H. H. Franklin Manufacturing Company

H. H. Franklin Manufacturing Company

Former type	Die-cast Manufacturing
Industry	Die-cast
Genre	Die-cast bearings
Fate	Bankruptcy
Founded	1893
Founder	Herbert H. Franklin (1866-1956)[1]
Defunct	1934
Headquarters	Syracuse, Onondaga County, New York, United States
Area served	United States
Products	Bearings Automotive parts
Owner	Herbert H. Franklin
Subsidiaries	Franklin Automobile Company Franklin Die-casting Company

H. H. Franklin Manufacturing Company was founded in 1893 by industrialist Herbert H. Franklin in Syracuse, New York. The company specialized in machine die casting and made small parts such as gears and bearing caps.^[2] It was the first company in the world in that enterprise.^[3]

Franklin Manufacturing and its subsidiaries, except its aircraft engine branch, closed in 1934 due to bankruptcy.^[2]

History

Herbert H. Franklin worked as a newspaper publisher, real estate agent and Columbia Bicycle shop owner in Coxsackie, New York. After he quit the publishing business in 1893, he relocated to Syracuse, New York.^[3]

Franklin began his career in the metal die casting business (in fact, he invented the term) before establishing his automobile enterprise.^[4]

Die-cast process

In 1886, at age 19, Franklin moved to Coxsackie, New York where he spent his early career as a newspaper editor for his uncle, who owned a newspaper and publishing company. Franklin remained in that capacity until 1892.^[5]

By late 1892, Franklin became interested in die casting when Herbert G. Underwood of Yonkers, New York,^[5] an employee of a valve company Franklin had helped to bring to Coxsackie, was experimenting with a "hydrostatic moulding process."^[3] Not long after, Franklin quit the newspaper business, and relocated to Syracuse, New York.^[6]

Franklin was presented with an opportunity to "buy" a patent for the process of die-casting and he jumped at the chance.^[7] Later, he accurately predicted; "We are developing a process that will revolutionize the metal manufacturing business."^[3]

Manufacturing company

By 1893, the money he earned from his many enterprises in Coxsackie supported him for almost a year and helped him launch the H. H. Franklin Manufacturing Company which was the first machine die-casting enterprise in the world.^[3] The company was incorporated on December 12, 1895.^[8]

"Underwood first became the true and original first inventor of certain new and successful improvements in apparatus for ensuing metals not before known or used by others in this country. The patents, it is alleged, were assigned to Herbert H. Franklin on February 5, 1895 for a period of 17 years for the purpose of using and vending to others. On August 31, 1893, Underwood also became the inventor and discoverer of certain other new and useful improvements in methods and apparatus for casting and that they were assigned to Mr. Franklin on September 20, 1901 and again on August 1, 1902.^[5]

"I had been thinking of trying newspaper work in a larger place, like Syracuse, Rochester or Buffalo," Franklin later wrote, "Instead I formed a co-ownership arrangement with Underwood and came to Syracuse to introduce the process."^[8]

Die-casting is the process of forcing metal into steel molds so that smooth casting are produced without machining.^[9] H. H. Franklin launched commercial die-casting and was considered the "Godfather" of the process. He also pioneered the fabrication of aluminum.^[10]

In the early days of the business, Franklin would use steel molds as opposed to the normal sand cast molds used in the process later on.^[11]

He set up his business with Underwood, and moved into a small machine shop at 241 West Onondaga Street, near Onondaga Creek and close to the Smith Premier Typewriter Company plant. The first-marketed product was a match-striker, a plate with a hole or holes in it for fastening to the wall, and corrugations on it for the new friction matches or safety matches. "They were succeeding the old lucifers or sulphur matches."^[8]

In the beginning, the company was a small operation. During 1895, the plant cost $15 a month to operate. Franklin, by then an experienced die-caster, would arrive at the shop at 6:00 am each morning to start the fires and get ready for the days work.^[9]

Next he had a factory and casting shop in North Franklin Street where he stayed until 1900.^[12]

Lipe shop

After several years in business, Underwood grew tired of the day-to-day business and instead wanted to work on perfecting the die-casting process. He sold his interest in the company to Franklin.^[8] Later, in 1900, Franklin moved his company to the Lipe Shop, on the northeast corner of West Fayette Street and South Geddes Street (208 South Geddes Street).^[12] "This was a famous center for mechanics, engaged in inventing and developing a wide range of devices."^[8]

For a time, Howard Franklin, who was Franklin's brother worked for the company. He had set up the first shop which burned down and the company found space in the Lipe Shop.^[8] While there, Franklin found himself in the middle of a business incubator. He formed associations with early business leaders, from many different fields, including; John Wilkinson, Alexander T. Brown, Charles E. Lipe, Albert Seymour, H. Winifield Chapin and James Pass who was president of Syracuse China.^[12]

Babbitt bushings

During early 1909, the company concentrated their efforts on die-cast hard babbitt bushings for gasoline and other engines. The reason for the move was because so many manufacturers were producing engines, there was a huge demand. The bushings produced by the company were known for their rigidity due to the pressure used in the process when the cast was poured. The bushings had been in use since 1903 and about 7,000 cars had been fitted with them and they are said to give "universal satisfaction."^[13]

Company officers

In 1901, the board of directors for the H. H. Franklin Manufacturing Company elected the following directors; Herbert H. Franklin, Alexander T. Brown, Willard C. Lipe, Henry K. Chadwick and Giles Heath Stilwell.^[15]

At a subsequent meeting of the directors, the following officers were chosen; Alexander T. Brown, president; Willard C. Lipe, vice-president; Henry Knowles Chadwick, secretary; Herbert H. Franklin, treasurer and manager, and Giles Heath Stilwell, attorney.^[15]

In April 1920, officers of the company were elected as follows;

• Herbert H. Franklin, president
• Giles H. Stilwell, vice-president
• Frank A. Barton, secretary and treasurer

Directors were;

• H. H. Franklin
• Giles H. Stilwell - lawyer, from Lisle, New York
• Frank A. Barton - married Franklin's sister, Mary Franklin
• Alexander T. Brown - one of the inventors of the Smith premier typewriter and founder of Brown-Lipe gear company with W. C. Lipe
• Willard C. Lipe - went on to found Brown-Lipe company in Syracuse, manufacturer of gears, along with A. T. Brown
• E. H. Dunn
• John Wilkinson - inventor of the Franklin air-cooled motor, chief engineer, promoted to vice-president in 1910^[8]

Subsidiary and company failure

The die-casting business was split into a subsidiary called Franklin Die-Casting Corp. In 1926, Franklin Manufacturing "reabsorbed" the diecasting subsidiary and consequently, it also went under when the parent company failed.^[8]

Franklin Manufacturing and Franklin Automobile were both declared bankrupt April 3, 1934, after reporting $2,088,000 in bank loans long overdue. For three years, Franklin "doggedly" fought off failure. He had "cajoled" his bankers into renewing bank loans equal three times the company's current assets. Despite all hopes, reorganization plans fell through and the company passed into bankruptcy and the hands of a receiver.^[16] The aircraft engine subsidiary survived and was purchased by employees.

References