Tinsmith Museum of America

Tinsmith Museum of America

Tinsmith Museum of America

Preserving the Past in the Present for the Future

  • 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…

  • Jiles Mabe

  • May & Co

    From the 1853 Massachusette Register One of our first acquisitions was this piece from Samuel May & Co. They were a company in Boston MA that sold A W Whitney Machines. The cast iron top is stamped A W Whitney and the MAY & CO BOSTON is on the handle near the journal or box.…

  • World Wide Pandemic

    Covid has hit us hard. We were in talks with a local sheet metal shop to rent out a small portion of their building. Max had made plans for the renovation but due to the shutdown we will postpone that brick and mortar opening.

  • Robin Hood tinware

    This pair of sconces were made by Robin Hood from Rockbridge, Ohio. Visit their store at http://www.robinhoodtinware.com/ordering-Information.html    

  • Ned James

    At Saratoga County Museum

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