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A can opener (North American and Australian English) or tin opener (British English) is a mechanical device used to open metal . Although canning had been practiced since at least 1772 in the Netherlands, the first can openers were not patented until 1855 in England and 1858 in the United States. These early openers were basically variations of a knife, though the 1855 design continues to be produced.
A can opener using the now familiar rotating cutting wheel that runs round the can's rim to cut open the lid was invented in 1870, but the first such design was considered very difficult to operate for the ordinary consumer. A more successful design came out in 1925 when a second, opposing wheel was added, with a serrated surface to grip the rim of the can and keep the lid in contact with the cutting wheel. This easy-to-use design has become one of the most popular can opener models.
Around the time of World War II, several can openers were developed for military use, such as the American P-38 and P-51. These featured a robust and compact design with a pull cutting blade hinged to a corrugated handle with a pivot. Electric can openers were introduced in the late 1950s and met with success. The development of new can opener types continues with a recent redesign of a side-cutting model.
The twist-key style was patented by J. Osterhoudt in 1866.J. Osterhoudt "Improved Method of Opening Tin Cans" 2 October 1866 Each can produced for its use came with a soldered-on twist-key, which snapped off after fatiguing its attachment point by bending back-and-forth. Different food types came in their own style and shape of can, each with a corresponding twist-key. Tinned fish (such as sardines) were sold in flat rectangular cans. A twist-key would be inserted into a fold out tab, then rolled around the top of the can peeling back a pre-scored strip of metal. Coffee,1965 - Trexler Park Coffee Can - Allentown PA.jpg beans, and most other types of meat, were packaged in cylinders, with appropriate sized keys that operated in the same manner.
In 1858, another lever-type opener of a more complex shape was patented in the United States by Ezra Warner of Waterbury, Connecticut, US. It consisted of a sharp sickle, which was pushed into the can and sawed around its edge. A guard kept the sickle from penetrating too far into the can. The opener consisted of several parts which could be replaced if worn out, especially the sickle.Ezra J. Warner (5 January 1858) "Can opener" This opener was adopted by the United States Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865); however, its unprotected knife-like sickle was too dangerous for domestic use. A home-use opener named the "Bull's head opener" was designed in 1865 and was supplied with cans of pickled beef named "Bully beef". The opener was made of cast iron and had a very similar construction to the Yeates opener, but featured a more artistic shape and was the first move towards improving the look of the can opener. The bull-headed design was produced until the 1930s and was also offered with a fish-head shape.
The necessity to pierce the can first was a nuisance, and this can opener design did not survive. In 1920, Edwin Anderson patented a can opener with pivoted handles with which to hold the can in one hand while a key-type handle geared to a cutting wheel is turned with the other cutting the outside of the lip,Side can openerCan Opener, Pictorial Equipment Article, Kellogg. .jpg a side can opener, unlike the gramophone-like orientation of most contemporary can openers, in effect a hand-held pliers version of the Swanson Can-Opener.FMIB 45262 Swanson Can-Opener - a new and practical device invented by a practical canneryman Will open any size, any diameter, any style.jpeg In 1925, the Star Can Opener Company 1927 City Directory, San Francisco CA – Page 2029 of San Francisco, California, US had improved Lyman's design by adding a second, Serration wheel, called a "feed wheel", which allowed a firm grip of the can edge. This addition was so efficient that the design is still in use today.
Whereas all previous openers required using one hand or other means to hold the can, can-holding openers simultaneously grip the can and open it. The first such opener was patented in 1931 by the Bunker Clancey Company of Kansas City, Missouri and was, therefore, called the "Bunker". It featured the now standard pliers-type handles, when squeezed would tightly grip the can rim, while turning the key would rotate the cutting wheel, progressively cutting the lid along the rim. The cutting wheel is coupled to a serrated feed wheel as in the Star designCharles Arthur Bunker, "Can opener", , 29 December 1931. and rotated in the opposite direction by interlocking Gear reducing friction. The Bunker company was absorbed by the Rival Manufacturing Company, also of Kansas City, in 1938.
In 1935, steel beer cans with flat tops appeared, and a device to pierce the lids was needed. The same opener was used for piercing those cans. Made from a single piece of pressed metal, with a sharp point at one end, it was devised by D. F. Sampson, United States Bartenders Guild Newsletter. bartenderschoolofsantarosa.com Short History of the Beer Can (part 2) . Streeter.org. Retrieved on 20 March 2013. and licensed by the American Can Company, which depicted operating instructions on the cans. Flat Top Beer Cans. ebeercans.com The church key opener is still being produced, sometimes as part of another opener. Timeline: History of Beer Cans. Rustycans.com. Retrieved on 20 March 2013. Beer can history. Brewery Collectibles Club of America church key. plateaupress.com.au For example, a "butterfly" opener is often a combination of the church key and a serrated-wheel opener. Beer and soda cans began in the mid-1960s to feature pop-tabs, which eliminated the need to manually pierce the can.
A minimal, simplified folding can opener described as "designed especially for use by campers and Boy Scouts" and suitable for carrying on a key ring was described in Popular Mechanics magazine in April 1924. It is a small flat strip of steel with a hinged sharpened cutting blade that lies flat against the body when not in use. An illustration shows its straightforward and robust design, and how it is used. Various similar folding can openers are described in the P-38 article.
The P-38 can opener, identical to the one described in Popular Mechanics except for having its lanyard hole on the opposite end of its body, was adopted by the United States Armed Forces in 1942 and issued in canned from World War II to the 1980s. It is 1.5 inches (38 mm) long, and consists of a short flat metal handle (that can be used as an emergency screwdriver), with a small, hinged sharp metal cutting tooth that folds out to pierce the can lid. A notch just under the hinge keeps the opener hooked beneath the rim of the can as the device is "walked" around it to cut the lid out. A larger two-inch (51 mm) version, the P-51, provides more leverage, making it somewhat easier to use.
The P-38 and P-51 were cheaper to manufacture and smaller and lighter to carry than any other self-contained can opener, and were often strung on a dog tag chain.
These can openers were discontinued for individual rations by the United States Armed Forces when canned C-rations were replaced by soft-pack MREs in the 1980s.
Electric openers were re-introduced in 1956 by two American companies. Ben Klassen of Centreville brought out a wall-mounted electric model,Bernard Klassen "Electrically operated can opener" 26 March 1956. but this complex design was unpopular too. The same year, Walter Hess Bodle invented a freestanding device, combining an electric can opener and knife sharpener.Walter H. Bodle "Can opening and knife sharpening device" 4 December 1956. He and his family members built their prototype in his garage, with daughter Elizabeth sculpting the body design. It was manufactured under the "Udico" brand of the Union Die Casting Co. in Los Angeles, California, US and was offered in Flamingo Pink, Avocado Green, and Aqua Blue, popular colors of the era. These openers were introduced to the market for Christmas sales and found immediate success.
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