Unknown Tool Made by W.H. Anderson of Detroit

Unknown tool by W.H. Anderson

We are asking for your help identifying this tool made by W.H. Anderson of Detroit, Michigan, who made tools for stone and concrete, as well as having a large retail and industrial hardware business. These pictures were sent to me by a reader, and one of these tools also sold on eBay in 2016. Another one was on a Facebook group about the same time.

It may be a type of brick axe or scutch.

You comments and emails are welcomed.

Scanned English Tool Catalogues

Sheafbank Works, Sheffield

This site has many scanned English tool catalogues with tools for many trades. Please see the list of links to the right, in alphabetical order. Additional ones are on another site of mine. As of October 2016 I have been adding them to Archive.org.

The ones I have purchased in the US and from the UK and scanned are stored on Google Docs and now Archive.org. A few links are to other people's sites, like Toolemera. A few are from a friend in Australia.

These are posted for non-commercial educational purposes for the benefit of tool collectors world-wide, and to promote the firms and brands that are still exist.

Video of Making Forged Trowels at Factory in Spain

This is the only video I have found of trowels being made. The Spanish title is:
Cómo se hace las paletas usadas en construcción
YouTube

YouTube screen grab

A Look Inside a Tool Factory in 1911

The James Swan Company's 1911 catalog includes 6 pictures of their factory interiors showing the steps in making their tools. While Swan made wood chisels and auger bits, not masonry tools, the processes and equipment involved is very similar to those of manufacturers covered on this website. The 6 pictures and one of the exteriors of their 2 facilities is here. The catalog was scanned by Rose Antique Tools and is used with permission.

Two-page 1906 Pennsylvania state report on forged tools employment 

Video tour of Trow & Holden's antique machinery in 2008 (YouTube)

Bradley power hammer in Sweden (YouTube)

Removing Concrete and Mortar With Sugar-Based Products

Cleaning old concrete and mortar from tools by scraping or with acid is difficult and can result in damage to the tools. Recently I learned there are several cleaning products containing cane sugar which are made to dissolve or soften concrete and mortar which have set. Here are links to 6 products available in the USA and one each in the UK and Australia. There are probably more products available, and if I learn how to mix your own concrete dissolver I will post it here.

Sakrete Concrete Mortar Dissolver cleaned the lettering

Here are some suggestions after trying the Sakrete product:

The surface should be dry; water, tar, oils, or wax will keep the remover from working.

Expect the dissolver to work slowly and unevenly, depending on the hardness of the material.
If the dissolver is able to work, a white crust will form as the concrete or mortar dissolves.
Brush or scrape off material loosened by the dissolver before adding more dissolver.
Use tools like a brass brush and wooden or plastic scraper.
The dissolver evaporates slowly, so spot applications are effective if you let them work.
It does not eat steel, brass, or bronze, and does not appear to cause rust while it's working.
Be patient, this may take days on some tools.

Sakrete Concrete Mortar Dissolver

US products:
Chisel concrete remover
Consolver Concrete Remover
Five Star® EZ-Cure® Concrete Remover
Mean Klean Concrete & Mortar Dissolver
RoMix Back-Set concrete remover; manufacturer's video
Sakrete Concrete Mortar Dissolver

United Kingdom:
SpeedyClean Concrete Dissolver

Australia:
CSS Crete-Off Concrete Dissolver

Sugar also acts as a concrete retarder, and was used on an accidental spill in London Underground’s Victoria Line, enabling the mess to be shoveled up before it set.
Article in the UK Telegraph on how sugar acts as a concrete retarder.

Kramer Brothers brass groover, cleaned with Sakrete Dissolver

The Full-Line Tool Store

Top quality tools are best purchased from tool dealers who carry manufacturer's full lines. Berland's House of Tools is one such dealer. They have 3 stores in the Chicago, IL area, in Lombard, Palatine, and Joliet.   

Trowel display at Berland's House Of Tools

New Facebook Group

A number of successful Facebook groups have recently been established for people interested in antique tools in general and in specific tools and their uses, like axes and hammers. The Facebook groups that I have seen have members from the US, UK, France, French-speaking Canada, Italy, Australia, and Sweden. To give you an opportunity to exchange with other masonry tool and trowel collectors and post photos of your tools, I have created a Facebook group for you:
Trowel & Masonry Tool Collector

You must already be a Facebook member. Go to the group page and request to join the group. I will approve you as soon as possible. Please start posting your pictures.

How To Find Old Masonry Tools

Old, antique, and unique masonry tools can be found at the same places as other antiques, collectibles, and used items. Masonry tools are less common than other antiques, so finding them will require more effort. However, because demand for them is less, prices will be lower than for other antique tools.  

Yard sales, flea markets, and thrift stores. Flea markets are usually the best and cheapest source for old tools of all kinds.

Antique stores and antique malls. Masonry tools show up occasionally in these outlets.

Antique tool clubs and other antique tool collectors.

Internet marketplaces, including eBay and Etsy. Keep in mind that sellers may not know the correct name for tools they are selling, so you may need to get creative with the words you use in your searches. Also check off "Used" to narrow down your results. See the screen shot from eBay of a search for the word "trowel".

 

Smith's Marks on Masonry Tools

The stamp or etching on a forged tool that identifies the manufacturer and possibly the model number originated with blacksmith's identification of their work. Here is more information on smith's marks, also called forge marks, from a Belgian site: Museum for Old Techniques

"All kinds of identifying marks: symbols, letters or numbers, can often be found on tools. These marks may refer to the manufacturers..., or to the place where the piece was made.... They emphasize the quality ... or a property...; warn that there is a patent pending or in existence; record the name of the object; even give an indication of how to use it.... In addition there may also be marks of ownership or embellishment."

How To Recognize Lower Quality Trowels

What items go into one's collection is a personal choice. Generally, better quality items are the most collectible and command the highest prices. Some collections may include lower quality items by personal choice, or because they are the only items of their type or age available, or because they are part of a manufacturer-based collection. Whether lower quality items are part of your collection or not, it's helpful to be able to recognize them. Here are some characteristics of lower quality brick towels:

Blade is welded, riveted, or brazed to the neck
Blade is not taper ground, or grinding is uneven
Smaller neck
Slimmer or shorter handle

Low quality riveted or brazed trowel

Right Handed and Left Handed Brick Trowels

Historically, some manufacturers offered brick trowels in right and left handed versions. A right handed trowel is for a right handed user. As the trowel is held, the right edge is curved more than the left edge. The left handed trowel is the reverse.

Disston right handed wide London brick trowel 

About Wood and Plastic Trowel Handles

Disston gumwood handle, from 1923 catalog

Trowel handles can be made from wood or plastic. Wood handles are turned on a lathe from hardwoods like beech, maple, hickory, ash, and gumwood. Woods are chosen for their resistance to checking, splintering, and splitting. Top quality and ceremonial trowels may have wood handles wrapped with leather or mahogany or other tropical wood. Possible factory finishes for trowel handles include shellac, lacquer, and urethane, depending on the trowel's age.

W. Rose Tenite handle

One way to identify older trowels is by the amount of work needed to turn the handle. Earlier trowels may have a distinctive shape and one or more decorative rings. Later trowels have smooth handles with a simple profile. Some mid-20th century American trowels had the maker's name stamped in the handle (Rose) or ferrule (Disston).

Plastic trowel handles have been made for at least 50 years. Tenite is an Eastman trademark* for cellulose acetate butyrate, which dates to 1938. Goldblatt, Marshalltown, and W. Rose have all used cellulose acetate butyrate for brick trowel handles. Alcohol and petroleum solvents will degrade cellulose acetate butyrate.

Other composite handles use plastic and synthetic rubber, including a red acrylic Marshalltown handle.

Major US trowel manufacturers sell replacement wood and plastic handles.
W. Rose Handle Styles

W. Rose foundry molding trowel handle

Marshalltown 19P10, red acrylic handle 

*Quote from Eastman: “Tenite cellulosic plastics are noted for their good balance of properties - toughness, hardness, strength, surface gloss, clarity, and a warm feel. Tenite cellulosic plastics are available in natural, clear, selected ambers or smoke transparents and black translucent.”

Masonry, Plastering, and Tool or Steel-Making Videos

All these videos are on YouTube.

Working as a Bricklayer in the 1940s (United Kingdom)

Brick & Plastering Trowel Roundup (UK)

Tyzack Builders & Plasterers Tools Video

Steel Town - Stocksbridge, Sheffield (UK)

USFS - This Old Cabin Masonry (USA)

Running Cornice In-Situ Tutorial Plastering Running plaster crown molding in place, location unknown

Repointing With Virginia Lime Works (USA) Long (15:55) but a good introduction to repointing brick with hand tools and lime mortar

Sand Casting With Philip White and Jenny Dunseath (UK) See foundry moulding trowels in use

Revoque regleado y fratasado paramento vertical mortero… (Spain) Stucco on tile block

Ramón Guarda Parera (Spain) A variety of masonry, stucco, and tile videos by Mr. Parera

Hong Kong Bamboo Scaffolding (English language)

Trow & Holden stone hammer selection (USA)

Trow & Holden plug & feathers stone splitting (USA)

Trowel Styles in Continental Europe

Continental European brick and plasterer's trowels are still made in many regional and national variations, from Aachen style to Zurich style. You can see these many patterns in the catalog of a company in business since 1862:

P. Hermann Jung KG catalog (English)
P. Hermann Jung KG catalog (German)

Differences Between London and Philadelphia Pattern Brick Trowels

In the United States, the many brick trowel styles of the past have been reduced to the Philadelphia pattern and the London pattern. The Philadelphia has one width, its heel is set farther back, and the heel comes to sharp angles. The London has an elongated shape and is manufactured in narrow and wide widths. Originally the London heel had sharp angles but today it a rounded heel. Notice the variations in the definitions below and with the much older picture at the bottom.

11 inch W. Rose wide London (top), 11 inch W. Rose Philadelphia (bottom)

"Two shapes of brick trowels have become almost standard within the industry. One, the Philadelphia Pattern, has a square heel, while the other, the London Pattern, has a rounded heel which shapes the blade so that the mortar is carried a little further forward on the blade. The Philadelphia pattern is better suited to lay block as it allows more mortar to be placed on the blade, while the London pattern is designed for laying brick. The Wide London pattern is simply wider at the heel than the London which allows for even more mortar to be scooped on the blade."

Source: Hamilton Builders website

"The blade of a London-pattern trowel has one curved edge for cutting bricks, a skill that takes practice to perfect; the blade's other edge is straight, for picking up mortar. You can buy left-handed versions of this trowel or opt for a similar trowel with two straight edges.

A Canadian-pattern trowel (sometimes called a Philadelphia brick trowel) is also symmetrical, having a wide blade with two curved edges."

Although this source is recent the definition is much older: Popular Mechanics Complete Home How-To, by Albert Jackson, David Day (2009)

Approx. 100 years old

Marshalltown Trowel 1939 

Selecting a New Trowel

YouTube video from Budding Co. on how to choose a good trowel, featuring the CO.ME trowels from Italy. The video is in English.

YouTube

Guide To Brick Trowel Patterns

From W. Rose 1929 catalog; having the patterns side by side helps show the differences between them.

Parts of a Trowel

Trowel patented by Henry Disston & Sons

How To Clean a Used Trowel

First, if your trowel is very old or unique, please do not do more than clean the dust off. For all other trowels, read on.

The average used trowel bought for $3 at a flea market will be encrusted with mortar, concrete, tar, or all three. It will need heavy duty cleaning to bring it to usable condition. See the list of supplies below.

Start by protecting the handle with a coat of paste wax, which is easily removed later. Place the trowel on a board or other sturdy outdoor work surface. Flood the blade with water and attack the mortar with the scraper. Work with the grain of the blade, which was ground diagonally parallel with the 2 sides of the tang. This will help minimize scratches in the steel. Continue washing the blade with water as you go.

After removing as much as possible with the scraper, switch to the stone and use it like a sanding block. The grit in the stone is harder than the mortar, and does a good job of abrading it. Take care to concentrate on the mortar, avoid too much wear on the steel. and use lots of water. Use the scraper again where needed, like on the tang.

Turn the trowel over and repeat the cleaning on the bottom. Here the grain runs straight from toe (tip) to heel.

Last, use the 400 grit paper for spot sanding and a final all-over cleaning. Dry the trowel very well. If the handle needs sanding or scraping, wait until the wood is completely dry. Last, protect your work with an all-over coat of paste wax.              

You will need:
Outdoor work space
Paste wax (the yellow stuff in a can)
Carborundum or equivalent rectangular sharpening stone
Steel scraper with a beveled edge (mine is a 1.25 inch Hyde with black nylon handle)
Automotive grade 400 grit sandpaper
Water resistant sanding block
Bucket of water
Shop towels
  

Cleaning this $3 purchase revealed a pre-1955 Disston trowel