Unidentified File Maker

This photo was submitted by a reader. He says, "It is a total of 17 inches long. On the side with the MC Runner stamp in the picture I sent, it also has MADE IN U.S.A. stamped on the pointed end.  On the opposite side it has the file type, FLAT BASTARD, stamped."

Please contact me or post to comments if you know who the maker is. It's possible this is Murcott & Campbell, but I can't confirm that.

Where To Find American Made Files

There are several sources for superior quality American made files.

eBay under these categories:
  Collectibles / Tools, Hardware & Locks / Tools / several subcategories
  Home & Garden / Tools / Hand Tools / Files
  Home & Garden / Tools / Hand Tools / Other
  Business & Industrial / Manufacturing & Metalworking / Metalworking Tooling
When buying on eBay it is important to look at every possible listing regardless of how vague the description or how poor the pictures. Poor pictures and title can mean a bargain for you, but read the description. When in doubt about whether they are USA-made files, message the seller.

Flea markets are the cheapest source for USA files. Here they go for $1 each, maybe $2, regardless of size. Last summer I got an 18" mill bastard along with several other large files and the seller was surprised anyone was buying them. Try finding an 18" file anywhere.

Digging for Metal: How To Find Used and Vintage Tools at Flea Markets

Independent hardware stores with old stock

Internet forums with classified sections; there are many of these dealing with guns, edge tools, woodworking, machinists, and old machinery.

Craigslist, estate sales, auctions; anyplace there's a toolbox there are probably files.

Comparisons of American-made files versus other files:

Paul Sellers - Nicholson Files and Home Depot Blow It Again

Woodnet Forums - Test of Taper Saw Files

Tools for Working Wood  - We Discontinue Nicholson Patternmaker's Rasps Because of Quality Issues 

VintageSaws.com

Practical Machinist - Mexican made Nicholson files I tested

eBay listing discussing file quality

Liveright Brothers Gold Medal Files and Rasps

Liveright Brothers operated in the early 20th century in Philadelphia, PA. Their brands were Gold Medal and Gold Medal Electric files and rasps. The owners were Arthur K. Liveright (1877-1951) and Benjamin K. Liveright (1879-1911). Benjamin's death certificate states "Occupation: Manufacture Of Files." Their letterhead and advertisements included the statement, "Not in the Trust," this being a consortium of file manufacturers (trusts were later outlawed). Since Disston, also in Philadelphia, adopted Gold Medal as a brand, it seems likely that they bought Liveright's business.

Liveright documents on eBay

Liveright advertisement 1913

Liveright advertisement 1911

Lutz File Handles, Still Made in USA

Maine Wood Concepts makes 4 styles of file handles and 2 file cards, sold under the Lutz File & Tool Co. name. The picture shows the deluxe Lutz #11 file handle, US Patent 2676811.

"Lutz® Wood File Handles and File Cleaners are Made in the USA to exacting tolerances from Quality New England hardwoods. These Wood File Handles use only quality materials and finishes to deliver a quality appearance, comfort and durability. Lifetime replacement guarantee against defects in material and workmanship. Lutz, Since 1904. Made in USA."

Lutz Products at Maine Wood Concepts

Lutz File & Tool began in 1904 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and once made files. There is still a Lutz Tool Co. in Cincinnati. It appears that the file handle business was sold to Maine Wood Concepts.

Lutz #11 file handle (not in production)

If you are looking for an adjustable file handle similar to the Lutz #11 (discontinued), try these:

General Tools 318-890 43666 File And Tool Handle
http://www.generaltools.com/890--Adjustable-Filetool-Handle_p_544.html

Woodcraft Universal File Handle, Item #144947
http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2000280/730/universal-file-handle.aspx

Heller Brothers Co. and Heller Tool Co.

Heller began in 1836 in Newark, New Jersey, became a partnership, Heller & Brothers, in 1865, and in 1899 incorporated as Heller Brothers Company.

In 1917 Heller bought:

    Johnson & Brothers File Co., Newark, New Jersey

    Rex File Co., Newcomerstown, Ohio

    Vixen Tool Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In the following 12 years Heller bought:

    Masterwrench Corp., Turlock, California

    Triple A File Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    Continental File Co., Anderson, Indiana

    Filecraft, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio

In 1928 Heller Brothers of Ohio was incorporated.

In 1943 Heller bought Stokes Brothers Mfg. Co., Freehold, New Jersey.

In 1944, Heller bought American Swiss File & Tool Co., Elizabeth, NJ and Murcott & Campbell Co., Brooklyn, NY.

Heller Brothers of Ohio was at 641 Heller Drive, Newcomerstown, Ohio, and eventually all production shifted to Ohio. The Heller family sold the company to Simonds in 1955 and the name changed to Heller Tool Co. Simonds began producing all its files in the Ohio plant in 1960, and closed it in 2006. Heller had strong employee loyalty in Newcomerstown, and many residents retain a strong attachment to the company.

Google Books - Paul Elias Heller biography

Google Maps 2012 - Heller Drive, Newcomerstown

Newcomerstown News - Heller Plant Scale Model

Newcomerstown News - Heller Bros. Open House at Museum

Heller Brothers 1929 tools catalog scan

The Newark plant at 849 Mount Prospect Ave. (corner of Verona Ave.) is still standing and can be seen on Google Maps.  Google Maps

Heller Brothers building, Newark

Heller Brothers file box

Heller Tool Co. file box

Heller Nucut file box

Heller Brothers themed quilt

Rex File Co., Rex File & Saw Co.

Photo by Gary S.

Rex File & Saw Co. began under another name. It was incorporated in early 1906 as Jamestown File Works, of Jamestown, NY, making Rex brand files. David D. Lewis, its president, had been in the hardware business in Pittsburgh, PA. Their factory proved too small, and rather than enlarge it, they relocated later in 1906 to Newcomerstown, Ohio, and re-incorporated with twice the capital, $100,000. The plant opened about August 1, 1906. David D. Lewis remained president, and other officers changed to M. Yingling, Will A. Beers, and S.B. Mulvane. Rex adopted a second brand name, Black King. In January, 1907, the company announced a plant expansion.

Rex File & Saw Co. advertisement 1912

The United Mine Workers Journal, Vol 28, 1917

Despite its being brick construction, the Rex file works was completely destroyed by fire on April 11, 1917. Elias Heller of Heller Brothers bought the Rex site, rebuilt the file factory, and rehired the workers. Initially the new plant was called Rex File Co., with Alfred Heller as General Manger. A 1943 Coshocton (Ohio) Tribune article says, "In 1928 the Rex File Co., the Vixen Tool Co. and the Heller Tool Co. at Newcomerstown were consolidated into the Heller Brothers Co. of Ohio." It's possible that Heller continued to sell files with the Rex brand after that date, as on these boxes. 

Rex File Co. Black King label

Rex File Co. box

Safety Engineering Vol. XXXIII, 1917

Carson-Newton Co. and A. Newton Files

Carson-Newton Co. made files, rasps, rifflers, reamers, hack and band saw blades, and butcher steel. Carson-Newton's logo was an alligator. I have 4 locations for them:

Carson-Newton Co. Swiss pattern files 

25 Hackett St., Newark, New Jersey (in 1918)
21-23 Prospect St., Newark, NJ (in 1920, 1935)
61-71 Mill St., Belleville, NJ (in 1946)
East Longmeadow, Massachusetts (1966)

I recently found a partial box of A. Newton files. It seems likely that this company predated Carson-Newton, but I have been unable to find proof.

Here is a scanned Carson-Newton 1935 catalog, 1923 price list, and 1934 price list.

Carson-Newton Co. Belleville NJ

A. Newton taper saw files box

How Files Were Made By Hand and Machine

Some of an 1840s article on how files were made by hand in Sheffield, England. The same methods were used in the USA.  

"These tools, simple and unimportant as they may seem... to those who never enter an artisan's workshop, are among the most note-worthy articles made of steel. They are the working-tools by which every other kind of working-tool is in some degree fashioned. Whether a man is making a watch or a steam-engine, a knife or a plough, a pin or a coach, he would be brought to a stand if he had not files at his command. It may be a file with a hundred serrations to an inch, or with six or eight; it may have straight cuts like most files, or angular holes like a rasp; it may be two inches long, or a yard long; it may be round, or half-round, or triangular, or square, or flat; blunt or pointed, straight or curved; but a file of some sort or other will be found in almost every workshop."
Making Files in Sheffield, Early 1840s

For an excellent guide to file making, please see this site:
Ian W. Wright - Files and Filemaking

One man's family heritage of file cutting, in the context of Sheffield's industrial history:
A Filecutter's Hammer from the Hawley Collection

File cutter's premises, Netherthorpe, Sheffield, 1905

YouTube - The making of Liogier hand-stitched wood rasps
YouTube - cutting rasps by hand at Auriou Toolworks in France
YouTube - Filecutting

Early US file cutting machines:
WK Fine Tools - 1905 Making of Fine Toolmakers Files Machinery
WK Fine Tools - Making Files at Disston 1921

Several descriptions of file cutting machines:
Google Books - Machinery's Encyclopedia

Heller Brothers machine

When American File Factories Closed

2006: Simonds closed its Newcomerstown, Ohio plant and moved production to Bogota, Columbia. The horse rasp product line was sold to Musted of Switzerland.

Simonds International (in Spanish)

2011: Apex Tool Group closed its Cullman, Alabama Nicholson file factory and other US plants in Monroe, North Carolina and Hicksville, Ohio. Cullman production was moved to Cali, Colombia, Tlalnepantla, Mexico, and Sorocaba, Brazil.

YouTube - Driving tour of Nicholson Works in Providence

Newcomerstown, Ohio

Champion File Works

Champion File Works was in Toledo, Ohio.

Simonds Files

Simonds Saw & Steel Co. of Fitchburg, Massachusetts produced some of the best files made in the USA. Simonds bought Heller Brothers of Newcomerstown, Ohio in 1955. Simonds continued to make files in Fitchburg until 1960, when file manufacturing was consolidated in Newcomerstown. Simonds closed that plant in 2006 and moved production to South America. The horse rasp product line was sold to Musted of Switzerland.

Simonds advertisement

Early Simonds History
WK Fine Tools - Simonds History

Simonds Red Tang file box

Carver File Co., Delta File Works

Carver File Co. did business as Delta File Works, and their brands included Delta, Delta Utility, and Delta Lance Tooth. Their locations were:
3227 Frankford Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1905 and 1914 (see below)
4837 James St., Philadelphia in 1922 (no building at this address today)

Iron Trade Review, June 1, 1905
“The Carver File Co., of Philadelphia, with a fully paid in capital of $100,000, has been incorporated under the laws of Pennsylvania and the new plant will include two buildings each 40 x 170 ft., with a capacity of 900 dozen files per day. In the formation of the company the plant of the D.B. Murphy File Co., of Camden, N.J., was absorbed and will continue independent operation on special light files, all other grades being made at the new plant. The new plant at Philadelphia is already under roof and will begin operations about August 1.”

Carver File Co. trademarked “Delta” in 1905. Their buildings took up the center of the block between 3227-3233 Frankford Ave. and 3214-3236 Ambler St. Some old buildings are still in this location, and this old map shows them.

Insurance Maps of the City of Philadelphia, 1913-1918, Plate 404

Delta File Works magazine advertisements appeared as late as 1956. By 1958 Delta File Works was a subsidiary of  Fayette R. Plumb Inc., with this additional information from 1960:

Hardware Age" Volume 185, page 168

"Hubert Groves Made Plumb Sales Manager: Hubert Groves has been appointed general sales manager of Fayette R. Plumb Inc., Philadelphia, and its subsidiaries, Delta File Works, Inc., and Graham Rotary File & Tool Corp."

Delta advertisement 1909

Delta advertisement 1947

Small American File Makers From 1914

While it is unlikely that usable files will turn up from some of these American makers, they are worth mentioning for historical reasons. The list is transcribed from Chilton Automobile Directory, January 1914. Note that since I originally posted this list, I have written about several of these companies.
Google Books - Chilton Automobile Directory Jan. 1914

Akron File Co.
Akron, Ohio
Brands: Akron

American Swiss File & Tool Co. (article)
24 John St., New York City
Brands: American Swiss
American Swiss Files 1941 Catalog (pdf)

Central Machine & Supplies Co.
148 Chambers St., New York City

Chelsea File Works
Norwich, Connecticut
Brands: Chelsea

Colonial File Co.
167-70 Teneau St., Neponset, Massachusetts
Brands: Colonial, Puritan

Delta File Works (article)

Johnson & Brother 

3227 Frankford Ave., Philadelphia, Penn.
Brands: Delta, Delta Utility

William Dixon Inc.
39 John St., New York City

Graves File Co.
Newark, New Jersey

Hayes File Co. (article)
474-78 Franklin St., Detroit, Michigan
Brands: Hayes

Johnson & Brother File Co. (article)
154-55 Avon Ave., Newark, New Jersey
Brands: Reliance

Liveright Brothers (article)
20th St. & Allegheny Ave.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Brands: Liveright, Gold Metal

The Racine File Co.

Rex Saw & File Co.

Racine, Wisconsin
Brands: Badger

Rex File & Saw Co. (article)
Newcomerstown, Ohio
Brands: Rex, Black King

Troy File Works
Troy, New York
Brands: Trojan, Troy Best

Edgar T. Ward’s Sons
23-25 Purchase St., Boston Mass.
Brands: Swiss

Westphal File Co. Inc.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Brands: Westphal, Milwaukee

The Whitaker Manufacturing Co. (article)
509 W. Monroe St., Chicago, Illinois
[The brand information may be incorrect in the source publication.]

Another list of American and a few English makers is Manufactures and Dealers in Files, circa 1835-1928.

Cleaning and Storing Your Files

Files are cleaned with a file card. Here are Lutz file cards with a pick for cleaning the file card.
eBay Lutz #10 File Card

Here are excellent Nicholson file cards (I bought one):
eBay Nicholson 21467 File Card & Brush USA

If you want to make your own longer file card, buy the brush by the foot.
eBay FILE-CARD-REPLACEMENT-STEEL-WIRE-BRUSH

Since files are bare high-carbon steel, they can rust in a humid environment. If your files are stored in an unheated building or basement, I recommend opening the file boxes so that humidity is not trapped inside. Don't seal or wrap them in plastic. The swings in temperature that we have been experiencing can trap humid air in sheds and garages where it will condense like dew and cause rust. It happened in my detached garage in spring 2013. Ideally, store extra files in heated and cooled space.

Colton's File card

Nicholson patent file card

Stiletto Files

Stiletto was a trade name of Pacific Hardware and Steel Co., San Francisco, California.

Wooden Stiletto file box

Stiletto Files catalog page, 1917 

Capewell and Stanscrew / Capewell Files

Capewell Manufacturing Co., Hartford, Connecticut

Capewell started in 1881 as a horseshoe nail maker, and began making hand and power hacksaw blades in 1939. In 1970 Standard Screw, also of Hartford, bought Capewell, and 2 years later changed its name to Stanadyne, Inc., with Capewell a division. Standard Screw had used the trade name Stanscrew since 1961, and after the acquisition some Capewell products were sold as Stanscrew/Capewell. In January 1981, Capewell was purchased from Stanadyne, Inc. by the O’Neill family of New York.

It is unknown when Capewell began making files, but it’s likely that it was along with the entry into hacksaw manufacturing. As of 2014, several sellers have Stanscrew/Capewell mill files that claim to be made in the USA.

Amazon.com Stanscrew Capewell 14" Mill Bastard File 

Nicholson File Co.

Nicholson of Providence, Rhode Island was the largest US file manufacturer. Nicholson's former Providence, Rhode Island factory complex is relatively well preserved and some is used by businesses.

Google Maps - 23 Acorn Street, Providence, Rhode Island

Former Nicholson File Works office

There are many other sources for Nicholson history on the web. Briefly, here are some companies that Nicholson took over:

American File Co., Pawtucket, Rhode Island was bought by Nicholson in 1890. 

J. Barton Smith Co., 4th and Somerset Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was bought by Nicholson in 1891. Later files may be stamped "JB Smith Co."

Great Western File Company, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, taken over by Nicholson in 1895.

McClellan File Co., Saginaw, Michigan, bought by Nicholson in 1897.

M. Buckley & Co. in Pawtucket, bought by Nicholson in 1899.

Eagle File Co., also known as Eagle Screw Co. of Middletown, New York, bought by Nicholson in 1900.

Arcade File Works began in Sing Sing, New York, relocated to Anderson, Indiana around 1891, and was bought by Nicholson in 1900. Nicholson maintained a file factory in Anderson for the US market and continued selling files with the brand name Arcade until 1972. Nicholson (Cooper) closed the Anderson plant August 31, 1978.

Nicholson File's Arcade Works History

Kearney & Foot Co. in Paterson, New Jersey and Kent, Ohio, bought by Nicholson in 1901. Nicholson continued selling files with the brand name K&F until 1972 and later.

Kearney & Foot Ohio History

1910 Nicholson advertisement

G &H Barnett Co. (Black Diamond brand), 41 & 43 Richmond St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, bought by Nicholson in 1912. Nicholson maintained a factory in Philadelphia for Central and South American markets. Nicholson continued selling files with the brand name Black Diamond. After Nicholson’s 1972 merger with Cooper, the Black Diamond name was continued because it was popular in southern US states.

1912 G&H Barnett and Nicholson advertisement

Nicholson bought the Atkins Saw Division of Borg Warner in 1966. 

Nicholson continued selling files with the brand names of Arcade and Globe to 1972, Black Diamond and K&F after 1972, and McClellan for an unknown time.

Nicholson was part of Cooper Industries from 1972 to October 2012. Apex Tool Group was formed in 2010 as a joint venture of Danaher Tool Group and Cooper Hand Tools with over 30 brands including Nicholson. In October 2012, Danaher Corporation and Cooper Industries sold Apex Tool Group to Bain Capital.

In 2011 Apex Tool Group closed its Cullman, Alabama Nicholson file factory and other US plants in Monroe, North Carolina and Hicksville, Ohio. Cullman production was moved to Cali, Colombia, Tlalnepantla, Mexico, and Sorocaba, Brazil. 

  

Rhode Island Historical Society - Nicholson History

Wikipedia - Apex Tool Group

Cullman Times - Nicholson File closing next year

Toledo Blade - Hicksville tool plant to close cutting 79 jobs

Nicholson File Works, 3 locations

Nicholson File box

Lenox Files

Lenox is a brand name of American Saw and Manufacturing Co., currently a subsidiary of Newell Rubbermaid.

Wikipedia American Saw and Manufacturing Company

Kearney & Foot Co.

Kearney & Foot Co. of Paterson, New Jersey and Kent, Ohio was bought by Nicholson in 1901. Nicholson continued selling files with the brand name K&F until 1972. After 1972, Cooper sold some files with the K&F name that were made in Mexico and Brazil.

Kearney & Foot Files & Rasps 1888 Catalog 

Kearney & Foot Co. file box

Johnson & Brother File Co.

Johnson & Brother File Co. of Newark, New Jersey, was established in in the 1860s according to labels on some boxes. However, an 1897 hardware trade publication states that William H. and Charles W. Johnson of Newark had just incorporated Johnson & Brother File Co. In 1914, Johnson was located at 154-55 Avon Ave., Newark. Heller Brothers bought Johnson & Brother File Co. in 1917 and made Johnson secondary line. Later file boxes identify the maker as simply Johnson of Newcomerstown, Ohio.

Johnson & Brother File Co., Newark

Johnson Files, Newcomerstown

Johnson Files, Newcomerstown