Scarce Antique Folding Ink Palette Knife by John Petty & Sons, Sheffield – Advertising A.B. Fleming & Co. Ltd

Here on offer is a scarce antique folding ink palette knife, made by John Petty & Sons, at their Perth Works, at Garden Street, Sheffield England, circa 1895.

It appears to have been made as an advertising or salesman’s “gift” knife, for A.B. Fleming & Co. Ltd, who claimed to have the largest printing ink factory in the world, during the Victorian period.

The round tipped blunt 3” palette blade is stamped on one side of the ricasso with the maker’s details, being:

JOHN PETTY
& SONS
SHEFFIELD
Both sides of the steel blade now show signs of pitting, possibly caused by a reaction to some of the chemicals in the ink of that time?

The grip is made from two polished stainless steel slabs that are stamped on one side with the details:

PRINTING INKS
& DRY COLOURS

Then on the other side, where the lettering is slightly rubbed:

A.B. FLEMING & Co Ltd
EDINGBURGH & LONDON

A. B. Fleming & Co was established in 1852. The firm was a partnership between Alexander Bonar Fleming and a Dr Parnell who knew how to make printing ink. They set up a small works at Salamander Street, Leith. After a difficult initial period, orders from the ‘Times’ in London and the ‘Melbourne Argus’ set them on the road to success.
The Salamander Street works soon became too small, and in 1870 a large area of ground was leased from the Duke of Buccleuch and new premises were built at Caroline Park, Granton. The mansion house of Caroline Park was purchased from the Duke of Buccleuch and was used as the office.
In 1880 when the undertaking became a limited company it was a substantial thriving and progressive concern. The company established a branch factory in Dundee, producing lubricating oils and greases. These were used in the jute trade in Dundee and Calcutta. Restriction on exports during World War I struck a blow at the Indian trade which was captured by Burma and America and was never recovered. The premises at Dundee were disposed of.
Between the wars Caroline Park works were almost entirely rebuilt. Practically all the colours used in Fleming’s inks were produced at Caroline Park which was unusual in the industry. Fleming’s colours were used in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, France, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, India, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil and Canada.
In 1953, the company expanded by acquiring a new factory at Corstorphine. The production of high grade letterpress and lithographic inks at the Granton factory was transferred in stages. The transfer provided scope for further development at Granton where the main research labs were located. In 1966, the company moved its headquarters to Corstorphine following extensions to their premises there.
A major change came in 1971, when Croda International, the chemicals group, announced a bid for ABF (Holdings) as the company was now called. At the time, the company was still based in Edinburgh but also had factories London, Middlesex, Manchester, Kent, Winsford, Dublin, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). They employed about 900 people. The ABF name disappeared after the company was bought over by Croda. The Granton plant closed in 1983. The company became part of the Fishburn Printing ink Company, based at Watford, in 1985. By 1986 the only remaining plant in Edinburgh was at Maybury. It was closed on 27 March 1986 with the loss of about forty jobs.

This is a really scarce knife to find and is the only “folding” palette knife I have ever come across.

This knife has a 3” (7.7cm) blade and the whole knife measures 7.1” (18cm) long when open.

It weighs 64g.

Please see my pictures for the details of the condition, which complement this description.

Please see my TERMS OF BUSINESS regarding Deliver Charges and Insurance regarding additional insurance cover, should you require it, BEFORE the item is dispatched.

The responsibility lies with the customer to check with your Customs restrictions that this item can be imported into your country.

Many thanks for taking the time to look.

Code: 52085