A fascinating collection of tuning forks is to be sold in the Scientific and Musical Instruments, Cameras and Tools Sale at Tennants Auctioneers on 28th September, all made by an historic family business in Sheffield, a town known for its high-quality steel and edged implements.
With roots dating back to knife making in 1601, the Ragg family has manufactured high quality products in Sheffield for over 400 years including a wide variety of cutlery items including razors and scissors.
Circa 1840, the company began producing tuning forks, originally for musical use. Later expanding their range to include tuning forks for science, education and medical applications such as hearing and sensory perception testing. For over 100 years, John & Wm Ragg were the sole manufacturers of tuning forks in the UK, eventually forming a separate company called Ragg Tuning Forks Limited in 1933 to add focus to the products and further develop the range to include more modern applications.
Early tuning forks were all produced from forged steel, and this continued for many years with every fork being individually made and tuned by ear. Other materials such as aluminium alloys were added later. Electronic tuning was adopted in the 1950s although it remained the case that each fork was still hand finished.
