Aftermarket Ford wrench?

[Papaw]

Anyone recognize this wrench and logo? Looks like a Ford wrench. An emailer sent me the pictures.

[anglesmith]

Don't readily recognize the mark, but there is something familiar about it? In the last photo, MADE IN USA has the N and the S reversed!?
Graeme

[gibsontool]

I thought that looked familiar, dug thru some pails and found this guy. It's 11" long, open end is 15/16" and socket is 5/8 hex. It has an M inside a circle which is a Moore Foundry mark from 1908 or later and the lettering is T 5893.

[gibsontool]

Good eyes Graeme. I'm such a poor speller it all looked good to me. Jim

[BRwrench]

My guess is that it is an aftermarket Ford wrench.  I have seen several of those before.  It is my guess that the logo was meant to look like the Ford script at a glance.

Also T-5893 Is the factory number for the Model T Ford sparkplug head nut wrench.

[Bus]

The logo is "ORO" used by the Au-To Compressor Co Wilmington, OH. And it is an after market Model "T" spark plug and cylinder head bolt wrench. It sure looks like they were trying to made it look like the Ford script logo. There are at least thirty known brands of these after market wrenches.

[EVILDR235]

Like Bus just said, just about every tool maker jumped on the bandwagon with this type of wrench. I guess Henry  made a very popular car. Flatheads forever.

EvilDr235

[gibsontool]

After reading the last few additions to this post I went and had another look and found 6 more similar wrenches and none say Ford.

[johnsironsanctuary]

I had the same thought as Bus. It reminds me of the logo on 'BOOL' hubcaps for Model A aftermarket.

[Bus]

Stan Schultz found this ad from a September 1919 "Automobile Dealer and Repairer" magazine for the Au-To Compressor Co. showing the Oro wrench.

[northkid]

Henry Ford not only had a popular product but he was a business man(kind of careful with his money). We are told he would get components for cars wherever the deal was the best! This was the same for his wrenches he needed.

[mikeswrenches]

There is an interesting book about Henry and the Ford family.  I think it was just titled "Ford", but it's been quite a few years since I read it so I am probably wrong on the title.  But one thing I remember.

Henry had parts coming from a supplier and he specified the size of the crate they were to be shipped in.  Upon arrival at the factory, the crates were opened, the parts removed, and the crates carefully disassembled.  The boards the crate was made of were then used as the floorboards in the Model T's.  Now that is being frugal!

Mike

[Papaw]

Reminds me of my father's trips to the family cabin in Arkansas back in the 60's. He would build a wooden camper on his p/u that on arrival in Arkansas would be disassembled and each piece was the correct size for the next addition to the cabin!

[northkid]

Cypress trees from Louisiana were cut to specs to make the crates for Henry Ford. Had them filled with Spanish moss to use as upholstery in the seats. Ford and his relative Kingsford then made the scrap pieces of lumber into charcoal briquets. Hence the start of Kingsford Briquets.
Need to find that book about Ford.

[Branson]

Henry had parts coming from a supplier and he specified the size of the crate they were to be shipped in.  Upon arrival at the factory, the crates were opened, the parts removed, and the crates carefully disassembled.  The boards the crate was made of were then used as the floorboards in the Model T's.  Now that is being frugal!

Mike

That's what I heard, too -- many years ago.  I think my grandfather's brother told me.  The boards, he said, were also made into the beds of pickup trucks.

I don't call it frugal. I call it shrewd.  Nowadays it would be very "green," for the careful (and profitable!) recycling.