wrenches

[1930]

Any theories on how or when they place these numbers on these wrenches. I am assuming these wrenches made back in the late 20s  to mid thirties went thru some type of punchout machine, is that correct?
So when and how were the numbers placed there, the numbers can face in any direction, they are not always centered and sometimes no where near the center.
I have collected enough info from original toolkits to know that the numbering did not always take place.
Any comments on this.

[rusty]

Random placement and orientation would suggest hand stamping.

A small rotary hammer press with a letter die in it, foot operated, would be likely for stamping something like that. The operator would take an item from a pile, hold it in the press somewhere near where it was supposed to be stamped, and press the foot-lever.
Hand operations in tool making were very common untill WWII, even drop forging was done by hand , workers took the hot wrenches one at a time from the furnace and held them in the drop press...

Mass production and Automated production are two very different things...

[1930]

Quote..........Random placement and orientation would suggest hand stamping.

A small rotary hammer press with a letter die in it, foot operated, would be likely for stamping something like that. The operator would take an item from a pile, hold it in the press somewhere near where it was supposed to be stamped, and press the foot-lever.
Hand operations in tool making were very common untill WWII, even drop forging was done by hand , workers took the hot wrenches one at a time from the furnace and held them in the drop press...

Mass production and Automated production are two very different things.

This is the type of info I really appreciate, I would not have known this ( I did have a hunch but you confirmed ) had you not replied and is a big help,


Question though I am confused on this....workers took the hot wrenches one at a time from the furnace ...............and held them in the drop press...
Isnt the drop press what made the wrench a wrench?
Also please explain how someone would take a small wrench say a # 1 who might not be longer than 6 inches and hold that in a press while so many tons of press came stamping down on it to make the numbers in cold steel.
Would it be more likely that wrenches were placed in some sort of female form and then placed into a large stamper/press but then we must ask ourselves why would they take this extra step, Chrysler for instance paid high saleries to me just to walk around and figure out how to cut costs, surely all in one process would be more efficient, your thoughts

[rusty]

>Isnt the drop press what made the wrench a wrench?

LOL! OK, I guess you got mne on that , it's only a blank untill you finish making it...
It would be cut tp length tho, so it's on it's way there when it is in the furnace.

[I had a really nice pic of some fellows doing this, I can't find it tho , sigh]

...how someone would take a small wrench say a # 1 who might not be longer than 6 inches and hold that in a press while so many tons of press came stamping down on it

With fingers...There is a *reason* we have OSHA today....

The press required for stamping isn't all that bug tho, the drop hammer that was in the restoration thread opn ther old forum was probably 5 times larger than what you need to do letter stamping on sheet metal.

> surely all in one process would be more efficient

This is a historical bias...we know today that combining production steps is more efficient, but it wasn't something that was always done, having one machine that continuously spit out stamped wrenches (or any other stamped article) from a roll of sheet metal was such a great innovation that the small cost of a follow up operation probably seemed insignifigant. Only later would the fact occur to folks that even more production cost could be saved by making the stamping machine also do the marking, or keeping the wrenches in a magazine that can be fed into a second automatic machine.  (so you can mark the same part with different words and sell it to different people)