Show off your DOE's!
- Thread starter Outlawmws
- Start date
2mJps
Well-known member
I like the sets that have 2 of every size some one was thinking.
genog
Well-known member
I guess my Double Open End wrenches do not get a lot of respect either...
Years ago, I rescued these Snap On DOE's from a friend's storage locker.
They were rusting away in a bucket
Then they spent the next bunch of years buried at the bottom of my roll away until I took these pics
Years ago, I rescued these Snap On DOE's from a friend's storage locker.
They were rusting away in a bucket
Then they spent the next bunch of years buried at the bottom of my roll away until I took these pics
Mintgrun
Well-known member
Finding information on these two wrenches isn't easy. Try Googling =BIG= wrench, or LONG wrench and you'll see what I mean.
Yesterday was a good day for DOE wrenches. I found the LONG one as well as my second largest INDESTRO wrench.
I thought I'd brought home duplicates in the past, until I looked a little closer. There's a 31, 731, 731-A, 731B. No two are alike in terms of opening sizes and I think they've all got a different finish as well.
The two wrenches in front are metric. I found a clipped set of metric DROP FORGED SELECT STEEL wrenches on the shelf once, but in talking to another shopper, I realized he needed metric wrenches, so I let him buy them. I don't dare regret that, but I would have appreciated having them.
I also picked up the two largest BARCALO BUFFALO wrenches yesterday. The biggest one had rust, so I put it in the electrolysis bath for a few minutes and scrubbed it with a hand held wire brush. It came out a little shinier than desired, but the non-rusty areas were already bare steel. I was more careful with the other one and used baking soda and a toothbrush. I think it's got a black oxide finish.
Yesterday was a good day for DOE wrenches. I found the LONG one as well as my second largest INDESTRO wrench.
I thought I'd brought home duplicates in the past, until I looked a little closer. There's a 31, 731, 731-A, 731B. No two are alike in terms of opening sizes and I think they've all got a different finish as well.
The two wrenches in front are metric. I found a clipped set of metric DROP FORGED SELECT STEEL wrenches on the shelf once, but in talking to another shopper, I realized he needed metric wrenches, so I let him buy them. I don't dare regret that, but I would have appreciated having them.
I also picked up the two largest BARCALO BUFFALO wrenches yesterday. The biggest one had rust, so I put it in the electrolysis bath for a few minutes and scrubbed it with a hand held wire brush. It came out a little shinier than desired, but the non-rusty areas were already bare steel. I was more careful with the other one and used baking soda and a toothbrush. I think it's got a black oxide finish.
Nice collections!Finding information on these two wrenches isn't easy. Try Googling =BIG= wrench, or LONG wrench and you'll see what I mean.
Yesterday was a good day for DOE wrenches. I found the LONG one as well as my second largest INDESTRO wrench.
I thought I'd brought home duplicates in the past, until I looked a little closer. There's a 31, 731, 731-A, 731B. No two are alike in terms of opening sizes and I think they've all got a different finish as well.
The two wrenches in front are metric. I found a clipped set of metric DROP FORGED SELECT STEEL wrenches on the shelf once, but in talking to another shopper, I realized he needed metric wrenches, so I let him buy them. I don't dare regret that, but I would have appreciated having them.
I also picked up the two largest BARCALO BUFFALO wrenches yesterday. The biggest one had rust, so I put it in the electrolysis bath for a few minutes and scrubbed it with a hand held wire brush. It came out a little shinier than desired, but the non-rusty areas were already bare steel. I was more careful with the other one and used baking soda and a toothbrush. I think it's got a black oxide finish.
31, 731, 731-A, 731B mean different type/surface treatment or year of production?Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Sizes. Specifically, opening sizes. They started out as Williams model numbers and were adopted by most other mfgrs by the 30s and 40s, becoming industry standard.
four.cycle
Well-known member
^ Those are the part numbers which were assigned to them.... following some sort of "standard" that was devised by another maker.
GJ member Private Lugnutz is well-versed on that part of it.
There were various finished offered by Indestro - plated/not plated/polished heads/not polished heads/etc.
International Tool Catalog Library has a number of early Indestro catalogs available for download.
The "BIG" and "LONG" wrenches are a riot, Mintgrun! I don't suppose you were able to figure out where they came from?
GJ member Private Lugnutz is well-versed on that part of it.
There were various finished offered by Indestro - plated/not plated/polished heads/not polished heads/etc.
International Tool Catalog Library has a number of early Indestro catalogs available for download.
The "BIG" and "LONG" wrenches are a riot, Mintgrun! I don't suppose you were able to figure out where they came from?
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Mintgrun
Well-known member
They came from the Habitat store!
I've had the =BIG= wrench for a while and picked up the LONG one yesterday. I vaguely remember reading about both brands online, or at least seeing them. I was easily discouraged during my last attempt. I think it will take some specific semantics to avoid other big long wrenches.
I just tried again and was instantly frustrated. For now, I think I'll let the mystery be.
four.cycle
Well-known member
Mintgrun said:
Sometimes the wiser thing to do is leave the battle for another day.
Down toward the bottom of the LIST, you will find a section titled "Manufacturer Unknown".
Those names came from a list posted at papawsrench.com by another very serious collector. I spent a couple weeks working on his list and was able to find answers on several, but those remaining in that section will probably remain mysteries for some time.
@mvcorse -
Is that a MetMo in your avatar?
I made this by myself and it was inspired by <my mechanics> and Facom AMM.
I post some pictures here:
MetMo Driver
No idea if these things are durable enough to be used in a real shop or even usable at all. But, you have to admire the aesthetic of an over-engineered driver designed with products of old in mind – namely, the Baumann-Weltrecord Driver. For the machinists out there, this would be a really fun...
www.garagejournal.com
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Nice little set you have going there, LS.
Ton ton
Well-known member
What company makes double open end wrenches in 1" and larger sizes in recent memory other than Craftsman? I know this may come across as an ignorant question. But it's not my intention.
Ditchdigger
Well-known member
I am a bit of a DOE junkie. I probably collect them more than I use them but I was very stoked to have a customer gift these to me.
When is the last time anyone saw a set of Craftsman "Whitworth" wrenches? They were painted red but cleaned up very nicely with the vapor blaster.
We do a fair bit of work on pre-war British cars and my mismatched set of British standard wrenches just got bigger.
bmwrd0
Well-known member
Do you work at that big shop on 6th?
Ditchdigger
Well-known member
Vintage Underground
bmwrd0
Well-known member
Nice. I drive by sometimes and admire the work done there. My wife had a boss at one time who was a RR enthusiast who thought very highly of your shop.
d42jeep
Well-known member
Ton ton
Well-known member
Thank you, Don.
Provincial
Well-known member
Proto sold them up to 1-5/8" opening. I don't know if they still do.
bmwrd0
Well-known member
Proto still catalogs a 1-7/8"x2" The J3080.
Ton ton
Well-known member
I guess I will have to look at Proto when I have money to spend again. Thank you for your help, guys .
d42jeep
Well-known member
My pleasure. Here are a few more big ones posted upthread.
-Don
-Don
Picked up these big boys this morning at a garage sale. Two are Armstrong and one is Whitman and Barnes. One is ISN 48 (2 - 2-3/8)and one is ISN 39 (1-1/4 - 1-7/16). I’m not sure about the third one yet.
-Don
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Are you asking about vintage wrenches, Ton ton? Or current production? You posted here on the VB, but your use of the present tense ("makes") and your reference to "in recent memory" makes me wonder if you're asking about recent, modern production.
I don't know anything about now. In the heyday, all major mfgrs aiming DOE wrenches primarily at the automotive market were tapping out at 1-1/4" (Duro, Vlchek, Herbrand) or maybe 1-5/8" (Bonney, Cornwell, Plomb) in their catalogs. Most had little notes about special orders, so it's possible you could find them larger. And the war expanded their top end as well. In those days, the bigger wrenches, typically aimed at industrial (bridge, tunnel, RR, oil, etc) work, were made by the older outfits like Williams, Armstrong, and B&S who had been making wrenches for those markets since the turn of the last century, and they go up to ridiculous numbers (5+ inches).
Ton ton
Well-known member
More towards current production. Thank you for all the information. I like to use DOE wrenches on hydraulic fittings.
Ton ton
Well-known member
I understand this thread is about vintage wrenches. It's not my intention to wreck the thread. You guys have answered my question. I appreciate it very much.
Ton ton
Well-known member
I might be able to get some vintage wrenches too. I would like to feel them in person before I buy. The larger sizes seem to be harder to come by in recent years.
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
No worries. I wasn't trying to say your post was misplaced so much as trying to clarify your objective.
Bit of an unusual S-wrench came home with me Sunday.
1079X, date code IQ (Sep1925).
The 1926 Bonney catalog shows 1079 wrenches with A, B, C, D, E, F, and S suffixes, but not X.
Who, I wonder, needed an S-shaped DOE with both ends 11/16”?
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
^ This post was from February 2020, linked here.
Prompted by and in preparation for LesserSon posting a recent find he just reported on the GS thread, I'd like to update the bold part. I did eventually have some success doing some research on these wrenches, and after searching for it in vain, concluded that I apparently forgot to post it. Still not sure who they were made by (pressed steel, could've been anyone, likely Mossberg perhaps), but they were sold by an outfit called Foreign and Domestic Auto Supply, who also sold car heaters, and other miscellaneous automobilist stuff like that.
Thank you for posting the update, Lugz. Unfortunately, my flea market find today doesn’t expand the set. Just another 9/16x5/8 nuts.BTW, the apparent moire discoloration is reflected surroundings. I hand cleaned this wrench, and the magnetite surface is actually very even.
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Dang. Oh well, at least someone else will be working on a set with me. Misery loves company.
I was disappointed the ad didn't list the sizes. Even a range would help. But I think we can derive our way into it.
Natural light is a tricky thing to manage. Nice wrench.
Yes, I suppose I’m on the hook now. They do have a delightfully curvy silhouette.
Current eBay offerings ($10-45!) suggest a few other “sizes”. Alligator terminal nuts / inside gearbox, front radius rod / plug & outside gearbox, plug / coil…none of these have fractions.
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
I found and posted a gorgeous Gormully & Jeffery "RAMBLER" wrench on its own thread, linked here a few years ago. This "RAMBLER" "No. 2" DOE is in such a sorry condition, I hesitate to even photograph them together, but I was happy to add it to the collection.
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RTM
Well-known member
Here's a couple pulled out of my $3 purchase yesterday that don't really fit into any other category. Of course searching GJ for Oxweld either brought me here, or to people talking about welding rod. My first guess these were some flavor of Oxwall, but fortunately that was wrong.
The other wrench appeared recently, mark SAE on one side, metric on the other, and Forged USA. Will find that post later.
Edit: Several years later, I finally researched this wrench. four.cycle posted it here, a 725B 1/2" x 9/16" and 12mm x 14mm from Bridgeport Hardware Co., Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA Hy Power wrench set. Mine says Forged USA on the up side, not Drop Forged
www.garagejournal.com
The other wrench appeared recently, mark SAE on one side, metric on the other, and Forged USA. Will find that post later.
Edit: Several years later, I finally researched this wrench. four.cycle posted it here, a 725B 1/2" x 9/16" and 12mm x 14mm from Bridgeport Hardware Co., Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA Hy Power wrench set. Mine says Forged USA on the up side, not Drop Forged
Show off your DOE's!
It has become obvious to me that my postwar Barcalo DOE wrenches have multiplied somewhat recently! -Don
www.garagejournal.com
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Last week, I completed a years-long goal of having every -ZENEL- doe Bonney showed in catalogs: 28 models. I laid them out, took this pic, then started culling the dupes. The extras are because they offered two sets that overlap: Z25 & Z26. So, with the idea of a display showing both sides, I need two of each, and then the afterthought of having the two sets in rolls…looks like I don’t have as many extras as I thought, and actually lack a few for the double-sided display, so I’m NOT finished collecting!
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