William Hunt and Sons

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William Hunt and Sons or WHS is a British brand of masonry tools.

Originally, WHS was a tool manufacturing firm from Sheffield in England. The company was founded in 1793, acquired by Brades Nash Industries in 1951, by Spear and Jackson in 1962, and by Neill Tools in 1985, which still owns the brand today.

In the UK building trade, the WHS initials are affectionately referred to as 'Work Hard or Starve'. Amongst British archaeologists, who use the firm's 4" pointing trowels, this has become 'Work Hard and Starve', a reference to the notoriously poor pay and conditions in that industry.

[edit] Archaeology trowels

The trowel is prized amongst archaeologists in the United Kingdom who find its strength useful in digging heavy deposits. In his 1946 book Field Archaeology, Richard J. C. Atkinson (best known for excavating Stonehenge), "unequivocally" recommended the use of a trowel for archaeology; during the postwar era, WHS and a competing brand from Bowden were predominant. By 1960, archaeologist Paul Stamper was told that a WHS trowel was a "prerequisite", and by 1999, he deemed it the "industry standard".[1] Current Archaeology sums up the choices:

“ There are really only two contenders on the single-forged blade market, WHS (UK) and Marshalltown (US). WHS blades are thicker, but consequently become blunt as they start to wear down. Marshalltown blades are sharp, flexible, and strong enough to deal with most types of soil.[2] ”

In 2005, the company introduced a new version of the 4" WHS pointing trowel (officially known as the London handle type standard heel width pattern number 111, part number 11104L, 100mm (4 inch) one-piece solid roll forged pointing trowel).[3] The new, thinner and more brittle design was designed more for the construction industry but encountered resistance from archaeologists who found it inferior to the predecessor model.[3] Oxford Archaeology indicated it might switch to the American-made Marshalltown trowel. As of 2006, complaints of breakages on site to the British Archaeological Jobs Resource brought about indications from the firm that it might re-introduce the original model, but with significant changes suggested by archaeologists.

In the summer of 2006, the new trowel was launched. After listening to archaeologist feedback and extensive field trials coordinated, the new trowel (which even says "archaeologists trowel" on the blade) has incorporated:

  • Thicker, stronger blade
  • Higher lift for extra knuckle clearance
  • Flattened tang to stop handle rotation

The WHS Trowel is still seen as the ultimate tool for archaeologists - long may a simple drop forged piece of steel and wood be the equipment, in skilled hands, that discovers our past.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Stamper, Paul (April 1999). "Only one way to scratch up the dirt" (subscription required). British Archaeology (43). Council for British Archaeology. ISSN 1357-4442. 
  2. ^ Mark Anderson. Digs. Current Archaeology. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  3. ^ a b "WHS Trowel bites the dust?" (January 2006). The Digger. 

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