Spanner & Wrench Collector
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SPANNER & WRENCH COLLECTOR HAND TOOL PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA Inc. Reg No A0025953J Spanner Special Interest Group Newsletter www.htpaa.org.au No 5 August2011 Welcome to Edition ... Some HTPAA members may have missed out on previous editions of this newsletter. If you require a copy, contact the editor (see back page). Keep the contributions coming so that the editor does not hog all the space. Contents this issue: Page 1 - Index and Collection of- Daryl Symons Page 2 - Some Interesting Adjustable Wrenches, G Radion Page 4 - AFew Wrenches (Paul Withers) Page 5 - Hanomag R45 Diesel tractor Parts List, D Capon, Mercedes Benz Museum Stuttgart, D Symons Page 6 - Meadowbank Manufacturing Co, Some Uncommon Spanners - BMH Patented, G Radion Page 7 - Hipswell Stud Wrench, W Hewertson Page 7 - M J Hooper-Auckland, G Radion Page 8 - We have the usual housekeeping, feedback, new finds, orphaned spanners and wanted to buy / sell Pictured below, some of Daryl Symon's spanners and cast iron collectables The Spanner& Wrench CollectorIssue 5 -Aug 2011 - Page 1 Adjustable Wrenches Wright Wrench Mfg Co, Canton, OH By George Radion This quick adjusting monkey wrench, marked “ Wright There seems to be a bit ofinterest in adjustable Wrench Tacoma Wash. / Pat – 04 Steel Forging”, has a wrenches, going by feedback I have had and by the maker's mark on the top jaw. It looks like a large letter number of collectors who concentrate on adjustables in “C” with tiny writing inside, but it is not readable, as an the main. owner has overstamped the wrench with “WEATON 1664” in several places, including over the makers Now let me declare my hand here – I collect agricultural mark. Fig. 2. spanners and wrenches, with an emphasis on Cope* covers this wrench, stating that “Wright took over Australian and New Zealand provenance. the Ideal Wrench Co in Tacoma in 1909, continuing However, in my constant search for new finds, I production under the Wright name in both Canton, OH occasionally come across an adjustable that is a little and Tacoma, WA. Also see A Harvey's Sons MFG Co different from the run ofthe mill type, and they end up at and Ideal Wrench Co” my place, seemingly by themselves, without much It appears that this same wrench come with different conscious intervention on my part. markings – readers, let us know ifyou have one. This quick adjuster is still functional and in reasonable So for this article, I will show some ofthe ones which condition, which is surprising for something over 100 have piqued my interest and have to be accommodated years old, and with a hammer head that appears to in my already crowded shed. Some I have been able to have never been struck. Adjustment is by pressing the find info about which I will include, others not. Ifyou the back ofthe saddle with the thumb. This disengages a reader can add info, please contact the editor. lug from the rack at the front ofthe stem, allowing the operator to move the bottom jaw to the required The most unusual one is the W. Anderson of Dumfries position and letting go, whence an integral spring forces (presumably Scotland) Fig. 1. engagement with the rack. Asimple to use wrench. This 16.5” wrench has jaws that will open out to near 3inches, and would accommodate a square nut of that size. Ahex nut would only allow a slight grip with the jaws which extend out about two inches, so it would be ineffective on those. This indicates early days before hex nuts. Another feature is the 3/4” open fixed jaw spanner at Fig. 2 Wright Quick Adjust Wrench (12") the handle end. I have not seen this style before and the whole setup intrigues me. W C Wynn & Co QuickAdjusting Nut Wrench / Pliers Fig 3. Internet searches reveal loads ofAndersons in This wrench is marked “W & C Wynn & Co Patent No Dumfries in Scotland, but so far I have not been able to 19” Unfortunately, it has a piece missing, which pinpoint the main company. The Scottish town of engages the rack teeth on the back ofthe main stem to Dumfries dates back to before Roman times, but other lock it in position. As a collectable, it is not perfect, the possibilities are one of the many places subsequently part which grips the rack is broken off – however, named Dumfries – such as Dumfries, Virginia USA, thinking about it, and collectable tools in general – why Dumfries, New Brunswick in Canada, South Dumfries do we insist that an item be in perfect working condition Township, Ontario, Canada, North Dumfries, Ontario, when it will never be used for it's original purpose? (OK Canada, Dumfries, Grenada, Dumfries, Minnesota, I will get offmy soap box now). This item has some USA, Dumfries, Iowa, USA. decorative features predating Art Deco – Art Neuveau? Simple adjusting mechanism - just open the handles and slide the lower jaw into position, then squeeze handles to grasp the nut. Ifthe casting was in steel, it would have been an effective design for a quick adjusting nut plier / wrench. Graces Guide - The Best ofBritish Engineering 1750 to 1960's has an entry: "1849 Directory: Heavy Steel Toy and Tool Makers, and Edge Tool Makers". W C Wynn Fig. 1 W. Anderson, Dumfries shifter (16.5"). joined with Richard Timmins to form Wynn & Timmins in 1 889**. The Spanner& Wrench CollectorIssue 5 -Aug 2011 - Page 2 information, there was a reply that exact origin was not known, but surely Irish, going by the name. Double Jawed, Doubel Barred Coachman. No maker's mark on this double barred coachman's wrench. It has that austerity of military or Germanic origin, with solid, strong components, but with some Fig. 3 W &C Wynn & Co Adjustable Nut Pliers (12.75") pleasing design features as well, such as the finial on the handle and the elliptic jaws. Fig. 6. Van Duijl type wrench Fig. 4 No info on this one, seems quite different to the usual This design utilizes the swelling in the middle to British coachman design, so Continental is my guess. accommodate the adjusting knurl as do many wrenches, including Tower & Lyon dating back to 1865, and many other makers. What is different is the strengthening bar at the back of the top moveable jaw, obviously providing support to stop the casting from failing under load. This example is not marked by a maker, but it has the symbol ofan open umbrella on the top jaw and “2-1/2” on the bottom ofthe handle (presumably meaning 2.5 inch opening jaws). Fig. 6 Double barred coachman's (12") This design still looks a bit fragile, regardless of the strengthening pillar at the back of the top jaw. Craftsman Tool Co / Attwood* Fig 7 Nevertheless an interesting adjustable wrench. Roller type pipe wrench produced by AttwoodWrench, Tool & Stamping Co, 1912, LaterAttwood MFG Co., 1913, Later Craftsman Tool Co., 1914. It has a powerful spring holding the geared roller in position against the pipe when in use. Fig. 4 Van Duijl type Adjustable Wrench (11.5") Hammel Double Jawed Adj Wrench Fig. 5 This is the type ofadjuster which has the screw mechanism within the hollow handle, and has two Fig. 7 Craft Pipe Wrench (11 "). opposing sets ofjaws at the top. It has always puzzled myself and other collectors – why the double jaws? Thinking back on my opening statement, perhaps I was What advantage do they confer over the normal “F” kidding myself - I think I do collect adjustable wrenches. type shifter? Send in your unusual wrenches to share with the Possibly to circumvent someone's patent, and thus readers. provide novelty of design. Any ideas or knowledge on this is welcomed. This type ofwrench come in about 3 References: sizes, most often unmarked, but sometimes has a name *American Wrench Makers 1830 - 1930, K L Cope, 2nd on the end ofthe handle. Ed 2002. One interesting thing about this example, is that it has a maker's mark, “O. Hamel & Co” heavily stamped into ** A History of Early English Adjustable Wrenches the top jaw. found in Australia, J Hawking & R Geesin, Tool Chest When posted to the Wrench Forum in the past, seeking no 87, Feb 2008. Also good reading: A History ofAdjustable Wrenches (Shifters) Made in Australia, J Hawking, Tool Chest no 83, Feb 2007. Fig. 5 O. Hamel & Co (12") The Spanner& Wrench CollectorIssue 5 -Aug 2011 - Page 3 A Few Wrenches by Paul Withers. My hobby is to search the auctions and markets for old and antique tools. I have included some pictutes of recent finds, see at right. These are wrenches that I have picked up in the last month. It is almost like whiteants coming out of the woodwork. Most of them are rusty and need a little tender loving care to bring them back to their former glory. There are a lot ofstyles and brands ofwrenches out Fig. 8 Paul's ZH Fairlane there to be found. Figs 9, 10 & 11: Elkare, Red Devil, King Dick, Keystone Works, Footprint, W&B, Garrington (including a 6"), Record, Shelly, Coes, Ford, J&S, J&S Ford, King Dick Ford, Ford Dagenham, Massy Harris, Snail Brand, early Holden Wrench, Wizard, Gordon, W&B Hercules, Buck & Hickman, Palmer & sons, Coachmaker's wrench, Sidcrome, Diamond Calk, Horseshoe Co., Webmore, PW MFG USA, Stilson USA, Dowidat, Reid MFG USA, Bahco. It was at an auction the otherday that I acquired a Henry Boker wrench shaped like a curved English pattern Clyburn, which I thought was quite exciting. So then, there are the spanners that I found as well, including Early Sidcrome, Dufor, Shelly, Snail Brand, HKL-OCW 416W, King Dick, Superslim, 7812024, Fig.