Charles E. Hall Company

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Charles E. Hall Company was a maker of tools founded around 1907 as the successor to the Union Manufacturing Company. In 1914 Charles E. Hall was acquired by Barcalo Manufacturing and became the latter company's introduction to the tool business.

Company History

Using published notices and advertisements we've been able to piece together a brief history of the Charles E. Hall Company, the company acquired by Barcalo Manufacturing in 1914. A notice on page 151 of the July 25, 1907 issue of The Automobile describes an automobile carburetor made by the Charles E. Hall Company, and notes that they were the successors to the Union Manufacturing and Specialty Company. A notice on page 1002 of the November, 1907 edition of Hardware Dealers' Magazine mentions that the Charles E. Hall Company had released a booklet describing their products, which included drop-forged wrenches, pliers, and bicycle chains.

Following up on the connection to Union Manufacturing, a notice in the December, 1900 issue of Carpentry and Building describes and illustrates the "Union Tool Grinder", a foot-powered grinder made by Union Manufacturing. The company address is given as 20 Breckenridge Street in Buffalo. Another notice on page 28 of the June 29, 1901 issue of The Age of Steel announces a 1901 catalog from Union Manufacturing, and mentions products including a "Union Grinder", a jeweler's lathe, machinist's screwdrivers, and other tools.

Fig. 1. 1908 Advertisement for Charles E. Hall Company.

The scan in Fig. 1 shows an advertisement for the Charles E. Hall Company, as published on page 10 of the May 25, 1908 issue of Hardware. The illustration shows various tools made by the company, including a "Union Foot Power Grinder" at the right. This ad demonstrates that Charles E. Hall continued to make some its predecessor's products.

Fig. 2. 1908 Advertisement for Charles E. Hall Company.

The scan in Fig. 2 shows another ad for Charles E. Hall, as published on page 303 of the July, 1908 issue of The Automobile Trade Directory. The illustration shows some of the same tools as the previous figure, with the addition of a combined adjustable wrench and cotter pin puller.

From these notices and advertisements we can conclude that the Charles E. Hall Company was making tools by 1907 or earlier, and that their products included such items as S-Shaped wrenches, auto wrenches, pliers, and grinders, in addition to automobile carburetors.

Published notices from the Patent Office show that Charles E. Hall received at least one patent for an automobile carburetor, with assignment to the Charles E. Hall Company.

Acquisition by Crosby Company

By 1908 or 1909 the Charles E. Hall Company had been acquired by the Crosby Company, a manufacturer of metal stampings with a large modern factory.

This acquisition is noted on page 834 of the April 1, 1909 edition of The Motor World in an article about the Crosby Company, which mentions that the Hall company operations would soon be moved into the Crosby factory. The Charles E. Hall Company apparently continued to operate under its own name afterwards.

Fig. 3. 1910 Advertisement for Charles E. Hall Company.

The scan in Fig. 3 shows a selection of the tools produced by the Charles E. Hall company, as published on page 1217 of the June, 1910 issue of Hardware Dealers' Magazine.

The illustration shows a bicycle wrench, auto wrench, combination pliers ("Plyers"), and tin snips.

Note that the corners of the illustration show a design with an "H" in a shield, a company logo that sometimes appears on their tools.

Acquisition by Barcalo

In 1914 the Charles E. Hall Company was acquired by Barcalo Manufacturing of Buffalo, at that time a maker of metal beds. Barcalo continued to produce the Hall line of tools, but branded under its own name.

In subsequent years Barcalo became well known as a tool maker, and the acquisition of the Hall company can be considered as its introduction to the tool industry.

Patents

The Hall company produced an adjustable wrench with a cotter pin puller at the end of the handle, and some advertisements claimed a patent pending status. The patent (if issued) has not been found.

Trademarks

The Charles E. Hall Company is not known to have registered any trademarks.

Tool Identification

H-Shield Logo

Fig. 3B. H-Shield Logo from 1910 Ad.

The scan in Fig. 3B shows the Hall H-Shield logo, published as part of the 1910 advertisement displayed in a previous figure.

This logo was typicaly stamped on tools made by the Hall company.

References and Resources

Photographs and observations of particular tools are based on items in the Alloy Artifacts collection.

Catalog Resources

Currently we do not have any catalogs for the Charles E. Hall Company.

Industrial Distributors

Charles E. Hall tools were sold through some industrial distributors, as noted in the list below.

• Monnier Auto Supply 1909. The 1909 catalog from the Monnier Auto Supply Company of Detroit lists the Charles E. Hall No. 18 auto wrench on page 62. The company name is not identified in the text, but is visible in the illustration.

• Cray Brothers 1912. The 1912 catalog from Cray Brothers, an industrial distributor in Cleveland, lists several Charles E. Hall tools on page 55. The listings include the No. 15 auto wrench and cotter pin puller, No. 18 auto wrench, and No. 20 auto wrench. The company name is not identified in the text, but is visible in the illustrations.

• Cray Brothers 1916. The 1916 catalog from Cray Brothers of Cleveland lists Charles E. Hall tools on pages 52 and 54. The listings include the No. 15 auto wrench and cotter pin puller, No. 18 auto wrench, No. 20 auto wrench, and combination pliers in sizes 6 and 8 inches. The company name is not identified in the text, but is visible in the illustrations.

  Note that by this time the Charles E. Hall Company had been acquired by Barcalo.

Selected Tools

In this section we'll look at some examples of the tools produced by the Charles E. Hall Company.

Hall No. 10 Bicycle Wrench

Fig. 4. Hall No. 10 Bicycle Wrench, ca. 1907-1914.

Fig. 4 shows a Hall No. 10 bicycle wrench, marked "Charles E. Hall Co." and "Buffalo, N.Y. U.S.A." with the H-Shield logo. (The logo is shown in the inset, as it's covered by the movable jaw in the photograph.)

The overall length is 4.8 inches, and the finish is nickel plating.

Hall No. 14 Bicycle Wrench

The next figure continues with another example of the Charles E. Hall Company production, a bicycle wrench of somewhat different design.

Fig. 5. Hall No. 14 Bicycle Wrench, ca. 1907-1914.

Fig. 5 shows a Hall No. 14 bicycle wrench, marked "Charles E. Hall Co." and "Buffalo, N.Y. U.S.A." with the H-Shield logo.

The overall length is 4.2 inches retracted and 5.8 inches fully extended. The original finish appears to have been nickel plating, but most has been lost due to wear.

Hall No. 15 Auto Wrench and Cotter Pin Puller

Fig. 6. 1912 Catalog Listing for Hall No. 15 Auto Wrench.

The scan in Fig. 6 shows a Hall No. 15 auto wrench and cotter pin puller, as published on page 55 of the 1912 Cray Brothers catalog.

The illustration shows "Charles E. Hall Company" and "Buffalo, N.Y. U.S.A." on the side of the wrench.

Some advertisements for this tool claim a patent pending status, but the patent has not been found.

Hall 9 Inch Auto Wrench

Fig. 7. Hall 9 Inch Auto Wrench, with Inset for Marking Detail, ca. 1907-1914.

Fig. 7 shows a Hall 9 inch auto wrench, stamped "Charles E. Hall Company" and "Buffalo, N.Y. U.S.A." on the fixed jaw.

The overall length is 9.2 inches, and the finish is nickel plating, with some losses due to wear.