can openers

[SparksBird]

I found some interesting information today which might help shed some light on the availability of can openers during the war. Here is a listing of patents from 1858-1865:

Inventors Name: Residence: Date: Number:

Ezra J. Warner Waterbury, CT. Jan.05,1858 19,063
William C. Dick New York, NY. Nov.1, 1864 44,856
Charles A. Ruff Providence, RI Mar.07,1865 46,709

I also found a reference to one in the American Home Cook Book, 1854, which describes it as a "sardine opener, to open tin boxes of sardines, preserved meats, preserves, &c." However, given the date, this might have been an import.

Rick Musselman
Buckeye Mess
GHTI

[Amtmann]

Re: can openers

Rick, email sent about this subject.

[lukegilly13]

Re: can openers

This is a VERY old thread however, does anyone have more information on can openers of the period?

[yeoman]

Re: can openers

Sir, this site, Toolmonger (archives May 2008), has a photo of a can opener and if I may quote, "the US Army adopted the Warner design and issued the bull's head can opener with its rations of canned "bully beef" or shredded corned beef and gravy"
http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/...pictureid=4248
My two cents.

[lukegilly13]

Re: can openers

Mel,
Thanks for the pic!
Anyone know of someone reproducing this item?

Can't find a reproduction but there is suprisingly several originals available...it appears that for many years they continued to make/use this item.

[50th VA Corporal]

Re: can openers

Wow!

I have a reproduction nearly identical to the photo - the only exceptions being the blade also extends through the top (through the neck) with an additional pointed blade instead of the horn coming out of the top center of the head, and the blade securing screw comes in from the opposite side. Otherwise identical.

I picked this up at the Conner Prairie Museum in Fishers, IN several years ago in their souviner shop. They had also some nice tinware at that time. I was there a few weeks ago and did not see anymore of the can openers and they were rather slim on tinware.

I think I paid something like $13 for the can opener and it does work.

You might want to Google the museum to turn up the website.

Jas. T. Lemon
50th VA Corporal

[Amtmann]

Re: can openers

From the information I've seen over the years, the bull head can openers are later than Civil War Period. I'd like to know where the evidence came from for them being war time.

[yeoman]

Re: can openers

Sir, the photo of the "bull head" can opener was with the info I drew the quote from. Looking a bit more I see the site is a blog. I did look look to find an answer for your post and I cannot find the US Army issued "bull head" can openers. I understand Ezra Warners can openers were issued with rations which is interesting. Is this the opener they would have used? http://mycountryisamerica.com/images/canopener.jpg
Thanks.

My after thought is, I will be looking for source to cast light that can openers were issued with rations.
Thanks

[lukegilly13]

Re: can openers

Mel,
That's the diagram I ran across in the archives myself...now as far as finding an issued original I cannot. I am currently searching the National Archives looking for military issue records that state "cans with can openers." I have not found anything as of yet but there are a LOT of pages to look through!!!!!!! As many inventions that came out during the war, I find it hard to believe that these men were using "bayonettes, pocket knifes, and gun shots" to open cans as I have seen stated on several webpages. Granted hungry men will find a way....but I give them more credit than that. We'll see if my research supports my theory.

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: can openers

From the information I've seen over the years, the bull head can openers are later than Civil War Period. I'd like to know where the evidence came from for them being war time.

I agree that the the bull's head openers are later than the CW period. Here is a link to an article on the history of can openers that indicates that they were from the late 19th century.

http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/2000/1/2000_1_6.shtml

As much as I can find out about the bull's head can openers is one secondary source stated that the first American patent for one was issued to J. A. Wilson in 1875 but I can't find the patent number. John A. Wilson was granted a patent for sheet metal cans in 1875 (#161,848) but I can't find a can opener patent for him.

Henry Petroski, in his book, The Evolution of Useful Things did state that the 1885 British Army and Navy Cooperative Society catalogue offered its first can-opener and the 1907 offered a "bull's head" can opener.

Everywhere that the "bull's head" opener is mentioned there are different dates but no one mentions a specific inventor (with the exception of Wilson) or patent number. It would seem that if someone had primary sources or documentation that they would give specifics rather than vague times.

I do have excerpts from a number of hardware catalogues from the 1880s and there are a numerous can openers in the but in the American ones, there are no bull's head openers shown. In a page of corkscrews and "tin openers" from the British company, William Marples & Sons, LTD, Sheffield, there was one bull's head tin opener. There was no date on the page but since the others were from the 1880s I assume that this was from the same time period.

Most cans, excavated from military sites, that I have seen pictures of have appear to have been opened with a knife. John Tobey did a post a number of years ago about an article that Art Henshaw wrote where he experimented with several methods of opening cans and found that some may have been opened with can openers that had been excavated at CW sites. He did not mention a bull's head opener as been one of the ones found, nor did he include any images.

The Russell Erwin Illustrated Catalogue of American Hardware (1865) did not have any can openers in it. There were no can openers in the Steamboat Bertrand. I did find an image of a "sardine can" opener in the American Home Cook Book (1854) but the opener was probably a British import since it predate Warner's opener but the design is similar but the and angle handle differs. Robert Yates patented the first lever can opener in Britain in 1855. (#1577). There were only three can openers patented in the US by 1865 so some may have been imported.

[yeoman]

Re: can openers

Sir and Ma'am, my search to find documentation the US Army issued can openers is moving .... nowhere, still in the dark. There are lots of hearsay evidence comments from different sources that Warners opener was issued, but at this point I have no knowledge to the fact.
Reading on I see the cans may have had instructions to use a hammer and chisel around the top edge to open.
I do not have a subscription but I see the "Watchdog", Volume 9, No. 3. may have a little something on can openers.
Post #4 this thread,I posted a quote with a photo from a site with no real feet to stand on, my bad.
Here is something else I ran across while searching Warners can opener
and if I may share, "ignorance is not a sin, but pride of ignorance is a sin".
My two cents and thanks.

[Amtmann]

Re: can openers

From the 1865 Russell & Erwin Catalogue:

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: can openers

From the 1865 Russell & Erwin Catalogue:

Rick,

Thanks for posting the page from the hardware catalogue. I had forgotten to look for sardine knives and it does give a clear picture of the types of can openers that were available around 1865. None of these seem to resemble the Warner style opener and may have been imported.

If anyone as images of excavated can openers from CW sites that would be a great help in determining what type of openers were being used and if they were the Warner style or if they were imported ones.

[lukegilly13]

Re: can openers

Are the "sardine knives" in the Russel and Erwin catalogue thought to be cast iron as well?

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: can openers

Are the "sardine knives" in the Russel and Erwin catalogue thought to be cast iron as well?

Even enlarging the image the Rick sent, it is difficult to tell. The handles are wooden on most of them and that seems to be an indication that they may have been British imports. Some of the later British sardine openers were all metal in the shape of a fish.