ETF Tools of St. Catherines

[Downwindtracker 2]

I have the remains of a 1/2" drive socket set I bought in the late '60s. When I looked at a 1962 catalogue, there were lots of write ups on hammers ,chisels and wrenches, but only a price list for the socket sets. Mine was $35.00. So the question comes who made the socket sets. The easiest way to get an answer would be " Who made round head ratchets with rubber grips in the '60s ? " THX

 

[davethorik]

Wright.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

Oh, thank you. Now I can check Wright.

I checked Alloy Artifacts, Bingo. even the numbers line up. Thanks again.

 

[Odes]

Any pic of the socket set I grew up in Ontario. I haven’t seen any sockets mostly wrench’s I did find a pair of pliers


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[3baygarage]

I haven’t seen any socketry either. Had a few of the wrenches which I used to see from time to time. Can you email pics to post?

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

I'm an old phart with very few computer skills, however I can read . If you go to http://alloy-artifacts.org/wright-tool-forge.html and scroll down to S-15x 1/2-Drive Sockets, Post-1955 Style. mine are the same except they are stamped with E T F only. Same part numbers . Mine have G and H date codes

This 15 piece 1/2" socket set was one of my earliest tool purchases. My first pay check went into tools. It would be in '68 with one of the later pay checks. I even remember where I bought it but not how much I paid for it. I can't remember the first time I kissed a girl . There is a level of importance here.

 

[Odes]

Some more E.T.F tools I found a 12’’ adjustable and a pair of slip joint pliers found in Alberta the funny thing is I have found more etf tools on Alberta than Ontario


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[The Cobbler]

I live a a long stones throw from the old ETF tools factory . Remember as a kid hearing the forge hammers pounding, the bell ringing for lunch & breaks.
after the demise of ETF I rented shop space there for about 5 yrs until the property sold & has been developed into residential town homes.
I have a spattering of ETF tools
Oh, and it's St. Catharines,

 

[outofbounds]

So do you know who City and Colour is then, coming from St. Catharines?

 

[The Cobbler]

?? dunno?

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

I found a ETF deep offset box end at the fleamarket. Normally I'm pretty careful with my allowance , I bargain hard. But with this one, I too easily agreed. It's a 13/16 x 7/8 # 8731B . The shank s recessed like a Trufit or a Stahwille . Well chromed. A very nice wrench, wish I had the rest of a set.

 

[lilredex]

The only ETF I have is their bent nose pliers (#660). Bought new around 1952 with paper route money.

The ETF catalogue.....


https://archive.org/details/ETFToolsCatalogue

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

Sure looks like a Cluthe' awl beside it.

 

[lilredex]

It is. I have both a big and little sizes that I found about 25 years back in a surplus store.

That picture shows some Canadian made tools we posted in a thread a few years ago...cannot find it now.

 

[3baygarage]

No socketry in that catalog.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

Nor were there any offset box ends, or for that matter, any combinations. It looks more early '50s. In the '62 catalog, they showed Canadian Champion wood chisels , they are more common than their wrenches. As I stated , only a price list.

 

[Tylermorris]

The one ETF socket I have

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

Tyler, you can check the manufacturing date by the Wright date code. My ETF set was sold by Acme Novelty, a Vancouver based mail order/warehouse . They also rented carnival games, thus the name.

 

[3baygarage]

Cool. Thanks for posting the socket Tyler.

 

[Jazz1]

I have had a ETF pipe wrench for over 40 years. Of course I’d sell it

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks to a transcontinental care package from Downwindtracker I am one wrench closer to completing an ETF No. 2000R set. He found a 729 (5/8 x 3/4) in the wild that he kindly sent me. Now all I need is the 033C (15/16 x 1) wrench - and a "green vinylite wrench roll."

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks to a surprise throw-in on a long-distance trade I made with another Canadian GJ member, I now have a 6th ETF wrench for the set. This one (5/16 x 13/32) is not included in the Set No. 2000R or 3000R (same wrenches, better vinylite roll-up with a flap) in the c. 1940's catalog. Same production era, though, and it was available to order individually.

 

[lilredex]

Here's that Canadian Tools post from the past.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31515

 

[outofbounds]

Found these two Canadian wrenches today.

ETF 15/16" x 1"
Dreadnaught (by Gray?) 3/4" x 5/8"

 

[Bigblockyeti]

These are not the ETF tools I expected to see being discussed, at least not those I'm familiar with, I thought this had more to do with the market.

That pipe wrench in post #20 looks nearly identical to my 24" Stillson. I expect many different make pipe wrenches from that era were not too terribly dissimilar.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

ETF 15/16" x 1"

If that's for sale, I'm your huckleberry!

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

Dreadnought is the Gray second line, pre war for sure, I'm not sure about post war. It's like Maple Leaf Gray was for a lot of years. Now they call it satin finish.

Yes wrenches were more of a side line, their main business was pruning shears, pipe wrenches, hammers and of course that spike puller. I have a couple of their deep offset box ends , they are nice.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks to OOB's eagle eye, I now have a 15/16" x 1" ETF wrench and a complete ETF Engineers' Wrench Set! I will be on the lookout for any green vinyl 7-pocket wrench pouch that I can re-purpose as ETF to put them in. Until then, they will rest in a neat uniform stack like RCMP's in an inspection formation in my wrench set display case. :

 

[oknope]

Found more ETF wrenches, seems to be missing 1/2" 9/16".

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Almost one-fell-swooping the whole set was a nice find!

 

[oknope]

Almost one-fell-swooping the whole set was a nice find!

I find quite a few ETF tools here in Alberta, Canada, when buying old tool boxes from estate sales. I know I have more of these wrenches in one of my garage sale boxes, it would be nice if the missing size is in there.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

it would be nice if the missing size is in there.

 

[ConductorChris]

I found this one today and came to post it but read this thread before asking if anyone knew who made it.

 

[AreBeeBee]

I have had a ETF pipe wrench for over 40 years. Of course I’d sell it

Might want to put the adjustment nut into the cage — it'll work a lot better!

 

[LukeOresk]

My modest contributions. I do have more as ETF was local to me

 

[four.cycle]

^ pretty impressive collection sir!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Yeah, cool board.

 

[Jazz1]

Might want to put the adjustment nut into the cage — it'll work a lot better!

I’ll get right on that…its how the wrench arrived. Im not surprised i had never noticed

 

[MR.X]

Not the best example but I knew I'd have one in the 723 bag.

 

[outofbounds]

Not the best example but I knew I'd have one in the 723 bag.

You have a “723 bag”? Pretty sporting of you to have left those two Duro-Chromes in my care good sir!