Foreword by the Managing Director

The privilege of introducing this special edition of our house magazine is much appreciated. Reviewing, as it does, a great deal of the history of the Company and its Associates over the past 200 years, I am sure this issue will make interesting reading and an unique souvenir of this further landmark for the company.

Obviously it is most difficult in such a limited space to give full scope to the resources and the achievements of our organisation, but in accomplishing such a balanced presentation I think our Editor has done well and is to be congratulated.

The following pages show how from very small beginnings and by dint of much hard work by both "head and arm", the brainchildren of the Sandersons, Newboulds. Kenyons, Wilsons, Hawksworths, Ellisons and Kaysers evolved into the organisation Sanderson Kayser Limited and we, the present generation, record our appreciation with pride.

All that is described is a direct consequence of the endeavours of the Company's servants as they worked together through the ages. Of the present work force of some 1300, several hundreds of us have more than 25 years service and over a hundred have more than 45 years' service. The skills acquired over these long years of service are reflected in the high quality of S.K. products which are well known throughout the world.

I commend this record of our Company history.

(N. Hanlon)

TWO HUNDRED YEARS OF SPECIAL STEEL

Sanderson Kayser today operates as two divisions: Steel Division and Tool and Finished Products Division. The present Company is the result of various mergers, the most important and most recent being the joining of Sanderson Brothers and Newbould Limited and Kayser, Ellison & Co. Limited in 1960 to form the Company which bears the present title.

Sanderson Brothers and Newbould, once known as Naylor and Sanderson, continued the traditions and technical expertise of a pioneer crucible steel business established in Attercliffe in 1776.

It was the year of the American Declaration of Independence, and it was the year when the manufacturers of Sheffield passed a resolution to the effect "That they hoped the Government would soon bring to a conclusion the War with America," as it was endangering the growing Sheffield trade with that country.

The original Naylor and Sanderson concern had two sides, cutlery and steel, but after a few years the steel side predominated. The Naylors were cutlers of Coalpit Lane (now Cambridge Street) and some early Naylor and Sanderson premises were not far away, in Carver Lane.

PARTNERSHIP CHANGES

The firm went through a number of partnership changes in its early days. At one time it consisted of George Naylor, Thomas Sanderson and Daniel Brammall (or Bramall). The latter gentleman, a filemaker, had his works and residence at the White House and Bramall Lane was afterwards named after him. The White House, near the present Sheffield United football ground, was pulled down only recently.

At first, steel was merchanted from such suppliers as Richard Swallow of the Attercliffe Works.

In 1822, Naylor and Sanderson, who were vigorous exporters, were in a position to take over the Swallow Works. By this time the Sanderson concern was the largest maker of crucible steel in Sheffield, with a Works in West Street.

By acquiring the Attercliffe Works on a lease from the Duke of Norfolk they gained control of a forging and rolling complex exceptionally well placed for water power and endowed with metal working traditions going back to the earliest days of iron and steel in Sheffield.

Production at the original Attercliffe crucible furnaces at Oakes Green was discontinued and melting concentrated at the West Street Works. It is worth remarking that here in 1820-22, significant experiments were undertaken in the manufacture of alloy steels. The work was instituted by Michael Faraday - best known for his electrical researches - who was also interesting in the alloying of metals. Nickel and rhodium steels were made, some being used for razors and others for stove fronts. It is believed that this was the first commercial production of alloy steel articles.

A succession of writers and commentators visited the Sanderson Works in the early nineteenth century. An extract from Sir Richard Phillips "Personal Tour" published in 1828 appears on page thirteen. It gives a useful description of the two processes: cementation and crucible melting, which made Sheffield the nineteenth century leader in world steel.

The Swiss industrialist J.C. Fischer (1775-1854) made a series of visits to the Sanderson Works during tours of England in 1825, 1827, 1845, and l846. He was greatly impressed by the firm's output and the quality of its products.

In 1829 George Naylor retired and the partnership was reconstituted as Sanderson Brothers & Co. Naylor's son, George Portus Naylor, a junior partner, whose sister married a Vickers, left to start the new firm of Naylor, Hutchinson, Vickers and Co. later Naylor Vickers & Co., the predecessors of Vickers Limited.

The selling methods on the American market of Naylor, Hutchinson, Vickers & Co. who claimed (wrongly) that they were successors to Naylor and Sanderson, brought strong objections from the Sanderson's.

The shareholders in Sanderson Brothers & Co were now Thomas Sanderson, John Sanderson, James Sanderson and Edward Fisher Sanderson. Previously they had owned three quarters of the shares and now, by purchase, had acquired the rest of the shares from George Naylor and some minor shareholders. A new deed of partnership was entered into in September 1839, retrospective from October 1836. Thomas Sanderson had died on December, 27, 1836. The partners were now John Sanderson, his son Edward Fisher Sanderson, James Sanderson, Henry Furniss and Edward Hudson. The latter two had married Ann and Maria respectively the daughters of Thomas Sanderson.

John Sanderson lived for a time at Darnall Hall (now the Liberal Club) but later occupied the New Hall, Attercliffe, near the Works.

WADSLEY BRIDGE WORKS

Sanderson Brothers & Co. acquired additional production units in the 1830's. The Wadsley Bridge Works, taken over about 1834, had once been a paper mill in the tenancy of John Hoult who converted it into a steel tilt. The Sanderson's enlarged the Works. The goit (water channel) came from the Don at Niagara Weir. Parts of the old stone buildings are still there today, but are no longer occupied by Sanderson's.

In 1835 Sanderson Brothers & Company took out a lease of 21 years on premises in Darnall Road from John Fisher, David Walker and their mortgagees at a yearly rent of £l3-13s-Od. The property had been a glasshouse and it became the genesis of the Darnall Works where the firm ultimately concentrated its steel converting and melting.

STEAM HAMMERS

Steam engines were in use at the Attercliffe Works by at least 1848. Two beam condensing engines were installed for working tilt hammers. A two ton Nasmyth hammer was installed in the 1850's but the firm still continued to make extensive use of water power.

Sanderson's was formed into a limited company on October 27, 1869. The subscribers were Henry Furniss, Edward Hudson, Charles Elam, Edward Tozer, Charles Henry Halcomb, Bernard Wake and Ebenezer Hall. Of these, the first six

were appointed directors, Bernard Wake being the chairman and Edward Tozer and Charles Henry Halcomb, joint managing directors. In addition to the Darnall, Newhall Road and West Street Works, the company's assets included stock in trade at New York, Boston, Philadelphia and New Orleans.

It was very soon decided to quit the West Street Works, as that site was too built-in to admit further development. Extensions were contemplated at the Newhall Road Works but initial new development was eventually concentrated at Darnall.

Additional land was acquired there and in August 1871, it was resolved to erect a new "48-hole melting furnace and sheds for coke, steelhouses, etc."

At the third annual general meeting a considerable improvement in the company's position was noted. "The American Steel Question" - that is on valuation for import duty - had been resolved by the sending of special commissioners to Sheffield by the Washington Government. The American trade had increased, fortunately, in view of the fact that the Franco-German War had restricted trade with the continent of Europe. However, the war had been short and business had again reopened with both countries.

At the fourth annual general meeting on July 26, 1872, it was reported that the position of the company had further improved. There was a great increase in trade in the country generally. The increase in Sanderson's trade was uniformly distributed between America, Europe and England, but an "uncomfortable restlessness at the American Customs House was noted … where the authorities persistently made efforts to raise the rate of duty."

During the past year there had been considerable extensions at Darnall and new boilers and a new steam hammer had been put in at Newhall Road. At Darnall, in addition to the coke melting holes of which there were now 132, they also put down gas melting furnaces to equal the output of 60 coke melting holes. This also entailed the erection of gas producers and the extension of shops for making crucibles, weighing-up shops, and storage for the blister steel, bar iron and alloys.

The workpeople were transferred from West Street to Darnall and the West Street Works sold.

EXPANSION IN AMERICA

Syracuse Works

On September 29, 1876, a new Company with a capital of $450,000 was formed called Sanderson Brothers Steel Co., with premises at Syracuse, New York. The manufacture of Sanderson steels was begun in America, and workmen from Sheffield were sent to the Syracuse works. The tariff wall built up by America had rendered non-competitive high-quality steel made in Sheffield.

Records left by members of the firm who went out to Syracuse are still in existence. These show that a number of alloy tool steels were already being made by Sanderson's both in Sheffield and America at that early date. The steels included 1.0 per cent. carbon, 1.5 per cent manganese steel of the Pitho Non-Shrink type, and a 22 per cent tungsten steel with a substantial chromium content similar to our present Kerau Wunda high-speed steel. This is termed a "self-hardening steel" in the record, but it is far removed from the self-hardening steels as originally developed which had much lower tungsten. It is clear that even in those days Sanderson's were well to the forefront in the search for improved tool steels.

A new product was introduced into the Sanderson range in 1891, when the Company began the manufacture of sword bayonets. Mr. C. H. Halcomb negotiated contracts with the War Office, extensive new shops were erected and additional labour engaged for the work. Formerly the manufacture of sword bayonets in England had been confined to Enfield, The firm manufactured bayonets up to the end of the 1914-18 War.

In 1900 the American steel-manufacturing interests were relinquished and Sanderson Brothers Steel Co. was absorbed by the Crucible Steel Company of America. The Sheffield Company were thus in a position to consider developments to the original concern. They therefore absorbed the firm of Samuel Newbould & Co. Ltd. with its goodwill, trademarks and world-wide reputation for saws, edge tools and machine knives.

The original family business from which the firm of Samuel Newbould & Co. originated was established about 1735 by Thomas Newbould, shearsmith (1714-1782), who was Master Cutler in 1751.

The Newbould firm began in Coalpit Lane, but eventually moved to the bottom of Sheffield Moor where they built the Bridgefield Works. From here, in 1871, they began a transfer to Newhall Road, on a plot of land leased from Sanderson's on the site of our present Saw Department.

When the two firms merged, they represented an ideal combination. The Sanderson side produced steel for sale or as raw material for the tools made by the former Newbould end of the concern.

SPECIALISED ENGINEERING PRODUCTS

Over the years, Sanderson's not only pioneered the manufacture of alloy steels, they also developed a range of specialised engineering items. The production of machine knives was started a century ago and the department now occupies a floor area of 70,000 square feet.

Another product is hacksaw blades, the manufacture of the high speed steel variety having been started in 1915. A high speed steel inserted tooth circular metal saw was made in the 1920's, this being followed with the Newbould segmental saw introduced in the early 1930's. The manufacture of Heliocentric speed reducers began in 1933.

During the two World Wars, Sanderson's made an outstanding contribution to the National effort.

MERGER WITH KAYSER ELLISON

Sanderson Kayser Limited was formed in 1960 on the merger with Kayser, Ellison & Co. Limited of Carlisle Steelworks and Darnall Steelworks, Sheffield. The latter site includes the old Sanderson Darnall Works, where the remains of some of the original crucible shops may still be seen adjacent to the modern plant.

KAYSER ELLISON & CO. LIMITED

The history of this firm has been dealt with at some length in a previous issue of this Magazine, but a brief account will be given here.

The origins can be traced back to the cutlery business of Wilson and Hawks-worth, founded in 1825, which soon began making its own steel. Trade grew, particularly with America, and the American representative, Joseph Ellison, was taken into partnership. The Carlisle Works was started in 1853. Under the leadership of C. W. Kayser, Senior, the firm expanded in steel and wire making. In 1888 a new partnership was formed under the title of Kayser Ellison & Company. The firm became a public company in 1895.

C. W. Kayser, Junior (died 1947), continued the work of his father and started the Darnall plant in 1913. Electric arc furnaces were installed, together with pneumatically operated heavy hammers, an innovation at that time. The firm developed alloy steels for the aircraft and automobile industries as well as tool steels and special steel wire. They took over the Darnall crucible plant of Sanderson Brothers and Newbould in 1930 when that firm converted to electric melting. The Darnall crucibles were eventually taken out of commission when Kayser's themselves converted to all-electric melting.

The amalgamation brought integration in steel manufacturing and warehousing as well as other benefits.

During recent years there have been numerous plant changes and improvements. Amongst these may be mentioned the Electro-Slag Refining plant for the production of extra high grade steels, the new automated Wire Rod Mill and the 30" Reversing Mill. It all seems a far cry from the water wheels and crucibles of two centuries ago.

Contacts

Telephone: + 44 (0) 114 249 1414
FAX: + 44 (0) 114 243 0171
Postal address: Newhall Road, Sheffield, S9 2QL, England
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