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Howard Brush History
Howard Brothers Manufacturing
Company started in 1866, named for three brothers: Albert H.,
Charles & John. With the passing of the other brothers, Albert
H. carried on alone. Shortly after, the Warren Brothers of Holden,
MA: Henry, Samuel and Berthier, became financially interested,
as well as funishing a high grade of leather from their tannery.
The character of these men started the organization on a solid
foundation and guaranteed a product that has always been a "leader".
At first, the equipment totaled
no more than two dozen machines. Gradually Howard Bros. increased
so that in 1888 the Company was incorporated in Massachusetts.
Our present location is now in Woonsocket, RI.
The Howard Brush
factory in Woonsocket, RI.
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Our present machines are
a long jump from those of the "Good Old Days". Back
then much hard work was done, such as pricking the holes in the
foundation and inserting the wire teeth. The next step was a
small machine all made by hand to produce single teeth, which
were distributed to women workers at their homes where work could
be done as home duties permitted. One of these original machines
is in our office.
 Soon after this was invented in the vicinity
of 1780, President George Washington on his first "swing
around the circle" in Boston, made this note in his diary
of 1789: "I went to the Card manufacturer in Boston where
there are machines for executing every part of the work in an
expeditious manner, especially in cutting and bending the teeth
which done in one stroke". History records this factory
was operated by one Richards, also Ames and William Whittemore.
Power for the factory was produced by wind wheel.
From this machine there have
been steady developments so that at present the entire operation
of pricking the holes, making the teeth, setting them in the
foundation, is all done by one machine. Further, these are equipped
with a stop motion which operates immediately if one single tooth
is not right, or is missing. Our former President and General
Manager, Herbert Midgley who succeeded Albert H. Howard, was
proud of the fact that his father helped develop it.
What is Card Clothing? The
word "Card" is from the Latin "cardus" meaning
thistle, or thistle head; hence Card Clothing with its many wire
points which in turn is applied to a machine called a Card Engine
which is composed of a series of cylinders large & small,
operating in coordination, the surface of which are covered or
wound with Card Clothing. These machines can be anywhere from
40" to 72" wide, sometimes wider, the largest cylinder
requiring 600 running feet of Card Clothing 2" wide. The
width varies from 1" to 2" with variations now and
then. It is absolutely indispensable in carding textile fibres
for the spinning process, which in turn enables the production
of yarn for all the limitless varieties of fibres.
Keeping step with the development
of the machine has been the improvement in the different materials
necessary for the construction of Card Clothing. In the "Good
Old Days" the wire was ordinary soft iron; today a hardened
and highly tempered steel wire that is remarkable for its longevity
& uniformity. In addition it is exceedingly tough wire which
in turn lead to the development of our Tufferizing process. "Tufferizing"
is a precision process of accurately cutting and setting the
wire into the foundation.
The wire must have a foundation,
as it is the backbone of Card Clothing. One of our earliest endeavors
was to specialize in our own foundation. Today each ply of cloth
is made to our own exacting specifications, which call for long
staple cotton, double carded yarns, specially prepared warp threads
in the ply of woolen cloth, all of which then must be cemented
or glued, which requires a fineness of skill and technique that
can only come through accumulated experience.
 You are wonderful to tell me the
history of the carders I just received back from Howard today
and found beautifully revitalized. - Elizabeth M., in MA -
A Very Happy Howard Customer |
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