| Alloy Artifacts |
The Western Forge Corporation was a major producer of tools for the Sears Craftsman brand from the mid 1960s onward.
The Western Forge Corporation was founded in 1965 by C. William Schlosser as a joint venture with Sears Roebuck. At that time Schlosser was the president of the Lectrolite division of Symington-Wayne and had decades of experience in the hand tools business. The company initially operated in Defiance, Ohio as a maker of torque wrenches.
In 1966 Western Forge relocated to Colorado Springs, Colorado and built a large forging facility, with the intention of producing a wide variety of forged tools for the Craftsman brand. Early production at the new factory included screwdrivers, chisels, and punches.
Over time the company broadened its production to include adjustable wrenches, pliers, pry bars, wrenches, chain pipe wrenches, gear pullers, and other tools.
As a major supplier to the Sears Craftsman brand Western Forge marked its production with a "WF" code, often as part of the forging dies.
In its early history the company worked exclusively as a contract manufacturer, but in 1978 the company started selling tools under its own "WESTERN FORGE" brand. In late 1978 the company filed a trademark application for "WESTERN FORGE" in a design.
In 1981 Western Forge was acquired by Emerson Electric, a conglomerate with extensive manufacturing operations. By 1990 the company had more than 1,000 employees at its Colorado locations.
| Patent No. | Inventor | Filed | Issued | Notes and Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,854,351 | R. Martin | 08/17/1928 | 09/09/1930 | Arc Joint Pliers |
| Text Mark or Logo | Reg. No. | First Use | Date Filed | Date Issued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Forge | 1,153,618 | 02/09/1978 | 12/21/1978 | 05/12/1981 | Text "WESTERN FORGE".
For metal tool boxes. Canceled on November 13, 1987. |
 |
1,188,413 | 02/09/1978 | 12/21/1978 | 02/02/1982 | Text "WESTERN FORGE" with design.
For hand tools. Now owned by Ideal Industries, Inc. |
Photographs and observations of particular tools are based on items in the Alloy Artifacts Collection.
Background information on the company can be found in an article on Western Forge [External Link] published in the February 18, 2020 edition of The Colorado Gazette.
Currently we have no catalogs for Western Forge.
Western Forge operated almost exclusively as a contract manufacturer and its products were marked with other companies' brands.
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