Ultimate Coes Key Wrench Thread

[AntiqueBen]

Outside of Bemis & Call, Coes is one of my favorite wrenches to collect. They truly are built to last. Coes got their start all the way back in 1841. They always offered some of the best wrenches ever made. They even boasted in some ads that 80% of quality wrenches made in the US came from a Coes factory. Coes were also known for their "Key" line of wrenches. These were some of the biggest wrenches ever made. Coes Key wrenches came in 28", 36" & 48" sizes. They even had a 72" special order Key wrench. That's right...a 6ft wrench. I believe it was the biggest wrench ever made. As of 2015 there was only two known to exist. I heard one of them sold just shy of 20K! This line of wrenches were used in some of the biggest applications in industry, including bridges, railroads & engine rooms.

Outside of the Key line, Coes made wrenches from 4" up to 21" in length for just about any application. A lot of changes came later in their history in the 20's & 30's. In 1928 Bemis & Call bought the rights to Coes wrenches. Then in 1939 Billings bought out Bemis & Call, which included the rights to Coes wrenches. That's why you can find Billings wrenches that are double stamped with either Bemis & Call or Coes stampings.

Coes was also a master at advertising their wrench line. They spoke boldly about their quality wrenches with eye catching phrases in their ads. They even admitted in their ads that you will spend 5% more for their wrench, but save 30% overall because of their quality & length of service their wrench would provide.

So, post up your pics of your Coes "Key" wrenches & anything you have learned about them. I've discovered they are somewhat difficult to find. I'll start with one I just bought but haven't received yet. It's a Coes Key wrench that measures 31" long.

The next few posts will be some of the many Coes ads I have found. Most of them date from around 1900-1920.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Here is a chap using his Coes Key wrench to work on a rail car.

 

[AntiqueBen]

More Coes ads.

 

[AntiqueBen]

More Coes ads.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Here's an interesting Coes ad for us religious types. They took a page out of the Baltimore Catechism playbook. The ad is called "The Catechism Of The Coes Wrench." Its a question with a short answer ad about their wrench line. Definitely a different approach to an ad....yet pretty clever.

 

[d42jeep]

Did you notice that Shiftless had started a Coes thread some time back? I’ve posted mine in this thread.

Coes Wrenches

Anybody else collect these?

www.garagejournal.com

-Don

 

[AntiqueBen]

Did you notice that Shiftless had started a Coes thread some time back? I’ve posted mine in this thread.

Coes Wrenches

Anybody else collect these?

www.garagejournal.com

-Don

Wow Don, somehow i missed that one. I did a search but I guess this one was buried somewhere in that search & I didn't see it. Most all the Coes stuff I saw was scattered.

 

[Shiftless]

Thanks for the mention and the link, Don

 

[AntiqueBen]

Thanks for the mention and the link, Don

I didn't mean to double-up a Coes thread Shiftless. I thought I did a good search, but somehow your thread slipped through & I didn't see it.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Thanks for the mention and the link, Don

I typed in the exact name of your thread "Coes Wrenches" & your thread is buried multiple pages into the search. When you type in the exact name of a thread you would think it would pop up first or at least on the first page.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Thanks for the mention and the link, Don

I've switched this thread to a Coes "Key" wrench thread. It only makes sense to post Coes stuff on your thread. Let's keep yours going strong. There's already a ton of good Coes info there. I'll be posting some stuff over there soon.

 

[Shiftless]

I didn't mean to double-up a Coes thread Shiftless. I thought I did a good search, but somehow your thread slipped through & I didn't see it.

No problem. I’m glad those old timey wrenches are getting more exposure on GJ.

 

[AntiqueBen]

No problem. I’m glad those old timey wrenches are getting more exposure on GJ.

I'm glad they are too. Still better than anything you can buy in the big box stores today.

 

[AntiqueBen]

A couple more Coes Key wrench ads.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Wow! Here is another bold ad from Coes. This one boasts the statement "This is the wrench for your big nuts."
I'm tempted to hang this one up in my shop.

 

[Mintgrun]

Here's a thread dedicated to Coes advertising.

Coes Wrench Vintage Catalog / Advertising

Coes Wrench Company - Worcester Massachusetts Vintage Catalog / Advertising 1900 Farwell Ozmun Kirk & Co. catalog Hercules Acme Coe wrench ad pp 115 by four.cycle, on Flickr 1910 Begelow & Dowse Co. catalog Coes Pexto ad pp 53 by four.cycle, on Flickr 1911 Iron Age Hardware catalog Coes...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[four.cycle]

^ There are a number of "catalog" threads here that I started in the hope they would be used strictly for reference, but they turned into "discussion" threads so I stopped doing that some time ago - it results in the information being scattered over too broad an area.

links to existing threads are here - as you can see, there are now no fewer than three "Coes" threads, which becomes a source of confusion for users in the future - multiple threads on the same subject don't really serve the best interests of the collector community.

 

[AntiqueBen]

^ multiple threads on the same subject don't really serve the best interests of the collector community.

I 100% agree & understand that. I missed Shiftless thread that was buried in the Coes Wrench search as I previously stated. I seen one other thread that only had a few posts about Key wrenches. So, I thought I would try & show the Coes brand wrench some attention, especially since I have a lot of Coes ads that I haven't seen posted anywhere on GJ. I had switched this thread to a Coes Key Wrench thread & posted some of my other Coes stuff over on Shiftless thread. It seems like what I'm doing here seems to pose more of a problem for some. I suppose I could just delete this thread.

 

[four.cycle]

No, you don't need to delete the thread.
Just pointing out the reason why I stopped posting the "vintage catalog" threads - there are at least a dozen of them, as I recall.
It didn't ever occur to me until just a couple days ago how easy it is to find the ads I've posted:
Using the search function, search keywords "brand ad pp" posted by "four.cycle" (e.g., "coes ad pp")

Referring to @Private Lugnutz's "sticky thread" is the best way to find an existing thread on any given "vintage" brand, but (because of the proliferation of threads on the same subject) may not always return the results one is looking for.
The "search" function here unfortunately doesn't always show us what we're looking for because of the way threads are titled* or (in some cases) because something has been misspelled. (Although thankfully the misspelling of "Blackhawk" was finally corrected on one thread title.)

I know how impossible it seems to find the thread you're looking for here.
I have to use Lugnutz's "sticky thread" every single time to find the "Indestro" thread here.
Most of the time, I use my own LIST to find a thread here.
That's how useless I find the "search" function here for my purposes.
Sometimes running the search using Google garners more productive results.

There's no "fix" for it: it's the way the software was written for this particular "discussion forum" platform. If the search results were returned in chronological order (as is the case when searching your own "content" or "all posts" by another user) it would be of some value. As it is - you're just thrown a mish-mash of everything containing the keyword you typed in - eighteen pages of jumble to weed through.

*RE: Thread titles:
Search "Kastar" by title only. Currently there are no fewer than 22 threads with "Kastar" in the thread title. I sold Kastar retail and wholesale. I also represented the line as an independent manufacturers' agent. Over 90% of the Kastar I sold was feeler gauges, NOT thread restorers or snap-ring pliers.
So... where are the Kastar feeler gauge photos to be found?
They're in a thread titled "Measuring the Gap".

 

[AntiqueBen]

No, you don't need to delete the thread.
Just pointing out the reason why I stopped posting the "vintage catalog" threads - there are at least a dozen of them, as I recall.
It didn't ever occur to me until just a couple days ago how easy it is to find the ads I've posted:
Using the search function, search keywords "brand ad pp" posted by "four.cycle" (e.g., "coes ad pp")

Referring to @Private Lugnutz's "sticky thread" is the best way to find an existing thread on any given "vintage" brand, but (because of the proliferation of threads on the same subject) may not always return the results one is looking for.
The "search" function here unfortunately doesn't always show us what we're looking for because of the way threads are titled* or (in some cases) because something has been misspelled. (Although thankfully the misspelling of "Blackhawk" was finally corrected on one thread title.)

I know how impossible it seems to find the thread you're looking for here.
I have to use Lugnutz's "sticky thread" every single time to find the "Indestro" thread here.
Most of the time, I use my own LIST to find a thread here.
That's how useless I find the "search" function here for my purposes.
Sometimes running the search using Google garners more productive results.

There's no "fix" for it: it's the way the software was written for this particular "discussion forum" platform. If the search results were returned in chronological order (as is the case when searching your own "content" or "all posts" by another user) it would be of some value. As it is - you're just thrown a mish-mash of everything containing the keyword you typed in - eighteen pages of jumble to weed through.

*RE: Thread titles:
Search "Kastar" by title only. Currently there are no fewer than 22 threads with "Kastar" in the thread title. I sold Kastar retail and wholesale. I also represented the line as an independent manufacturers' agent. Over 90% of the Kastar I sold was feeler gauges, NOT thread restorers or snap-ring pliers.
So... where are the Kastar feeler gauge photos to be found?
They're in a thread titled "Measuring the Gap".

Thanks 4C. I think we both agree that the GJ search is certainly not the best, but still better than nothing I suppose. It really is frustrating. I too have found good information on something that was in a totally non-related thread. It happens I guess. Sometimes when old crows like me start flappin their yap about something, sometimes it might steer off into the weeds somewhere

So, If you think this thread is worth keeping, I'm tempted to delete it & start it over so all this talk about "same threads" & "horrible search results" doesn't drown out the beginning of the thread. I still have a lot of really cool Coes advertising to share. I have found some rare stuff that I've never seen before. Coes was like the King of wrench advertising. Any thoughts?

 

[four.cycle]

^ no no... don't consider "deleting". doubtful you'd be able to anyway - I don't think the platform allows that once another response has been posted to the thread.

thoughts?

first thought would be: What kind of working relationship have you established with Mark Stansbury at ITCL? You know he can take ALL that material, scan it, convert it into *.pdf format, upload it to ITCL, and then return it to you, right?

the computer says I have 100 *.jpg files in my "Coes" folder, but it looks like 5 of them are photo images of a couple wrenches. the other 95 are either magazine or catalog ads or catalog pages. (list below)

I was sending this stuff to Mark, but it got nutty because of the way I'm archiving this stuff at my end, so I stopped doing that. I believe I did send him everything I had on "jack", "vise", and "railroad" though.

If and when I can get the material I have in "dump" folders sorted, tagged correctly, and organized, I'll copy the entire mess onto a flash drive and go from there - it will be easier for him to work with.

==

if you post the ads in the "Coes vintage ads" thread (which is logically where one would think it belongs) you'll discover your posting becomes an invitation for others to start posting wrenches or telling stories. there is no keeping any one topic focused on any one subject here - it's just the nature of the beast. "herding cats" is the most accurate analogy.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

If the search results were returned in chronological order (as is the case when searching your own "content" or "all posts" by another user) it would be of some value.

We've had this discussion before, 4.c. The GJ Search function absolutely includes an option for seeing your results in chronological order. Go to Advanced Search. Press the [Date] button next to "Order by:" You can even limit the start and stop range of the date search by day month and year.

Note that in addition to the Advanced Search tool providing a chronological feature, it also provides a [Search titles only] button that limits your search to thread titles only. Searching on "Coes" on 'This forum' will return 11 pages of threads, for example. But Advanced Searching on "Coes" with the [Search titles only] button clicked returns only 2 pages.

I find the Search tool here extremely helpful, but you have to familiarize yourself with the features to exploit its value.

Referring to @Private Lugnutz's "sticky thread" is the best way to find an existing thread on any given "vintage" brand, but (because of the proliferation of threads on the same subject) may not always return the results one is looking for.

The A-Z Index is not meant to be a search function. It is not meant to show every thread that ever mentioned a brand or type of tool. The thread that I have linked for each topic by type or brand in the A-Z Index was the thread on that topic with the most pages and the longest history when I created the Sticky. If one is looking for every reference ever made to a term on GJ, obviously best and more appropriate to use the Search function. If one is looking for the most and longest active thread on each topic, use the A-Z Index in the Sticky.

In a few select cases where a topic never gained a single major foothold, but the proliferation was not that bad, maybe two or three threads each of similar lengths, I list them all, like 'Topic Name 1', '2' and '3', to be fair. Coes is a good example.

Some topics are very proliferated, and prone to future proliferation. There are a few reasons for that. Many new members - and even some old ones, don't consult the A-Z Index in the Sticky, despite it saying README B4 POSTING, and, even if there wasn't a Sticky with a handy A-Z Index, probably would not user the Search tool, either, or, if they do, give up when they see multiple pages. There are a couple guys who steadfastly refuse to post their finds on established threads. Whether it's stubborn or just unaware, I'm not sure. But they will start a new thread every time, and every time, it dies after two days.

Indexing topics that are proliferated or prone to future proliferation is futile.

Jacks, for example. Such an entry would need dozens of links, each to threads that don't last a week in time and a page in duration.

There are brands that have suffered the same fate. Bemis & Call, for example. What happened with Bemis & Call is very characteristic. Someone posted a combination wrench back in 2017. You posted a few catalog pages. Others posted a examples of their B&C wrenches. And it got buried after a week. A year later, someone posted another B&C wrench. You posted the same catalog pages. The same posters posted the same examples of their B&C wrenches. And it got buried after a week. On and on it went. None of them are longer than 1 page. Not even the most recent ones! There are at least seven of them. I am not linking them all in the Sticky, which will only perpetuate the proliferation, and it's not my place to authoritatively pick one, even if it's the most recent, which is unfair to the older H&C threads and thread starters. We could collectively decide to do that, but it's not commensurate with my interest or energy or desire to organize a singularity effort. Frankly, we may just have to keep suffering the same fate. Because even if we picked one to be The One going forward, dollars to donuts says someone would come along and post their B&C wrench without searching, or without doing it the easier way by checking the A-Z Index.

In short, I am happy with the dike against the chaos and the thumbs I have stuck in it since then and can live with the leaks. If someone else wants to collectively organize a 'This is going to be the B&C thread going forward' campaign and it works, I will mod the Sticky. I think it might even be possible for a Supermod to merge the threads. Again, if someone wants to take that on, I will gladly mod the Stick when it's all done.

I have to use Lugnutz's "sticky thread" every single time to find the "Indestro" thread here.

I always use it all the time to find ALL dormant threads, i.e., threads that are not currently active, i.e., those not being prompted to me in my Watched lists or Alerts.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Note that in addition to the Advanced Search tool providing a chronological feature, it also provides a [Search titles only] button that limits your search to thread titles only.

If I had switched the drop down box to threads on the search, I wouldn't have missed Shiftless Coes thread (pic below). It was buried in the standard search. I'm tempted to delete all the Coes Key & ad posts on this thread & rename it "How to properly search a tool or thread"

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It's all good, Ben. All this GJ 'housekeeping' talk tends to come off as more bumptious than it is.

 

[four.cycle]

@Private Lugnutz -

^ Okay! I wasn't aware that I could arrange the search results in any sort of order. (Either than or I've forgotten.)

You and I have already had the discussion about your "sticky" and your reticence about making it the de facto "index", and I'm in full agreement with you for exactly the same reasons.
When I enter the GJ thread URL into my LIST, it is sometimes challenging because (just as you did) I have to make the call as to which thread I'm going to include the link to, and invariably (as you've found) the proliferation continues unabated. I pretty much follow the same method: most pages, longest history.

"bumptious"

love that one.

 

[Mintgrun]

Aside from the sticky's index, page #7 has Searching Tips and a section on Posting Etiquette.

 

[AntiqueBen]

My 28" Coes Key Wrench showed up yesterday. It actually measures 31" overall. These Key wrenches truly are indestructible. Weighs a ton. This one also has a "1" stamped on the shaft. Not sure the meaning of that mark. In case some people don't realize, these wrenches have a special way to adjust them.

If the wrench is closed all the way, you can't just screw it down all the way open. The screw adjustment only goes so far. There are two notches on the shaft, a low & a high notch. If it's in the top notch, you can screw it closed. If it's in the bottom notch, you can screw it all the way open. And of course the lever or "Key" on the back side of the shaft you can push up to lock the wrench in any given position.

This size Key wrench seems like it would be the most practical to use of all the Key wrenches. The other sizes I know would be even heavier. Although you have to use whatever fits the nuts & bolts your working with, so they all serve their purpose. The Coes Key Wrench truly is unique compared to any other monkey wrench ever made.

 

[AntiqueBen]

I found & bought a 36" Coes Key Wrench online today. It actually measures 39-1/2" overall. The 28" & 36" I have are the only ones I've ever seen. Both of mine I found online. I've never seen one in the wild. I'm just curious, where these Key wrenches mass produced or made in smaller quantities due to less demand for such a large wrench? I know they offered them for a little while. They just seem scarce & difficult to find. Can anyone speak to Coes production of these as far as quantity?

 

[MayorWestMr]

I found & bought a 36" Coes Key Wrench online today. It actually measures 39-1/2" overall. The 28" & 36" I have are the only ones I've ever seen. Both of mine I found online. I've never seen one in the wild. I'm just curious, where these Key wrenches mass produced or made in smaller quantities due to less demand for such a large wrench? I know they offered them for a little while. They just seem scarce & difficult to find. Can anyone speak to Coes production of these as far as quantity?

Hi there. Say, I just picked up a really nice example of the 36" Coes Key Wrench. It's quite the beast! Do you know what a wrench like this might be worth? I saw one on ebay go for $400 and another at an auction for around $700 (I think). I'm not sure if these prices are low or way too high.

 

[four.cycle]

^ you would need to look at "sold" prices on ebay to get some indication of actual selling prices. (use the "advanced" search feature at upper right on the ebay main page.)

it will be enough to buy a nice lunch, but it is not going to pay for your daughter's orthodontics or put your son through college. if you're really lucky, it will be somewhere in between those three points.

 

[crguy]

Hi there. Say, I just picked up a really nice example of the 36" Coes Key Wrench. It's quite the beast! Do you know what a wrench like this might be worth? I saw one on ebay go for $400 and another at an auction for around $700 (I think). I'm not sure if these prices are low or way too high.

$400. is realistic for that size. $700. is too much IMO. I had a 36" for a while, now have a 48" which is quite a bit harder to find.

 

[roadracing]

Outside of Bemis & Call, Coes is one of my favorite wrenches to collect. They truly are built to last. Coes got their start all the way back in 1841. They always offered some of the best wrenches ever made. They even boasted in some ads that 80% of quality wrenches made in the US came from a Coes factory. Coes were also known for their "Key" line of wrenches. These were some of the biggest wrenches ever made. Coes Key wrenches came in 28", 36" & 48" sizes. They even had a 72" special order Key wrench. That's right...a 6ft wrench. I believe it was the biggest wrench ever made. As of 2015 there was only two known to exist. I heard one of them sold just shy of 20K! This line of wrenches were used in some of the biggest applications in industry, including bridges, railroads & engine rooms.

Outside of the Key line, Coes made wrenches from 4" up to 21" in length for just about any application. A lot of changes came later in their history in the 20's & 30's. In 1928 Bemis & Call bought the rights to Coes wrenches. Then in 1939 Billings bought out Bemis & Call, which included the rights to Coes wrenches. That's why you can find Billings wrenches that are double stamped with either Bemis & Call or Coes stampings.

Coes was also a master at advertising their wrench line. They spoke boldly about their quality wrenches with eye catching phrases in their ads. They even admitted in their ads that you will spend 5% more for their wrench, but save 30% overall because of their quality & length of service their wrench would provide.

So, post up your pics of your Coes "Key" wrenches & anything you have learned about them. I've discovered they are somewhat difficult to find. I'll start with one I just bought but haven't received yet. It's a Coes Key wrench that measures 31" long.

The next few posts will be some of the many Coes ads I have found. Most of them date from around 1900-1920.

 

[crguy]

I like the Key wrenches myself, have owned a few. Someone spent time polishing that one up. This is my 48" with a baby Coes sitting in the jaw.

 

[roadracing]

Hi ,yes its looks great, I think it may have got a hard nickel plating , Ive had it for over 15 years after inheriting from my uncle who was an Antique dealer this spanner was hanging off the wall in his lounge, brilliant. He was a avid collector of Steam Train and renovator of old Britsh bikes too.

Oct 20 1903 I presume ,thanks for the info and links,

 

[four.cycle]

@roadracing -

COES at International Tool Catalog Library

I looked in the folder earlier this afternoon - I have 124 files in the Coes "catalog" folder. I noticed quite a few need to be cropped and edited.

If you would like them, shoot me a good email addy via P/M. Too many files to post here.
This was an early attempt to create a "catalog only" thread, but I abandoned that effort when every thread devolved into discussion/argument.

I'll shoot a note to Mark at ITCL and see if he wants these.
(not as though he needs me to drop another question on his plate.)