Friday musing
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I hurt my back so my activites are limited. I am cleaning some old hand tools that belonged to my grandfathers. I have a pair of wire cutters stamped BELL SYSTEM (which was THE telephone company in the US once upon a time). They are also stamped F.E. LINDSTROM SWEDEN on the other side. Research (ok, just Google search) tells me that the Bell System had high quality tools made to their specifications for their service personnel. These particular wire cutters look to be at least 60 years old. I've seen similar tools for US auto manufacturers, as well as IBM labeled tools carried by IBM's customer service representatives. I'm curious as to whether putting business logos with tools made to a customer's specifications was just a US thing or was once a common business practice around the world. Best Wishes - Craig
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I hurt my back so my activites are limited. I am cleaning some old hand tools that belonged to my grandfathers. I have a pair of wire cutters stamped BELL SYSTEM (which was THE telephone company in the US once upon a time). They are also stamped F.E. LINDSTROM SWEDEN on the other side. Research (ok, just Google search) tells me that the Bell System had high quality tools made to their specifications for their service personnel. These particular wire cutters look to be at least 60 years old. I've seen similar tools for US auto manufacturers, as well as IBM labeled tools carried by IBM's customer service representatives. I'm curious as to whether putting business logos with tools made to a customer's specifications was just a US thing or was once a common business practice around the world. Best Wishes - Craig
Here in Australia, the only "customer"-branded tools I can recall were for government agencies. PMG (Postmaster General's Department - Postal and Telegraph/telephone before the big split-up) /|\ Broad arrow for Department of Defence (probably so they could pinch pommie ones!) Various utilities and railways (all government owned in those days). I worked alongside IBM and other mainframe servicemen half a century ago, and don't remember ever seeing the branding you mention. And working on interfacing projects, we often had to sort our tools from theirs at the end of the day.
Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994. So does this signature. me, 2012
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I hurt my back so my activites are limited. I am cleaning some old hand tools that belonged to my grandfathers. I have a pair of wire cutters stamped BELL SYSTEM (which was THE telephone company in the US once upon a time). They are also stamped F.E. LINDSTROM SWEDEN on the other side. Research (ok, just Google search) tells me that the Bell System had high quality tools made to their specifications for their service personnel. These particular wire cutters look to be at least 60 years old. I've seen similar tools for US auto manufacturers, as well as IBM labeled tools carried by IBM's customer service representatives. I'm curious as to whether putting business logos with tools made to a customer's specifications was just a US thing or was once a common business practice around the world. Best Wishes - Craig
My Dad started working for SW Bell in the mid 1960s, right out of high school and retired after 37 years. I remember the Bell System stamp on his tools, but don't recall the manufacturer stamps. The type of pliers you are referring to, he would call dikes. (diagonal cutters...for cutting and stripping) My grandfather worked in aviation repair and had the coolest pliers I'd ever seen...safety wire twisters/cutters.
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse "Hope is contagious"
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My Dad started working for SW Bell in the mid 1960s, right out of high school and retired after 37 years. I remember the Bell System stamp on his tools, but don't recall the manufacturer stamps. The type of pliers you are referring to, he would call dikes. (diagonal cutters...for cutting and stripping) My grandfather worked in aviation repair and had the coolest pliers I'd ever seen...safety wire twisters/cutters.
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse "Hope is contagious"
Quote:
safety wire twisters/cutters.
Still have a pair of those, from the 50's, also a "yankee screwdriver" from before electric tools. I have some tools from my father, lineman's pliers that are approaching a century old. Alas, I am a pack rat. :) OTOH, I have a (very expensive) ergo keyboard that makes a big difference to my hands.
>64 It’s weird being the same age as old people. Live every day like it is your last; one day, it will be.
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I hurt my back so my activites are limited. I am cleaning some old hand tools that belonged to my grandfathers. I have a pair of wire cutters stamped BELL SYSTEM (which was THE telephone company in the US once upon a time). They are also stamped F.E. LINDSTROM SWEDEN on the other side. Research (ok, just Google search) tells me that the Bell System had high quality tools made to their specifications for their service personnel. These particular wire cutters look to be at least 60 years old. I've seen similar tools for US auto manufacturers, as well as IBM labeled tools carried by IBM's customer service representatives. I'm curious as to whether putting business logos with tools made to a customer's specifications was just a US thing or was once a common business practice around the world. Best Wishes - Craig
Craig Robbins wrote:
I'm curious as to whether putting business logos with tools made to a customer's specifications was just a US thing or was once a common business practice around the world.
No, it is a fairly common practice. Putting the customers name on custom tools is for telling people where the tool was stolen from. [Lindström](https://www.lindstromtools.com/us\_en/) as a company is still around producing industry specific tools of high quality, often to customer specification.
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
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Quote:
safety wire twisters/cutters.
Still have a pair of those, from the 50's, also a "yankee screwdriver" from before electric tools. I have some tools from my father, lineman's pliers that are approaching a century old. Alas, I am a pack rat. :) OTOH, I have a (very expensive) ergo keyboard that makes a big difference to my hands.
>64 It’s weird being the same age as old people. Live every day like it is your last; one day, it will be.
I found a lineman's handset by a TNI when i was a kid. It was basically a phone in bag with clips on it for attaching to the leads. Labeled with some bell company logo. I probably should have found somewhere to turn it in, but that would have been work, and I thought the thing was cool.
Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix
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Craig Robbins wrote:
I'm curious as to whether putting business logos with tools made to a customer's specifications was just a US thing or was once a common business practice around the world.
No, it is a fairly common practice. Putting the customers name on custom tools is for telling people where the tool was stolen from. [Lindström](https://www.lindstromtools.com/us\_en/) as a company is still around producing industry specific tools of high quality, often to customer specification.
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
I'm still using a set of Lindstrom side cutters that date from the mid 80s. Still sharp and cutting true.