Rich Dvoracek Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Hi Everyone, I'm a mining historian living in the gold country of California. Today I bought a pick head with an Iron City star logo stamped on it. I'm trying to find out info. on the Iron City forge/blacksmithing company, and the dates it operated. This pick looks like it was never used, and I'd like to find out some history on it. Thanks in advance for anything you might be able to share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Welcome to the gang Rich, glad to have ya. I can't help with the history but there's probably someone here who can. If you'll click "User CP" at the top of the page and edit your profile to show your location it'll help folk living close get in touch with you directly. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLMartin Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 well they made big tools, a large post vice i have is stamped IRON CITY, sorry i cant help you more than this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucegodlesky Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 They made all sorts of tooling, from small to large, wrenches to vises, as far as I know. Maybe even more. The little bit of research I did , found that they had a storefront in the Lawrenceville section of Pgh around 1900. I'll dig a little deeper. A friend of mine collects bidness directories from that era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Dvoracek Posted February 8, 2009 Author Share Posted February 8, 2009 Great - Thanks for the help so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Dvoracek Posted February 8, 2009 Author Share Posted February 8, 2009 Bruce, Your info. about Lawrenceville led me to find out that Iron City forge was first established by German immigrants in the Pittsburgh area around 1859. They became Kloman & Co. in 1862, and during the civil war the business boomed and ended up merging with a company owned by Carnegie (of Carnegie Steel fame). I'm still not sure when my pickaxe head may have been manufactured, so any further info. that someone might have would be appreciated. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave English Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 I bought an Iron City pick too, also newer looking. It was advertized as a prospecting pick which drew me in to buy it as I have done a fair amount of prospecting some years ago and my email starts out "prospector". I hand carved a handle for it, enjoying using my draw knife and spoke shave on a 26" long and 3.5" wide limb on a real project. Lots of work. Small pick head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucegodlesky Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I have a 4" and a 6" vice by ICTC plus numerous wrenches. IIRC, the vises have a diamond stamped into them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnDD Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Hi, this is a bit of a late post. Last week I was hiking way back in the hills where I live in Arizona and found an old miners pickaxe. I did some research and determined it was an Iron City pickaxe. What was interesting that it was lying on the ground with three wedges for the handles lying inside the opening, which tells me it had lain there long enough for all the wood to turn to dust. Fortunately the pickaxe itself is in very good shape. From that alone I'm guessing it was about 100 years old. In the same general area I found a sledgehammer head without a handle, and a pretty beat up cast iron pot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Wish pics could be posted for the rest of us. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnDD Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 (edited) Good point about pictures, so I just made a quick website. You can go here and click on the link on the left labeled MINING and I posted the pickaxe picture there Edited December 21, 2009 by JohnDD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Good point about pictures, so I just made a quick website. You can go here and click on the link on the left labeled MINING and I posted the pickaxe picture there 1. What website? 2. Your location in your profile would make more meaningful and relevant, and more pleasant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 My post vise, two sledges, tongs, flatter, hot cutter, all Iron City, busy folks making tools, maybe some more as I don't feel much like digging any deeper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 IRON CITY TOOL WORKS, Pittsburgh, PA. 1854-1958. Tool types: Blacksmith tools, hammers, hoes, picks, railroad tools, and vises. The company was acquired by Warren Tool Corporation in 1958 and the Iron City name continued to be used by Warren, even though located in Ohio. The above information is from "Directory of American Toolmakers" Robert E. Nelson, Editor. Early American Industries Association. 1999. I have two Iron City vises, a hand held jack hammer, and a few fullers and swages with their unique six pointed star logo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveMc Posted March 10, 2020 Share Posted March 10, 2020 found a very old hazelhoe type tool with no handle in Sonora Ca where I live! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted March 10, 2020 Share Posted March 10, 2020 3 hours ago, DaveMc said: Sonora Ca where I live Welcome aboard... We won't remember this once leaving this post, hence the suggestion to edit your profile to show it in this thread. READ THIS FIRST It will help with other tips to help you get the best out of the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny O Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 I was doing some research trying to find out about Iron City and here I am here's a fro I dug up on my property Bend Oregon well disking soil. Don't mind the dog, that's Rico Suave the one-eyed killer stud dog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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