All About Pocket Knives

Cutlery companies made several other things besides knives, Robeson was no exception it seems.

I found this corn popper invented by John S. Hughes Rochester, N.Y. He filed for the patent in 1966 and received the patent in 1971, 5 years later. He then assigned the patent to the Robeson Cut. Co. they filed a disclaimer on the popper in 1976, I have no idea what the disclaimer consisted of. Robeson folded up the following year. Probably a last ditch effort on their part to manufacture anything that would make them a profit.

I have never seen one of these corn poppers and don`t know for sure if they were actually made, do you have one? If so please post a picture of it.

Dimitri, they show up on Ebay with great frequency.

Here's one of two listed now:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Classic ... 565793a989

Notice the patent was requested in 1966. The Robeson Cutlery Company went out of business in 1965.

Millard F. Robeson and his sons had a long standing interest in a concern called Rochester Stamping Corporation. They made pressed metal items like silent butlers, coffee water and tea kettles, trays, serving dishes, brass spittoons (I have one)etc.

Tom Kalcevic has written that Rochester Stamping actually made the blades for Robeson Cutlery's knives.

The cutlery company and the stamping company were merged in 1923 to form Robeson-Rochester Corporation.

Look for some Royal Rochester Ware on Ebay. Highly collected stuff and all connected to Robeson.

When Robeson went out of business in 1965, the name was bought, initially by Cutler Federal, then by Ontario Knife. They sold some Robeson marked knives for a time, stopping in about 1977, and then Queen began their repro productions in the late 80's, I believe.

I do not know who continued with the kitchen/housewares division, but they made electric knives, electric can openers, electric hot dog cookers (a fabulous item, wish I still had one) and even kerosene heaters (I have one, still in the box, in the basement, but as a heater, not a collectible) Actually, my mother bought the heater, it just coincidentally happened to be a Robeson.

All the above items were sold under the name ROBESON.

I'll post a couple of photos later today related to The Rochester Stamping Corporation.

Charlie Noyes

Thanks for the link

That`s pretty neat, the glass top is used as the serving bowl after the popping is finished!

Here are the pictures for posterity.

Below are some photos related to The Rochester Stamping Works.

First two are of an an office, which actually looks as though it was originally a private home, located at 12 Saratoga Avenue in Rochester, New York. The photo shows the sales representatives. Notice the large Rochester Stamping Works sign above the porch. Then notice the smaller sign stating Robeson Cutlery Co. Second Floor.

This building was one of at least two locations in Rochester for the stamping works.

Second photo is an 1896 letterhead from the Rochester Stamping Works. Expand and read the listed company officer's names.

Third is a photo of some employees involved in the electroplating of items at a Robeson-Rochester Corp. plant. I have no idea where that facility was located, but likely to have been at 141 - 147 Jones Street, as stated on the billhead below.

Charlie Noyes

You got him that time Charlie,mark it down.

RobesonsRme.com wrote:When Robeson went out of business in 1965, the name was bought, initially by Cutler Federal, then by Ontario Knife. They sold some Robeson marked knives for a time, stopping in about 1977, and then Queen began their repro productions in the late 80's, I believe.

RobesonsRme.com wrote:All the above items were sold under the name ROBESON.

That is why I was surprised to see Robeson Cutlery Co. used in 1971 on the patent document. I would have thought they would only use that on knife related patents and just Robeson on the non knife related items

RobesonsRme.com wrote:Third is a photo of some employees involved in the electroplating of items at a Robeson-Rochester Corp. plant. I have no idea where that facility was located.

No one in that photo looks very happy do they.

No, they do not. Probably not a great job, electroplating pressed metal items all day.

Note the photo is hand labeled, Robeson-Rochester Corp.

Robeson-Rochester Corp. was formed in 1923.

That photo strikes me as older than 1923.

I have no explanation for the corn popper being marked, Robeson Cutlery Co., Perry, New York in 1971.

I can assure you that the old Robeson Cutlery Co did not make the popper in the old buildings on Main Street in Perry. I'm not even sure the buildings were still standing in 1971.

Somebody was playing fast and loose with an old established corporate name, probably within their legal rights.

Charlie Noyes

Miller Bro`s wrote:

RobesonsRme.com wrote:Third is a photo of some employees involved in the electroplating of items at a Robeson-Rochester Corp. plant. I have no idea where that facility was located.

No one in that photo looks very happy do they.

Exactly what I thought Dimitri.

Miller Bro`s wrote: No one in that photo looks very happy do they.

Do you know the general ethnic background of the workers?
It appears to me some may be of Germanic stock, like many of my unsmiling ancestors.

Dale, how can we establish the ethnic demographics of Rochester, NY at the turn of the last century?
Charlie

RobesonsRme.com wrote:Probably not a great job, electroplating pressed metal items all day.

I lived about 10 miles from a plating shop as a young man, I would go there on occasion to drop off parts from vintage cars to be re-plated.

The place was hot, dirty and the chemical fumes were sickening

RobesonsRme.com wrote:Note the photo is hand labeled, Robeson-Rochester Corp.

Actually they misspelled it, Robison Rochester Corp.

Yeah, I noticed that.

I have a couple of old postcards stating the arrival dates of a Robeson sales representative.

Both of them state the individual represents both the Rochester Stamping Works and The Robeson Cutlery Company.

Also have a few old self-advertising pocketknives that have Rochester Stamping on one side and Robeson Cutlery on the other.

All the photos will expand.

Charlie Noyes

Good stuff Charlie

I have the first post card in my collection as well.

RobesonsRme.com wrote:Dale, how can we establish the ethnic demographics of Rochester, NY at the turn of the last century?
Charlie

I thought perhaps you might have known of an influx of workers from a given country to the factory. That is the case with some of the cutlery factories; we know that some of them brought workers over from Sheffield or Solingen at different times.
No big deal, mostly just idle curiosity.



I love the old cigar clipper knives!

One category of knives I collect are smoking knives, cigar & pipe knives.
I don't have any Robeson cigar knives in my collection, but now I know look for them.
Thanks Charlie!

Dale, it's been previously written that Millard Robeson took some, if not most, of the cutlery workers from the Sherwood Cutlery Co. in Camillus with him when he opened the plant in Perry.

The photo under discussion above, however, is of a plating plant in Rochester belonging to The Rochester Stamping Works and later The Robeson-Rochester Corporation. That plant had been in business since the late 1800's.

I agree some the folks have a decidedly European look about them.

Those two ladies up front look like sisters.

Whoever they were, that looks like an extremely unpleasant way to earn a living.

Charlie

We sometimes take for granted the ease we have with food and raiment,they didn't have that luxury,and it shows in a lot of old pictures.I also know supervision has a lot to do with the disposition of the workforce.

And no junk food back then either.