A H Ralston Ltd - The End of an Era [The last file-makers in Sheffield] (2025) скачать в хорошем качестве

A H Ralston Ltd - The End of an Era [The last file-makers in Sheffield] (2025)

The film was made in February 1991 before the eventual closure of their Aress Works on Rockingham Street. The firm made engineers files. Jack Ralston at the time said something similar to, "I can buy finished files cheaper than I can buy the steel to make them with! What's the point?". Whilst it is a long film, 1h 35m, it tells an intriguing story illustrative of what happened to many elements of Sheffield's once mighty tool manufacturing. Alfred Ralston (1867-1929) began business in Sheffield in 1913 as a general engineer making engineering tools including files. The business started in Rockingham Street, Sheffield and remained in the same location for 76 years. In 1991 the company was sold to the American tool maker, Simonds Industries Limited, as Ralstons was unable to compete with imports and production ceased. The site of the works was eventually subsumed as part of a new residential development entitled Kangaroo Works which took its name from the old Sorby works located nearby. A. H. Ralston’s closure mirrors the deeper systemic collapse of Sheffield’s tool and file manufacturing after 1945: craft dependence, fragmentation, under-investment, global competition, and the inability to modernise collectively. Their story encapsulates the decline of a once‑vibrant industrial environment that sustained centuries of edge‑tool expertise Perhaps unknown at the time of filming, the film presents a valuable allegory as to how and why Sheffield's pre-eminence as a tool making centre declined so quickly from the 1970s onwards. Craft skills are clearly visible but the need for investment was all too apparent. For further information on the decline of file making in Sheffield please see David Eaton's lecture entitled 'File Making - A Great Sheffield Industry That Is No More (2023)' at    • File Making - A Great Sheffield Industry T...  . In general, the video follows the stages of manufacture of a file by machine methods. File cutting machines were beginning to be introduced in the mid­-19th century, for 'special' files and short production runs, however, hand cutting continued until the late 20th. Jack Ralston was noted as saying that he understood it is still used on the continent (but no precise location where) for cutting riffler files for wood/metal, used by woodcarvers, silversmiths, etc. The Ken Hawley Collection Trust is grateful to the Ralston family for giving their permission to making the film available to a wider audience. The filming was by Jane Bird who later married Scott Ralston (1935 – 2003), the brother of Jack Ralston (1930 – 2021). In giving her permission she said, “I’m delighted that people might be interested enough to watch it”. We are a Collection run by volunteers so help us continue our work by joining this channel to get future access early to new content early as a member:    / @kenhawleycollectiontrust   To find out more about the Hawley Collection and to donate, visit our website: https://www.hawleytoolcollection.com/ See also our sister website at https://hawleysheffieldknives.com/ Music track: Sentimental by Pufino Source: https://freetouse.com/music Copyright Free Music for Videos