Scope and Contents note
This material consists primarily of bills/receipts, scattered correspondence on letterhead stationery, trade catalogues, price lists, books, pamphlets, import/export documents and printed advertisements from manufacturers, distributors and importers of abrasive materials and machinery. Abrasive materials include emery papers and cloth, diamond flint papers, sand papers, millstones and grindstones. There are also some references to machines and tools for grinding, polishing and buffing purposes. A few of the companies also manufactured and sold materials for foundries.
A number of businesses manufactured and sold products other than abrasives. Such products include glue, cement, marble, leather belting, bricks, wood working machines, bone fertilizers and portable mills. The mills could be used for flour, paint, drugs, spices, coffee, grain and corn.
There are also a number of publications included among the materials. Most of these publications consist of periodicals and pamphlets relating to the abrasive industry and were published by abrasive manufacturing companies. Behr-Manning Incorporated produced Slices ( March-August, 1928) and The Triangle ( November, 1948) which were published in the interest of the hardware merchant. Pike Manufacturing Company created Pike Phertilizer which was a monthly news publication about Pike products or Pike employees and friends. Issues of the Pike Phertilizer include December 1926, February and September 1927, March, May and August 1928. These publications are among the other company related materials.
There are two pamphlets which discuss some aspect of the abrasive industry but were not produced by a manufacturing company. The one pamphlet is titled "Advice On How To Sharpen Wood-Working Tools" and the other is "Some Information on Grinding Cemented Tungsten Carbide." These pamphlets are found in the folder "related publication s".
The Carborundum Company produced a pamphlet titled "Tales Told in the Long House: Fifteen Selected Indian Legends as Handed Down in the Folklore of the Iroquois." This was published as a selection of legends that were narrated on the radio programs of the Carborundum Company. A photo copy of the original pamphlet is in the subject category "Indians" because it is more interesting as information pertaining to Native Americans.