Wrench Age and Use?

[Badknuckles]

Here's a wrench been in my family since before I was born and I'm 80. It's 9 inches overall. I believe there used to be more.

The square end is 19/32. The other end is 22/32 across the flat and 24/32 across the rounded sides. The square end is stamped 19/32. The sockets are rivited to the shank.

I recall when I was young needing the occasional 19/32 or 25/32 wrench. Not anymore!

Well anyway how old might it be what was the rounded end of this wrench for?

[Papaw]

A Ford tool if I am not mistaken. The oblong socket was for certain models of rod bearing caps.

[Badknuckles]

That's really interesting. My Dad had several model T's.  I'd guess the first about 1913 when he graduated from college. Maybe sooner. He told me in those days you had to take up the rod bearings about once a week. Would the wrench date from about then?

[Papaw]

I am not a Ford wrench guy, but we have some here who will pipe in when they see this thread.

[skipskip]

Nice wrench

Made by Mossberg, see the M in a diamond?


the oval end is for Ford model T, I want to say transmission adjustment, but I may be wrong


 I believe we had it on a thread not long ago.

Skip

[strik9]

   I am not completely sure, but the fan used a socket like that in the first Ford T years.
          The transmission used open end wrenches to adjust the bands.

    There was another special socket that was used to adjust the front wheel bearings.   That one was less squarish and more oval or rectangle shaped.
   I am not aware if a special socket was used on the con rods ever, most I've seen were a 5/8" wrench or socket wrench.    It was a shallow L shape to fit inside the oil pan via the access plate on the bottom.

[skipskip]

Alloy Artifacts says:

 Fig. 88 shows another example of the Mossberg Z-shaped wrenches, a double socket wrench with 19/32 sockets of square and oval cross-section, stamped with the M-Diamond logo on the shank.

The overall length is 8.6 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

This wrench was intended for servicing the Model T main bearings, which used oval-shaped nuts on earlier models and square nuts after around 1916.

This wrench was one of the tools included in the Mossberg No. 17 wrench kit for the Ford Model T, a set of five fixed socket wrenches in a canvas roll.

[Badknuckles]

Well that is something. I thot it might just be some damned old wrench that was laying around but it seems like it might have one of been my fathers earlyest tools. Makes it kind of special all of a sudden. I don't have many momentos of him but this sure is one now. It now sits on a shelf in the house instead of in the tool box.

[Papaw]

kind of special

Exactly. A fine memento of him.
Glad we could help.

[mvwcnews]

Alloy Artifacts says:

 Fig. 88 shows another example of the Mossberg Z-shaped wrenches, a double socket wrench with 19/32 sockets of square and oval cross-section, stamped with the M-Diamond logo on the shank.

The overall length is 8.6 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

This wrench was intended for servicing the Model T main bearings, which used oval-shaped nuts on earlier models and square nuts after around 1916.

(If you want a contemporary ad image of the complete No. 17 set -- http://books.google.com/books?id=PR5aAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA15-PA39&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U1nfCstlKwImN2ucHmmEWr-q_4RVQ&ci=7%2C747%2C917%2C659&edge=0 )

This wrench was one of the tools included in the Mossberg No. 17 wrench kit for the Ford Model T, a set of five fixed socket wrenches in a canvas roll.