Airmaster Corporation 140 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois

[Mike Kearns]

Singer Corporation is an American manufacturer of domestic sewing machines, first established as I. M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac Merritt Singer with New York lawyer Edward Clark. Best known for its sewing machines, it was renamed Singer Manufacturing Company in 1865, then the Singer Company in 1963. It is based in La Vergne, Tennessee, near Nashville. Its first large factory for mass production was built in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1863. - Wikipedia].

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1878 - Already competition is becoming fierce, here none other than Thomas Edison is already working on an electric motor to power sewing machines:

Edited May 25, 2022 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1899 - Singer has already established a close relationship with Edison competitor Diehl Manufacturing to provide it's electric motor needs:

Edited May 25, 2022 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1914 -

Edited May 25, 2022 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1915 - A German-American civil engineer/aviation designer, Frederick Herman Leinweber has grand aspirations in aircraft design, particularly propellers... 

Edited May 25, 2022 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1918 - Frederick Leinweber dies, and leaves all of his children his patent rights:

                                                                                                                                                                       Of particular relevance to this story, Singer Manufacturing Co. buys an American electric motor manufacturing concern to provide domestically produced motors for their sewing machines, Diehl Manufacturing Co.:     

                                                                                                                                                               Philip Diehl (one 'l' in Philip - lawyers misspelled it on at least two patents) was born on 29th of January 1847, in Dalsheim; he graduated from the Technical School at Darmstadt and, like Isaac Singer 50 years earlier, emigrated from Germany to the USA. The son of a physician, Diehl had been a locksmith and in 1868, aged 21, became a machinist (engineer) at the Singer factory in Mott Street, NYC. Two years later, he moved to run Singer's Chicago repair department under James Bolton - inventor of the New Family and the parlour cabinet - who must have recognised an ally in the resourceful young Diehl. His first patent was granted in 1873, for improvements to magic lanterns.  
 

                            Diehl and Miller's treadle ends were the first to bear the Singer logo.                                                          
Diehl's home was one of the thousands consumed by the 1871 Chicago fire and he lost everything. In 1875, after the opening of the Elizabethport factory, Diehl was summoned - on Bolton's highest recommendation - to take charge of Singer's Experimental Division; later, as Head of Mechanical Construction. 

The new factory was one of the largest industrial establishments in the world, covering a 50 acre site which had four miles of its own railway in the yard alone. Also, the company was expanding rapidly and would be relying on Elizabethport for all the special tooling and machinery needed to equip the new plants in Canada and Scotland.

Singer was a victim of its own success: the more production tried to keep up with galloping sales and an ever-increasing catalogue, the more problems it encountered and the more solutions were needed from Diehl and his staff. Certainly, it is clear that for every 'new' invention they patented, there was another for improvements to existing mechanisms. Diehl held numerous patents for improved minor assemblies and parts. Indeed, in a contemporary report of his most ubiquitous invention, the electric ceiling fan, he was described as the man "who designs shuttles for Singer". By 1880, there had been 75 patents for electrical motors to drive domestic machines but none proved powerful enough to replace a treadle. Eventually, in 1884, Diehl successfully adapted a variable speed D.C. motor he'd recently patented for dentists' drills, and produced the first practical sewing machine motor. On the Singer stand at the International Electrical Exhibition that year, there were "several sewing machines run by various electric motors invented by Mr. Philip Diehl". The first integrated motor was fitted to Diehl's own Improved Family sewing machine. In 1887, in a fit of genius, he bolted blades to this motor, hung it upside down and the ceiling fan was born. That year, Diehl & Company was formed; later incorporated as the Diehl Manufacturing Co.
Ten years later, the Singer catalogue had swollen to 53 different models, comprising 360 different varieties and counting. Sales continued to rise uncontrollably but the factory was now efficient and the boom years had begun - largely due to Diehl and his life-long mission to perfect and create.  In the final years of Philip's life, Diehl Manufacturing Co, needed larger premises but Singer, too, was expanding and commandeered the space at Elizabethport. Diehl moved out; its exports were severely curtailed by WW1 and, in 1918, it was taken over and incorporated as the Diehl Division of Singer. Diehl continued submitting patent applications until the end, with many being granted posthumously. He died in the family home at 528 Morris Avenue, Elizabeth, NJ, on 7th April 1913..

Edited May 25, 2022 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1920 -

Edited May 25, 2022 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1921 -

                                   

Edited September 5, 2023 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1922 - The Leinweber brothers achieve modest success with their helicopter design, but their blade design gets more attention from investors. Is it looking familiar? Hi-Lo Fan Corporation is established with a loan of $200,000.00 dollars...

Edited May 25, 2022 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1923 - Hi-Lo Corp. diversifies ventilation sales with automobile-related marketing. As of December 1923, Hi-Lo Products is incorporated with capital of $100,000 dollars. Special thanks to Russ Huber for information regarding Hi-Lo products Co.:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Primarily, Hi-Lo Products was used to market high-efficiency fan blades used for cooling automobile radiators:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               1924 - From "Millard's Implement Directory", 1924 edition, Volume 38, courtesy of Russ Huber:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  From April 27, 1924 edition of "Motor Age" magazine, courtesy of Russ Huber:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

 

Edited September 5, 2023 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1925 - The Leinweber Brothers continue developing the Leinweber blade design. Airmaster Corporation will later use Leinweber design variants on their early production ventilators and circulators.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Now being protected by patents, Hi-Lo begins selling ventilating fans, as of the writing of this small article from the March 1926 edition of "Electrical Merchandising", information courtesy of Russ Huber:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Edited September 5, 2023 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1927 - From Merchandising Week, 1927: Sinclair Equipment Company is contracted and finally merged with Hi-Lo Corporation to build ventilation products. L.F. Sinclair, President  Mr. Kissenger, VP   Albert Sabath - Secretary    Harry Olsen, G.M. of Sales and most notably Victor H. Leinweber - Manager of Industrial Sales, William H. Leinweber - Chief Engineer,   Curtis H. Leinweber - Factory Superintendent

Edited May 25, 2022 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1928 - A young man, Herman C. Hueglin worked as secretary for the Federal Merchandise Company in the Marquette Building, 140 South Dearborn Street, previously working at Commonwealth Edison Co... 

                                                                                                                                                              While working at Commonwealth Edison, Hueglin meets a very powerful and rich man, Mr. William A. Fox, and scores a job as the executive secretary to Fox's firm, the Federal Merchandise Company, of which he is the president and director. Hueglin files for patents for a window fan design, and Fox is intrigued enough to invest in Hueglin, as the company inventor/developer and with Fox as chief investor and president : Here's a correspondence by Hueglin as secretary for Federal Merchandise, connecting him to Fox and Federal Merchandise.:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       1928 is a good year for Hueglin. He applies for his first patents, but is listed as an employee of Federal Merchandise Company: 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    While Hueglin is the inventor, his boss at Federal Merchandise Company, William A. Fox who bankrolled manufacturing and marketing Hueglin's window fans through Federal Merchandise Company or through Fox's connections to his former workplace, Consolidated Edison:                           

                                                                                                                                                                                
The blades for the Hueglin Airmaster exhaust fans are cast solid aluminum, bearing the Leinweber patents (see post 11 in this thread to view the patents themselves: 

Edited May 25, 2022 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1929 -

                                                                                     

Edited May 25, 2022 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1930 -

                                                                                                                                                                         Images of example below courtesy of Mike Mirin:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Diehl-badged examples of Hueglin's Airmaster ventilatior were marketed as the "Wind-O-Vent" ventilator, as early as 1929: 

                                                                                                                                                                   Diehl Wind-O-Vent ventilation fan images from Andrew Block, with thanks:                                                                                                                                                           

 

Edited October 29, 2023 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1931 - Hi-Lo suffers legal issues...

                                                                                                                                                            Meanwhile, Herman Hueglin is still working as secretary for Federal Merchandise Company, but he keeps inventing, applying for and receiving patents for his ventilator fan designs, while president of Airmaster William A. Fox still manages the Airmaster Corporation affairs and marketing...  

 

 

Edited May 25, 2022 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1932 - 

Edited May 25, 2022 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1933 -

                                                                                                                                                                          An interesting anomaly in the Airmaster product line-up: A ten-inch oscillating desk fan manufactured by Chicago Flexible Shaft Company, of which Sunbeam is a Division. The motor appears to be a Diehl. The heavy aluminum blades are of multi-piece, overlapping and stamped construction:  Images courtesy of the Powell Collection: 

Edited May 25, 2022 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1934 -

                                                                                                                                                                                                Hueglin and Airmaster Corporation's first pedestal circulator, the Art-Deco step-base: 

                                                                                                                                                                                              A brief side-note regarding Airmaster Corporation and their blade designs for early production circulators; it would seem by this example that initial production circulators used Leinweber Bros. blades - Image courtesy of Russ Huber:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Later production three wing Airmaster Corporation circulator blades were still designs held by the Leinweber Bros. To see these patents, refer to post 11 of this thread: 

                                                                                                                                                                                                    Diehl 1/6th HP motors were procured to power the single and two speed motors: 

                                                                                                                                                                                                       And the two-speed motor with it's "tombstone" shaped speed control housing: 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             A quote from the man who owned one - "The 5 motor wires exit out that funky rear bell in the center into the junction box. They are pressed against the back of the inside of the junction box and 90 degree out to the power cord and Levolier. The sardine can cap is held in place by tabs inside the junction. Cardboard is behind it and in front. The levolier HAS to be mounted on the rear cover horizontal as to fit in the narrow slot between the cap and the bottom of the junction box. - Image and description courtesy of Russ Huber]                                                                                                                                                       
A close-up of the Singer product capacitor used in the two-speed Airmasters.

                                                                                                                                                                                       Airmaster Corporation begins marketing it's patented five-wing exhaust/ventilation fans:

Edited May 27, 2022 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1935 - 1935 is a great year for Herman Hueglin; The president of Airmaster Corporation William A. Fox retires, allowing Hueglin to finally be in charge of his own company. It is the last year he will be an assignor to Federal Merchandise Company:

      

A rare Airmaster re-labeled for sale by National Fan & Blower Corporation, Chicago, illinois - Circulator images kindly brought to our attention by Evan Atkinson:                                                                                                                                                                         At present, we do not know what the motor data-plate read, as the example on this fan was missing:

Edited March 20 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1936 - Hueglin's second circulator design, the round leg base, and also his own design owned lock, stock and barrel not by Federal Merchandise Co., but his own Airmaster Corporation:

                                                                                                                                                                                                          The threaded pedestal base very conveniently unscrews for shipping. The previous "step-base" model bases were not designed for disassembly, as the tube pedestal was pressed over the base, and the neck pressed into the pedestal neck.

"Airmaster Arm" - Period photograph by Andre Kertesz:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Edited October 29, 2023 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1937 -

Edited May 27, 2022 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1938 - Airmaster Corporation's old blade supplier, Hi-Lo Corporation (Leinweber Bros), dissolves the corporation in 1938:
                                         

                                                                                                                                                                                                       Airmaster Corporation and Hueglin continue to soldier on:                                                                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                                                             Airmaster is making re-badged circulators with the last of the Leinweber blades for Sears & Roebuck for their Kenmore appliance "Command-Aire" line: 

                                                                                                                                                                Shown in this close-up is the original "green-crackled finish" from the factory:

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Aviator, inventor and designer James M. Funk of Ottawa, Canada is hired by Airmaster Corporation to design a new circulator blade - James M. Funk photograph is courtesy of the Huber Image Archive: 

                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sears now marketing Airmaster exhaust fans under the Command-Aire label:

                                                                          

Edited November 22, 2023 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1939 -

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           The blade on this fan is likely a replacement, the fan is a Diehl oscillating chrome Airmaster: 

Edited October 29, 2023 by Mike Kearns

[Mike Kearns]

1940 -

                                                                                                                                                                  Airmaster is making re-badged circulators for Sears & Roebuck for their Kenmore appliance line as "Command-Aire":

Edited May 27, 2022 by Mike Kearns