Walden Tool/Walden Manufacturing - Farnham Nelson & Houdini

Walden Tool Company, Boston Mass.
Farnham Nelson Company, Jamaica Plain/Boston Mass.
Handcuffs.


These cuffs, also known as Lady Cuffs, are unique since they are so petite but strong enough to hold a good-sized prisoner.
These were favored by detectives since they were so light in weight and even though there were not many women in law enforcement when these were made, they liked them too.
Many of these got tossed away when they were confused as toy cuffs and/or developed mechanical problems.
Walden even mentions that a cheaper version made in "this form of handcuff is designed as a toy for the use of boys playing detective" in the patent papers. (fig 11)  This version would not include a key, arming mechanism or have springs.  The teeth of the bow would just snap into place and could be released by pressing the bow away from the body.  To my knowledge, this version toy cuff was never made.

The springs that snap the ratchet down when triggered by the arming tabs, would hit the keyhole post with enough force, that over time, could dislodge the posts.
In that event, the key would still open the cuffs, but it would be a sloppy affair.  Repairs to correct this problem is difficult as there are two layers of metal, and any attempt would be obvious.

These cuffs are definitely on the rare side and examples that retain both their key posts or in great condition, are even more scarce. I have seen some sell in the &1,000 range. In the Walden Tool models, there are 2 variations, a long and a short link.  I have seen one that was brass plated, but it is not certain if it came from the factory that way or if it was plated afterwards.
The patent papers show the long link version, so I am convinced that this is the earliest or 1st model.  The short link version features a swivel, so I believe this to be a refinement later on.
Both of mine do have the posts as well as their original keys.  In the patent papers, they show the construction of the key.  It is stamped of flat metal and rolled over to form a barrel key.  Walden make a mention to "the flap being curved into a cylindrical form to compose the pintle hole".
Replacement keys are easy to make, and one can file down a small cabinet key to fit and as long as it can enter the keyhole, it would probably work as the lock is not made to very tight tolerances.

Almost all of these cuffs were labeled as made by Walden Tool Company.  Their model was labeled "Waldenlock" and Pat. Applied for.  They were patented in 1918 by F.E. Walden
I only know of 2 cuffs branded "Farnham Nelson Company". 

I have had these cuffs for a while now but never knew very much about FN.  I finally was able to locate some info;
FN Company began operation in December 1908 when John T. Farnham (a Boston salesman of luxury automobiles) and F.D. Nelson (a former superintendent of an Ohio based car body manufacturer) joined forces in Jamaica Plain, close to Boston or a community in city limits depending on what year is being referenced.  They occupied a large building located at 47 Union Ave.

The firm often advertised their motto "Producers of the Unusual".  
The Locomobile, a luxury car utilized FN Company to outfit the autos with its fine coachworks.
1917 Locomobile

https://arizonaccca.org/farnham-nelson- ... assic-era/



From the Coachbuilt website:
Farnham & Nelson Co. Farnham & Nelson Co., 1908-1923; Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts; 1923-1932; Roslindale, Massachusetts Known as ‘Producers of the Unusual’ Farnham & Nelson hold the distinction of being one of the nation’s first exclusive builders of bespoke automobile bodies. Founded in December of 1908, by two experienced automotive men, John T. Farnham and F.D. Nelson, the partners selected the Boston suburb of Jamaica Plain for their factory.
Jamaica Plain is a historic neighborhood of 4.4 sq. miles in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Founded by Boston Puritans seeking farm land to the south, it was originally part of the city of Roxbury. Jamaica Plain seceded from Roxbury as a part of the new town of West Roxbury in 1851, and became part of Boston when West Roxbury was annexed to the City of Boston in 1874.
Farnham & Nelson occupied a large brick building located at 47 Union Ave. which was originally part of the massive B.F. Sturtevant Blower Works - a six acre site made up of one and two story brick buildings which ran alongside the main line of the Providence Railroad

Now the question is: Did Walden Tool make their own cuffs, or did FN make and brand them for them?  It seems odd that two separate entities would make the same cuffs in the same city.  I am not sure of the connection between the two manufacturers.  To add to the uncertainty, I found some info on a Walden Manufacturing Company in Worcester, Mass. that began operations in 1906, just 2 years earlier than FN Co.  Founded by Charles M. and Frederick E. Walden, their firm made new style wrenches using laminated sheet metal for the automotive trade, beginning in 1909.   (Later known as Walden Worchester) This firm primarily manufactured various socket wrenches for the auto repair trade.   

This wrench utilizes some technology similar to handcuff production using the same machinery.




A 1950's photo when the company was known as Stevens Walden Inc.

As both Walden and FN Co. worked with sheet metal on a day-to-day basis, it seems plausible that they could each make their own handcuffs, if patent infringements did not get in the way. 
The cuffs are constructed by overlapping sheet metal layers, so it certainly seems that Walden Manufacturing/Walden Tool and FN Co. may be involved in making these cuffs.
Walden Tool uses Boston as their location and Walden Manufacturing (Walden Worchester) uses Worchester, so at this time, it is clouded if they are the same company or divisions of one another.  Worchester is 40 miles from Boston, so I hope to find more info to clarify this, but I believe they are both connected or one and the same.
The patent papers list F.E. Walden of Worcester as the assignor to Walden Tool in Boston, so this does prove the connection.




The Houdini handcuff version seems to be modified and has a gaff in it that allows both hands to be quickly released if the performer finds himself in a dangerous situation.  I concealed the gaff in this pic as Houdini never wanted his escape methods revealed.  In fact, he had it in his will that his brother, Hardeen was to destroy all his props, but as we know, that never happened.  I believe these cuffs were used for underwater escapes as evidenced by the crusty rust build up on the surface and for the fact that they were modified for quick release.  They function perfectly but do not have an original key.

Walden-Worcester

Although almost forgotten today, Walden-Worcester was probably the most important early manufacturer of automotive specialty tools. In the years before 1920, Walden fixed socket wrenches were the standard tools for automotive repair, and nearly every garage and automobile dealership used these tools in their daily work. Walden was also a prime mover in the development of interchangeable sockets and drive tools.
This article will explore the history and development of this interesting and surprising company, and will show many examples of their tools.
Company History
Walden was founded in 1906 as the Walden Manufacturing Company and took its name from two of the founders, Charles M. and Frederick E. Walden. Frederick Walden was a notable inventor, and the company's first products were wrenches built around a distinctive wire-handle ratchet mechanism, invented and patented (#928,719) by Walden.

Fig. 1 shows a notice of the company's incorporation, published on page 213 of the January 17, 1907 issue of The Iron Age.
The text notes that the company would be making ratchet wrenches at 65 Beason Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. The capital stock was listed as $20,000.


Fig. 2. 1907 Advertisement for Walden Wrench. 
The previous issue of the same publication (January 10, 1907) had included a notice that the Walden ratchet wrench products were being offered by Patterson, Gottfried & Hunter, a hardware and tool distributor in New York, NY.
Fig. 2 shows an advertisement illustrating one of the Walden ratchet wrenches, as published on page 586 of the March, 1907 issue of Hardware Dealers' Magazine. These early tools were intended as tire bolt wrenches and came in a range of hex and square opening sizes.
Patterson, Gottfried & Hunter were Walden's manufacturer's agents and were actually offering the Walden ratchets as early as December 20, 1906, before the company had been formally incorporated.
An extensive search for advertisements by Walden has thus far found only variations of the wire-handled ratchet through 1909, so it appears that ratchet wrenches were the company's primary (or sole) product for the first several years. For reference, the company's total production in 1906 was given as 5,000 wrenches by a later article cited in our References section.
Purchase by Warren S. Bellows
In 1907, shortly after its founding, Walden was purchased by Warren S. Bellows. Bellows proved to be a prolific inventor as well, and the company's research and development activities resulted in a regular stream of new products, many of them covered by patents issued to Bellows or others.
One of his early inventions was a method for constructing wrenches using laminated sheet metal, for which he received patent #920,717 in 1909. Walden sold wrenches based on this patent, probably beginning in 1909, although we haven't found an advertisement or catalog listing to establish the early sales date.

Pressed-Steel Socket Sets
By 1911 (or earlier) Walden was offering pressed-steel socket sets, using its wire-handled ratchet as the drive tool.

Fig. 3. July 1912 Advertisement for Walden Socket Set. 
Fig. 3 shows an advertisement illustrating a Walden socket set, published on page 521 of the July, 1912 edition of the Automobile Trade Directory
The text notes that the set includes a ratchet, extension, universal, and fifteen sockets, all enclosed in a leather case, and with a $6.00 price.
Based on the description, the set in this ad was the Walden No. 6 Socket Set, an example of which is shown in a later figure.
By the time Walden began offering socket sets, there were several other companies offering similar tools, including Mossberg with several models, the Baystate Autokit, Syracuse Wrench (using malleable iron sockets), C.M.B. Wrench (using cast brass sockets), and possibly others. Even with the competition, Walden's sets sold reasonably well, and within a few years Walden was probably the second-biggest seller of pressed-steel sets, behind the market-leading Mossberg.
Fixed-Socket Wrenches
By 1915 Walden had started producing fixed socket wrenches consisting of a heavy-duty machined socket attached to a steel rod handle. A key patent filed in 1916 (#1,282,028) provided an inexpensive way to attach a socket to a wrench handle, and this allowed Walden to efficiently produce large numbers of fixed socket wrenches.

Fig. 4. 1915 Advertisement for Walden Products. 
Fig. 4 shows an ad illustrating some of Walden's products at that time, as published on page 139 of the March, 1915 issue of Automobile Dealer and Repairer. Included in the illustration are several of the company's fixed socket wrench tools, as well as one of their pressed-steel socket sets.
In 1916 Walden Manufacturing changed its name to Walden-Worcester, Inc. The company had been using a stylized logo with the text "Walden Worcester Wrenches" for some time, and the new name reflected this logo. This logo was later registered as trademark #121,982.
Fixed-socket wrenches proved to be Walden's best-selling products, and within a few years their sales had increased dramatically. Walden had undertaken to analyze the tool needs for the common service operations on the popular cars of that time, allowing them to design a custom wrench model for each service job. Walden's catalogs and advertising materials then listed the required tools under each of the popular automobile models.
An interesting article tracing the development of Walden's fixed socket wrenches can be found on page 756 of the March 17, 1921 issue of Iron Trade Review, entitled Making 300,000 Wrenches Monthly. The article has a number of photographs of Walden's facilities and shows bins of wrenches in various stage of production.
According to this article, in 1920 Walden's wrench production hit the 4,500,000 mark, an astonishingly high figure for that time. (Production volumes for tool companies are notoriously difficult to estimate, so published production figures of this sort are extremely useful for later historians.)
The rapid growth of their wrench sales actually caused some problems for Walden. According to the history article cited in our References section, by 1919 Walden's production was scattered among 15 buildings in Worcester. The company decided it needed to build a new production facility, and in September of 1919 broke ground for a massive mill building.
Construction was delayed past the original schedule though, and Walden was not able to start using the new facility until late in 1920. This delay was likely a factor in forcing the company into receivership, as discussed below.
Heavy-Duty Interchangeable Sockets
Walden had been a pioneer in the market for inexpensive pressed-steel socket sets, and well before 1920 had started developing heavy-duty interchangeable sockets and tools. Walden was already making heavy-wall machined sockets for its fixed socket wrenches, so it was only a small step to pair these sockets with interchangeable drive tools. These early socket tools were built around a 1/2-square drive stud with friction balls, a configuration already in use by Mossberg that quickly became the standard.
Walden's development of interchangeable socket tools can be traced by its filing of ratchet patents #1,281,484 in 1917 and #1,420,467 in 1919. These patents describe the construction of high-strength but inexpensive ratchet handles, and the latter patent was used for the 516 (see the 516 Ratchet) and 716 ratchet models. The patent filings suggest that by 1917 Walden was already preparing to offer 1/2-drive interchangeable sockets; however, for reasons that are not entirely clear, the heavy-duty socket sets didn't hit the market until 1920.
This delay in introducing its heavy-duty socket sets was probably very costly for Walden. In mid 1919 a new competitor in the form of Blackhawk Manufacturing introduced the industry's first full line of heavy-duty interchangeable socket sets, functionally equivalent to what Walden would offer the following year. In addition, Blackhawk produced copies of all of Walden's fixed socket wrench models, even to the point of listing the service tools needed for the popular car models! It must have been a huge shock for Walden's management to wake up one morning and find all of their company's products being offered by a competitor. (See our article on Blackhawk Manufacturing for more information.)
In 1920 Walden did finally release their heavy-duty socket tools, and the tools sold reasonably well, though the market now had to be shared with Blackhawk and a new start-up called the Snap-On Wrench Company. In the early 1920s Walden was one of a select few companies offering complete sets of 1/2-drive heavy-duty sockets and drive tools, with the others including Blackhawk, Snap-On, and later Mossberg. Walden's socket business developed rapidly, perhaps because it was already a high-volume manufacturer. More information on Walden's heavy-duty sockets can be found in the section on Sockets and Drive Tools.
Receivership and an Ill-fated Lawsuit
In late 1920 Walden suffered a liquidity crisis and was forced into receivership by some its trade creditors. There are a number of possible causes for the crisis, such as the delay in moving into its huge new facility, the sudden increase in competition from Blackhawk, the expenses associated with preparing a lawsuit against Blackhawk, or simply Walden's inability to manage its explosive growth.
By early 1922 the company had been reorganized.


Fig. 5. 1922 Notice of Reorganization. 
The notice in Fig. 5 describes the reorganization, as published on page 131 of the February, 1922 issue of Steel Processing and Conversion.
As a result of the receivership, the Bellows family appears to have lost their controlling stake in the company, although Warren Bellows remained as a vice-president and general manager.
In 1920 or 1921 Walden filed a lawsuit against American Grinder Manufacturing and its Blackhawk subsidiary, claiming unfair competition, trademark infringement, and later patent infringement as well. More information on this development can be found in our article on Blackhawk regarding the Walden Lawsuit.
Walden initially claimed a partial victory when the court ordered the "Blackhawk" trademark to be cancelled, but the unfair competition and patent complaints were denied, and the trademark infringement decision was later overturned.
Continued Innovation
After emerging from its reorganization Walden remained an innovative company, and a number of patents were received during the 1920s.

Fig. 6. 1924 Ad for Walden Tee-Flex Wrench. 
Fig. 6 shows a 1924 ad for the Walden Tee-Flex wrench, as published on page 69 of the September 10,1924 issue of Motor Transport.
Tee-Flex was Walden's registered trademark #130,244 for a Tee-handle wrench with a universal socket, which allowed it to work at an angle.
An example of the model shown in the illustration can be seen as the Walden 1028 Tee-Flex Universal Socket Wrench.
Based on the listings in the 1925 Dunham Catalog, Walden was offering sockets made of chrome-nickel steel in 1925, making Walden one of the first manufacturers to use alloy steel for standard 1/2-drive sockets.
(Abegg & Reinhold offered "Varco" sockets made of nickel alloy steel in 1920, and Mossberg began using a chrome-manganese alloy for some of its sockets around 1922, although in a non-standard male drive design.)


Merger with Stevens & Company
In 1926 Walden-Worcester merged with Stevens & Company to form Stevens Walden-Worcester, Inc., and the combined company offered an extensive line of automotive service machinery and tools. Stevens had previously offered a line of valve-grinding machinery, pullers, specialty tools, and toolboxes, using the logo "Stevens Speed-Up Tools".
By 1928 the combined Stevens-Walden catalog (No. 263) was offering a wide variety of socket tools, wrenches, and automotive specialty tools. The Walden section listed chrome-nickel sockets in square, hex, and double-hex broachings, and even claimed "DoubleHex" as a trademark.
By 1932 Walden had added forged open-end and box-end wrenches to their product line, including tappet wrenches, obstruction wrenches, and single-offset box wrenches. (See the section on Walden Wrenches for more information.)
In its earlier history Walden had offered very few drop-forged products and is not believed to have had any significant in-house drop-forging capability. The new forged wrenches thus were probably contract production, and it would be helpful if Walden's production partners could be identified. (The Moore Drop Forging Company is known to have supplied the forged body for an OR916 Ratchet from around 1930.)
Not much is known at this time concerning Walden's development from the mid 1930s through the late 1940s, as we don't have catalogs or other information available for that period. It's probably safe to assume that Walden was forced to change significantly as the demand for fixed socket wrenches dropped after the 1920s, although the company continued to offer some of these products even into the late 1950s.
In later years Walden shortened its name to simply Stevens Walden Inc. and sold products marked with "SW" in a particular SW-Oval logo.

It is nice to have a cross over reference to one of my other collections.

lauher wrote: ↑

Jan 30, 2024

It is nice to have a cross over reference to one of my other collections.

Joe, I think you have an equally rare item there.
This was from when hub caps actually were hub caps.
I have never handled one, so I don't know if they pop on like modern hub caps or if they are screw on.

If they are screwed on, I wonder if a large socket is needed.
Maybe a huge one of these would complement your collections.

Hi Mark
They screw on.  This one would require a flat octagonal wrench that fits over the top of the cap.
You can see more such caps at the following web site:  https://lauher.com/caps/
All the caps you see there were made between 1900 and 1930.   
How many of the car brands have you ever heard of?
Joe

Joe, Nice site.
I have been to many car museums in my day and know many manufacturers, but this collection exceeds my knowledge.
I enjoyed seeing these and hope that you are still seeking ones that you don't have.
Nice organization of the site and it is equally done as what you have done here for us at this site.

I just added a novelty item for my sideline cuff collection.  
An antique glass slide for magic lanterns.
Why anyone would go to the trouble of taking a pic of a Bean cuff back in the day is beyond me, but since it has its original key, I had to have it.
It has an inscription on it but maybe after it arrives, I can read it.
I don't think Bean had this made for advertising or other purposes as they would have removed the string.

Thank you once again for this site and sharing the hub cap one too.  Keep collecting!


Antique Magic Lantern Slide Glass & Wood Case

Mark Lyons O--O Cuffs wrote:Joe, Nice site.
I have been to many car museums in my day and know many manufacturers, but this collection exceeds my knowledge.
I enjoyed seeing these and hope that you are still seeking ones that you don't have.
Nice organization of the site and it is equally done as what you have done here for us at this site.

I just added a novelty item for my sideline cuff collection.  
An antique glass slide for magic lanterns.
Why anyone would go to the trouble of taking a pic of a Bean cuff back in the day is beyond me, but since it has its original key, I had to have it.
It has an inscription on it but maybe after it arrives, I can read it.
I don't think Bean had this made for advertising or other purposes as they would have removed the string.

Thank you once again for this site and sharing the hub cap one too.  Keep collecting!


bean.jpgAntique Magic Lantern Slide Glass & Wood Case

Click to expand...

Hey Mark! That glass slide came up at an auction near me, but I was out of town that day. It was the only one in the hundreds of slides that had anything to do with Handcuffs. I know the auctioneer’s father and he said that was the only one. The other slides in the lot were also of some every day objects, so it might’ve been for a class of some sort.


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Ariochmagician wrote: ↑

Jan 31, 2024

Hey Mark! That glass slide came up at an auction near me, but I was out of town that day. It was the only one in the hundreds of slides that had anything to do with Handcuffs. I know the auctioneer’s father and he said that was the only one. The other slides in the lot were also of some every day objects, so it might’ve been for a class of some sort.

Hi,  I was perplexed about buying it since I don't collect stuff like this, but the price wasn't much and it is cool., so I did it.

A lady mentioned you today, but maybe she messed up on the spelling of your name.
She is writing a book as has a few other collectors in it contributing some of their favorite items.
I think she will allow 2 pages of some interesting items that I wish to show.

Sound familiar?