C.P. Wrench knife

[Plyerman]

I'm pretty excited. I "found" a previously unknown to me version of the old C.P. wrench knife. It's the one on the left below. It has a flat base on the lower jaw insert, and the insert isn't pinned through the handle like others I've seen. It also doesn't have a screwdriver blade on the end of the handle. I'm guessing it was a really early version.

Middle one in the photo I've had for years. It has a flat backspring riveted to the handle. (Just like the "early" model on the left.) But it has a curved base to the lower jaw insert, and a screwdriver.

Right hand one is the later production version I'm guessing. It has a bent steel backspring, and uses a bolt for the upper jaw to pivot on. It also has a different stamping than the earlier two.

[Plyerman]

Charles C. Fields patent 888,795  Datamp - http://www.datamp.org/patents/displayPatent.php?number=888795&typeCode=0

For YEARS I've speculated with folks about what the "C.P." stands for. Then today I did a bit of googling and found out. Turns out the name of the company that produced them was the Combination Pocket Wrench Company of Nashville, Tenn. Doh! So they just abbreviated the name to C.P. Wrench Co.

Here's a pic of the whole family:

[lptools]

Those are very cool tools!!!!!

[mikeswrenches]

Very nice!! I’ve never seen any of those. Thanks for posting.

Mike

[Lewill2]

Mine is like your later version on the right in the first picture. Nice find, hope to see you in York.

[Yadda]

Dang Bob!  It ain't enough to have all those great Northern tool company tools?  You got to collect the southern ones too?
 
 
As always, I am blown away at the tools you find.  Really great multi tools! I assume the gadgety wrench at the top is another CP Wrench? Do you have the patent number?

Also, per the datamp photo you still have at least one other version out there with a one piece lower jaw/handle.

[gibsontool]

Very nice, I've never seen those guys before.

[Plyerman]

Thanks! They are pretty neat, but they don't come along very often. I suspect the old-knife collectors snap them all up, and don't leave many of them out there for us old-tool collectors.

Lyndon, the bigger wrench at the top is an earlier C.C. Fields patent 706,042.  Datamp -  http://www.datamp.org/patents/displayPatent.php?number=706,042&type=   It is the only one I've ever seen. I bought it at the MVWC auction last spring in York. I'm not usually a "just plain wrench" guy, but I already had the wrench-knives.......and so managed to convince my wife that I NEEDED this one in order to complete the set. Heh-heh.
 


As regards the picture of the wrench-knife on Datamp, I think(?) that one actually does have the curved lower-jaw insert. It's just that the photo is washed out, and the seam doesn't show up very well.