Gotta love old tools

Joined
Dec 11, 2008
Messages
7,265
Reaction score
22,608
Location
Pacific North-Wet
My neighbour brought over a small electric pump that had a stuck 1/2" priming plug. I didn't have a square drive socket, plus the plug was slightly peened. Heat & Kroil didn't seem to help.

I filed the shaft square and dug out an old screw wrench that had survived my childhood :eek: tightened it down and it loosened the plug.

attachment.php


As it was now easy to reinstall, I dug out another old tool I had picked up secondhand for about $15, Bernard/Schollhorn parallel jaw pliers:

attachment.php


The design was patented July 19, 1892; mine were probably made about 75 years ago. The side cutter isn't great but otherwise they work perfectly. Similar ones are still available from numerous sources, including el-cheapo "foreign" knock-offs. The Bernard/Schallhorn line became Oetiker, now owned by Sargent, who still make several models of parallel-jaw pliers. Proudly made in the USA, but not cheap- over $100!

The screw wrench is marked Atco Tool Company, Boston MA, of which I can find nothing. But this one from Coes is identical.

coes-wrench-01-973x646.jpg
 

Attachments

  • Bernard:Schallhorn pliers copy.JPG
    Bernard:Schallhorn pliers copy.JPG
    84.5 KB · Views: 1,183
  • Screw wrench & plug.JPG
    Screw wrench & plug.JPG
    173.2 KB · Views: 1,198
Register to hide this ad
Generally referred to as a "Monkey wrench"...
I was just looking this up as that's what we called it.

I was cleaning it up this mornng and noticed a little peening on the jaws. Filing the peening off the lower jaw was easy, but the top one was so hard that the file pretty much skated over it. The link I posted to the Coe's model commented that the one they had had been used as a hammer. It would appear that the top jaw was designed for this. It's built like the proverbial brick outhouse and the screw adjustment is super smooth.

I had forgotten that pipe wrenches were called Stillson.
 
Last edited:
I have a few of the "Monkey Wrenches" a large number of "Crescent" (Both by brand and by type) and some old adjustable wrenches that are "S" shaped with the head of a Crescent. They run about twice as thick as a modern Crescent. We used these to disassemble an old sawmill years ago, we could open them up to 1 1/2" and used a 4' pipe for leverage. I have one 12" and two 15" Crescent brand adjustable wrenches and am sure that the stress we put on that old wrench would "Blow out" the modern wrenches where the casting reduces to the handle grip.

My late father's wife has his tools and I doubt I'll ever see that wrench again, so I keep a look out at all flea markets and junk shops!

Ivan
 
I found these In my grandfather's basement when we cleaned out their house in the early 80s. Two smaller ones are Moore Drop Forging Co., Springfield MA. The shiny one says Billings, USA. Red handled one says Dunlap, USA. I used one of them to remove the top off an old barrel trap. They look like they could use some love!
Neat old tools.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0386.jpg
    IMG_0386.jpg
    72.8 KB · Views: 205
  • IMG_0387.jpg
    IMG_0387.jpg
    76.8 KB · Views: 136
Business I worked at was cleaning up and the shop boss threw out a monkey wrench like the OP's.
I rescued it but don't know what happened to it, unless it's over my Mother's.
 
Last edited:
I have a large metal toolbox that belonged to my dad. I'm guessing the tools all date to the late 1940's. Included is a set of sockets that go up to very large sizes, maybe 1.5" and besides a ratchet, a breaker bar that's about 2 feet long. Not sure what he used them for. A few of the tools in the box still get some use but the sockets don't since everything I own is metric. But all the tools are USA made for sure and if I could sell them by the pound I'd have a good amount of money.
 
There are days which I have no desire to hear and use electric tools.
The old Genko hand grinding wheel machine, sharpens quite well.
Bought it after coming off active duty with the Air Force in '70 to build everything from knife scales, gun stocks, stringed instruments and begin the study of Naval Architecture for boat work, to add to my skills/degrees with electronics and music.
Started collecting tone woods, draw knifes, planes, spokeshaves, bits/braces, an egg beater hand drill and other quiet tools.

Will adapt the Genko to spin a sanding disc when as necessary so I don't have to run the two electric belt sanders, for small work.
A sad day was when I was home on leave in the late '60s to find that both my Grandmother's pedal operated sewing machines disappered. :(

Pic of Genko for a cleaning and fresh grease.
Have my Great Granddad's Penn fishing reel as well.
Our family always hunted with rods and reels since the
1860s on Long Island. Ocean tools they be. :D
 

Attachments

  • FullSizeRender.jpg
    FullSizeRender.jpg
    108.7 KB · Views: 192
Last edited:
I found these In my grandfather's basement when we cleaned out their house in the early 80s. Two smaller ones are Moore Drop Forging Co., Springfield MA. The shiny one says Billings, USA. Red handled one says Dunlap, USA. I used one of them to remove the top off an old barrel trap. They look like they could use some love!
Neat old tools.
The upper two wrenches in the left side picture were of the type that came with early cars in a little tool kit. I have several of those wrenches (marked "Ford") of different sizes, they appear to have seen considerable use but are still serviceable. Sort of a variant of the Crescent wrench.
 
There are days which I have no desire to hear and use electric tools....
A sad day was when I was home on leave in the late '60s to find that both my Grandmother's pedal operated sowing machine disappered... :(
You and the other "old codgers" here :eek: will like this story then.

Mission cobbler wins award, reflects on over 40 years of fixing footwear

28345774_web1_220311-MCR-shoe-repair-guy-Arnold-Atsma_1.jpg;w=960


When we had a power outage a few winters ago, I was driving down the main street and saw Arnold at work. No power in the shop, but he was sitting by the window, working on a pedal-powered stitching machine :)

He now has, as the article states, an apprentice - who is about 60, I'd say - so he gets some time off.
 
I still have some tools of my Grandfathers. Some wrenches Ford wrenches couple of breast drills. I also had a complete Chesapeake Bay Sinkbox for duck hunting till made illegal..even had the iron decoy weights. Sold it to a big time duck decoy collector
 
That was a good common sense solution. How many people would have even thought of filing the shaft square? Using that old tool made it even better and more satisfying.
 
That was a good common sense solution. How many people would have even thought of filing the shaft square? ...
They have a square shaft, but given that the edges hsd been peened and rounded somewhat, I figured I needed all the help I could get! (I think my neighbour may have used a hex-drive socket on it.) In retrospect I could have used my big slip-jaw pliers or a Vise Grip, but both would have left the plug in even worse condition. And not having a milling machine (yet...) I have a lot of files :)

To be honest, I didn't think of the screw wrench at first, and, thinking of how a parallel machinist clamp works (although I find them awkward, not being a machinist) I cut a couple of 10" lengths of 3/8" square stock and tried to clamp them onto the stud, but even after filing it square (-er) it was a no-go. Then I saw the screw wrench and figured that if anything would move it, that likely would. The parallel-jaw pliers might have done it, but those big jaws and longer handle did the job.

And yes, there is a lot of satisfaction in using old tools with a "life history" :)
 
Last edited:
Years(!) ago I went to school with a buddy from England.
He called such a wrench a "Spanner". Stuck in my brain.
Now whenever I see one I always think "Spanner".
Having English roots, I sometimes call them that as well. And hence the term, "to throw a spanner in the works", with "[monkey] wrench" used in the US and often in Canada. Also the expression, "to have a face like a bag of spanners" :eek:
 
Back
Top