48 (!) Whitworth wrenches - installment 3

[amecks]

Yes - 48!  While cleaning the garage I went to put away the shopping bag the wrenches came in, and there was another wrench in the folds of the bag.   The smallest wrench of the lot.
Also I forgot to post the "family" photo in the first post.  Here are the 47... many wrenches still had Cosmoline on them and some looked like they had been used that way.

The King Dick is a heavy wrench and is stamped Super Chrome with etched markings RCAF and Broad Arrow.  You can see the King Dick stamping if you look close.



There are two of these wrenches which are only identified by "Forged Steel U.S.A.".  They have three different sizes marked - Inch and Millimeter are forged and Whitworth is stamped.  They look cadmium plated. I have not put a vernier to these wrenches but it would be interesting to see how one wrench end can accurately fit three sizes.


The first Reform wrench is heavier but both are forged "British Chrome Vanadium". It is a bit rough, no special marks.


The second Reform is lighter and has arrows around the name.  Sizes are stamped W on the front and BSF on the back.  The wrench has the date 1940 stamped along with the AM and Crown  for Air Ministry.



Williams W37 - this thing is in nice condition, black paint intact, and as heavy as any old Williams of its size (over a foot long).  Stamped with both Whitworth and BSF sizes.



One more installment should finish off this series.  Next will be a couple Billings wrenches.

[lptools]

Hello, Nice 'family" photo!! Regards, Lou

[Bill Houghton]

Does "British Chrome Vanadium" mean that the wrench leaks oil, or that smoke periodically emits from the wrench?   

[amecks]

No Bill,  but it does mean you have to use it on an oily leaky British machine to keep it from looking like that one!

[bill300d]

that "Forged Steel USA" wrench I believe is a Bridgeport Hardware wrench.

[bill300d]

Those sizes don't match up too well.
I wonder if they just took the wrench from their regular stash and opened up the ends to fit Whitworth.

[amecks]

Right, Bill - Bridgeport - I had to look it up because I'm not familiar with Bridgeport, but they made a set of metric/inch wrenches.  The metric/inch size is forged onto the wrench while the Whitworth size is stamped.  I believe it was reground, stamped and then plated (the stamping and grindwork appear plated) so it must have been done in the factory.  I did put a vernier to them and they are precisely the Whitworth size.  The WW sizes are considerably larger than the mm/inch size, so its not a "one size fits all", even though the mm/inch wrench was originally "one size fits all".

[Bill Houghton]

I had to look it up because I'm not familiar with Bridgeport, but they made a set of metric/inch wrenches....the mm/inch wrench was originally "one size fits all".

American tool manufacturers were quite skeptical about metric for a long time.  Not sure that newfangled system was going to stick around.  After all, the system had only been around since (depending on when you count from) 1799 or 1875, and it had only been adopted pretty much throughout Europe in the 19th century.  Give it time.

When I was young and working in gas stations, I knew mechanics whose rollaways didn't have a single metric tool in them.

[humber2]

Consider the 14mm spark plug made all over the World to a common size body.

In the USA a 13/16 wrench is used.

In the UK a 7/16 WW spanner is used.

In Europe a 21mm tool is used.

The three sizes coincide.

[bonneyman]

I had to look it up because I'm not familiar with Bridgeport, but they made a set of metric/inch wrenches....the mm/inch wrench was originally "one size fits all".

American tool manufacturers were quite skeptical about metric for a long time.  Not sure that newfangled system was going to stick around.  After all, the system had only been around since (depending on when you count from) 1799 or 1875, and it had only been adopted pretty much throughout Europe in the 19th century.  Give it time.

When I was young and working in gas stations, I knew mechanics whose rollaways didn't have a single metric tool in them.

Isn't that the reason for 64ths tools? American tools to fit the occasional metric?