Above: Anders Ström date unknown
It is impossible to tell the story of the Mora knife without mentioning Anders Ström.
Anders Ström was born in 1857 in a watchmaking family. Ström’s father Rombo Erik Andersson(1835-1912), used to sit at home and work on watches.
Rumbo Anders Ersson aka Anders Ström or Djos-Marget-Anders was originally a saddle maker and shoemaker of birch bark shoes. Around this time he also made knife sheaths of brass but they were not very good with some flaws. (Ref: Ströms Knivslidfabrik. En dokumentation av Annica Kjellson 1995 )
He moved together with his wife Fins Maj and children into a small cabin (2x3m) in Dåjmör (Kansbol). In the words of Benght Strom (son of Ander Strom), the move took place during the time of the Spanish plague, and was an attempt to escape it.
He had 7 children: Anna, Majt, Carl, Lea, Anders, Hilma and Johan.
Above: Date unknown. There is a small house on site called Knajvstjerslutjär (the knife lid). The cottage was so small that it got its name from it. The house was probably built by Rumbo Erik Andersson (b. 1835 d. 1912), father of Anders Ström.He was one of three forerunners in Östnor of the 20th century. The other two are Frost Mattsson and Erik Frost. Ström helped Erik Frost start the knife factory. In the book “Ströms Knivslidfabrik. En dokumentation av Annica Kjellson from 1995" is mentioned, “Someone has said that Östnor's industry would not have been what it is today if Ström had not helped them.”
His leather sheaths date back to 1904, and his fiber sheaths date back to 1907 or 1908?
The company provided most, if not all, the knife manufacturers in the area of Östnor, for several decades. Originally, knife sheaths were made of heavy leather, and then of paper fiber, the UNICA sheath.
In this post on Facebook group "Du vet att du är från Mora när" https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1672842052777391&id=228565797205031 Owe Hållmarker mentioned a story contained in a booklet about Duvmyren by Bengt Ström in Östnor was written by Anders Norén. Duvmyren is located near Östnorsfäboden Kansbol, where Erik Frost and Erik Böhlmark challenged Anders Ström to make sheaths for their knives. The date of this event is unknown but I suppose it must have taken place around 1904.
“On Sunday, the knife-fabricator Erik Frost and the wholesaler Erik Böhlmark came up and greeted. They wanted Anders to make sheaths for Frost's knives. But Anders said he was " wir era arbetär ", tired of that work. But the seed in the head of the technically gifted and handy shoemaker' which led to the development of the UNICA sheath, as well as tools and working methods needed for profitable manufacturing on an industrial scale.”
Above: Carl lunch box would in this style.
This worked very well as wear material and he was able to manufacture knife sheats at half the cost compared to those in leather.
In the beginning, Ström was not certain about his novel products, but several manufacturers showed interest in them and soon they became a success. The price was cut by half. Now you could make a knife sheath for 10 öre.
In the beginning, Ström was not certain about his novel products, but several manufacturers showed interest in them and soon they became a success. The price was cut by half. Now you could make a knife sheath for 10 öre.
Carl Ström at the Spetjen grinding station in Säs. On the left you can see a water-powered grindstone also used by Finn Anders. Between 1915 and 1920.
His son Carl wandered from house to house gathering scrap metal including old saucepans to make the tools core.
They bought large quantities of red fiberboard from AB Tidan in Mariestad. Then they would buy ten dozen sheaths at the same time. At that time the fiber was only used for lunch boxes and suitcases. Over the years, the fiber price became more expensive but Strom was able to obtain a supply deal with a fixed price so the price remained constant for many years.
The leather was ordered from Ängelholm and metal hardware from Stockholm companies (which purchased these products from Germany)
This was the process
1. Two people would hold the large fiberboards and another two would cut them into reasonably large strips.
2. Around 15 fiber strips were put to soak so that they would soften in large tin vessels. This was done in the evening. During the winter, it was necessary to head the water all night long so the water wouldn’t freeze
3. The next morning, the fiber blanks were punched one by one. The worker would set on a wood bench and by hand with a sledgehammer using the specific size punch
4. The blanks were folded together and knocked a bit on the tip before sewing.
5. The cores (originally made from wood and then made from aluminum by himself) were loaded into the sheaths to take shape, then used a manual screw press to form them. After that, the sheath with the core was inserted into a mold
Wood cores
Molds and metal cores used Source
6. They were put in an oven to dry. It was crucial that the sheets did not dry too quickly, because they could crack. For each run, they put 10x dozens of sheaths at the same time in the oven. The same oven was used to heat the workshop.
7. After drying, a stamp was applied. The embossing pattern was drawn and made in house by Carl.
8. All edges were trimmed and cleaned off.
9. A shellack varnish was applied to the sheaths. Anders Ström himself made it, from shellac flakes, which he dissolved in alcohol.
10. The ring on the top and the V at the end was painted. No bush was used, instead they cut out a worn piece of a womans long skirt, that was all roughed up and torn. The cloth was folded and wrapped in paper so as not to stain your fingers. They then got a spongy kind of brush. The black paint was mixed with shellack
11. A final coat of shellack varnish was applied. The application of the shellack and paint was a task usually performed by the women in the workshop
12. After the paint dried, the leather strap was attached to the sheath. Initially the holes were punched by hand using a riveting tool to attach the double rings. Later, Anders made a semi-automatic machine to rivet without the need to pre-pouch the wholes and rivets.
Bellow on the left is the first version and on the right the newer version
14. They were now ready to be delivered. The sheaths were packaged in boxes and distributed by cycle to the customers
The sheaths were made for the common model sizes (https://oldmora.blogspot.com/2019/11/morakniv-size-system.html) 3, 2 1/2, 2,1, 1/0, 2/0, 3/0 and 4/0. The little ones were called "kelinggstserär" that means "women's knife sheaths", the large ones were called "Kallbutta" that means "men's sheaths” and the leather sheath that had a pike (fish) embossed were called “gedd-stserär”
An abundance of different patterns and motifs have seen the light of day over the years.
Very old knife sheaths have a metal piece where the waisted loop was attached, similar to a bike chain link. These are particularly sought after today.
Having helped Bjarne Knudsen (who moved from Mora to Norway) start his own knife company, Anders Ström moved the whole family to Norway to work at the factory in 1913.
The plan was to sell everything in Mora and move permanently to Norway, but the First World War started in 1914 made the plan unfeasible. Bjarne Knudsen would end up marrying one of Anders Ström daughters.
There is a story that says Carl was riding his motorcycle to Trondheim when the engine broke down before he even left the village. Carl took apart the engine and found a broken piston. Took the fresh piston from the other cylinder, made a mold and cast a replacement piston. Machined the home made piston, put it back in the refurbished cylinder and re-started his journey within 24 h after brakedown.
In 1915 Ström signed a contract with Knudsen in Norway.
Above: Interesting set of mold own by Olle Morell. On the middle you can see the mold used for a Fäbod-knivRombo Anders Eriksson dies 1917-02-02 in Östnor. After his death, his sons (Anna ,MAJT, Carl, Lea, Anders, Hilma and Johan) take over the family business and continue to expand the company. The company changed its name to Bröderna Ström.
The eldest sister and her husband also worked at the factory for some period.
The youngest brother, Johan, handled the books and purchases. After Johan’s death Hilma took over the account role.
Above: Anders and Majt Ström with the children Carl, Majt , Lea and Hilma circa 1913
Source. In the photo Anders Ström (sitting at the sewing machine) and his brother Carl Ström, sometime between 1910-15. Anders sews knife sheaths together and Carl stamps them out.
A few machines were acquired in the 1920s, including an extender press for punching out blanks and a screw press for embossing.
In the 1920s, the brothers worked mostly by themselves. Carl would sew and Hilma and Lea would smooth the edges of the sheaths
Carl Ström was a skilled toolmaker and worked as such at KJ Eriksson's knife factory during the 1920s-1930s. With his technical know-how, Carl was of invaluable help and benefit to KJ. If there was something not working properly, it wasn't long before he had come up with the solution.
In the 1930s, KJ expanded its range of Sport knives and it was through some ingenious constructions by Carl Ström that these knives were made profitable.
During the time Carl was at KJ, Anders and Johan were in the sheat factory. Carl was also in the sheath workshop in the evenings and made tools.
KJ Eriksson with staff outside the workshop in 1932. Many familiar names here as well, Erik Jönsson (Bröderna Jönsson) , Carl Ström and Skeri-Jannes Aronsson. Source: book KJ Eriksson 1912-1992
The bellow numbers reflect the exponential growth and success of the sheath making business. These numbers also allow us to get an idea of the evolution of the knife making industry in the Mora region.
1912 - about 3,000 sheaths were sold in two months
1913 - the company sold 13,000 knife sheaths
1914 - 17,200 sheaths were sold in seven months
1915 - sales had increased to 48,000.
1929 - 46,200 sheaths were sold KJ Eriksson(who was the largest customer) alone
1940 – During the Sep-Dec period, 48000 were sold
Just to give an idea
1930's - 1 million knives were produced in Mora, many of the used UNICA sheaths
1940's - 2 million knives were produced in Mora, many of the used UNICA sheaths
KJ Eriksson was the largest customer. Other customers were Carl Anderssons, FMMATTSSON, E Jönsson / Bröderna Jönsson, Flint-Lars Andersson and AB Moraknivar Hallin & Co
Previous customers were AB Eskilstunamagasinet, Knivfabriken Nora, FA Andersson, J Knagg, Wejsenburg & Co, Knudsen in Trondheim, J.A. Hellberg and Ludvig Larsson and others.
In addition to his home village, Östnor, Eskilstuna, and Norway (Knudsen) were regular clients.
He also received an offer from Paris to manufacture knife sheaths, but he declined.
Above, an example of two invoices from Anders Strom to F.A.Anderson from the beginning of the 1920s
At the end of the 1920s, Anders Ström designed and patented a ski binding called the Ström binding. KJ Erikssons Knivfabrik bought the patent and started producing them.
It was a very popular product in the 1930s and helped keep production running during the severe depression. This was until the rat trap binding took over the market about ten years later. The bindings were protected from rust by black oxidation. Mäkärn provided the recipe for this process. During the process of black oxide ringing, Einar Eriksson describes the smell as similar to that of frying pancakes.
An image out of K.J. Eriksson's Anniversary Book, 1912 - 1992. An advertisement in the Dalarna Home Book 1935. Mora knives, Mora scissors, and Ströms Ski binding. Ref
The contract signed with Anders Ström regarding manufacturing and sales of Ström's ski binding.
In 1935, KJ Erikssom started AB Moraindustri, a sanitary fittings factory, together with the brothers Ström.
Above: Interesting case for glass supposedly made by Strom for J.Knagg
These were the same Karl who as a child had been deprived of the lid to his Unica lunchbox and the same Anders who patented a ski binding and won a Vasalopp race in 1931.
Carl Olans started working with knife sheaths in 1934 and became a sort of manager of the sheath factory. The brothers were more focused on the sanitary fittings factory. The workshop would be occupied by seven workers at once in high demand.
Other workers that passed thru the shop, beside the brothers, Lennart Berg, Carl Olans, Kerstin Berg, Frida Noren, Smids Anders Mattsson, Anna Norberg. Many of the workers were teenagers that worked part-time.
Anders would appoint the chords for each worker, and the payment would depend on the chord that was appointed: In the 1930s, 15 cents/hour; in the 1940s, was between 25-35 cents/hour.
Examples of different chord.
Pounching sheath 4.O penny/ duss .
Sewing 5.5 penny / duss .
Emboss 4.O penny/ duss .
Painting 7.5 penny / duss .
Left Anders Ström with unknown lady; right: On the left, JOHAN STRÖM
Above: Ab MoraIndustri in 1936 or 1937.
1956 marked the end of the knife sheath factory at Bröderna Ström. Carl Olans was the last employee. Carl Olans was called Calle Jansson at the time, was FA Andersson grandson. Former employees of the company transferred to Ströms Metallfabrik.
“Ström's sheath factory, still straight-backed after 35 years of silence. The upper half housed the workshop, in the far half lived the Ström family.” Source: Antik Auktion Magazine, 1992, N.5
It is not clear why the company closed. Maybe the brothers wanted to focus only on Bröderna Ströms Metallfabrik or the plastic sheaths that appeared also around that time, or maybe both.
Most of Ström's production equipment and semi-manufactured articles are still privately owned.
Part of the machinery was taken over by Olle Morell from Mora. Other parts and machinery were saved by Siljansfors Forest Museum to be saved and re-emerge as part of one imagined industrial museum. I have also read that some parts and machinery was sold to Haugrud in Norway.
Above: Anders Ström made this unique folding mora. It's normally referred to as the only Mora folding knife ever made
After 1956, the production of the UNICA knife sheath was then done by several Mora knife manufacturers. They are the specific maker's mark, CA for Carl Anderson, FMM for Frost-Mats Mattsson, and Frost.
Above photos taken in 1995
Several models and variants were made:
Red/orange is the most common.
Brown, green, and grey not so common
Blue version with the Viking head, was made for Knudsen (Norwegian customer). Blue would probably be the rarest
These sheaths were found in the old factory, probably because they went out of business before delivery. About this sheaths, Thomas Eriksson said "Those who were ordered from Norway but were never picked up/paid for? From what I was told, they never came out on the market commercial ... Most of those sheaths are still in a warehouse in Östnor"
Source: http://kniver.blogspot.com/
Special thanks
Bengt Ström(son of Ander Ström) and his daughter Helena Ström, for all their inputs to the article
Thomas Eriksson for his continued support and mentorship
Sources
Ströms Knivslidfabrik. En dokumentation av Annica Kjellson 1995http://www.morahembygd.se/wp-content/stigsson/p31088f27.html
https://morakniv.se/en/inspiration-knowledge/a-history-of-knives/
https://nordiskaknivar.wordpress.com/2017/01/02/mora-knife/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGT9lrWDOJ3/
https://books.google.pt/books/about/Br%C3%B6derna_Str%C3%B6ms_Knivslidsfabrik.html?id=N5IMugEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
https://books.google.pt/books/about/Br%C3%B6derna_Str%C3%B6ms_Knivslidsfabrik.html?id=N5IMugEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
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