amazing the fine craftsmanship anddetail they produced using these hand tools. As I wasallowed to browse the work area I explored the details of adesk they were making and a cabinet maker’s tool chest. Itwas very evident I was in a shop of all master woodwork-ers. I thought to myself what skill these woodworkers hadto not only produce such masterpieces but to also under-stand and instruct visitors on their historical nature.

Saw made at Williamsburg.Cabinetmaker working on a chair.

Printer printing handbill on an 18th century press

Hay’s Cabinetmaking workshop with workbench.

Many historical reenactments take place during the day.

Continued on page 9

The Tool Shed June 20118

were made on it. As a customer, you also had options to getthe best shoe possible. Depending on your financial status,you could have a shoe last custom made for yourself by alast maker and then take that last to the shoemaker to havehim make a pair of shoes that would fit you. The shoemak-er could not possibly be expected have in his possession allof the lasts that were required to fit all of his customers,there were just too many variations. Leather could also besupplied by the customer and along with the last and pre-sented to the shoemaker to guarantee the size and qualityof the finished product.

Construction Details: Patterns were necessary for the quarters, the part that

covers the heel and for the vamp, the part that covers thetop of the toe. The vamp and the quarters, when sewntogether create the upper. A heel counter provides extrastrength to the heel and the vamp could also have a cap onthe inside to giveit a little morestiffness andlongevity. Sewingis accomplishedby using a singlethread with a nee-dle on each endand as the nee-dles pass throughthe same hole anoverhand knot istied. Many times the sewing was done by the women or chil-dren of the shoemaker’s household or an apprentice.Because leather wants to retain the same shape in which itleft the tannery, i.e., flat, a secret elixir is used to make theleather conform to the foot. The secret is water. Watermakes the leather very stretchy. Shoemaking is often calledthe gentle art because it was done quietly. The exception iswhen it is applied to the last which requires the use of last-ing pliers along with a lot of grunting and groaning to pullthe leather around the last and nail it down. Once it has

Baltimore and New York where there was an assembly lineapproach to manufacturing along with an abundance oflabor and material to allow a pair of shoes to sit on a rackwaiting for a customer to buy them. Itinerant shoemakerswent from town to town and farm to farm knocking indis-criminately on doors looking for customers with all of theirtools and material strapped to their backs. When someoneneeded shoes, the shoemaker was invited in and stayedwith the customer, eating and sleeping with them, for what-ever length of time was required for the shoes to be com-pleted. When finished, the shoemaker was paid, packed uphis belongings and moved on to the next town, village, farm,etc. If the population supported it, the customer wouldcome to a central location, probably a shop in which thesales and manufacturing was in the front and the shoemak-ers living quarters were in the rear. During the 18th and19th century, it was common for the whole family to beinvolved in the business, each member making shoe parts,along with an apprentice or two if the business were largeenough.

A customer’s shoe size was determined by a sizing stick.The length was determined by the length of the customer’sfoot on the stick. English sizes were fairly standard andwere measured to the third of an inch. The English inch wasthe length of three barley corns laid end to end. A half sizewas one barley corn long. Women and children’s sizes weredifferent from men’s sizes. They were always one numberlower. None of the early sizing sticks measured width of thefoot which was determined by wrapping a piece of paperaround the foot and marking or putting notches in it at var-ious points so that the shoemaker could find a last thatwould fit the customer’s size. If he didn’t have a last thatwould fit he had two options. He could carve away some ofa larger last or he could add to a smaller last by usingpieces of leather. By the middle of the eighteenth centuryshoe sizes were standardized in America. Anytime you seea last with nail holes on the bottom, you know that shoes

April 2011 MeetingContinued from page 3

Shoemaker’s hammers.

Marc Benedict’s toolbox Silversmiths workstation.

The Tool Shed June 20119

dried the leather will retain the shape of the last and thenails are removed. All of the nails used in a shoe are takenout before completion. Pliers and stabbing awls, along withand a knife and hammer are the only tools necessary, so

far. There is now agap between theupper and theinsole that has tobe filled. This isdone with odd bitsof scrap leather.

The next oper-ation is put on thewelt. A welt is apiece of leatherthat runs aroundthe exterior of the

shoe to where the heel begins. The shoemaker’s problem atthis point is: how to take three layers of leather and attachthem with one stitch? A welted shoe will have the soleattached to the bottom. If you ever needed to replace thesole you could take it off, leaving the welt which is attachedto the upper, keeping the integrity of the shoe intact, mak-ing it easy to replace. Without the welt the rigidity of theshoe would be in jeopardy and the shoe could collapse.

When making holes for stitching, a special awl with anS curve is used. During the 18th century, linen thread wasused to sew the shoe together. In order for the thread to beforced through the curved holes made by the stitching awla boar’s bristle, with the linen thread attached was just flex-ible enough to do the job. Needless to say finding boar’sbristles today is problematic. Marc was able to find a sup-ply in India but says he doesn’t know where to find themwhen his supply runs out. A shank was an odd piece of soleleather that was laid down at the waist of the shoe for sup-port. The heel is made up of pieces of compressed leatherwhich are stacked and then sewn on.

The 18th century shoe, for the average man in America,was made to be tied on; buckles were for the wealthy andthe English aristocracy. The final step was to burnish thebottom of the shoe. A little water to moisten the sole fol-lowed by rubbing a hard smooth piece of wood across itdoes the job. This does nothing for the shoe but gives it abetter appearance for the buyer. By the end of the 19th cen-tury the art of the shoemaker began to die out becausehand work was no longer required to make a shoe,machines had taken over almost all of the handwork.

Marc finished his talk with a terrific question andanswer session which included a discussion of the manytools he brought with him; there were at least a hundredspread over three eight foot tables. I think the meetingcould have gone on for another hour. Marc’s excellent por-trayal of the 19th century shoemaker provided us withanother view of how things were made prior to the indus-trial revolution and the age of machines. �

There were many more shops we visited during our stayat Williamsburg. The Wheelwrights, The Silversmiths, TheCooper, The Basketmakers, The Brickyard, and more. Ofcourse there are also many stores and historical homes tovisit and tour as well. I could easily have spent a wholeweek at the town and I think I still would not have my fill.As I traveled around the town and talked to the craftsmen Irealized that they weren’t just pretending to work. Theywere actually making products that were going to be used.The cobbler informed us that the boots he was makingwould be used by a new employee as part of his costume.All those barrels the cooper was shaping were being usedas trashcans on the side of the road. The blacksmithinformed us they had an order for 3000 nails to construct anew building in town, which he was making one by one. We

talked to a manmaking shinglesfrom a log. Hesplit the wood intoboards with anaxe, and then useda froe to split theboards into theproper shape.They were to beused to re-shinglea building in town.Many of these

craftsmen have been here for quite a while. The cabinetmaker had been here over 25 years. These people haddevoted their careers to a particular craft, the way it hadbeen done twohundred yearsago. They werenot just acting towork, but werereally doing thetrade to educatethe visitor how itwas accomplishedduring these earlytimes in America.As Jay informedus, these are living, practicing experts. Thru their experi-ences and studies they have a keen understanding of thetrades as it was lived in the 18th century. They may not havea background in academic history - most were tradesmenbefore joining the museum - and part of their duties is to acta roll in a grand play for tourists, but the ColonialWilliamsburg tradesmen show that you can in fact practicehistory. And you can do it well. �

A Trip to ColonialWilliamsburgContinued from page 7

18th Century braces from the Williamsburg collection.

Silversmiths workstation.

A few shoemaker’s knives.

Recently I had a request to corroborate on a story of the Apollo1 Fire with a magazine writer. He was trying to sensationalizethe events with some elaborate conspiracy theory. There havebeen many accounts of this terrifying incident, with some evenhinting of a cover-up. But I have never found any of this to betrue, and consequently turned him down.

Yes, I was deeply involved with the aftermath of the Fire,as I was called to Cape Canaveral (now The Kennedy SpaceCenter) immediately after it happened. I was DivisionManager for the Hermetic Switch Division of EdisonIndustries. We made the hermetic switches for the ApolloCommand Module and the Lunar Module. Only a few hoursafter the smoke cleared, one of our switches was a suspectfor the cause of the fire!

The details of my stay at Canaveral do not apply tothis column. However, the details of the Fire itself areavailable in the Congressional Record, and there is onepart of this Record that I feel DOES apply to KeanKuttins: Having the right tool in the right condition.If the technicians on Level 8 of the Apollo 1 gantry hadthe proper wrenches and gas masks, they would havegotten the hatch open much faster.

Here is the story — as told to me at Canaveral, and laterpublished in the Congressional Record:

When the previous Mercury capsule (with Gus Grissom)landed in the ocean, the explosive bolts on the hatch trig-gered accidentally and the hatch flew off. The capsule filledwith water and sank, with Grissom escaping miraculously.But he was blamed for it. Both he and the other astronautsdisputed this, and NASA decided that no matter who was atfault it would not happen again. So they redesigned thehatch, removing the explosive bolts and replacing them witha complex set of hatches that required manually spinningoff the bolts from the outside. A wrench was kept at entrylevel (Level 8) in the drawer of one of the technicians. Alsoin that drawer were gas masks in the event that smokewould hinder the removal of the bolts. —————- Sowas the plan of mice and men.

When the small handful of technicians at Level 8 knewthere was a fire, they immediately went for the wrench.Toxic smoke was pouring out from a seam break in the

The Tool Shed June 201110

Command Module, and it was necessary to use gas masks.But when the masks came out of their containers, they fellapart with age and were useless. There was no electric-power wrench on that level. The fire was spewing bits andpieces of red hot material down onto Level 7 and the techsat that level had to run for their lives and could not helptheir buddies on Level 8.

Although the escape rocket was not armed, the techs atLevel 8 didn’t know it, and they stayed — even thinking thatthe whole thing could explode at any minute. Theyworked out a plan for each man to hold his breath andremove a few bolts and then pass the wrench onto anotherman. What should have taken less than a minute, tookalmost five minutes. Everyone knew the inevitable.

But if the techs were prepared properly, they would havehad the right tool. And if they checked on a regular basis,they would have known that the gas masks were faulty.Would it have saved the lives of Grissom, White and Chafee?It was felt NOT, particularly after reading the minute-by-minute account of the toxic smoke that appeared. But it cer-tainly would have been the right thing to do, and shouldhave been a hard-and-fast procedure. There were manymonumental corrections in the days following the Fire, butit was never brought out as to the seriousness of thewrench and mask mistake. I suppose that it was just tooembarrassing for all concerned.

But as tool people, we should be concerned with themoral of this story: Whatever you are doing - Have theright tool in the right condition.

P.S. I am happy to report that Frank Borman (the astro-naut in charge of investigating the Fire) gave me my cleanrelease after the third day of accusations. The switch wasno longer a suspect. A wrench that was found jammedunder the floor boards of the Command Module was bally-hooed as the culprit. It was blamed on a worker at NorthAmerican Aviation (the prime contractor from California).But the wrench wasn’t the cause either, and it wasn’tcleared until sometime later. In the meantime, that poor guyfrom North American must have been on the verge of flyingoff to some island somewhere — as I felt, during thosethree days. �

TTHHEE RRIIGGHHTT TTOOOOLL IINN TTHHEE RRIIGGHHTT CCOONNDDIITTIIOONN

The Tool Shed June 201111

Amidon Tool Corporation manufactured hacksaw frames.Had Charles Henry Amidon remained with the Millers

Falls Mfg. Company, he would have become a wealthy man.It is ironic that the success of the firm was in large part dueto the solid foundation provided it by the enormous sales ofbraces featuring his Barber Improved Chuck. A solidmechanic with at least twenty-two patents to his name,Amidon lacked the temperament to successfully managehis own business or to remain in a partnership for anylength of time. Amidon may have been well aware of hisshortcomings as a businessman. When asked his occupa-tion by a federal census taker in 1880, Charles Amidonreplied with the word “inventor.” Amidon died sometimeafter 1900.

In 1900, a patent for a tire pump was issued to an indi-vidual named Charles H. Amidon who resided in Buffalo,New York. The pump is unlike any of the other Amidondesigns and may be the work of the other Charles H.Amidon living in the city at the time—a younger man whoalso worked as a machinist. Charles H. Amidon andHarriet Rounds parented at least one child. Their son,Charles W. Amidon, was born in Millers Falls in 1872 anddied in 1923. He is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery,Fredonia, New York. �

More information on the history of Charles Amidon and theMillers Falls Company can be found on the outstandingwebsite by Randy Roeder—www.oldtoolheaven.com

Charles Amidon-Part 2Continued from page 3

Patents by Charles AmidonPatent Number Date Description14,454 March 18, 1856 co-patentee, with A.C. Hitchcock,

of wood chisel36,761 October 28, 1862 wringing machine47,079 April 4, 1865 improved wringing machine50,214 October 3, 1865 bit stock64,931 May 21, 1867 bit brace64,932 May 21, 1867 clothes wringer73,279 January 14, 1868 bit stockReissue 4,199 December 13, 1870 assignee, with L.J. Gunn, of A.C.

Moore bit stock patent no.16,931

134,237 December 24, 1872i mprovement in drills134,623 January 7, 1873 baby carriage140,451 July 1, 1873 drill and bit stock161,086 March 23, 1875 child’s carriage193,632 July 31, 1877 brace wrench, assigned 1/2

interest to Elijah R. Saxton.201,379 March 19, 1878b bit brace, assigned 1/2 interest

to Elijah R. Saxton.210,075 November 19, 1878 bit brace217,672 July 22, 1879 bit brace226,646 April 20, 1880 bit brace263,455 August 29, 1882 bit stock283,844 August 28, 1883 bit stock298,542 May 13, 1884 corner bit brace305,263 September 16, 1884 chuck348,182 August 31, 1886 machine to install heads on bit

braces641,253 January 16, 1900 tire pump—possibly designed by

another Charles H. Amidon livingin Buffalo at the time

Charles Amjdon may have had more to do with the overwhelmingsuccess of the Barber brace than William H, Barber. In addition torecognizing, along with Gunn, the commercial potential of the brace,Amidon developed a set of jaws far superior to those designed byBarber. It is interesting to note that more Barber braces were soldwith Amidon’s jaws than were ever equipped with Barber’s.

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Upcoming Tool Events

Jul 28-30 - MJD Tools, Open house, listed auction and joint meeting with 4 clubs,AVOCA, New York, Martin Donnelly, 800-869-0695, www.mjdtools.comJUL 15-17 - Jacktown - Blue Mountain Antique Gas & Steam Engine AssociationShow - Flea Market. Bangor, PA. www.jacktown.com, 610-588-6900 www.mjd-tools.comAUG 28 - M-WTCA Area P Meet, M-WTCA, CRAFTS, EAIA, PATINA - All invited.Richard Stark, 717-367-5207 Starkcd@aol.comSept 9-10 - Live Free or Die Antique Tool Auction, Holiday Inn, Everett Turnpike,Nashua, New Hampshire Martin Donnelly, 800-869-0695, www.mjdtools.comSept 11 - CRAFTS Picnic, Camp Brady, Pottstown, NJ, Bob Garay -takeadip@optonline.netSept 21 - Tony Murland Combined General and International Antique ToolAuction, Suffolk, England, Tony Murland, 011-44-1449 722992 - www.antique-tools.co.ukSept 24 - 58th David Stanley InternationalL Auction, Hermitage Leisure Centre,Whitwick, Leicestershire, England, David Stanley, 011-44-1530-222320 -www.davidstanley.comSept 25 - Western New York Antique Tool Collectors Meet, Holiday Inn, Batavia,New York, Just off the New York State Thruway at Exit 48, Chuck Wirtenson, 315-363-7682, cwirten1@twcny.rr.comOct 1 - EAIA Regional Meet, Stones Farm & Home Museum, Muncy, PA. M-WTCA, CRAFTS, EAIA, PATINA - All invited. PAT REHEHAN, 570-435-0993,PRTools@verizon.netOct 28-29 - 39th International Antique Tool Auction – Brown Auction Servjces,Radisson Inn, Camp Hill, PA, Clarence Blanchard, 800-248-8114 -ceb@finetoolj.comNov 6 - CRAFTS of New Jersey meetingT, Host Masonic Lodge, Highbridge, NJ,Bob Garay, takeadip@optonline.net

Want AdsWANTED - Member’s email addresses. If you have not beenreceiving notices from Stew May, and would like to beincluded, please send your email address to hankallen@ver-izon.net. Thanks and happy holidays!VINTAGE TOOLS for woodworking, machining, leatherworkand more. See us at New England area tool meets andonline at www.TimelessToolsandTreasures.com or write -jane@janebbutler.com.WANTED- Bell System tools and electrician’s pliers. TedDavidson (609) 731-6915.NEED HELP disposing of your tools or home items? Entireor partial house clean-outs available. Call Steve Zluky,(908)534-2710.JIMBODETOOLS.COM - The Largest Antique Tool Websiteon Earth Buying and Selling Fine Antique Tools Ph: 518-537-8665 email: jim@jimbodetools.comTOOLS FOR SALE – Stanley planes, patented braces,Disston Saws, and more. Visit my eBay auctions, new toolsevery week. Bob Garay - eBay seller – TAKEADIP - or visitmy website - takeadiptools.com - Email me attakeadip@optonline.netWANTED - Molding planes made of apple wood. Also bettermolding planes from Hudson River Valley makers. JoeHauck - 908-236-2072FOR SALE - 16” Walker Turner wood/metal bandsawhas 10 to 1 speed box. Needs an overhaul. Joe Hauck 908-236-2072

The Tool Shed June 201112

CRAFTS of New Jersey15 N. River Styx RoadHopatcong, NJ 07452

Next Meeting • November 6, 2011 –1PM • HOST Masonic Lodge • Highbridge, NJ