This early radio manufacturer produced electric drills and a tool post grinder circa 1918. The company was founded in 1912 as Gilfillan Brothers Smelting and Refining Co. to supply precious metals to the jewelry industry, and quickly diversified into electrical products. In 1921 the name changed to Gilfillan Brothers, Inc. Sennet William Gilfillan was president and his brother Jay was vice president. A 1921 ad by General Bakelite Co. described how Gilfillan used molded Bakelite to replace machined aluminum to lighten their drills, available in six models.
Information Sources
- Railway Mechanical Engineer, Vol. 92, No. 4, Apr. 1918, Pg. 232.
- The Electric Journal, Vol. 18, No. 12, Dec. 1921, Pg. 9.
- The A.W.A. Review, Vol. 10, 1996, Pg. 245 (Google Books snippet view).
- West Adams, By Suzanne Tarbell Cooper, Don Lynch, John G. Kurtz, Pg. 62.
- The Radio Museum website has a page for Gilfillan Brothers, Inc.