Black & Decker Type HR Screwdriver, circa 1930

01

Artifact Overview

Alonzo G. Decker and S. Duncan Black, who operated a small manufacturing company in Baltimore, Maryland, began designing and producing electric tools in 1916. Their pistol-style grip and trigger switch, patented the following year, set the standard for power tool design. Black & Decker developed new products as the company expanded through the 1920s, introducing an electric screwdriver with a reverse switch in 1930.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Screwdriver

Date Made

circa 1930

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

73.171.2

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Black & Decker Mfg. Company.

Material

Metal
Plastic

Color

Silver (Color)
Black (Color)
Red
Gold (Color)

Dimensions

Height: 5 in
Width: 4 in
Length: 14 in

Inscriptions

on plate: BLACK & DECKER / SCREW DRIVER / SIZE 2 / VOLTS 110 / AMPS 26 / CURRENT / D.C. TO 60 CYC. / A.C. EXCLUSIVE / R.P.M. 500 / TYPE HR / SERIAL NO. 9015 / U.S. PAT. 1492095, 1528584, 1574020, / 1642490, 1770113. / THE BLACK & DECKER MFG. CO. / TOWSON, MD., U.S.A. / MADE IN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA