Brown-Brockmeyer Co., a maker of motors and pedestal grinders, dates back to at least 1929. One of the founders was Steffen A. Brown, who remained active with the company until at least the early 1970s. At some point the company name changed to the Dyna Electric Motor Co. They went out of business in the mid-1980s.
Brown-Brockmeyer used a couple of different brands, plus they made products that were sold by retailers.
- Brown-Brockmeyer B-Line.
- Brown-Brockmeyer Tool Line.
- Brown-Brockmeyer Toolmaster.
- Brown-Brockmeyer Power-Poise.
- Craftsman grinders and motors sold by Sears, Roebuck & Co., identified by the Sears OEM prefix of 410.
- Westcraft grinders (and perhaps motors) sold by Western Auto Supply Co.
- Skil grinders sold by Skilsaw, Inc.
- Sprunger-badged bench grinders sold by Sprunger Brothers, Inc.
Information Sources
- The 1929 date comes from patent records.
- Joe Potter reports a 1939 Marwood Ltd. Catalog that lists Brown-Brockmeyer as a supplier.
- Machinery Manuals Online has a 1948 price list for pedestal grinders and grinder-buffers.
- Former Brown-Brockmeyer employee Gary Mussett reports that this company "was located at 1000 Smithville Rd, Dayton, Oh. They made electric motors including pedestal grinders. Most were private labeled for Sears. The company changed its name to Dyna Electric Motor Co. They went out of business sometime in the mid 1980s." Mussett also provided information on one of the founders: "One of the original founders, Steffen A. Brown, was still active in the company while I was there. Mr. Brown had previously been involved with the startup in the 1920s of "The Master Electric Company" which was later bought out by Emerson Electric."
- According to correspondent Sukey Brown, "Dyna Corp., along with National Gear Corporation, sold all machinery and parts to a North Carolina company in 1981."
- Correspondent Brian Kachadurian reports a Craftsman grinder that closely matches a Photo Index entry of a Brown-Brockmeyer grinder. The Craftsman grinder has an OEM prefix of 410.
- The "Tool Line" name was trademarked on 1950-08-08, trademark registration number 71601884.