Tinsmith Museum of America
Preserving the Past in the Present for the Future
-
Ben Clarkson
Ben Clarkson started making tinware in early 70’s at Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts under master tinsmith Al Lees. He was also teaching at Eastfield Village when Don Carpentier started the trade. Ben Clarkson later began working at Greenfeild Village in Dearborn Michigan. A wetplate image with Ben Clarkson on the left and Bob Jones,…
-
Compass or Dividers
What is the difference between a compass and dividers? A compass has a pencil on one end today but the answer has changed from years past. Websters 1828 dictionary reads: compass or compasses, [or a pair of compasses, so named from its legs, but pair is superfluous or improper, and the singular number compass is the preferable name,…
-
Phil Kelly
He was a resident tinsmith at Landis Valley Museum in Lancaster Pennsylvania. Phil Kelly was featured in the book Tinware Yesterday and Today This candle stick is featured on Page 5 of the book. His maker mark is “K” surrounded by 4 dots.
-
Walt Fleming
Walt Fleming has a business model to sell items that looked like they were already 100 years old when you bought them. Many tinsmiths would age the tinware but his process included aging the candles also.
-
Bob Horwood
In addition to the many items he made for Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village one of his pieces is at the Smithsonian. Robert Horwood was part of a trio known as the “Tinsmith Three” along with Howard Schweppe and Bill Buesching. Bob Horwood Coffee pot.
-
Bead Roller
A Tinsmiths Bead Roller? Following the discussion about whether it is a swedge or swage comes the name of roller machine. Most often the names were what the machine did. This is seen in the patent description by A W Whitney in 1847. Most often we hear these machines called rolling machines, which we always…
-
Swages
We posted, in the photo gallery, a dozen swedges. We only refer to one as a swage. That tool was made in England. We have never heard anyone from England pronounce the word but textbooks from England spell it S W A G E and we have even seen it even spelled SUAGE. So, if…
-
Charles Messner
Charles R. Messner died July 25, 2023. He had a shop, in Denver PA, selling lighting fixtures, toys, and cookie cutters among other things. From our collection this is marked #5 Dec 3 1979 and the stamped C R MESSNER DENVER PA.
-
Bill McMillen
Bill passed away November 9, 2022. He will be missed. Here is an original photo we have on display. It was published in a newspaper article about Historic Richmond town in 1984. He looks very young. He worked there for many years and then began working with Don Carpentier at Eastfield Village in Upstate New…
-
What is a Tinsmith?
Why is he called a Tinsmith? Other names include Tinker, Tinman, Tinplate Worker, Tinner, Tin Knocker, Tin Banger, Tin Bender. He is however not called a Whitesmith. The Oxford Dictionary lists accounts of the use of Whitesmith but there is nothing conclusive that they were a worker of tinplate. The dictionary describes a Whitesmith as…
Got any tool recommendations?