Maschil D. Converse of New York, New York, was a most prolific inventor, having no less than six different patents for tools meant to remove nails, spikes or other fasteners. His first patent (#162,274), granted in 1875, was for a nail extractor with a moveable arm as well as the sliding hammer function. In 1876, he was part of a group that became the assignees of
G. Stone's 1865 patent (#46,154) of a tool for drawing spikes, reissued and given #RE 7,316. Over the next 30 years, Mr. Converse produced at least three more variations of this basic nail puller—patents #432,019, #610,360 and #638,704. Further patents #482,338 and #541,071 were marketed as the "Eclipse" nail puller.

D.S. Orr

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