William Schollhorn Company

Table of Contents

Introduction

The William Schollhorn Company of New Haven, Connecticut was a well-known maker of parallel-jaw pliers and other tools in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The company was incorporated in 1891 and remained active through the first part of the 20th century, and was eventually acquired by the Sargent Company in 1948.

Company History

The William Schollhorn Company began operations around 1870 as the Schollhorn & Tiesing Manufacturing Company, a partnership with Frank W. Tiesing. The company's main products at this time were scissors and shears.

After the death of Frank Tiesing some years later, Schollhorn was joined by Julius Berbecker and the firm became William Schollhorn & Company. Berbecker was a noted sales agent based in New York City.

Fig. 1. 1890 Notice for William Schollhorn. [External Link]

Fig. 1 shows a notice of the death of William Schollhorn on June 2 of 1890, as published on page 1015 of the June 12, 1890 issue of The Iron Age.

The text provides biographical information on Schollhorn and background information on his various business ventures. (The article continues beyond the excerpt in our clip.)

Shortly after the death of Schollhorn, the company was incorporated as the William Schollhorn Company on September 8, 1891.

Bernard Patent Pliers

Fig. 2. 1893 Notice for Schollhorn Lineman's Pliers. [External Link]

The Schollhorn company is probably best known for its distinctive parallel-jaw pliers, produced under the numerous patents issued to William A. Bernard. These pliers featured precisely-formed sheet metal handles with embossed designs, a type of construction that offered lighter weight and lower cost than comparable forged handles.

Fig. 2 shows a notice for Schollhorn lineman's pliers in a Bernard design, as published on page 1192 of the December 28, 1893 issue of The Iron Age.

The illustration cites patent dates of May 6, 1890 and July 19, 1892, references to patents 427,220 and 479,113 respectively.

Later Operations

In 1948 the company was acquired by the Sargent Company.

The Sargent Company now operates as Elm City Tools, and further information on the company's history can be found on the About [External Link] page of their website.

Patents

Schollhorn had a long association with William A. Bernard, a prolific inventor who provided the company with dozens of key patents.

Trademarks

Schollhorn used a number of brand names in its advertisements and catalog listings, including "Bernard", "Paragon", "Elm City", "Lodi", "Vulcan", and "Excelsior".

References and Resources

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

Catalog Resources

Product information can be found in William Schollhorn catalogs, as summarized in the table below. Currently the earliest known catalog dates back to 1902.

Industrial Distributors

William Schollhorn pliers were widely available from industrial distributors.

• Chas. A. Strelinger 1895. The 1895 catalog from Chas. A. Strelinger & Company lists four models of "Bernard" pliers on page 57.

• White, Van Glahn 1902. The 1902 catalog from White, Van Glahn & Company of New York City lists Bernard pliers ("plyers") on pages 86, 88, and 92.

• Biddle Hardware 1910. The 1910 catalog from the Biddle Hardware Company of Philadelphia lists Schollhorn "Bernard", "Paragon", "Lodi", and "Elm City" pliers on pages 39, 41-45, 48, and 52. The listed models include the "Bernard" No. 100 flat nose, No. 101 round nose, No. 102 cutting pliers, Nos. 108 and 109 gas burner pliers, and Nos. 125, 145, and 175 nippers, the "Paragon" No. 200 flat nose pliers and No. 202 cutting pliers, the "Lodi" No. 300 flat nose pliers, and the "Elm City" No. 1 fence pliers.

  Other listings include "Paragon" and "Lodi" belt and ticket punches on pages 144-145.

• H. Channon 1910. The 1910 catalog from the H. Channon Company of Chicago lists "Bernard Patent" pliers on page 522. The listed models are the No. 100 flat nose, No. 101 round nose, No. 102 cutting pliers, No. 113 vise pliers, No. 125 end cutting nippers, and No. 135 music wire nippers.

• Chandler & Farquhar 1910. The 1910 catalog from the Chandler & Farquhar Company of Boston lists an extensive selection of "Bernard" and "Paragon" pliers on page 158-164. The models include Nos. 100-104, 106, 108-115, 125, 135, 171, 186, 281, 284, and 286. The No. 502 Bernard "Vulcan" side-cutting pliers were also listed, a rare example of pliers from Schollhorn with drop-forged handles.

• H. Channon 1916. The 1916 catalog No. 80 from the H. Channon Company lists Bernard pliers on page 231. The listed models are the No. 100 flat nose, No. 101 round nose, No. 102 cutting pliers, No. 113 vise pliers, No. 125 end cutting nippers, and No. 135 music wire nippers.

• Ducommun Catalog "E" 1918. The 1918 catalog "E" from the Ducommun Hardware Company of Los Angeles lists Bernard pliers Nos. 100, 101, 102, and 113 on page 284, Nos. 108 and 109 on page 294, and No. 125 on page 298.

• Harron, Rickard & McCone 1918. The 1918 catalog No. 2 from Harron, Rickard & McCone, an industrial distributor, lists five models of Bernard pliers on pages 137-139. The models are the No. 100 flat nose pliers, No. 101 round nose pliers, No. 102 side-cutting pliers, No. 125 end-cutting nippers, and No. 135 music wire nippers.

• Chandler & Farquhar 1919. The 1919 catalog from the Chandler & Farquhar Company, an industrial distributor in Boston, lists Bernard and Paragon pliers on pages 211-213. The Bernard models include Nos. 100-106, Nos. 111-112 electrician's pliers, No. 113 vise pliers, No. 125 end nippers, No. 135 music wire nippers, and No. 502 side-cutting pliers. The Paragon models are No. 200 flat nose pliers, No. 201 round nose pliers, and No. 203 cutting pliers.

• Marwedel 1922. The 1922 catalog No. 11 from the C.W. Marwedel Company, an industrial supplier, lists Bernard pliers on pages 408-409. The models shown include the Nos. 100-106, No. 108 gas pliers, No. 110 gas and cutting pliers, No. 125 end nippers, and No. 135 music wire nippers.

  Other listings include a Paragon No. 240 eyelet setter on page 395, Bernard punches Nos. 115, 171, 181, and 186 on page 396, and Elm City metal punches on page 396.

• Samuel Harris 1931. The 1931 catalog No. 57 from Samuel Harris & Company of Chicago lists Bernard pliers on pages 240-242 and Bernard punches on page 243.

Selected Tools

We have a number of examples of Bernard pliers from the William Schollhorn Company and are preparing them for display.

Early Schollhorn "Bernard" Pliers

Fig. 3. 1895 Catalog Listing for Schollhorn Bernard Pliers.

The scan in Fig. 3 shows several early models of Bernard pliers from Schollhorn, as published on page 57 of the Chas. A. Strelinger & Company catalog of 1895.

The models illustrated are the No. 215 flat nose pliers, No. 216 Round nose pliers, No. 217 cutting plier, and No. 218 jewelers' flat nose pliers.

Schollhorn "Bernard" 4.5 Inch Parallel-Jaw Pliers with Cutters

Fig. 4. Schollhorn Bernard 4.5 Inch Parallel-Jaw Cutting Pliers, with Insets for Side View and Construction Detail.

Fig. 4 shows a pair of Schollhorn "Bernard" 4 inch parallel-jaw pliers with cutting blades on the side.

The pliers are stamped "W. Schollhorn Co." and "New Haven, Conn." around the pivot, with "Made in U.S.A." above and "Pat. 6-17-1913" below. (The Schollhorn name is partially obscured by rust.)

The handles are also stamped "Bernard" in a center panel, a reference to the inventor of these and many other similar models.

The overall length is 4.5 inches, and the finish is nickel plating.

The patent date refers to patent 1,064,956, filed by W.A. Bernard in 1907 but not issued until 1913. The patent describes a method of forming sheet-metal handles for pliers.

Schollhorn "Ideal" Lineman's Pliers

Fig. 5. Schollhorn "Ideal" Lineman's Pliers, with Inset for Side View.

Fig. 5 shows a pair of Schollhorn "Ideal" lineman's pliers, stamped "W. Schollhorn Co." and "New Haven, Conn." around the pivot. The handle has a patent notice "Pat. May 2, 1905 Apr. 2, 1907" stamped on the side, and the other handle is stamped "Ideal".

The overall length is 7.5 inches, and the finish is nickel plating.

The first patent date refers to patent 788,575, filed by W.A. Bernard in 1904 and issued in 1905.

The second date corresponds to patent 848,877, filed by W.A. Bernard in 1905 and issued in 1907.