Faces of Steel: People and History of Acklin Stamping Plant, Toledo Ohio

Progressive photo for production of Muffler caps used in Motorcycle Engines, c. 1915.

Interior of Dorr Street plant, c. 1925.

Acklin Stamping Plant, late 1930s

Managers Office, c. 1930s.

Workers in the Die Shop, 1940.

Harry Smith (left), Acklin Vice President, socializing, 1949 Salesmans Conference.

Mixing drinks. Alvin Seeman (right), Acklin Vice President, 1949 Salesmans Conference

Poker Game at 1949 Salesmans Conference

C.F. Greenhill pouring a drink. 1949 Salesmans Conference

Poker game at 1949 Salesmans Conference

C.F. Greenhill, Acklin President at 1949 Salesman Conference. Phil Wood, plant manager, behind him.

W.H. Dahlberg leading singing after sales conference. 1949.

Acklin Stamping Plant, 1950s.

Fire Safety demonstartion, 1967.

Meeting of the 25 year club, late 1940s.

1940's Press

Woman operating Minster Press, 1970s

Tecumseh Products sign, 1978 Winter of 1978, Tecumseh's Logo stands tall.

AB compressor stamped for Tecumseh Products.

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Adams Street, 1900

AE compressor stamped for Tecumseh Products.

Acklin Stamping Plant, 1946. 115,000 square feet.

Acklin Stamping Plant, 1969. Notice the addition of a parking lot.

AG compressor stamped for Tecumseh Products.

AH compressor stamped for Tecumseh Products.

AJ compressor stamped for Tecumseh Products.

AK compressor stamped for Tecumseh Products.

Alvin Seeman, 1950s Acklin president from 1954-1965. Photo 1950s.

"If American machinery could talk, what does his racer, religion or color matter as long as he runs me right!" Anti-racism Ad

Acklin Stamping Plant Aerial Photo, 1970s.

Aerial view of Acklin Stamping, 1940s.

Fixing a part. c. 1970's.

Art Glass Collectors

Atticfaces

National Guard troops and protestors during the Auto-Lite strike, 1934

AV compressor stamped for Tecumseh Products.

Part used in Bendix washing machines, late 1940s.

Bendix washing machines

Employees making parts for Bock Laundry a Toledo firm which produced Industrial Laundry Equipment. 1948

Bourrlet

Paul Wexlar, Stanly Schoviak, Joe Kardos, Julius Chinni, and Shortie Long representing Acklin at the American Bowling Congress, 1955.

Mary Szymanski and Anna Szalkowski putting Tecumseh mufflers onto Brazing Furnace Conveyor. 1949-1950.

The shell casings were then subjected to rigorous testing. Here the shells are being tested for hardness using the Brinell Hardness Test.

The centers of the shell casings were hollowed out.

Line-up for Christmas turkeys, 1955

CL Compressor

Line of Acklin Stamped Compressor Housings at Tecumseh Products assembly plant c. 1960s.

Covey Drawing at work

Detecto Scale Detecto Scale, which used several Acklin Stampings, c. 1940s-1950s.

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Dies in storage

Stanley Disque, Acklin Sales Representative and his catch a 100 pound Silver King Tarpon. Tampa Bay, Florida 1947

Donald Acklin, Grafton's middle son Donald Acklin, Grafton's middle son and an Acklin Stamping Vice President. His death by carbon monoxide poisoning was ruled an accident but was most likely suicide.

Donald Acklin, Grafton's middle son Donald Acklin, Grafton's middle son and an Acklin Stamping Vice President. His death by carbon monoxide poisoning was ruled an accident but was most likely suicide.

Machine Shop at Acklin's original Dorr Street Location. Before 1925.

Small Line Presses at Acklin's original Dorr Street Location. Before 1925.

Drill Room at Acklin's original Dorr Street plant, before 1925.

Large press at the Dorr Street Plant

Small Line Presses at Acklin's original Dorr Street Location. Before 1925.

Harold Siebenaler operating Drill Press. 1955.

Early stamping. Notice the foot pedal driven operation. Before 1925.

Engineering department, photo 1950s.

Executives Dinner, 1940s.

Acklin's Dorr Street Plant, home since 1911, up for sale in 1925.

The open end of each shell was then polished.

Acklin Family Record

Fasebase

Each nearly completed shell casing was then turned on a lathe a final time. Notice the women along the back working alongside the men.

Frank Graper, Acklin's fourth president, succeed William Acklin in 1939 and served as president until 1944. Photo 1941.

Frank Graper, Acklin's fourth president. Frank Graper, Photo date unknown.

Needy Toledoans line up for sandwiches. Early 1930s.

Grafton Acklin, Acklin founder and president from 1911-1926. Photo from 1898.

F. Cyril Greenhill, Acklin's fifth President served from 1944-1954, photo 1940s.

F. Cyril Greenhill, Acklin President from 1944-1954, photo mid-1950s.

Harold Krueger

Harry Smith, Acklin Vice President. Photo 1950s.

Hearing Safety, 1970s

After testing the shells were heat treated for protection

Egon Hirschmann A pioneer in Acklin's safety efforts, he organized a Shop Safety Program in 1930.

Homer Percival, production foreman. Acklin employee since 1929. Photo 1950s.

I-280 Construction, aerial view

Howard Ice and Investors, July 1999.

Bob Ignatowski, Die setter since 1933. Photo 1975.

Mac McGraw, Chief Inspector since 1969, Acklin since 1950. Photo -- January 1983.

James Acklin, son of Grafton Acklin James Acklin, son of Grafton Acklin and Acklin Stamping Company's second president, serving from 1926-1936 when he died in a car accident. Photo from 1930.

James Acklin. Photo date unknown.

Acklin UAW Shop Committee, 1947.

In this picture the shells are being undergoing a number of tests in a laboratory.

Lewis Mattox retires

The Toledo Machine and Tool Co. Building

Press manufactured by the Toledo Machine and Tool Company, c. 1911

Machineryicon

Lewis Mattox, Harry Kessler, and Hubert Humphrey, 1971.

Ray Mierzwiak, Acklin employee since 1929. Photo 1975.

Motor Drive

Drive-In movie speakers stamped at Acklin, c. 1940s-1950s.

A hole was then bored into the nose of each shell.

The open end of each shell was then shaped into a point.

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Oil Rack in use by Ohio Gas Company, c. 1930s

Acklin Company's organizationsal chart

The shell casings were then painted.

After coming off the paint line the shells were then packed in cardboard and shipped.

Phil Wood, 1955 Acklin president from 1965-1982. Photo 1955.

Acklin Booth at 1951 Air Conditioning Exposition in Chicago.

Guy Wiseman, Industrial Engineer, performs a pollution study on liquids discharged by Acklin. 1972.

Pope Motor Car Ad

New Press installation, 1978.

Productsicon

Przybylski

Acklin Punch Press

Acklin stamped nearly all parts used in production of this push mower. Photo 1940s

Ray Cox, Controller. Photo 1981.

Ray Herrick

Angie Schiavone, Receptionist, c. 1976..

Adding on! Acklin expands in the mid-1950s.

These rough forgings arrived at Acklin via New York Central Railroad from a variety of sources. It was Acklin's job to turn these into finished shell casings.

Then the shells were turned on a lathe.

Safety handcuffs on press operator. c. 1940's.

Safety handcuffs on press operator. Note the bandages. c. 1940's

Very few parts were wasted in shell production. This photo shows Acklin employees salvaging scrap metal.

Needy Toledoans line up for sandwiches. Early 1930s.

Department producing pulleys for window sashs. c. 1930's.

Seeman at his desk

Addition to the Spitzer Building in 1900

Sometimes the stacks of shells got pretty large!

Steel rolls

Producing steering wheel spiders for Willys-Overland, c. 1913

View down Collingwood Avenue in the Old West End, c. 1907.

Stamping steel splices for Street Car poles. c. 1930s.

Stacking street car pole splicers for Trolley Poles. Used repair following collisions/accidents. 1930s.

Sztukowski

And then the nose of each shell was tapped.

Temprite Oil Separator

Oil Seperator stamped for the Temprite Corporation. Photo 1950s.

Toledo Skyline, 1977

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In this photo Acklin employees are sharpening their tools

Tecomseh Products, Piston Piston stamped for Tecumseh Products for assembly of compressors. Photo 1950s.

Union Shop Committee, 1954. Lewis Mattox, chair is second from the right, back row.

Message from the Acklin Unit UAW AFL-CIO Local 12

Letter from the War Department to Acklin Employees, May 11, 1945

A base was then welded to the face end of each shell.

Wilfred Williams

William Acklin, a World War I veteran and the companies' third president.

William Acklin, a World War I veteran and the companies' third president.

In the early 1930s Acklin stamped several parts for vending machines like this one for Wrigley's gum.

World War I Production.

Eye protection was mandatory for most jobs on the shell line. Here a man stands placing shells on a conveyor.

Women worked alongside the men at Acklin during the War Effort, as shown in this photo of an unidentified woman working on a lathe.

More women than men worked at Acklin during the war. Here three women are unloading the finished shells preparing them for packing.