Wednesday, September 25, 2013

We used to make things in this country. #124: Bernard Marks & Co., Toronto

I picked up this Model S101A "Strip Clean" electric paint remover at a thrift store in Tweed, Ontario recently.  It still heats up well, although I haven't had a chance to actually test it on a piece of old painted furniture.






Actually, it's not clear that Bernard Marks & Co. actually made this tool.  Instead, they may have been a wholesaler.  They had a wide variety of trademarks registered to them, including "Colony Sportswear," "Tray-Saver," "Magi Koter" paint roller, "Ad Pix,"  "Jet Fire" and "Berma" (the latter for acetylene torces, registered in 1965).  They also offered a cheap camera under their name, which was also carried by the T. Eaton Company department store in Toronto under their "Teco" brand.  In any event, they're gone today.


3 comments:

Shelley Marks said...

I realize the original post for this is over 10 years old but I was wondering if you still had this paint stripper. Bernard Marks and Co. was a small company owned by my father and his brother. My dad passed away at the age of 60 in 1981 and the business didn’t last too much longer.

Mister G said...

Oh, I'm sorry, the device is long gone... I will look for another one for you though!

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for your reply, much appreciated.