Robert L. Hawkins Jr., Retired President and CEO of Waterlox Coatings Corporation, Passes Away Leaving a Family Legacy Behind

Robert L. Hawkins Jr., the retired 2nd generation President and CEO of Waterlox Coatings Corporation and son of its founder, passed away at the age of 89 at home of natural causes early Saturday morning, June 11th leaving a strong family legacy behind.

RL Hawkins Jr. was the 2nd generation of family to own and manage Waterlox , which was started in 1910 by his father, R.L. Hawkins, Sr. Funeral services will be held Thursday, June 16 at 11 am at the McGorray-Hanna Funeral Home of Lakewood, 14133 Detroit Ave. where friends may call Wednesday 2-4 and 6-8 pm. Interment is at Lakeview Cemetery.

In recent years, Waterlox has been run by Chief Executive Officer, Jay Hawkins – the son of RL Hawkins, Jr. – and Vice President, Kellie Hawkins Schaffner, his grand-daughter.

“My father was not only a kind and generous man but he was a pioneer in this industry”, said Jay hawkins. RL Hawkins, Jr began working at the company when he was age 15 in the 1930’s, he became a member of the Board of Directors in 1948, acted as the Executive Vice President heading the research department in the 1960’s, and took over the company as President / CEO until his retirement in 1992. Since his retirement he continued as a technical consultant to Waterlox.

“My father continued his father’s legacy of developing coatings for the automotive industry”, said Jay. “He will be sorely missed by his colleagues, friends and especially our family.”

Waterlox’s founder, RL Hawkins, Sr., developed the black paint for the floor boards of Ford’s Model T and RL Hawkins, Jr., developed and held patents for a revolutionary coating and process used in the production of rubber mats used in automobiles and later in over-the-road trucks. This process allowed the color coat and mat to be cured together in a mold. Special care was taken by RL, Jr. in color matching the rubber to the latest automobile color trends.

RL Hawkins, Jr. was a long-time resident of Bratenahl, OH and a long-standing member of Mayfield Country Club participating in curling and golf, the Hermit Club participating in the men’s choir and acting as club photographer, Mentor Harbor Yacht Club participating in sailboat racing (Dragon and 40” Alden boats) and was a World War II Army Air Force Veteran where he served his country in aerial reconnaissance. He was a member of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and many Cleveland-based business consulting organizations including the Business Advisors of Cleveland. He held a Masters of Science Degree from the Case School of Applied Science in both chemical engineering and industrial chemistry and was a member of Beta Theta Pi.

RL Hawkins, Jr. was the beloved husband of Gloria (nee Merreck); loving father of Robert L. Hawkins III (Joan), Ann Stevens Rody (Harold), John W. “Jay” Hawkins (Dee) and step father of William (Mary) and James (Marie) Boswell, Brian (Gina), Paul Conor (Sharon) and Christopher W. (Cyd) Donohue; dear grandfather of 12 and great grandfather of 11; brother of the late Mary Kathryn Robertson and Betty Ann Stafford. The family suggests memorial contributions to The Hospice of the Western Reserve, 300 East 185th St., Cleveland, Ohio, 44119.

About Waterlox
Founded in 1910, Waterlox Coatings Corporation, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is the nation’s leading manufacturer of premium wood finishes handmade from natural Tung oil. A fourth-generation, family-owned company, now run by Chief Executive Officer, Jay Hawkins and Vice President Hawkins Schaffner, Waterlox continues to manufacture products using original family formulations, combining Tung oil, resins, mineral spirits and other ingredients to produce a complete wood finish that gives the look and feel of naturally oiled wood.

Waterlox products represent the flooring industry’s highest level of quality protection for both interior and exterior wood finishing projects and also supply tools for application. For more information about Waterlox, please visit www.waterlox.com or call (800) 321.0377.

Media Contact:
Ed DeMask / DeMask Marketing
630-768-1404, cell
ed@demaskmarketing.com

Featured Craftsman -- Universal Floors

When it comes to wood flooring in and around the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.-based Universal Floors, Inc., has quite the reputation.

Having worked inside iconic structures such as the White House and Library of Congress, Universal Floors recently refinished the floors of two historic D.C. area buildings – one, a residence turned commercial space, and the other, a private library. Each endeavor earned Universal Floors a 2009 Floor of the Year Award from the National Wood Flooring Association. Both also involved using Waterlox premium wood finish.

Sprigg Lynn, Principal Officer for Universal Floors, said, “choosing Waterlox was easy because we used it on several floors prior to these two. We had a library and a commercial space to refinish, and both owners wanted to maintain the original old-world feel the buildings still possessed,” Lynn said. The commercial space won Best Restoration – hand cut category in the 2009 Floor of the Year Contest.

“The owners of the property wanted the building to maintain the hand-rubbed look already seen in the space, which Waterlox products are known to achieve,” Lynn said. The original wood flooring featured in the library project, initially selected to be discarded and replaced, was beautifully restored using Waterlox, winning Universal Floors the award for Best Library/Office – hand cut category in the 2009 NWFA Contest.

Marine Case Study -- USS Constellation

When the United States Navy launched the USS Constellation in 1854, it carried a band of 325 sailors and crew. Today, the ship plays host to over 100,000 visitors annually, who come from around the world to experience the beautifully restored vessel at the USS Constellation Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.

When Paul Powichroski, Marine Superintendent at the USS Constellation Museum, began working to restore the 156 year-old ship’s interior, he turned to the premium wood finish trusted by wood craftsmen for nearly a century.

“I first used Waterlox over 20 years ago,” Paul said. “I chose to use Waterlox on the USS Constellation restoration project because it allows the original appearance of the wood to be replicated accurately, giving it a true historic appearance.”

Paul, who is currently working on what he calls the “small boat restoration project,” says he plans to use Waterlox on all seven of the small watercrafts that will be constructed as part of the undertaking. “I enjoy using Waterlox because it is easy to use and maintain, along with the fact that it is very forgiving,” Paul said.

To learn more about the ship's history, visit Historic Ships.

THE HISTORY OF CLEVELAND AS A PAINT AND VARNISH HUB

AN INDUSTRIAL LEADER ON LAKE ERIE

To a large degree, the growth of Cleveland and much of what exists here today can be attributed to its industrial base. The United States was an early leader and Cleveland a major center of industrialization. Strategically located, Cleveland developed because it offered one business benefit few other commerce centers at the time could – access to different transportation networks. The development of shipping on the Great Lakes and the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal in 1832 gave the city a major advantage. In the 1850s, a growing network of railroads enhanced Cleveland’s potential as a transportation hub, giving it easy access to coal and oil from the east and south. These modes of transportation allowed Cleveland to receive a large flow of raw materials and to ship out finished products. As a result, Cleveland's paint and varnish industry began to develop after the Civil War, in response to the emerging shipbuilding, oil, iron-and-steel, machine-tool, and automobile industries.

STANDARD OIL CO. SPAWNS OTHER INDUSTRIES IN CLEVELAND

The success of Standard Oil had a profound impact on Cleveland. It all started when John D. Rockefeller bought into a small oil company in 1863. Seven years later, Rockefeller transformed it into the Standard Oil Co and quickly captured the bulk of the industry through aggressive acquisitions of smaller companies. Once Rockefeller established his company as an industry giant, other businesses that supplied and relied on oil flocked to Cleveland in the hopes of cashing in on Standard Oil’s dominance.  

Cleveland’s chemical industry arose in part out of the oil refiners’ need for sulfuric acid. In 1866, Eugene Ramiro Grasselli built a plant in Cleveland to manufacture the sulfuric acid needed by the city’s growing number of oil refineries. Grasselli’s new plant was conveniently located on the Cuyahoga River, adjacent to his major customer, Rockefeller’s refinery. 

Rockefeller built or purchased almost all of Cleveland’s refining capacity in the 1870s and made the city the center of the American refining industry. Relying on petroleum products for their raw materials, Cleveland’s large paint and varnish companies were founded.

By the time Rockefeller moved to New York in 1885, Cleveland had been transformed from a merchant village to a roaring industrial hub filled with steel, shipping and chemical companies. The presence of chemical manufacturing in Cleveland paved the way for local manufactures to start producing paints. So in part, the Cleveland paint and varnish industry can thank Rockefeller for its birth.  

THE PAINT AND VARNISH INDUSTRIES ARISE IN CLEVELAND

Two of Cleveland's important paint industries emerged to supply the growing construction, shipbuilding, machine tool, and automobile industries. Over the years, countless local companies contributed to Cleveland evolving as the center of the American paint and varnish industry, some of which are still here today, such as Waterlox Coatings Corporation. 

THE BIRTH OF WATERLOX COATINGS CORPORATION

Waterlox, a pioneer in the development of the coatings industry, was started in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1910 by R.L. Hawkins, Senior. He became involved in the industry as a Secretary and National Sales Manager of The Ohio Varnish Co. However, being an independent problem solver, he left that endeavor, and bought a small paint making operation named the Empire Varnish Company located on East 76^th and Woodland, which would later become Waterlox Coatings Corporation. His new business discovered the values of tung oil and used it to create the specific formulations necessary to produce a full line of interior and exterior paints, varnishes, enamels and stains.

The Waterlox name originated with a promotional group in Detroit. In the 1930s, Empire Varnish acquired “Waterlox” and its business plan from the group, including the philosophy behind the product, its applications and range of possibilities. Empire Varnish took all of this newly attained information and applied it to its existing formulas to mark a pivotal point in the company’s history, one that made its Waterlox product what it is today.

R.L.’s son, Bob, also joined the company in the 30’s when he began working in the plant during the summer at age 15. Bob, who would later earn degrees in both chemical engineering and in industrial chemistry, eventually took over the company in the 1940’s. In the 1960’s, the Empire Varnish Company became Waterlox Chemical and Coatings Corporation. This decision was made because Waterlox, the company’s star product, was what it was best known for. In fact, everyone had already been calling them Waterlox.

Over the years, Waterlox expanded its production to manufacture a variety of products, from interior house paint and paint for car running boards to a penetrating sealer, gym floor finish, marine finish and outdoor wood finish. Bob even invented coatings for the rubber mats used in automobiles, as well as a revolutionary process in which the color coat and mat were all cured together in a mold.

Proud to own a Cleveland-based business, the Hawkins family could not see any advantage in doing business anywhere else. “The best part of doing business in Cleveland is location, location, location,” said Bob. The city is fairly central in the country making it ideal for receiving raw materials and shipping final products. However, in 1963 Waterlox did move to the Passonno Hutcheson building on Meech Avenue, which remains its location today.

In the 90’s the company’s name changed again, from Waterlox Chemical and Coatings Corporation to Waterlox Coatings Corporation, as it remains today.

Still based in Cleveland, Waterlox is the nation’s leading manufacturer of premium wood finishes, handmade from natural tung oil. A fourth-generation, family-owned company, now run by Chief Executive Officer Jay Hawkins and Vice President Kellie Hawkins Schaffner, Waterlox continues to manufacture products using the finest ingredients, combining tung oil, resins, mineral spirits and other ingredients to produce a complete wood finish that gives the look and feel of naturally oiled wood. Waterlox products represent the flooring industry’s highest level of quality protection for both interior and exterior wood finishing products and supply tools for application. For the most part, the company still makes its hand-made wood finishes the exact same way it did 100 years ago.

PAINT AND CHEMICAL COMPANIES EMERGE: SHERWIN-WILLIAMS, GLIDDEN PAINT, AND HARSHAW CHEMICAL CO.

In addition to Waterlox Coatings Corporation, other significant paint and chemical companies emerged in Cleveland – companies that made major contributions to shaping the industry as well as the city itself.

Henry Sherwin, Edward Williams and A.T. Osborn partnered in 1870 to form a paint manufacturing company, in Cleveland, called Sherwin Williams, & Co. Today, the Sherwin-Williams Company is the largest producer of paints, varnishes, and specialty coatings in the United States. Its corporate headquarters are still located here in Cleveland.

America's third largest paint brand also began in Cleveland and still bears the name of one of its founders, Francis Harrington Glidden. It all started in 1870 with the formation of the Glidden Varnish Co., which supplied coatings to the growing railroad car-building industry. While AkzoNobel owns the Glidden name today, the paint brand still dominates the American household consumer market.

Harshaw Chemical Co. was founded by William Harshaw as the Cleveland Commercial Co. in 1892 to deal in chemicals, oils, pigments and dry colors - many of which were consumed by paint and varnish manufacturers. After a few name changes, the firm became the Harshaw Chemical Co. in 1919. The company remained in Cleveland until 1988, when a specialty chemical and metallurgical maker from Oakland, CA purchased it.

A CLEVEALND-BASED INDUSTRY EVOLVES

In 1927, a Cleveland Trust (local bank) billboard located in downtown Cleveland proclaimed that it financed “Paint and Varnish, Cleveland’s Leading Industries.” But Cleveland’s paint and varnish industry grew to be far more than that. This industry in Cleveland evolved from a homegrown one serving local manufacturing industries to an internationally diverse enterprise. Over time, the paint and varnish industry’s viability in Cleveland went from being based on proximity to natural resources and areas of product demand to that of availability of a skilled research workforce and viable facilities. Over the years, countless local companies contributed to Cleveland being the center of the American paint and varnish industry, some of which are still here today, such as Waterlox Coatings Corporation. These companies not only defined an industry, but they helped make Cleveland what it is today. 

Waterlox Interviewed on "The Money Pit" Radio Show

Waterlox Coatings Corporation (www.waterlox.com) was featured in January on the nationally syndicated radio program “The Money Pit,” as Vice President Kellie Hawkins Schaffner is interviewed about the company’s commitment as the nation’s leading provider of premium wood finish handmade from natural Tung oil.

To listen to the interview, click on the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbR90y_QWgY

The Money Pit (www.themoneypit.com) is a nationally syndicated, call-in radio show that helps listeners with their home repair and improvement problems. The show, hosted by Tom Kraeutler and Leslie Segrete, has consistently been named among “America's 100 Most Important Radio Shows” by Talkers magazine. It's been on the air for over ten years, and is now carried on over 250 radio affiliates across the nation, as well as on XM satellite radio.

Featured Craftsman -- Artisans of the Valley

The “microbrew of wood finishes,” meant for handcrafted pieces of wooden art that go beyond everyday mass produced wood products. That’s how Eric Saperstein, Master Craftsman at Artisans of the Valley Hand Crafted Custom Woodworking in Pennington, New Jersey, describes Waterlox premium wood finish. So when it came time to finish some of his proudest solid white oak pieces from Artisans of the Valley’s New Wave Gothic line, choosing a wood finish was easy.

“These Gothic pieces will be around long after I’m gone,” Eric said. “They need a finish that will last as long as they do.”

Eric prefers Waterlox to lacquer or polyurethane finishes for a number of reasons.

“Waterlox lasts years beyond lacquer and polyurethane finishes, which can color and fall off,” Eric said. “Waterlox is a flexible finish that will expand and contract with a piece over time, unlike other finishes.”

More importantly, Eric says, he trusts Waterlox as the finish he puts on what he considers investment pieces.

“Artisans of the Valley is a custom shop and we consider our work to be heirloom quality,” Eric said. “Many of our pieces see an annual increase in value. It’s furniture you can pass down to your kids. It’s why we use Waterlox.”

HISTORY OF TUNG OIL: THE KEY TO THE WATERLOX PRODUCTS OF TODAY

WHAT IS TUNG OIL AND WHERE ON EARTH DOES IT COME FROM? 

Tung oil is made from pressed seeds from the nut of the tung tree. The tung tree, native to China, is named for its heart-shaped leaves because “tung” is Chinese for “heart.” In the 14^th century, Chinese merchants were noted for using tung oil to waterproof and protect wooden ships from the eroding powers of the sea. There are even mentions of tung oil appearing in the writings of Confucius in around 400 B.C. For these reasons, it is also sometimes referred to as “China wood oil.”

Pure tung oil is considered a drying oil much like linseed, safflower, poppy and soybean oil and is known to have a slightly golden tint. Tung oil, which is actually a vegetable oil, is considered the best penetrating drying oil available due to its unique ability to wet the surface, allowing it to penetrate even the densest woods. Unlike linseed oil, it will not darken with age.

Although Tung oil is a superior drying oil, Waterlox Original Tung oil finishes differ because they are resin modified. Therefore, resin-modified Tung oil is what makes our finishes superior to others.

WHAT DOES A TUNG TREE LOOK LIKE?

It is a small deciduous tree that grows up to 40 feet tall with smooth bark and a branchy head. Its leaves are dark green and glossy with blades 3-13 inches wide. The tung tree has flowers that range in size from 1-3 inches in diameter with petals that are white tinged with red and yellow. Each nut or fruit contains 3-7 large seeds.

HOW DOES A TUNG TREE GROW?

The tung tree’s official botanical name is Aleurites fordii. It thrives in moist, well-drained, slightly acid soil. These hearty, fast growing trees mature to bear fruit in their third year and yield commercial quantities at four to five years of age. Maximum production occurs in the tenth to twelfth years of growth, with trees expected to be commercially productive for at least 20 years after optimum production has occurred.

In the Northern Hemisphere, tung tree nuts grow in clusters and fall to the ground from late September through November. The fruits and are left for a few weeks to dry and cure. Tung oil is produced by harvesting these nuts and separating the nuts from their hard outer shells. Then the transparent oil is squeezed from the seeds inside.

Dried and pressed nuts yield about twenty percent oil. Under favorable conditions an acre of tung trees will produce about two tons of tung nuts and yield about 100 gallons of raw tung oil annually.

TUNG OIL CAN BE USED FOR ALL KINDS OF THINGS.

• Tung oil has been used extensively in the paint and varnish industry.
• In the 30’s, tung oil compounds were used to coat cables, telephone wires, generators, fans, and various other types of electrical equipment.
• The automobile industry used large quantities of tung oil. For instance, every brake band manufactured used it as a binding agent to hold it together.
• At one time, more than 2 million pounds of it were used annually to manufacture cosmetic tubes.
• During the War of 1914 it was used extensively in the treatment of airplane fabrics as a water resisting varnish.
• The Chinese have used it for waterproofing masonry, cloth, shoes, clothing, and paper.
• It can be used to seal concrete.
• Tung oil, mixed with lime mortar or burned tung nut residue, was one of the world’s first agents for waterproofing caulking boats.
• It is used by stonemasons on granite and marble to permanently seal stone surfaces to prevent staining.
• A light coat rubbed onto steel is an effective rust inhibitor.
• The shells of tung nuts yield a valuable raw material for the manufacturing of insecticides.
• It is used in printing inks.
• It is used to print US paper money.
• Tung oil was reportedly mixed in the mortar that made the Great Wall of China.
• Its non-toxic nature makes it particularly appropriate for children's toys and furniture

TUNG OIL IN THE U.S. – HOW AND WHY IT GOT HERE

The first tung tree seed was brought to America from Hankow, China in 1905 by a senior agricultural explorer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1912 the Bureau of Plant Industry issued a special bulletin that urged growers to plant tung orchards and offered a limited number of free one-year old trees. This was a perfect fit, because after acre upon acre of pine trees were cut for timber in the early 1900s, Gulf Coast farmers were looking for a sustainable cash crop for the vast vacant land. That same year, ten trees were planted at University of Florida’s Agricultural Experiment Station in Gainesville. By 1927, there were over 400 growers and more than 10,000 acres of tung oil trees in Alachua County Florida and surrounding areas alone.

In 1928, L.P. Moore, nephew of the Benjamin Moore Paints founder, built the first mechanized tung oil compressing mill in the world, located in Gainsville. This began the commercial production of tung oil in America. Other mills later popped up in Cairo, Georgia and Florala, Alabama. The U.S. was a prime location for this new industry, importing 100 million pounds of Chinese tung oil in 1927, and 120 million pounds in 1933, with demand still exceeding supply.

The industry expanded from Florida, Georgia and Alabama to Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, with Mississippi becoming the largest producing state.

Just prior to the outbreak of WWII, tung oil was declared a strategic item for defense use, so the government aided growers to help them to produce more and better trees. During the war, all ammunition was coated with tung oil and products containing tung oil painted all ships. Not only were government support programs available for US growers, but the government also assisted foreign plantings in South America, particularly Argentina. There was an embargo on Chinese tung oil at the time, making domestic oil profitable. The Pan American Tung Research and Development League was formed between tung oil producers in Amercica and Argentina to work jointly on research and development and to pool tung oil from both countries to provide consistent supplies to U.S. consumers.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE U.S. TUNG TREE GROVES?

Major production of tung oil in the U.S. occurred between the late 1930’s and 1972, peaking in 1958 at 44.8 million pounds.

However, because tung orchards are greatly affected by adverse weather conditions, frost was a huge hindrance to U.S. tung oil production, usually decreasing the yields of tung groves. Between 1934 and 1940 frost almost totally destroyed the domestic tung nut crop. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, freezes wiped out commercial tung oil production in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and all of Georgia.

Hurricanes Betsy (1965) and Camille (1969) dealt the final blows to the tung plantations in southern Mississippi and eastern Louisiana. Camille cut tung oil production in the U.S. by over half. Since those growers were eligible for government disaster compensation, they took the money and went out of the tung oil business and into other agricultural production.

In addition, by the late 1960’s many of the US tung oil mills had closed due to the fact that importing tung oil from Argentina had become cheaper than producing it in the states.

Camille came on the heels of what was thought to be the savior of the tung oil industry – a genetic breakthrough that produced late-blooming varieties capable of escaping late spring freezes. Unfortunately, there was little incentive for replanting. Because oil is the only economically significant product of the tung tree. It cannot be grown for fiber, meal or fertilizer. That, along with the fact that domestic consumption declined nearly 50% between 1955 and 1970 spelled the end of commercial tung oil production in the U.S. 

WATERLOX IS STILL ALL ABOUT TUNG OIL

While there is not a whole lot of tung oil being produced domestically these days, it is still readily available thanks to imports from China and Uruguay. Which is a really good thing since it is an essential ingredient in Waterlox Original Tung oil products.

Because Waterlox creates a unique line of tung oil based wood finishes – even among others who use tung oil in their formulations. Chemically speaking, our Waterlox Original Tung Oil products are resin-modified tung oil based wood finishes. The tung oil provides the best penetrating drying qualities available while the resin allows the coatings to form a film that is both water-resistant and elastic – standing up to both foot traffic and common household spills.

Different from other types of wood finishes, Waterlox offers “best of both worlds” benefits. For example, raw oils penetrate into wood but do not provide any real protection to the substrate. Plus, raw oil finishes need to be recoated often due to oxidation and wear. Urethane coatings lay on top of the surface, look more like plastic, can be brittle and once breached ultimately fail. Waterlox is truly incomparable because it penetrates like raw oil, while protecting and nurturing the wood without becoming fragile or having a plastic appearance.

Waterlox resin-modified Tung oil finishes penetrate into the pores of the wood and build up a coating that both guards and strengthens the wood. Best of all, they are easier to restore and re-coat. And without tung oil, Waterlox extraordinary finishes wouldn’t be possible.

INTERESTING THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TUNG OIL:

• Marco Polo is said to have brought a sample back to the western world from China.
• Completely natural and renewable, pure tung oil has gained recent popularity among the environmentally conscious.
• Inherently resistant to disease and insects, tung trees require no fungicides or pesticides.
• Tung nut byproducts can be used for mulch or burned for fuel.