The Blevney Two-Belt Grinding and Polishing Machine

Inventor John C. Blevney operated in Newark, NJ, as Blevney Manufacturing Co. from the mid 1880s into the 1890s, manufacturing split pulleys and friction clutches. He then founded the firm of John C. Blevney by 1910 to manufacture his two-belt polishing machine. The firm apparently reorganized in 1915 with the same name, to manufacture abrasive belt surfacing machines. It was the first company to finish, grind and polish with abrasive belts. This predated the entry into the field of Behr Manning (Norton Abrasive) and 3M Co.

Blevney's numerous patents show that his machines were mostly for metalworking, but some include features aimed at working other materials, including wood. Other patents were for vehicles, household items, and electric refrigeration.

One of Blevney's key insights was that cast iron surfaces often need to be smooth but need not be especially flat. Surface grinding was more expensive, and often unacceptably reduced casting thickness in order to obtain a blemish-free finish. Using a belt sander with a compliant backing permitted localized material removal to smooth out small pits and depressions without thinning the entire casting.

In 1917 Blevney's business, patterns, patents, and good will were acquired by William Howe and Arthur Behnke and moved to Greenfield, MA, as Blevney Machine Co., and changing its name to Production Machine Co. in 1920.

Information Sources

• Vermont Phoenix (Brattleboro, VT), Sep. 21, 1917, Pg. 5.
• Some of the information here is courtesy of Albert Shane, curator of Greenfield's Museum of Our Industrial Heritage.
• The Massachusetts corporate registry database lists Blevney Machine Co.'s first registration as 1917-07-11.
• The Metal Industry, Vol. 8, No. 4, Apr. 1910, Pg. 178.