At "Death's Door": A History of Hemacite

Posted on April 11, 2017 | 2 Comments

Hem´a`cite

A composition made from blood, mixed with mineral or vegetable substances, used for making buttons, door knobs, jewelry etc.

With the growth of slaughtering and butchering trades in the 19^th century, disposing of large quantities of blood became an issue. You literally couldn't give the stuff away! London butchers in Newport Market were banned from tipping blood into the sewers as it would attract rats. Luckily recycling was already a common practice: phosphorous matches were made from ground bones, tobacco ash was re-purposed into tooth-cleaner, and desiccated fish eyes were used for the buds on fake flowers- delightful!

These innovations were a catalyst for creative approaches to blood disposal, as a headline from the January 1892 issue of Manufacturer and Builder magazine suggests:

Door Knobs, etc., from Blood and Sawdust.

Invented by Dr W H Dibble of New Jersey, Hemacite is a material made from sawdust and the blood of slaughtered animals. Primarily from cattle and pig, the blood and sawdust, combined with 40 thousand pounds per square inch of hydraulic pressure and chemical compounds, transformed into surprisingly durable and beautiful everyday items.

This composition was pre-plastic, and ideal for everything from doorknobs to roller skate wheels to products such as buttons, cash register keys and even jewelry. The composition of Hemacite was touted as susceptible to a high polish, impervious to heat, moisture, atmospheric changes, and practically indestructible.

An article “to skate manufacturers and dealers” in the New York Times, on 11 October 1885, stated that “the superiority of our Hemacite Roller over boxwood is now well known.” The success of the campaign spawned other articles like a 21 February 1903 Times ad by the Siegel Cooper department store, promoting 75-cent roller skates with Hemacite wheels, a more expensive option than skates with “plain black wheels.” Strangely enough, these adds were often juxtaposed with plugs for products like Plasmon Cocoa Mix- “A blood-invigorating and muscle-making beverage of the highest order.” Plasmon’s active ingredient was Albumen, the organic binding agent behind Hemacite roller skate wheels. Clever marketing or a dark sense of humor?!

At the time of the Manufacturer and Builder article, Dibble Manufacturing Company had been producing Hemacite architectural details and door knobs for quite some time. Rather than having a separate knob and shaft to wear out, Dibble’s knobs were molded as one unbreakable piece, and came with a guarantee for the lifetime of the door.

Due to its consistency, Hemacite is easy to confuse with Bakelite. Even cheaper to produce, the popularity of plastics like Bakelite almost entirely replaced the production of Hemacite by the early to mid-1900’s. Ever strong and durable, these house fixtures and doorknobs live on today- you can spot several in our nationally registered museum case at Hippo Hardware, and on occasion we will get a few in for sale. Talk about a real “conversation piece” to adorn your home!

Hemacite doorknob in our collection for sale!

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2 Responses

Bill Z. Bubb

February 22, 2019

Fascinating!

As a key, padlock collector (door knobs are but a turn-away.) The information, background, newsy advise to remind me to stop pouring slaughter animal blood down the sewer drains is much appreciated. (I’ve been wondering why ‘rats wearing goggles’ have been poking their faces up the commode piping! The question has been answered! For which, I am grateful.

Thanks for writing the tutorial, I will be passing along a hyperlink to the key + lock boards I attend to, your time invested into ‘education’ for others is well spent and MUCH appreciated!

Bill

PS I recognize it is unlikely my note of thanks will not likely be published, that’s okay.

Kathi Polito

October 09, 2017

I found this very interesting….a piece of history that I never knew about.

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Hippo Hardware is an eclectic building salvage store specializing in hardware, lighting, architecture and plumbing from 1860-1960. We offer assorted collectibles, trinkets, whatnots, and whoziwhatsits depending on what we get in. The spirit of Hippo Hardware is to rejoice in the individual, the unique, and the original.

Hippo Hardware was officially established in 1976 after the founders Steven Miller and Stephen Oppenheim decided to turn a life of swashbuckling adventures into a second life of swashbuckling adventures. We live in the local, even for our customers far away. That means you will probably hear a story about burying a Porsche in a state park while you are asking about a faucet or meet Fred the shop dog while you're paying for a light fixture. We strongly support community projects, teachers, artists, adventurers, dreamers, and one-man-bands.

If you're looking for a hard to find hardware pattern or can't find the match to your lamp shade, we'd be happy to tell you if we have it, seen it, or know where you could get it.

To make sure you get what you need, we offer the following services:

Lighting and Lamp Repair - We have a fully UL certified lighting repair shop. We can repair and rewire most vintage or antique fixtures. You may want to call or e-mail if it's newer, but we can sometimes fix those too. Shop prices are $80/hour plus parts.

Customizing - We do our best to make sure it looks just right. Our lighting shop can customize length, finishes, plating, and configuration. Our plumbing department will coordinate refinishing with local companies. The hardware department is able to darken, refinish, clean, and rebuild. Our services can vary depending on staff so please contact us with your project details.

Returns - Accepted for any reason within 2 weeks of purchase. That means if it doesn't fit, if your sweetheart doesn't like it, if it doesn't match your paint scheme. Receipt required. Returned to you the way you paid and items MUST be in original packaging and condition. Defective or damaged items will not be eligible for a refund.
If your items were shipped: Shipping refunded only in the case of defective items. Hippo does not refund original OR return shipping cost.
Online shopping - Conveniently browse our online section of items! Please note: our online section is much smaller than our store selection, we do offer returns for online purchases but do not refund original shipping or provide return shipping. We ship on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Trade in - Bring in what you have and we will offer you in store credit or cash. Email pictures first if you'd like to talk about it before you get here.
Mortise lock repair - Hippo is the only hardware store in Portland that offers full mortise lock repair--including French Door mortises and closet mortises! Our repair shop can diagnose and repair your mortise lock or perhaps we have a replacement if a repair is not an option. Shop prices are $80/hour. Please call our store and ask for Colin to speak about your repair!

Hippo Hardware has three glorious floors and 30,000 sq feet of building salvage to explore. Our inventory, and staff, is divided into four departments: Hardware, Lighting, Plumbing, and Architecture. We do our best to highlight our inventory full of unique items and reproductions on our website, but most of our stock is not online yet. Please contact us if you're looking for something you don't see here.

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