If you've ever done home canning, then you know how difficult it can be to remove the lid on a jar fresh out of the pantry. This little tool was designed to address exactly that problem. The original U.S. patent 2,059,736 was issued in 1936 to Joseph A. Manarik of Chicago, Illinois. Given that my example is stamped "A Stewart Product", I can only assume that it was manufactured by Bertram H. Stewart of New York, New York, who was awarded a 1946 design patent for his own can opener, and then a 1951 patent (2,570,881) for a "plier type friction cap remover." (Around the same time, he also received US design patents for a ball pen point and a toy airplane engine, the latter assigned to the Streamline Motor Corp. of New York.) Online, I have been able to find only two products made by the Stewart firm, the other being a cork screw. So, it would seem that the company was highly specialized. Anyway, I look forward to trying the device on my next jar of chili sauce.
Above package images from bullworks.net. I'm not sure how the tool was supposed to work on ketchup bottles, unless there was a time before they didn't come with screw tops.
2 comments:
I guard this tool with my life! Mom had it since the early 50's, so, most of my life. She did not do canning, but this tool works on every bottle or jar that is difficult to open. It breaks the vacuum seal on new items, and breaks the sticky residue on used jars of things like jelly, speghetti sauce, pickle relish etc. Our children and grandchildren have no idea of its usefulness and I fear they will throw it away when they clean out our estate. Wish it was still available in kitchen stores.
I also guard mine. My parents had one when I was a kid. They kept it when I moved out, but over time is disappeared. I found another one and yes I fear people will not realize what a wonder it is.
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