The original flex wrench?

[stillfishin]

Here's a curiosity. The wrench is 12" long and 15/16" and 1" on the ends. No marks that I can find excepting the letter A punched into each end, as if done by the original owner. I suspected hand made, but those wrench ends sure appear to be cast or forged, not machined, and the workmanship is very good. Also the chain isn't roller chain as you would expect a homemade version to  have.. The wrench is in nice condition and doesn't appear to have been used much. I did spray it with WD40 to lubricate the chain and such. Has anybody seen one of these before and/or know any information on them?

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[Lostmind]

I like it , nice find. Never know what's out there that you have never seen.

[Papaw]

Doesn't look home made to me. The chain of course not, and the wrench heads are probably forged.

[mvwcnews]

I had not seen a double ended "snake handle" wrench before --  ( http://www.datamp.org/patents/advance.php?pn=1316398&id=24902&set=1 )  Note that the second image in that DATAMP entry shows a single open end with a square shank to drive "Mossberg sockets" on the other end of the handle.

[rusty]

>the chain isn't roller chain as you would expect a homemade version to  have...

That type of chain was made to replace belting, rather than to run on sprockets, it used to be more common than it is today ....

Really nice find, I rememebr seeing that design before also, but not double ended.
(I suppose the double endedness could be a user mod..)

[leg17]

Those cotter pin thingys suggest that the ends were easily interchanged.
Maybe it came originally with a set of ends of different sizes.

[Lostmind]

Those cotter pin thingys suggest that the ends were easily interchanged.
Maybe it came originally with a set of ends of different sizes.

x2

[turnnut]

if you go to Stans mvwc reply and click onto his entry for "datamp" and click on the #2
in the pictures, you will see many interchangeable open end wrenches.
they must have sold them in a kit.

[bonneyman]

I think it's cool.

[oldtools]

Very Cool Tool!!!

[mvwcnews]

if you go to Stans mvwc reply and click onto his entry for "datamp" and click on the #2
in the pictures, you will see many interchangeable open end wrenches.
they must have sold them in a kit.

I've seen a set in wood box with several interchangeable open ends -- but the chain handle in that set had a smooth end on one end, rather than provision for attaching wrench heads on both ends.  And as noted, the 1921 ad in the 2nd DATAMP image  shows a handle end designed to be a square driver for "Mossberg sockets."

[stillfishin]

Thank you Stan for the link. That second photo definitely puts a name and some history to this old wrench. I do see where someone could have  removed the Mossberg square drive, and made it into a DOE. As much as I like using todays flex combination wrenches, especially on hard to get at stuff, I would have thought those snake handled wrench sets would have been a great seller back then. But perhaps the cost was too high. That's the first time in 60 yrs that Ive ever seen one, and I have shown a few old farmers who have never seen or heard of them either.

[stillfishin]

Ha couldn't help myself, I had to go and google 'snake handled wrench' and look what showed up on the first page...

http://www.smokstak.com/forum/showthread.php?t=106889

And that's not that far from me here. Maybe 150 miles. I am not registered on Smokstak so cant blow up the pictures to have a better look, but it clearly shows a DOE wrench and he says he has the whole set.