| Text Mark or Logo | Reg. No. | First Use | Date Filed | Date Issued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
1,578,676 | 08/15/1988 | 12/19/1988 | 01/23/1990 | Text "MIDWEST SNIPS" in design
SN 73-770,327. Pub. 10-31-89. |
| Alloy Artifacts |
Midwest Tool & Cutlery was founded in 1945 in Sturgis, Michigan as a maker of tin snips and related tools.
The company operates primarily as a contract manufacturer of private branded tools.
One of the company's major customers as a contract manufacturer was Sears Roebuck, and Midwest Tool supplied Craftsman-branded tin snips and aviation snips over a number of years.
Tin snips tend to have a fairly generic appearance to the point that it's difficult to identify the maker, but the aviation snips supplied by Midwest Tool had a distinctive design with raised "horns".
| Patent No. | Inventor | Filed | Issued | Notes and Examples |
|---|
| Text Mark or Logo | Reg. No. | First Use | Date Filed | Date Issued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1,578,676 | 08/15/1988 | 12/19/1988 | 01/23/1990 | Text "MIDWEST SNIPS" in design
SN 73-770,327. Pub. 10-31-89. |
Photographs and observations of particular tools are based on items in the Alloy Artifacts Collection.
We'll add references as time permits.
Currently we don't have any examples of the company's own branded tools, but will show some examples of contract production.
![[Craftsman 4273 Right-Cutting Aviation Snips]](Photos/tools/craftsman_4273_aviation_snips_right_x_f_cropped_inset2.jpg)
Fig. 1 shows a pair of Craftsman 4273 right-cutting "aviation" snips, stamped with "Craftsman" and the model number above "Made in U.S.A." and "Cuts Right".
The snips are also stamped with an "X" manufacturer's code to the left of the model number.
The top inset shows a side view of the snips.
The overall length is 10.0 inches, and the finish is polished chrome with plastic grips.
We purchased these snips from Sears in the late 1970s to build the plenum for a replacement furnace.
The distinctive plastic hand grips on these snips have the same design with raised "horns" as aviation snips made by Midwest Tool & Cutlery, allowing us to identify Midwest Tool as the maker.
Midwest Tool used "X" as its manufacturer's code, which has been observed on a number of other Craftsman snips.
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