Plumb is a brand of hand tools owned by Apex Tool Group. The brand is known for its hammers and hatchets.[1]
 | |
| Product type | Hand tools |
|---|---|
| Owner | Apex Tool Group |
| Country | USA |
| Introduced | c. 1888 |
History
edit
In 1869, Fayette R. Plumb entered a partnership with Jonathan Yerkes, an established hammer manufacturer operating in the Frankford neighborhood of Philadelphia. Shortly thereafter, a new facility was built in the Bridesburg neighborhood of that city, operating as Yerkes & Plumb. The firm was one of the first in the United States to use cast steel to manufacture tools.[2] Yerkes retired in April 1886, and Plumb bought out Yerkes' interest in the company the following year. By 1888, the company was operating solely under the Plumb name.[3]
In 1926, Plumb objected to an attempt by the similarly named Plomb Tool Company to register its name as a trademark. The companies negotiated an agreement, but in 1946, Plumb sued for trademark infringement because Plomb had violated the terms of this agreement.[1] The Plomb company began selling tools under the Proto name instead.[4]
In 1971, the Plumb Company was acquired by the Ames Company. In 1981, Plumb was sold to Cooper Industries;[3] in 2010, the Cooper Hand Tools division was spun off into Apex Tool Group.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b "CORPORATIONS: Plumb v. Plomb". Time. 1948-12-06. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
- ^ "Death of Fayette R. Plumb". The Iron Age. 75. New York, New York: Chilton Company: 202. 1905-01-12. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
- ^ a b Lamond, Tom. "Fayette R. Plumb Co". Yesteryear's Tools. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
- ^ "Plomb: A Gallery of Tools". Alloy Artifacts. p. 1. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
- ^ Stynes, Tess (2010-03-26). "Danaher, Cooper Industries Form Joint Venture". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
External links
edit- References to Plumb tools at the Apex web site
- Workshop of the World: "Plumb"—Article on the company's production for the Allied Forces in World War I.