My small but growing DBE wrench collection

[BlueBomber]

Blubolt: thanks for chiming in with a Christmas Eve batch of DBEs!! A very impressive collection, well into triple digits!

 

[bonneyman]

Dang, Blue, your ARE the Blackhawk grooved DBE king!

 

[four.cycle]

Ebay seller has several "lots" of wrenches. US made. Mixed brands. Mixed types. Used. Cheap Freight. Wrench collectors take note:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?item...7:g:ljgAAOSwnHZYYAvZ&_ssn=becksrelics&_sop=10

 

[bluebolt]

Blubolt: thanks for chiming in with a Christmas Eve batch of DBEs!! A very impressive collection, well into triple digits!

I am not done yet!

 

[bluebolt]

Dang, Blue, your ARE the Blackhawk grooved DBE king!

What's special about those, age?

 

[bluebolt]

Round 2!

Pic 1: Some crusty wrenches, from bottom to top Billings, Indestro, 2 Plomb's, 3 Proto's, Select Steel, TruFit, the L-shaped Truth, Vlchek and Williams. On the right the wrenches are too rusty to read names.

Pic 2: From bottom left, 2 Dunlap, DuroChrome Super Quality, MAC brake bleeder and ratchet wrench and 8 Matco wrenches
From bottom right, Proto, 2 BluePoint and 6 Snap-On wrenches.

That takes me up to 209 DBE's so far.

 

[BlueBomber]

Round 2!

That takes me up to 209 DBE's so far.

Loving the oddballs, Bluebolt! Definitely a noteworthy collection! Which reminds me, I need to do an inventory count...

Dang, Blue, your ARE the Blackhawk grooved DBE king!

Hey, look what you started! Now I can't let em pass, even when I really don't need em.

Ebay seller has several "lots" of wrenches. US made. Mixed brands. Mixed types. Used. Cheap Freight. Wrench collectors take note:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?item...7:g:ljgAAOSwnHZYYAvZ&_ssn=becksrelics&_sop=10

Whew, some nice wrenches and the freight is cheap, but the DBE-to-all-other-wrenches ratio was too low for those prices.

What's special about those, age?

Blue: not so much age as rarity and just coolness of the design.

 

[four.cycle]

"Whew, some nice wrenches and the freight is cheap..."

^ well.... if your focus is the DBE genre, true. not bad if you need a mess of combos and open-ends, though.

this one's a deal-killer here because of shipping - ships from North Carolina:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Barcalo-off...:g:JFsAAOSw6DtYTbjl&item=272498118647&vxp=mtr

shipping from east coast to here is usually nutty expensive or I'd have a lot more holes filled

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

^ well.... if your focus is the DBE genre, true. not bad if you need a mess of combos and open-ends, though.

this one's a deal-killer here because of shipping - ships from North Carolina:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Barcalo-off...:g:JFsAAOSw6DtYTbjl&item=272498118647&vxp=mtr

shipping from east coast to here is usually nutty expensive or I'd have a lot more holes filled

Shows $20 to ship to me as well!!

 

[Toothaker]

A couple of Bonney and a Tru-test DBE followed me home today.

Isn't photography wonderful? The first pictures don't give you perspective as to their size.

Tru-Test 5/16 - 1/4
Bonney 7/32 - 15/64
Bonney 3/16 - 13/64

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

Very nice grabs!

 

[BlueBomber]

A couple of Bonney and a Tru-test DBE followed me home today.

Isn't photography wonderful? The first pictures don't give you perspective as to their size.

Tru-Test 5/16 - 1/4
Bonney 7/32 - 15/64
Bonney 3/16 - 13/64

Sometimes the tiny wrenches are the coolest because they are the easiest to lose. Well done!

 

[BlueBomber]

Here's another batch for the collection. Many here are dupes, but some are hole fillers.



Top two are from my GJ Secret Santa, senlow:

Bluepoint XD-3032 angled, 1939 date code, 13/16" x 1"
Ampco W-3150 AB CuBe offset, 9/16" x 5/8"



Blackhawk 15624 triple-stripe deep offset, 5/8" x 11/16"--anyone know when these were made?






A pair of Fairmont stubbies form two different eras:
Fairmont offset stubby, 5/8" x 9/16"
Fairmont 9729 offset stubby, 9/16" x 5/8"



Five Indestro-made wrenches unset three different labels:
Indestro No. 915 deep offset, 13/16" x 7/8"
Forged Select Steel deep offset, 5/8" x 11/16"
Forged Select Steel deep offset, 3/8" x 7/16"--this one's a six-point wrench!



Westline H2248 deep offset, 13/16" x 7/8"
Westline H2240 deep offset, 3/8" x 7/16"--this one's a six-point wrench, too!



Finally...
Chrome X Quality deep offset, 3/4" x 25/32"

 

[Rileysan]

Here are a few that came in a tool box full of misc wrenches I bought off CL. Paid about $1/ea.

Indestro Select
S-K
S-K 5/8" x 11/16" deep offset shorty
Snap-on
Crewline
Lectrolite


Brian

 

[twertsy]

Here's another batch for the collection. Many here are dupes, but some are hole fillers.



Top two are from my GJ Secret Santa, senlow:

Bluepoint XD-3032 angled, 1939 date code, 13/16" x 1"
Ampco W-3150 AB CuBe offset, 9/16" x 5/8"



Blackhawk 15624 triple-stripe deep offset, 5/8" x 11/16"--anyone know when these were made?






A pair of Fairmont stubbies form two different eras:
Fairmont offset stubby, 5/8" x 9/16"
Fairmont 9729 offset stubby, 9/16" x 5/8"



Five Indestro-made wrenches unset three different labels:
Indestro No. 915 deep offset, 13/16" x 7/8"
Forged Select Steel deep offset, 5/8" x 11/16"
Forged Select Steel deep offset, 3/8" x 7/16"--this one's a six-point wrench!



Westline H2248 deep offset, 13/16" x 7/8"
Westline H2240 deep offset, 3/8" x 7/16"--this one's a six-point wrench, too!



Finally...
Chrome X Quality deep offset, 3/4" x 25/32"

Those Blackhawk styles are post NB acquisition.

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[BlueBomber]

Those Blackhawk styles are post NB acquisition.

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Thanks, Todd. They seem to be as rare as their earlier cousins.

 

[leg17]

Can I play?





Can anyone shed any light on these Advertising Spark Plug Wrenches?
Are there other similar ones?
Who made them and when?

Thanks
Tom

 

[d42jeep]

Here are a few more from my WW2 collection.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

BlueBomber:
I may be mistaken, but I believe the Indestro 3/8 x 7/16 45° offset double-end was only available in a 6-point except for the early years:
#911 3/8 x 7/16 12 point appears in 1948 catalog on page 40
#911 3/8 x 7/16 is a 6-point in the 1959 catalog page 33

(I would assume the same would apply on the contract-made Westline)

So.... same as with that little 1/4" x 5/16" short 45° offset I posted above: early is the 12-point, later is the 6-point. (And then there are the differences in "Indestro Chicago", "Select Steel", etc., which I believe makes for at least three different variants of those "Select" type DBE's.)

And as if that wasn't nutty enough, there's got to be at least a half a dozen differerent variants when you get into the "Super", "Super Quality", etc., etc., etc....

* Indestro Tool Catalog thread: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=344222

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

Thanks, Todd. They seem to be as rare as their earlier cousins.

I agree, I used to have a set of Sparta combos that had the same shape raised panel. I have seen Sparta DBEs in that style, but they are not very common either.

 

[BlueBomber]

One more wrench arrived today. Normally, $14.35 is more than I'd pay for one wrench. But when that one wrench is a 24"-long Proto DBE wrench, I'm in!!

Proto 1163 angled, 1-5/8" x 1-7/16"




This monster has been spray bombed black over some rusty spots and I may try stripping it down to its natural finish. Until then, I leaned it up against the rack because, well, it's just too big to hang.

 

[BlueBomber]

Fourcycle: thanks for the notes and research. I pulled down every variety of non-stubby Indestro 3/8" x 7/16" and saw that my 6-pt-to-12-pt ratio was 2-1.



There are some interesting variations amongst these wrenches, beyond the box pointing. The 6-pt-to Forged Select Steel has three raised bumps in a triangular shape at either end of the depressed panel. It's size fractions are also at a slight slant compared to the other two.




And then there's the weirdo Indestro Select with depressed size fractions where every other wrench has raised sizes.



I even pulled over my only other Indestro Select deep offset long, a 913 5/8" x 11/16"--it has raised letter sizes like all the others.



Imagine trying to build a complete set of all the different variations...

 

[four.cycle]

^ for $14.35 you stole that Proto, even with the yucky paint job.

errrr..... I thought ALL the Indestro "Select" had raised letters/sizes on the panels. I've never seen one with pressed-in letters or numbers.

That 3-dot thing is odd... forging mark, perhaps?

I don't know if any of you look at that 'Ebay hot deal' thread, so I'm going to take the liberty of dumping this here - some rather interesting listings today:

PERFECTION 3-pc SAE short double-end box wrench set
3/8 x 7/16, 1/2 x 9/16, 5/8 x 11/16
used. excellent.
$10.00 + $4.00 shipping now. 0 bids now. ends Weds. 01/04
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-wre...468585?hash=item2cb7dff429:g:atgAAOSwt5hYYuRh

^ Western Auto ??? (note "chromium")

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

Nice buy on that Proto BB, which reminds me I have to finish my big wrench set between 2" and 1-1/2". I may try to get it done with DBEs, since i can get away half of the amount that way.

 

[Zeeman]

I got these today. I have many more to post, but I'll start with these.

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

I spy a single offset Bonney!

 

[BlueBomber]

I got these today. I have many more to post, but I'll start with these.

Nice set, Zeeman. I could use a few more long-C Craftsman wrenches.

 

[twertsy]

Nice set, Zeeman. I could use a few more long-C Craftsman wrenches.

I have many extras Mike, thought you were coming by this week?

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[BlueBomber]

I have many extras Mike, thought you were coming by this week?

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We scooted through without side tripping. I need to spend the weekend sorting out the garage and figuring out what I still need and what I have to trade. Are your "Wanted" ads up to date?

Business will bring me back to DC regularly, so I'm sure there will be more opportunities to visit.

 

[Zeeman]

I spy a single offset Bonney!

You know, I really did not pay that much attention to it. I just degreased them a little and took a picture. Would those have been used in a specific application, or just a different variety of Bonny's wrench line?

 

[Zeeman]

Bluebomber, I have about 3 or four of them. I really don't need to start collecting a bunch of different sets, but I guess if you have more than one of something you are a 'collector'. I'll probably see what I can find in the underline versions. Flea Market!!!

 

[BlueBomber]

You know, I really did not pay that much attention to it. I just degreased them a little and took a picture. Would those have been used in a specific application, or just a different variety of Bonny's wrench line?

Zeeman, the single offset Bonney DBEs are a rare variety of the regular wrench line. Search this thread for "single offset" and you'll see a few examples of that type of Bonney, complete with cases.

BTW, what size/part number is your wrench?

 

[Zeeman]

Oh. Thanks for the reply. The wrench is 5/8. I can't find my magnifying glass, but I think the number is 2820. The back side reads from l to r: CHROME-VANADIUM, then CV inside a circle, then three raised dots, AV or AW. One of the sides says: made in usa. Does this make sense?

 

[twertsy]

Oh. Thanks for the reply. The wrench is 5/8. I can't find my magnifying glass, but I think the number is 2820. The back side reads from l to r: CHROME-VANADIUM, then CV inside a circle, then three raised dots, AV or AW. One of the sides says: made in usa. Does this make sense?

2820 is correct. Here is a Bonney date code guide: http://toolarchives.com/node/230

Likely 1931

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[Zeeman]

Thanks Twertsy. I still have to explore your site more. It's a nice piece of work from what I've seen so far.

 

[stage20]

picked these up just to contribute to the thread.
the top one i have never heard of before.
mckaig hatching
were they a large outfit or just had someone do a private run of wrenches for them?
same for the second. never heard of boyd.
the bottom is a granco..... i have some sockets and universal sockets from them and they appear to be snap on made by the lines and the script on them.
wrench looks pretty basic.
enjoy

 

[four.cycle]

> McCaig-Hatch / McCaig-Hatch Inc., Buffalo, NY / http://toolarchives.com/node/295 / http://alloy-artifacts.org/mckaig-hatch.html /

> Granco / Granco Industries Inc., 4009 E. 138th St., Grandview, Mo. /
name of the company has changed. (can't find the page with the new company name.)
primarily military/government contract supplier.

"Boyd" is a new one for me. I can't help but wonder if it might have had something to do with one Ned Boyd:
http://alloy-artifacts.org/peterson-carlborg.html
shape and design is definitely reminiscent of Thorsen.

 

[BlueBomber]

Speaking of single offsets, I just came across this Blackhawk example on eBay. I like it, but not $27 bucks worth.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/291677649677

Hmm, I wonder if Blackhawk made a grooved variety of that part number...I'll have to check Twertsy's catalogs.

 

[twertsy]

Speaking of single offsets, I just came across this Blackhawk example on eBay. I like it, but not $27 bucks worth.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/291677649677

Hmm, I wonder if Blackhawk made a grooved variety of that part number...I'll have to check Twertsy's catalogs.

No, but here are some more groovy brands for you to chase.....[emoji1]



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[Zeeman]

Are the grooves to let the blood run out freely? Like on a knife. Cool stuff.