Waiter's friend

The origin of the corkscrew is unknown but it is generally believed that the idea came from the "worm" or "screw" on a ramrod or cleaning rod, used either to extract the charge from a gun or clean it. The first known references and models date from the middle of the XVIIth century when the corkscrew was used primarily for extracting the corks from bottles containing wine, cider or beer.In the second half of the XVIIth century, the English started to mature their imported wine in bottles rather than casks (the practice of the time in the wine producing regions being to store wine in casks and draw off the required amount for consumption in jugs). Glass bottles were just beginning to be manufactured industrially and the shape rapidly changed from the bulbous onion shape to a cylindrical shape (similar to the modern bottle), which allowed bottles to be laid on their sides for storage. This meant that the wine stayed in contact with the cork and therefore the latter did not dry out. The sides of the bottle necks became parallel requiring a cylindrical cork, this being compressed before insertion into the bottle to ensure a close fit. Hence the need for a cork extractor, "bottlescrue" or corkscrew.

The first corkscrews were almost certainly English, although the oldest one in the museum is French, dating from the end of the XVIIth century. The very first corkscrews were simple instruments, normally in the shape of a "T", the only problem being the physical force required to pull the cork.Until the introduction of commercial factories in the late XIXth and early XXth century all corkscrews were made by blacksmiths and jewellers. They were the only people with the metalworking skills needed to make articles from metal. The best blacksmiths were indeed craftsmen as is clear from the items they made.

With the arrival of the Industrial Revolution and the increased use of machines for working metals, manufacturers began to apply themselves to the problems of easing the task of drawing a cork from a bottle.

Waiter's Corkscrew - Single Lever Corkscrews





German Carl Wienke invented a single lever waiter's type corkscrew called the 'Butler's Friend'. Wienke was granted a German patent (Lever Corkscrew Patent DRP 20815) on May 26, 1882. He was granted a British patent (Improvement in Lever Corkscrews No. 2,022) on April 20, 1883 and a French patent (No. 155314) on May 7, 1883.

The patent drawing on the right illustrates Wienke's American patent (No. 283,731) granted on August 21, 1883. Wienke's corkscrew design is still in common use today. The corkscrew was nicknamed the 'Waiter's Friend' or 'Butler's Friend' because it could easily remove and easily replace a cork.


Double Winged Lever Corkscrews

The double winged lever design is another common corkscrew design found in households today. The first double lever can be traced to H.S. Heeley, who was granted a British patent (No. 6,006) on April 23, 1888. Heeley's corkscrew was called the A1 Heeley Double Lever; it used pivoting links to "gain an improvement in mechanical advantage to pull a cork".

The first double winged lever patented in North America was created by the Italian designer, Dominick Rosati (see illustration below). Rosati was granted a U.S. patent (No. 1,753,026) on April 1, 1930 and a Canadian patent (No. 306,030) on November 25, 1930.

The Walker Bell


The Walker Bell corkscrew was patented in 1893 by Edwin Walker, an American designer. A simple self-pulling corkscrew that incorporated a bell shape, the Walker Bell was often used for promotional messages. The bell shape rested on the bottle top and as the corkscrew was turned the cork was pulled inside the bell. Edwin Walker's first bells were manufactured by E.S.M. Co. of Erie, Pennsylvania in the early 1890's. Walker also patented a method for making corkscrews in 1912.

The patent drawings to the left and below illustrates a Walker design for a combination corkscrew/bottle opener. (U.S. Pat No. 647775 - granted on April 17, 1900)

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