Steadfast screwdrivers
You can never have too many screwdrivers and you are lucky if they have been made by J. Stead & Co. Ltd., Manor Lane, Sheffield 2, England and carry the "Steadfast" trade mark. Here is a selection of their products, ranging from a heavy engineer's driver on the far right, with a square shank and capable of withstanding blows from a hammer on its metal end cap, to tiny electrical drivers at 3rd and 4th from left. Colour coding was used for cross point drivers: amber handles for Phillips and blue for Pozidriv. The firm is no longer in existence and it has proved difficult to find any information about it on the internet. The only reference I could find is at:
www.gracesguide.co.uk/wiki/J._Stead_and_Co
It may have been taken over by Neill Tools, another Sheffield company, before disappearing as a distinct brand.
Steadfast was not the only firm to close its Sheffield works in recent years; other famous names included STANLEY, GEORGE BARNSLEY and SONS, GORDON TOOLS, SAMUEL OSBORN, RECORD RIDGWAY, RECORD MARPLES and FOOTPRINT. Some intrepid industrial archaeologists managed to photograph the works of some of these firms shortly after their closure:
STANLEY (Woodside Lane works, Pitsmoor)
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=43934
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=51694
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=51129
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=50899
FOOTPRINT (Admiral Works, Hollis Croft)
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=44112
RECORD RIDGWAY (Parkway Works, Kettlebridge Road)
www.recordhandplanes.com/history.html
RECORD MARPLES
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=43909
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=51426&h...
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=7943
GEORGE BARNSLEY and SONS
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=52562&h...
SAMUEL OSBORN (Mushet Tool Works, Penistone Road, Neepsend)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Osborn_%26_Company
Steadfast screwdrivers
You can never have too many screwdrivers and you are lucky if they have been made by J. Stead & Co. Ltd., Manor Lane, Sheffield 2, England and carry the "Steadfast" trade mark. Here is a selection of their products, ranging from a heavy engineer's driver on the far right, with a square shank and capable of withstanding blows from a hammer on its metal end cap, to tiny electrical drivers at 3rd and 4th from left. Colour coding was used for cross point drivers: amber handles for Phillips and blue for Pozidriv. The firm is no longer in existence and it has proved difficult to find any information about it on the internet. The only reference I could find is at:
www.gracesguide.co.uk/wiki/J._Stead_and_Co
It may have been taken over by Neill Tools, another Sheffield company, before disappearing as a distinct brand.
Steadfast was not the only firm to close its Sheffield works in recent years; other famous names included STANLEY, GEORGE BARNSLEY and SONS, GORDON TOOLS, SAMUEL OSBORN, RECORD RIDGWAY, RECORD MARPLES and FOOTPRINT. Some intrepid industrial archaeologists managed to photograph the works of some of these firms shortly after their closure:
STANLEY (Woodside Lane works, Pitsmoor)
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=43934
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=51694
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=51129
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=50899
FOOTPRINT (Admiral Works, Hollis Croft)
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=44112
RECORD RIDGWAY (Parkway Works, Kettlebridge Road)
www.recordhandplanes.com/history.html
RECORD MARPLES
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=43909
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=51426&h...
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=7943
GEORGE BARNSLEY and SONS
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=52562&h...
SAMUEL OSBORN (Mushet Tool Works, Penistone Road, Neepsend)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Osborn_%26_Company