tatocorvette
Detail Decepticon!
So Grafo was not an airbrush company but rather a model line from Prinz, then Gabbert and eventually H&S?
Game: Guess my avatar brush
- Thread starter 2Diverse
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Nightwish
Needle-chuck Ninja
EFBE started production in 1919 and closed due to finding nobody to continue the company in 2015. I guess they had a high from mid 60‘s to the 90‘s with there airbrushes. Krautzberger is still in Production but to 95% in Spray systems for the industry. I only found one Airbrush on there Website, the Krautzberger Decor
Nightwish
Needle-chuck Ninja
F.Prinz had there production in Leipzig, then there was Gabbert in Leipzig producing the Grafo as a one to one copy of Prinz. Both in the same City I would say more than a coincidence. How and when the Grafo went over to Harder and Steenbeck I don’t know. All I know is that they share the same depending double action system. Which was also used on some of the EFBE airbrushes.
2Diverse
Stick a fork in him, he's done.
Thank you for the history background on these rare airbrushes Jim! I hope to find a Grafo model when I return to my collection
This history lesson is not from me Lisa. It was Nightwish who posted it.
DaveG
Airbush Analyst
Prinz and Gabbert (PRS). I have a Grafo (from the same era) around here somewhere, too... as well as those available from H&S. A couple of Hansa brushes that are pre-H&S, too. I really like the HansasThe first Grafo was from the company F.Prinz in Leipzig Germany. That was with the small cup and Gravity fed. Time pre ww2. Gabbert offered it as the PRS along with the triplex. Now the Grafo is offered by Harder and Steenbeck. They all share the dependent double action. The production company for Gabbert was the Fa. Roth. I assume a lot of German companies shared the same parts. For example the selfcentering Nozzles from the triplex are the same as those from the H&S Hansa line. They are interchangeable. Even Neddle, Nozzlecap and Neddlecap are the same. As Roth was still producing you could write them and order nozzles with let’s say 0,15 mm. Sure you had to order a certain amount of them and it was expensive, but possible. Sorry if I trailed off a little bit, but I thought it would be interesting for those that have the one or other German airbrush.
DaveG
Airbush Analyst
I seem to remember reading something about that, too. I thought it was Grafo that purchased the Hiekel design?
DaveG
Airbush Analyst
In a post someplace, I saw reference to a phone listing from 1908 - "Deutsch-Amerikanische Film- & Air Brush Company C. A. Hiekel". I have a couple of Grafo brushes from the same time period (pre-ww2) - and they are not necessarily the same build as the others. The head, and nozzle do differ. It is for sure possible many of the parts are from a common source, though.
Nightwish
Needle-chuck Ninja
Although I’m in Germany I can’t find any Info on who bought Hiekel, nor any on Grafo as a company. So as I understand this Hiekel had the original design that over years became Grafo by f.prinz in the 70‘s the Gabbert PRS and some how made it to Harder and Steenbeck as the latest version. Is that about right???
tatocorvette
Detail Decepticon!
Harder and Steenbeck introduced their "Grafo" in 1996 according to their history website.
https://www.harder-airbrush.eu/en/company-history.html
https://www.harder-airbrush.eu/en/company-history.html
DaveG
Airbush Analyst
yes, but we know the Grafo name pre-dates Harder and Steenbeck manufacturing them. The Prinz I have is marked GDR, so post WW2. The Gabbert, newer still - It came after the fall of the wall. But, this Grafo is an older build. For sure pre-ww2. In H&S's own time line, it looks to me like the "Ultra" is an evolution of the original Hiekel design, which then became the Colani...
tatocorvette
Detail Decepticon!
Oh Yes. What I mean is that it seems that was the timeframe they acquired the rights to the Grafo line. Maybe from Gabbert?
DaveG
Airbush Analyst
it is for sure marked GDR - it was a gift because of that historical significance - as I already had the Gabbert from the late 1990's (after the fall of the wall).
Nightwish
Needle-chuck Ninja
The city of Leizig belonged to east Germany. A lot of company’s went bankrupt after the Wall fell 1990 and were taken over by others maybe Gabbert took over Prinz. Somehow this starts to make sense. The Goverment of the GDR took the Factories from the owners and did what they want with them.
Nightwish
Needle-chuck Ninja
Germany was devided for over 40 years. The west was free and could innovate technology. The east made the best they could with what they had left after the Russians took every bit of Hightech of the time to Russia. So a Prinz Grafo from East Germany was bound to look Like pre ww2 although it was built in the 80‘s
