Vulcan 1/4 inch ratchet

[mrchuck]

Anyone remember Vulcan tools and their sales truck.
Just like the other tool trucks. I last saw one around 1960.

Here is their 1/4 inch ratchet. Works perfectly. I believe Williams tools was the manufacturer.

[mrchuck]

Here are 2 photos of the above post.

[Papaw]

I don't remember Vulcan.
Alloy Artifacts has some info on Vulcan. Wonder if it is the same company.

Vulcan Manufacturing Company

The Vulcan Manufacturing Company operated in Winona, Minnesota and is currently known only by the wrench in the next figure. We hope to add more information for the company in the future.

http://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/other-makers-p3.html

[rusty]

Different Vulcan papaw....

It is also not quite right to call Vulcan a truck brand of JH Williams, Vulcan was a brand owned by the same parent company that owned Williams. It would make sense that Williams made most of the tools, but they were different entities, in fact Vulcan was later split off and sold.....

The start seems to be in the 1960's, but the end is very fuzzy and unclear, likely before the mid 80's, but non-williams tools bearing the brand become possible after that....

[Papaw]

That is why I wondered if it was the same company.

[eddie hudson]

OK, let's see if this muddys the water a little.

I believe Williams made VULCAN chain wrenches back in the 1890's

Here's what the 1962 Vulcan Tool Catalog says:

"Vulcan Tools is a Division of United Greenfield Corp."
"Heretofore, United Greenfield Corp has confined itself to the industrial tool market for which several of it's numerous plants have been producing tools of unexcelled quality for over a century.

With the introduction of Vulcan Tools Division, the Corporation plans to extend it's reputation for leadership throughout the broad automotive maintenance and repair field"

VULCAN TOOLS
1720 Military Road
Buffalo 17, NY

The tools look identical to Williams tools, even using the same numbers.
To help things out, I have a couple of wrenches marked VULCAN on one side and WILLIAMS on the other.

[rusty]

The Brock patent for the chain wrench goes to 1880, but I'm not sure the Vulcan name goes that far..

Regardless, it goes to 1910, so what happened to it for the 40 or so years in between?????

There is plenty of mud to go around here....

It also doesn't help that there are at least 6 companies that called themselves 'Vulcan Mfg co', at least 2 of which ran foundries...

[bonneyman]

Say, I'd like to see the guts of that thing in the ratchet thread! (Hint,hint!)

[eddie hudson]

Rusty

You forgot to mention that when Williams moved from Brooklyn to Buffalo they were located at 400 VULCAN St. Buffalo 7 NY.

I really don't know how long Vulcan was in production, but judging by the wording in the catalog, they started in 1962. I read somewhere that they were producing until at least 1974(I can't verify)

[rusty]

>You forgot to mention that when Williams moved from Brooklyn to Buffalo they were located at 400 VULCAN St. Buffalo 7 NY.

But...did they name the brand after the street...or get the street named after the brand?
There is for example, a Mossberg boulivard in attleboro...

In fact, it was quite common for mill owners to get new streets named after the mill, so I dunno about the theory that they picked the street name as a brand name, tho it certainly is possible, but 'vulcan' has certain mythological connotations that also make it a popular choice for steel products....

I found a 1899/1900 ad that mentions 'The vulcan chain pipe wrench",(16 sizes!) the connotation,to me, is that they were using it as a single product name at that time....

[mrchuck]

Bonneyman, here are 2 photos of the Vulcan 1/4 inch ratchet.
The circular plate un-screws with a 2 point cir-clip pliers.
The threads are very fine, not buggered at all. Then the main gear and the spacer washer falss out.
The pawl is secure and will not fall out.
The pawl is held in place by the very large selector. I can feel and hear a "click" when the selector is moved from forward to reverse. There is a detent ball holding a spring inside the handle.
That is the "click" I hear. Tooth count is at least 24.
I did not open the pawl part up.
Lubed with Penn Reel white muscle grease.
I will use this little ratchet the next time I need one.

[mrchuck]

Here are 2 photos of above innards.

[eddie hudson]

>You forgot to mention that when Williams moved from Brooklyn to Buffalo they were located at 400 VULCAN St. Buffalo 7 NY.

But...did they name the brand after the street...or get the street named after the brand?
There is for example, a Mossberg boulivard in attleboro...

In fact, it was quite common for mill owners to get new streets named after the mill, so I dunno about the theory that they picked the street name as a brand name, tho it certainly is possible, but 'vulcan' has certain mythological connotations that also make it a popular choice for steel products....

I found a 1899/1900 ad that mentions 'The vulcan chain pipe wrench",(16 sizes!) the connotation,to me, is that they were using it as a single product name at that time....

Since the wrenches were in production for about 20 years before they moved to Buffalo, I think they named the street after the wrench. I wonder how far away the "new" Vulcan factory or bussiness office was from the old Williams factory.

[RLT]

Same socket in all pics that muddy things even more?

[rusty]

> 20 years before they moved to Buffalo,

*duh*...yea, that pretty much answers that one doesn't it...


As to the dual markings, try it from another perspective.

Williams/parent company wants to enter the lucrative truck market, so they invent a brand name, and send out a bunch of trucks. BUT, they have a problem, every mechanic out there can name Snap-On,Mac,Cornwell in their sleep, but who are these Vulcan guys? nobody knows...

There is no reputation to build from in an unknown brand name, the only way to save this is to point out that the tools are made by someone the mechanics *might* have already heard of...

Of course, of you can buy the same tools from any supply house at 2/3 the cost, you now have another problem....

> I wonder how far away the "new" Vulcan factory or bussiness office was from the old Williams factory.

Military rd is 3.4 miles drive from Vulcan st according to mapquest. Interestingly, Vulcan is on the water, military follows a railroad track.....
The latter would be a much better place to ship things from by the 60's