Petersen Manufacturing Company

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Petersen Manufacturing Company is best known for its "Vise-Grip" locking pliers.

Petersen Manufacturing Company

Petersen Manufacturing was initially founded around 1923 as the Sire & Petersen Wrench Company in DeWitt, Nebraska. The founders were Jules A. Sire and William Petersen, and the company operated as the maker of "Vise Grip" locking pliers.

The Vise Grip pliers were based on patents 1,392,443 and 1,489,458, issued to William Petersen in 1921 and 1924 respectively. The second patent added a key feature in which a pressure strut moves past its center position to lock the pliers.

Note that both of these patents referred to the described tool as a "wrench", based on its locking capability, but the tools are generally referred to today as locking pliers.

By 1932 the company had changed its name to the Petersen Manufacturing Company, based on a notice in Hardware Age. (This was sometimes reported as the Petersen Wrench Company.) The company continued to operate in DeWitt, Nebraska.

Fig. 1. 1932 Notice for Petersen Manufacturing Company.

The scan in Fig. 1 shows a notice for the Vise-Grip wrench, as published on page 74 of the February 25, 1932 issue of Hardware Age.

The text describes the construction of the wrench and notes that it was made by the Petersen Manufacturing Company of DeWitt, Nebraska.

Fig. 2. 1942 Ad for Vise-Grip Wrench. [External Link]

In 1941 the company landed a government contract to produce Vise-Grip pliers for the war effort, and the tools were widely used in many defense industries.

Fig. 2 shows an ad for the Vise-Grip wrench placed by the Petersen Manufacturing Company, as published on page 157 of the October, 1942 issue of Western Flying.

A Second Generation Patent

Petersen's original patent expired in 1941 and the company began using the second generation patent 2,280,005, issued in 1942.

In the years following the expiration of the original locking pliers patent, a number of companies introduced locking pliers based on the early design. These included the Sears "Lever Jaw" pliers (made by Parker Manufacturing), the H.R. Basford "Gripso" pliers, the Seymour Smith "Snap-Lock" pliers, and probably a number of others we have discovered yet.

Clamping Operations

The original Vise Grip design worked well as a clamp, at least within the limits of the relatively small jaws. By 1952 Petersen Manufacturing had begun making products specifically designed for clamping operations instead of gripping applications. The 1956 C. Petersen patent 2,731,932 describes Vise-Grip style pliers fitted with a clamping yoke instead of jaws, making them especially suited for welding applications.

Petersen Manufacturing offered a number of other styles of locking clamps, including models with wide flat jaws and with open jaws similar to a "C" clamp. All of these tools were based on the original locking pliers design.

Quick-Release Levers

If Vise Grip pliers have been adjusted for a very tight grip, sometimes it may be difficult to release the grip, even to the point of requiring both hands for the operation. To address this problem, by 1957 Petersen had added a convenience feature in the form of a small release lever inside the lower handle.

The release lever is described by patent 2,514,130, issued to H.T. Jones in 1950. This patent was apparently licensed by Petersen Manufacturing, as no assignment of the patent is recorded. The 1950 Jones patent can be found stamped on the handle of pliers with the release lever.

Fig. 3. 1957 Ad for Petersen Vise-Grip Pliers with "Easy Release".

The new feature was referred to as "Easy Release" in Petersen ads from the late 1950s.

The scan in Fig. 3 shows an ad for Vise-Grip pliers with the "Easy Release" lever, as published on page 249 of the May, 1957 issue of Popular Science.

The illustration shows the pliers with a No. 10WR model number. The "R" suffix is believed to indicate the release lever.

This is currently the earliest known public reference to the "Easy Release" feature.

Later Operations

In 1985 the Petersen family formed American Tool Companies, Incorporated, and Petersen Manufacturing was acquired by the new holding company. Then in 1993 American Tool Companies acquired the IRWIN Tool Company, a maker of power tools with roots going back to 1884.

In 2002 American Tool was acquired by Newell Brands, a large conglomerate, and in 2003 American Tool was renamed as the IRWIN Industrial Tool Company. The company operates today as a division of Newell Rubbermaid, and additional information can be found at the IRWIN [External Link] website.

Patents

Trademarks

Fig. 4. 1923 "Vise Grip" Trademark Application.

The scan in Fig. 4 shows the design for the "VISE GRIP" trademark application, as published on page 482 of the August 21, 1923 issue of the Official Gazette.

References and Resources

Photographs and observations of particular tools are based on items in the Alloy Artifacts Collection.

Catalog Coverage

Currently we do not have any catalogs for Petersen Manufacturing.

Selected Tools

We have a number of examples of "Vise-Grip" locking pliers, as well as a selection of the company's clamps.

As a side note, all of the Vise-Grip pliers and clamps in this section are active working tools borrowed from our basement or garage workshops, with the clamps in use in our welding shop.

Vise-Grip No. 10 Locking Pliers

Fig. 5. Vise-Grip No. 10 Locking Pliers, with Insets for Edge View and Marking Detail, ca. Mid to Late 1940s.

Fig. 5 shows a pair of Vise-Grip No. 10 locking pliers, stamped with the "VISE GRIP" logo on the front, with "Petersen Mfg. Co." and "DeWitt Nebr. U.S.A." on the back side.

The pliers are also stamped with a patent notation on the lower handle, as seen in the lower composite inset. It's difficult to read due to rust and corrosion, but includes the text "U.S. Pat. 2,280,005" on the top line, with "Apr. 14, 1942" in the middle and "Other Pat. Pend." on the lower line.

Patent 2,280,005 was filed by William Petersen in 1940 and issued on April 14, 1942.

Vise-Grip No. 10WR Locking Pliers with Release Lever

Fig. 6. Vise-Grip No. 10WR Locking Pliers, with Insets for Marking Detail, ca. 1957 to 1970s.

Fig. 6 shows a pair of Vise-Grip No. 10WR locking pliers with a release lever. The pliers are stamped with the "VISE GRIP" logo on the front, with "Petersen Mfg. Co." and "DeWitt Nebr. U.S.A." on the back side.

The model number is forged into a small panel on the lower jaw.

The pliers are also stamped with patent notices on the lower handle, as seen in the lower inset. The text shows "U.S. Pat. No. 2,280,005" on the top line, with "U.S. Pat. No. 2,514,130" on the lower line.

The second patent 2,514,130 was issued to H.T. Jones in 1950 and describes a release lever inside the lower handle. Petersen Manufacturing licensed the patent from Jones and began fitting their pliers with release levers in 1957.

Vise-Grip No. 9R Locking Clamp

Fig. 7. Vise-Grip No. 9R Locking Clamp, with Insets for Top View and Marking Detail, ca. 1957 to 1960s.

Fig. 7 shows a Vise-Grip No. 9R locking clamp, stamped with the "VISE GRIP" logo on the handle.

The clamp is also stamped with "Petersen Mfg. Co." and "DeWitt Nebr. U.S.A." on the back side of the handle (not shown).

The clamp is marked with several patent notations, beginning with "U.S. Pat. 2,280,005" and "U.S. Pat. 2,514,130" on the lower handle, as seen in the lower inset. An additional patent notation "U.S. Pat. 2,731,932" is stamped on the upper clamp arm.

Patent 2,731,932 was filed by Christian Petersen in 1952 and issued on January 24, 1956.

The construction of the clamp is very similar to the standard Petersen Vise-Grip pliers, but with the substitution of a clamping yoke instead of gripping jaws, as described in patent 2,731,932.

The lower handle has a small release lever inside the main handle, which is the "Easy Release" feature described by patent 2,514,130. The presence of the release lever indicates production in 1957 or later.

Vise-Grip No. 6SP Locking "C" Clamp

Fig. 8. Vise-Grip No. 6SP Locking "C" Clamp, with Insets for Marking Detail, ca. 1980s?.

Fig. 8 shows a Vise-Grip No. 6SP locking "C" clamp, stamped with the "VISE GRIP" logo on the front, with "Petersen Mfg. Co." and "DeWitt Nebr. U.S.A." on the back side.

The underside of the lower handle is stamped with "Made in U.S.A." and "The Original Since 1924", as seen in the lower inset.

The locking mechanism of the clamp is the same as that on standard Petersen Vise-Grip pliers, but the gripping jaws have been replaced with clamping arms.