F. Wesel Manufacturing Co.
A Brief History
Ferdinand Wesel, shown here in 1901, was born in Frankfort-on-Main, Germany in 1846 and learned the trade of machinist. He came to the United States in 1866, at first working at a shipyard in New York. In 1868 he went to work as a machinist for R. Hoe & Co., a manufacturer of electrotyping and photoengraving machinery. He became interested in clockmaking and on his own time constructed two tower clocks, one of which won a prize upon being exhibited at the American Institute. His high level of skill as a machinist earned him recognition with his employer, particularly after he reassembled a very complicated European clock for Mr. Hoe after the builder of the clock died before it was finished.
In 1880 Wesel started his own business in a small loft on Elm Street in New York, manufacturing brass rules, stereotype blocks, galleys and wrought-iron chases. His business grew and in 1881 he moved to 178 William Street, and moved again in 1883 to 18 Spruce Street. His business burned in 1885 and relocated to 11 Spruce Street, eventually occupying all five floors of the building. In 1889, he incorporated the F. Wesel Manufacturing Company.
In 1892, Wesel purchased the old armory building at the corner of Cranbury and Henry streets in Brooklyn. He kept the space on Spruce Street as a sales showroom. He had been selling electrotyping, stereotyping and photoengraving machinery as an agent for the manufacturers, but determined that the machines could be improved upon, so he began manufacturing his own. By 1896, the Spruce Street facility had become too small, so he acquired 13,000 square feet of space at 82-84 Fulton Street.
In 1899, he acquired another factory across from the armory building, making a total of 55,000 square feet. By 1901, his business had doubled compared to 1899 figures, and F. Wesel Manufacturing Co. was selling machinery world-wide, with branch offices in Germany and Great Britain.
A contemporary account of the company and Mr. Wesel, written in 1901, describes the business as "a monument of years of extremely arduous work. Everything is manufactured under Mr. Wesel's personal supervision. For his customers he is confronting and solving difficult problems daily. His factory is a cathedral to him, and to others it is a model of system, cleanliness and productiveness. He is a man in love with his business, jealous of its reputation and the quality of all the products that bear its name, and who has fairly earned the esteem of his competitors and customers and a world-wide fame for the excellence of his manufactures. The Patent Office records a long line of Mr. Wesel’s inventions, many of which have tended to advance the various arts in which his machines and appliances are used.”
Source: The Inland Printer and Lithographer, Vol. 27, p. 595-96 (1901).
Advertisements and Publications
Click on any of the following images for a larger image.
This map of the New York City, Brooklyn and Jersey City business districts, printed in 1904, prominently displays an engraving of the F. Wesel Manufacturing Co.'s building and gives the address as 78-80 Cranbury St. It also indicates the location of the F. Wesel Manufacturing Co. with a large red arrow:
This advertisement appeared in "The American Photoengraver", Volume 3, No. 5, April 1911:
This full-page advertisement appeared in the "Penrose Annual, 1905-1906":
This advertisement appeared in a 1912 catalog:
At some point in the early/mid 20th Century, the company moved to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA. This two-page flyer for "The New Wesel Proof Press" is from 1950 and lists the company's address as 1141 N. Washington Ave., Scranton 9, Pennsylvania. Wesel proof presses apparently enjoy a reputation as high-quality machines, as did Wesel machines in general:
The "Open Library" project lists the following publications by F. Wesel Manufacturing Company:
- Catalogue of electrotyping machinery, tools and appliances. 1906
- Equipment for offices using Linotype machines. 1900
- Supplementary catalogue. 1902
- Catalogue of machinery and appliances used in electrotyping, photo-engraving, stereotyping. 1904
- Specialties for color printers. 1905
- Catalogue of stereotyping machinery for making plates for use on Harris automatic presses. 1906
- Catalogue of printing machinery, tools and supplies. 1906
- Wesel patent nailing machine 1909
- Catalogue B by F. Wesel Manufacturing Company. 1910
- Catalogue E. of photo-engravers' machines and appliances. 1911
- Catalogue of stereotyping machinery for making plates for use on Harris automatic presses. 1910
- Your proofs. 1910
- A catalogue of photo-mechanica, photo-engraving, photo-Lithography and photo-gravure equipment and machinery from 1930 was seen for sale on the internet in late 2009.