In 1915 the Evleth-Lindsay Co. was established to manufacture oxy-acetylene welding equipment. Early ads were aimed at the auto repair market. In 1918 the St. Paul Welding & Manufacturing Co. was established to be the sales and marketing arm of Evleth-Lindsay, and it appears that soon the Evleth-Lindsay part of the business was absorbed into St. Paul Welding & Mfg. Co.

By 1925 they had developed products aimed at, of all things, dental laboratories, for using oxy-acetylene to melt gold and other metals. This new product venture must have been successful because they soon added other dental-related products. By 1939 they had introduced a small dust collection unit for dental laboratories, and this product was so successful that in that year they produced a much larger version for general industrial use. In 1942 the business name changed again, to the Torit Manufacturing Co. By this time they were marketing dust collection systems to woodworking and metalworking factories and larger shops. In 1953 they sold the welding portion of their business. The following year William L. West purchased controlling interest in Torit and became president and CEO. In 1964 the company was reorganized again, as Torit Corp.

In 1973 Torit was acquired by Minneapolis-based Donaldson Co., Inc., which rebranded it as Donaldson Torit. In 2021 the Torit name has been de-emphasized but still exists and Donaldson continues to manufacture dust collection solutions.

Information Sources

• 1915 Annual Report of the State Treasurer of Minnesota, lists "Receipts from incorporation fees for 1915" including "Mar. 18 Eveleth-Lindsay Co..... $50.00".
• March 1916 The Timberman has an ad for "Torit 6300" from Torit Welding Co., East End of Hawthorne Bridge, Portland, Oregon.
• 1917-04-28 Automobile Topics has an article on "Torit" welding torches from Evleth-Lindsay Co., 693 Raymond Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota.
• 1917-03-14 Motor World has an ad from The Evleth-Lindsay Co., St. Paul, Minn., for their Torit 6300 torch for automobile repair.
• January 1918 American Garage & Auto Dealer has an ad from The Evleth-Lindsay Co., 693 Raymond Av., St. Paul, for their Torit 6300 oxy-acetylene quipment.
• May 1918 American Garage & Auto Dealer has an ad from St. Paul Welding & Mfg. Co., 176 W. Third St., St. Paul, for their Torit lead-burning outfit No. 1, which used oxygen and acetylene for battery and radiator repairs. An article in the same issue on this lead-burning outfit concludes, "The outfit is marketed by the St. Paul Welding & Mfg. Co., St. Paul, Minn."
• May 1925 Popular Health Dental Supplement has an ad for Torit gas apparatus, including the Torit No. 36 acetylene torch ("for gold melting and soldering") and the Torit No. 39 investment heater, from St. Paul Welding & Mfg. Co., 193 West Third Street, Saint Paul, Minn.
• January 1928 Popular Mechanics, page 175, has an ad from St. Paul Welding & Mfg. Co., 177 W. 3rd St., St. Paul, for the Torit Torch 23.
• 1939 issue of Oral Hygiene. "TORIT DUST COLLECTOR No. 10 A compact unit having a powerful motor and fan which creates STRONG SUCTION, drawing dust and grindings from lathe splashers surrounding grinding wheels into the cabinet. Heavy particles fall onto a tray at the bottom . Finer particles adhere to a series of cloth bags which completely filter the air-THE BEST KNOWN SYSTEM OF COLLECTING DUST IN DENTAL LABORATORIES! The cabinets fit under the work bench, out of the... TORIT MANUFACTURING CO., 279 Walnut St. Paul, Minn."
• 1956 Dental Industry News (Volume 39, page 56).

  Injection Curing Press Added to Torit Line

  Torit Manufacturing Company, 289 Walnut Street, St. Paul 2, has added a new curing press to its line of dental equipment. The newly announced Torit Injection Curing Press, which was formerly the Desnoyers Press and Flask for Denture Processing, measures 8 by 10 inches and stands 121/2 inches high. Along with special design features the press employs conventional platens and hydraulic jack closing. The fixed upper and movable lower platens are electrically heated with thermostatic temperature control. The press utilizes both high heat and high pressure and is described as rapid (30 minutes in a hot press) and easy to operate.

  According to Torit, the advantages of the new Press are: a full mold is assured, properly waxed cases require less finishing, checking of teeth is eliminated and there is no tooth movement or raising of posteriors. Write Department KPH at Torit for more information.

• 1965 Dental Industry News, Volume 48, page 34.

  Torit Observes 50th Year of Operation.

  The Torit Corporation, St. Paul, Minnesota... The firm, manufacturer of dust control machines and dental equipment, traces its ancestry back to a welding shop called Evleth-Lindsay Company, which was incorporated in St. Paul in 1915. Among the 50th year activities planned by Torit, according to President William L. West, is the initiation of a continuing employee recognition program. Torit has roughly 60,000 dust collector installations throughout the world. Its dental division produces such equipment as oral evacuators, model trimmers, casting machines and other specialty products for the dentist. From its 53,000 square foot at 1133 Rankin Street, Torit markets its products throughout North America and numerous foreign countries. Its dust collectors also are manufactured by licensees in Italy and Australia.

  Fifty years ago, when air pollution was not a factor, welding torches were the first products introduced by Evleth-Lindsay. This move into manufactured prompted a change in name to St. Paul Welding & Manufacturing Company in 1918. The line of torches, including models for dental laboratories, soon was augmented by other equipment for the dental industry.

  The company's association with dentists led to development of a product that sent the firm on the course it follows today. This product was a small dust collector designed to reclaim particles ground from castings in dental laboratories. The device was so successful that in 1939 the firm adapted it for industrial dust control applications.

  Torit Manufacturing Company was chosen as the organization's name in 1942 and remained so until last year when it became the Torit Corporation.

  In 1953, the job welding shop portion of the business was sold and on July 1, 1954, Mr. West purchased controlling interest in Torit. He has been president and chief executive officer since. Before joining Torit, he was president and treasurer of the Automatic Control Company, St. Paul.

• 1973 Minnesota Progress.

  Donaldson and Torit Companies Announce Agreement for Merger

  A letter of intent to merge Donaldson Co., Inc., Minneapolis, and The Torit Corp., St. Paul, has been approved by the boards of directors of both firms. Announcement was made by Frank Donaldson, president of Donaldson Company, and Torit Chairman William L. West.

  The merger is subject to approval by shareholders of Torit. The agreement calls for exchange of 203,783 shares of Donaldson common stock for all Torit shares. Based on an opening bid price on Donaldson common stock of $27.375 per share, the value of the transaction would be $5,578,559...

  ...Argentina and Australia, has offices in England and Holland, and recently completed a joint venture agreement with Hosokawa Iron Works in Japan.

  Donaldson Co., also founded in 1915, has made sales in excess of $68 million annually. It is a manufacturer of industrial...