4 Small Wrenches

[lptools]

Hello, I went to a sale on Sunday, nothing caught my eye until I saw the bin marked "small wrenches". Top is a Proto 4" Adjustable, next is an Imperial 199-F Patent No. 2814225, Cam-Loc T K F Co. Patent No. 2550010, and at bottom is Midwest Electric Mfg. Corp. 6 Point Ratcheting Box Wrench, 3/8 both ends ( unusual??) . I believe the Cam-loc has a local connection with Utica Tools. The box wrench is also stamped "A Subsidiary of Crouse Hinds Company", another local connection. Regards, Lou

[p_toad]

nice finds...assume that's that same crouse who made my breaker box.   

[lptools]

Yes sir!!!

[Bill Houghton]

Does the Midwest/Crouse wrench have reversing levers?  If not, I bet the different ends ratchet in opposite directions in a way that allows the electrician/mechanic to flip it around quickly when working.

[lptools]

Hello, Bill. Good eye, no levers, so it would work like a flip-flop ratchet. One other odd thing I just noticed is that the head (frame) sizes are different, one is 13/16", and the other is (now) noticeably larger at 1". I wonder if this was the frame for a 3/8 - 7/16? Regards, Lou

[amecks]

Possibly Crouse Hinds bought the wrenches at a discount because they were stamped wrong - in other words being stamped 3/8" at both ends was a production error by the tool's manufacturer.  But they kept the parts and sold them to a company like Crouse Hinds that needed a special size wrench (13/16" and 1" being an unusual combination). 

[lptools]

Hello, Al. I hope that I didn't confuse everyone. Both ends are stamped 3/8. Both 6 Point openings are 3/8 across the flats. The 13/16 and 1" dimensions reflect the outside edges of the stamped steel. It looks like the larger end of the frame could have held a 7/16 broach. The broached pieces are considerably different in diameter as well, .559 and and .665. I agree that these may have been misfits, but I think maybe the error started  in the broaching. Regards, Lou

[Bill Houghton]

So, they made the mistake on a production run and sold them to people who love #10 machine screws (the size that commonly has a nut 3/8" across the flats) so much that they want a backup ratcheting wrench for when one end of the wrench wears out 

[bonneyman]

The Imperial "rocking flare" (as I call it) is probably associated with Imperial Eastman and A/C and hydraulic fittings.

The Cam-Loc ratcheting flare was patented in 1951 by an engineer named Al Kavalar for the purpose of tangentially applying torque around sensitive fittings to reduce distortion and leaks. The design was so smooth it supposedly could tighten glass test tubes onto flare fittings without breaking them! Useful for auto brakes, A/C fittings, high pressure air lines, etc.

http://www.datamp.org/patents/displayPatent.php?number=2550010&typeCode=0

I've got a line of research going on over at the GG if you'd like more info.

https://garagegazette.com/index.php?topic=487.0

[lptools]

Hello, Bonneyman. Thanks for the info, Cam-loc seems to have quite a history. I think I have another  one around here, (or 2) . If I dig them out I will post pics. Thanks again, Lou

[EVILDR235]

I sold somebody on this site a Cam Loc wrench a few years ago. The only one I have ever come across. I have seen them using several different names, but believe they were all made by the same company and just re-branded. They look like they may break to easy. Maybe not. I never used the one I sold. I have the rocking flare nut wrenches that all appear to have been made by the same maker, but have different names. Imperial and Proto come to mind without me going out to the cold garage to look. My four inch Proto was one of my most used tools when I worked in wrecking yards. I had one that opened up to 15mm that I used for 13 years, lost for 13 years. I found it at the bottom of the oil catch basin in the driveway at the wrecking yard when I was cleaning out the sludge. I used it for 6 more years before retiring it because all the little teeth on the thumb wheel were worn off. I could rebuild it with a kit and still may some day. This was the older model 704 with the thinner jaws. They are a good tool and not a cute toy like some people think. Most people I know that ride motorcycles carry one on their key chain.

EvilDr235.

[bonneyman]

Actually the Cam-Loc's are quite stout. But that's the catch 22 - they're really too bulky for alot of jobs.
I received one that was not working due to the internal spring being disconnected. I ground away the rivets, disassembled and repaired, and put back together with small bolts. IIRC it was a big un - 7/8".
With all the gaps and spaces they tend to accumulate crud. So long as you keep the mechanism relatively clean they are a great wrist saver on repetitive jobs. I've tended to collect them! Ooops.