Show Your Vintage Utica Tools!

[LesserSon]

it must have been in a catalog. I just did a search of the forum and it didn't turn up.

Nah, it’s here
(There was no searchable phrase in that post, so I’ve added “Utica Tool Plier Retail Display Chest made by American Art Works” to it.)
And a bonus pic my son took of me pointing out some detail to my dad.

Here is a link to the one @thehorse13 posted a couple years prior on the same thread. I guess it was somewhere in WV, so now three examples.
And I see one up for auction and three have previously sold on this auction site, so SEVEN examples!
And two currently on eBay, so NINE.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nah, it’s here (there’s no searchable phrases in that post)
And a bonus pic my son took of me pointing out some detail to my dad.

Thanks, LS! I KNEW I had seen one before!

 

[oldpliers1]

This is described as a Utica Tool Point of Sale display at an online auction in Dekalb IL. I thought the readers of this thread might enjoy seeing it:

What a nice thing thank you for posting it .regards from Australia

 

[Beerhippie]

I added a "new" pair of Utica linesmen's this morning:





The "chain" logo is the only marking on them. No grip pattern.

Whoah! Hold up there--I found this on the inside of the grips:



Both sides.

Per AA, the chain logo ("three ovals") is early--1900-1910. I don't see this exact pattern there, just the combination pliers with the screwdriver grip tips.

 

[LesserSon]

I don't see this exact pattern there, just the combination pliers with the screwdriver grip tips.

Did you scroll down to

Utica Drop Forge & Tool Company

An article on the Utica Drop Forge and Tool Company with examples of its tools.

alloy-artifacts.org

?
6”, 8”, 10” examples of the No1000 Giant Button’s Pattern there.

 

[Beerhippie]

Did you scroll down to

Utica Drop Forge & Tool Company

An article on the Utica Drop Forge and Tool Company with examples of its tools.

alloy-artifacts.org

?
6”, 8”, 10” examples of the No1000 Giant Button’s Pattern there.

I haven't gotten that far yet. These are 8 1/2" OAL.

No. 1000-8--that's them!

Now the oldest pliers in the shop--and the hinge is still (relatively) tight and smooth.

 

[oldpliers1]

I added a "new" pair of Utica linesmen's this morning:





The "chain" logo is the only marking on them. No grip pattern.

Whoah! Hold up there--I found this on the inside of the grips:



Both sides.

Per AA, the chain logo ("three ovals") is early--1900-1910. I don't see this exact pattern there, just the combination pliers with the screwdriver grip tips.

Nice item love the age and size , from your other posts you seem to find interesting items in your part of the world . Regards

 

[Beerhippie]

It's in the ultrasonic getting the crud off. It appears to be blued, so I'll just give it a rub-down with light oil and fine steel wool to try to save the bluing.

 

[Beerhippie]

Here's the 1906 catalog page at AA LS pointed me to:

 

[Beerhippie]

They cleaned up right purty:



No rust, no grunge, just 110 years of use and patina.

The jaw checkering:

 

[four.cycle]

Utica Drop Forge & Tool Corp., 2410 Whitesboro St., Utica, NY

 

[oldpliers1]

Utica Drop Forge & Tool Corp., 2410 Whitesboro St., Utica, NY

First class post loved the fact they did not guarantee the insulation values, I gathered that the old electrical tradesmen would get there tools dipped at the local rubber works prior to factory grips. Thank you for the post

 

[LesserSon]

Today’s purchase of a No31 confirmed a suspicion suggested by two pairs of No82: wider grips came with a model number sans length stamped on the opposite side from the 3diamonds logo. The pair with the narrower grips has a model number-dash-length following the 3diamonds logo.
I think (without proof, which may rely on suspect catalog illustration) that the wider grips and lack of length marking would be a bit older than those with the narrower grips and length marking.

 

[Montauket]

Couple from my uncle.

 

[Eric Brown]

Utica Special "Made To Order" # 749 pliers/cutters in box, unused, 10" long.

 

[Eric Brown]

Utica Tools, Made-To-Order, Custom Built, B616, Utica N.Y. USA, 6. Short needle nose with a #6 AWG wire stripper.
Smooth handles with no other markings. The nose part is offset to one side, making the cutters closer to flush with the one side.

 

[Eric Brown]

A group of four Utica Button pliers, all different. Originally, I bought the second one because of the unusual shape and how it was ground from the tip to the handles with long bevels. I could not find any similar in ads or on Alloy Artifacts. Trying to figure out the order of manufacturing dates. Starting on the left and working right: 1st one is marked "UTICA TOOLS, 1000, 10, UTICA N.Y. USA, PAT APP FOR".
It is unusual in that the areas around the pivot are rounded. The only other marking is a round circle with a dot in the middle on the inside of both handles. This one being marked "USA" indicates a later date, but the patent was issued in 1909. The second set have even longer bevels, almost from the tips to the handles, leaving a flat strip down the middle. In that flat it is marked sideways "UDF&T Corp Utica NY".
It is not otherwise marked. The handles have the diamond pattern grip of 1913. The third pair are marked "U-TI-CA" inside three diamond shapes with "1000" below that. It is also marked with the same three diamonds and U-TI-CA on the inside of both handles. The handles have the diamond pattern grips of 1913. The fourth set is marked "1000-8, Utica, tools, Utica N.Y. USA" no other markings. None of these have the word Giant on them. The first two have the corners knocked off while the other two are square.

 

[Eric Brown]

Utica 41 - 6 cutters. Marked Utica Tools, Utica N.Y. USA. Also marked with circle and dot on inside of both handles. 6" long.

 

[mapolus]

Four Cycle, thanks for this ad, I've started cleaning up some of the tools my Father-in-law gave me (most were from his father) and the first thing I saw was this pair of Utica 550-8 pliers. I cleaned them with vinegar and steel wool, then a quick wire wheel on the stubborn stuff. It was only enough to just see the condition...which could be better, but a great experience for the first thing I pulled out of an old cardboard box in a long-forgotten storage shed. I'm looking forward to refining my rust/grime removal process (and have read many threads about it). Thanks again for posting the ad! -Matt

1950 Popular Mechanics Utica ad pp 148

 

[oldpliers1]

Interesting linesmans I came across yesterday. I almost ignored them until I saw, despite the unfamiliar model number (TL-13), that they were Utica. Then I thought, before cleaning them, that a “Bell System” or other entity would be stamped on them. Nope.
The grips are not soft, as I originally thought they’d be under the crud, but hard plastic that had a waxy whiteish film and smelled like the stinkdriver handles, only not as strongly or repulsively. I have not found this model in the catalogs yet. Maybe I’m not looking in the right places, or the right era.

Hi first time I’ve seen this post , the grips I believe are WW2 grips that were a shared item between Manufacturers, I have them on my crescent 1950-6 , I have seen them on other Utica , and crescent and on a early pair of channellock lineman pliers , due to the war effort they were a very early example of Acetate/ Tenite grips and moved the electrical industry away from the electrostatic rubber gripped tools . The Germans had high grade tenite tools in the late thirties, as the tenite was used in numerous purposes , I have a perfect example of the German product from 1938 . Nice item you have there it would look good in my man cave . Regards

 

[Provincial]

Utica 41 - 6 cutters. Marked Utica Tools, Utica N.Y. USA. Also marked with circle and dot on inside of both handles. 6" long.

Another recent thread:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/notching-tool-anyone-know-what-its-meant-for.545451/
featured notching cutters with a "pruner" volute spring to open the handles. The recess "dot" in these handles would be appropriate for seating this sort of spring.

 

[Eric Brown]

Another recent thread:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/notching-tool-anyone-know-what-its-meant-for.545451/
featured notching cutters with a "pruner" volute spring to open the handles. The recess "dot" in these handles would be appropriate for seating this sort of spring.

Perhaps if the dot were more of a protrusion for the spring it would work for these cutters. However, I also had the same feature on 10" button pliers and the spring would need to be about 4" long in order to open them enough to use the cutters on them. Maybe instead of a spring they were just a point where they poured the steel into the mold (sprue?)

 

[Provincial]

Did you check out the photos in the thread I linked? Volute springs are smaller on each end, and the spring telescopes inside itself making the stack height very short.

 

[LesserSon]

I think no, and no (well, maybe).
@Eric Brown The steel is not cast, but forged. It is soft, not liquid, when it is stamped between dies, not poured into molds. There is no sprue, which is just one small advantage (conservation of material) of forging versus casting.
@Provincial Though volute springs can also recess into shallow holes, similar marks on most Utica pliers (possibly excepting Eric’s dikes) are neither high enough to be tabs nor deep enough to be holes, nor are they always circular in shape. We were discussing this mystery a bit over a year ago on this thread, when I posted these examples at post 221.

Also, the thread you linked does NOT feature a volute spring. It is a coil spring, and the tabs are, indeed, longer than the ones for the volute springs (except for the one on the far left) on these pruners, but I think the Utica marks remain an unsolved mystery. As I stated last year, my best guess is the marks classify different types of handle shapes.

 

[Eric Brown]

I think no, and no (well, maybe).
@Eric Brown The steel is not cast, but forged. It is soft, not liquid, when it is stamped between dies, not poured into molds. There is no sprue, which is just one small advantage (conservation of material) of forging versus casting.
@Provincial Though volute springs can also recess into shallow holes, similar marks on most Utica pliers (possibly excepting Eric’s dikes) are neither high enough to be tabs nor deep enough to be holes, nor are they always circular in shape. We were discussing this mystery a bit over a year ago on this thread, when I posted these examples at post 221.

Also, the thread you linked does NOT feature a volute spring. It is a coil spring, and the tabs are, indeed, longer than the ones for the volute springs (except for the one on the far left) on these pruners, but I think the Utica marks remain an unsolved mystery. As I stated last year, my best guess is the marks classify different types of handle shapes.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but was thinking the handles were cast to the basic shape and then put into forging dies. I also don't think the circles were for springs due to location. Typically, they are located closer to the pivot.

Here's another thought, I know the presses I've worked around sometimes had ejectors to help remove the parts from the sies and wondering if maybe these marks could have been made that way?

 

[Eric Brown]

Did you check out the photos in the thread I linked? Volute springs are smaller on each end, and the spring telescopes inside itself making the stack height very short.

Yes, thank you. I did put some springs into those locations, but they are too far from the pivot. For instance, on my set of Utica button pliers it would need a spring over 4" to open the handles enough to use the cutters.

 

[LesserSon]

Perhaps I'm wrong, but was thinking the handles were cast to the basic shape and then put into forging dies.

I have little personal knowledge about this, but from watching a PCN video tour of the Channellock factory (scrub to 5:32 for a step-by-step of the process - 1st step is a hot bar) and a quick glance through the Knipix website, I think not. Maybe in the 1800s. Since the 20th century, it makes more sense for a tool manufacturer to purchase rolls of tool steel bar to spec from a steel manufacturer, then cut lengths for forging processes.

 

[RTM]

HEy gang, guess I forgot to post these when I found them. I was at the big Bay Area Antique Flea Market (@Alameda NAS) when I saw them, while pretty, too expensive for my tastes.

 

[LesserSon]

Yeah, I wouldn’t want to pay $30 for that, either. Looks like one pair of pliers is missing, and the hammer and driver are added. Still, that is one gorgeous pouch, and the vinyl grip coatings look immaculate.

 

[oldpliers1]

HEy gang, guess I forgot to post these when I found them. I was at the big Bay Area Antique Flea Market (@Alameda NAS) when I saw them, while pretty, too expensive for my tastes.

Nice things are hard to find, and if you’re in the right place at the right time. To me and where I live it’s a good buy, Nice item thanks for posting.

 

[LesserSon]

Picked up this pair of 1002-8 UDF&T streamlined wire mill special Button’s pliers this weekend. Introduced as “new” in the 1939 catalog. Would have been “Utica Tools” starting around 1943, and not listed in 1947 catalog.

 

[Eric Brown]

Picked up this pair of 1002-8 UDF&T streamlined wire mill special Button’s pliers this weekend. Introduced as “new” in the 1939 catalog. Would have been “Utica Tools” starting around 1943, and not listed in 1947 catalog.

These look slightly newer than the one I showed in post #337. Mine does not have the 1002-8. Yours does have the angled edges though which I find interesting. Wonder if maybe they did that so they would go into a leather pouch easier? Nice find.

 

[LesserSon]

The catalog copy says the bevels allow it to get between coils of a spring and other tight areas.
Are you sure there is not a model number stamped on yours, maybe the opposite face?

 

[Eric Brown]

The catalog copy says the bevels allow it to get between coils of a spring and other tight areas.
Are you sure there is not a model number stamped on yours, maybe the opposite face?

Positive. Mine is only marked on the one side.

 

[LesserSon]

Trying to figure out the order of manufacturing dates. Starting on the left and working right: 1st one is marked "UTICA TOOLS, 1000, 10, UTICA N.Y. USA, PAT APP FOR". It is unusual in that the areas around the pivot are rounded. The only other marking is a round circle with a dot in the middle on the inside of both handles. This one being marked "USA" indicates a later date, but the patent was issued in 1909.

I think the patent that’s been applied for there is 2441552, so that pair is likely made between Nov1944 and May1948, the filed and granted dates for the Barnes oil reserve patent, “Lubring” described on p19 of the 1950ish 63D catalog.
Corroborating (though possibly erroneous) detail: p8 of the 1939 catalog shows the No1000 with a sharp-corners head (blurred in the pdf), but P6 of the 1947 catalog shows the No1000 with a rounded-corners head, like your example. Catalogs 63D and (1952) 66 show sharp corners again.

 

[Eric Brown]

I think the patent that’s been applied for there is 2441552, so that pair is likely made between Nov1944 and May1948, the filed and granted dates for the Barnes oil reserve patent, “Lubring” described on p19 of the 1950ish 63D catalog.
Corraborating (though possibly erroneous) detail: p8 of the 1939 catalog shows the No1000 with a sharp-corners head (blurred in the pdf), but P6 of the 1947 catalog shows the No1000 with a rounded-corners head, like your example. Catalogs 63D and (1952) 66 show sharp corners again.

Excellent. Thank you for the information. Much appreciated.

 

[LesserSon]

Four Cycle, thanks for this ad, I've started cleaning up some of the tools my Father-in-law gave me (most were from his father) and the first thing I saw was this pair of Utica 550-8 pliers. I cleaned them with vinegar and steel wool, then a quick wire wheel on the stubborn stuff. It was only enough to just see the condition...which could be better, but a great experience for the first thing I pulled out of an old cardboard box in a long-forgotten storage shed. I'm looking forward to refining my rust/grime removal process (and have read many threads about it). Thanks again for posting the ad! -Matt

The “pat. applied for” stamp narrows production down to Jan1945-Nov1945, the applied and granted dates for Miller’s design patent. The knuckle grips and diagonal line on the face distinguish it from Johnson’s design patent of the same year (applied for just a month earlier).
What a wonderful combination of a historically specific and personally meaningful tool!

 

[mapolus]

Awesome. Thanks for the spectacular insight and thoughtful reply. I've much to learn. Cheers, Matt

The “pat. applied for” stamp narrows production down to Jan1945-Nov1945, the applied and granted dates for Miller’s design patent. The knuckle grips and diagonal line on the face distinguish it from Johnson’s design patent of the same year (applied for just a month earlier).
What a wonderful combination of a historically specific and personally meaningful tool!

 

[bonneyman]

HEy gang, guess I forgot to post these when I found them. I was at the big Bay Area Antique Flea Market (@Alameda NAS) when I saw them, while pretty, too expensive for my tastes.

Some years ago I read about a surplus dealer (lottastuff.com, IIRC) that had bought a ton of naval surplus when they got rid of a bunch of old stuff from that base. Maybe this is some of that inventory?
They had a bunch of Bonney.

 

[RTM]

Some years ago I read about a surplus dealer (lottastuff.com, IIRC) that had bought a ton of naval surplus when they got rid of a bunch of old stuff from that base. Maybe this is some of that inventory?
They had a bunch of Bonney.

It seemed too nice for that. This struck me as more of a Christmas gift type of gift. Military surplus always makes me think Cosmoline, wrapped in stained paper.