Spool-O-Wire Fastener

Hutchison Office Specialties, NY, NY
Remington Typewriter Co, Ilion, NY
Victor Safe and Lock, Cincinnati, OH

The Spool-O-Wire Fastener is the most beautifully complex desktop paper fastener ever made.   It is also one of the most sought-after and valuable staplers.   No collection is complete without a Spool-O-Wire.

This amazing machine sprang from the creative mind of Dr. Miller Reese Hutchison, an engineering advisor to Thomas Edison.   Hutchison filed an application for a patent for this device in 1908.   The patent was finally granted 9 years later in 1917.   Further design improvements were covered by patents issued in 1919, 1920, and 1921.

Hutchison also received a design patent for the machine in 1919.

As the name implies, the Spool-O-Wire is a coil-fed stapler.   Staples are made from 0.020" steel wire held on a large spool inside the machine.   Early advertisements for the machine state that each spool contains 1250 feet of wire and can make 15,000 staples per spool.   In 1916, a new spool of wire for this stapler cost $1.00.   This translated to a per-staple cost of $0.000067;   by far the lowest at the time.

The Spool-O-Wire is a relatively large and heavy machine. Not including the handle, it measures 6-1/4" wide by 6-1/2" deep, by 4-1/2" high.  The lever extends an additional 5-1/2" from the case.   The unit is mounted to a 6-1/2" by 10" oak base and weighs in at a beefy 12 pounds.

The base and sides are made up of a single heavy iron casting to which an elaborate series of gears, levers, and cams are mounted.   The cover is made from sheet steel.   The lever is nickel plated cast iron.

Here's how this fastener works (refer to the diagram on the right).   The cycle starts with the lever in the straight-up position.   When the lever is moved back, a gripper mechanism on the feed lever grabs the wire, pulls it off the spool and through a straightener, and feeds about 1" into the staple forming area.

As the handle is returned back to vertical, the feed mechanism resets for the next cycle.   As the lever continues forward, the wire is cut off and formed into a staple inside the forming area.   The staple is inserted and clinched during the final 30° or so of downward lever travel.   A spring-loaded pawl and gear arrangement ensure that the machine makes a full cycle before the lever direction can be reversed.

The diagram on the right is adapted from Hutchison's 1921 patent and is indicative of the design for production units. One exception is the tensioning means on the straightener.   Later production units used the spring arrangement shown in the photo higher up on this page.

The Spool-O-Wire Fastener was originally manufactured for the inventor's company - the Hutchison Office Specialties Company of New York - by the Remington Typewriter Company of Ilion, NY..   Sometime during the 1920's the product was acquired outright by Remington.   The earlier devices made for Hutchison and the later Remington models are similar but not identical.   The most significant differences are to the feed gripper and the bottom part of the lever (see the photos above).

The Victor Safe and Lock Company of Cincinnati Ohio also sold the Spool-O-Wire with their name on it.   The Victor version is exactly the same as the Remington.   Whether or not Victor actually manufactured the device is unclear.   Of the three, the devices made by Remington are the most common.

The ad on the right is from a 1919 catalog.   In it, the device is described as a "machine tool".   This ad is interesting for a couple of reasons.   First of all, the name of the manufacturer is spelled wrong - it's "Hutchison", not "Hutchinson".   Second, the ad states that:

"The machine will make and clinch staples whether there is any paper in the groove or not.   Hence, it will not become fouled if operated by unauthorized or inquisitive persons."

This is a direct contradiction to the warning printed on the cover of the device - "DO NOT OPERATE MACHINE WITHOUT PAPER".

These magnificent machines are sought after by collectors of paper fasteners, Remington typewriter items, and antique office machines.   Because they're so desirable, they are also among the most valuable paper fasteners.   The Spool-O-Wire Fastener ranges in price from $300 (for a beat up example) to over $1000.   Recently, an early Hutchison machine in excellent condition brought $1500 at auction.

Spool-O-Wire Fastener - 1917 ad