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23November, 1985
This was a letter received regarding inquiry about the Warner-Bratzler Shear Apparatus
As you know, we make the Warner-Bratzler shear, but we have never had anything to do with the use of it. I can, however, give this information about the shear.
About 1930 or 31, Lyman Bratzler was a student here at kansas State University. It was then called kansas State Agricultural College. i assume that Warner was his professor. Bratzler asked the Shop Practice Dept. (now Industrial Engineering) for help in making a meat tester. Mr. W.W. Carlson was head of Shop Practice, and was probably mainly responsible for the actual design. He was a genius at that sort of thing. Several type of blade configurations were tried, and they decided on the thin blade with the triangular hole. Bratzler's masters thesis (1932) tells of this work. He later earned a PhD at Michigan, I believe.
The prototype was a success, and by 1935 other researches wanted one. K-State could not make them, but Carlson owned a machine shop-the G-R ElecÒ Mfg. Co. - and began producing the shear. In the next 30 years about 35 had been sold. i received a masters degree in 1956 in industrial Engineering, and started work for Mr. Carlson. In 1962 I pWe have them in more than 40 foreign countries, including behind the iron curtain & bamboo curtain. In this time most of the parts have been redesigned to adapt to available technology and fittings, but the shear is still nearly identical to the one that Mr. Carlson made, and the shear blades are the same as Bratzler used. The #1 shear was used here at K State until a few years ago, when it was retired. It is still in good operating condition.
Mr. Carlson died many years ago, and I do not have a photo of him. Dr. Bratzler taught at Michigan I believe, and died a few years ago. I really do not have any thing to do with the history of the machine, so doubt you would want my photo.
I hope this is of interest and help to you.
Sincerely yours,
Tennyson Collins.
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