Turning Points
in Wisconsin History
Parker Pen trim lathe
Trim lathe used by the Parker Pen Company of Janesville, Wisconsin to manufacture pen barrels and caps, c. 1946-1999
The Parker Pen Company purchased this lathe shortly after World War II. Manufactured by the Elgin Tool Works of Chicago, Illinois, it is a bench-size, multi-purpose turret lathe set up for a specific, pen manufacturing task. Parker workers called it a "trim lathe" because it was used to cut metal blanks for pen barrels or caps to their finished length.
For most of the twentieth century, one of Wisconsin's best known brand names was Parker Pen. Twenty-five year old George Safford Parker founded the Parker Pen Company on a shoestring in 1888. By the time of his death in 1937, it had become the largest pen manufacturer in the world.
| Related Topics: |
Industrialization and Urbanization The Rise of Skilled Manufacturing |
| Creator: | Elgin Took Works |
| Pub Data: | Wisconsin Historical Museum (Museum Object #2001.51.1) |
| Citation: | Parker Pen Trim Lathe. Wisconsin Historical Museum. Online facsimile at: http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1592; Visited on: 4/18/2024 |
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