My Small But Growing Collection of BICYCLE WRENCHES (7 inches or less only!)

[Private Lugnutz]

I'll start with Gormully & Jeffery...[ ]...GJ member Private Lugnutz also owns a copy of this, as I recall, and I am hoping he'll post it.

My G&J Crackerjack Combination Wrench and Screwdriver doesn't appear to exhibit anything different than yours, but since you asked...



And here's a better view of that "A G (ormully) & J (effery) Product" logo.



Maybe @3baygarage will post his amazing example still wire-tied to its original cardboard merchandiser.

G&J certainly had the capacity to make them - they made big heavy forged DOEs.

Indeed they did! I'm not sure if it was your intent to exclude them with this statement...

It can be an adjustable type wrench, employing any variety of adjustment mechanisms, or it may be a simple stamped steel model, like the ubiquitous Musselman.

...but I'll post it anyway, since it bears not only the full Gormully & Jeffery name...



...but also the name of the bicycle they made famous on the flip side!



Incidentally, after they split up, Mr. Jeffery went on to build cars, in Kenosha, WI., taking the terrific "RAMBLER" name with him. That's right, THAT Rambler. They were made continuously from 1909 until 1969, when AMC finally went kaput!

 

[bbbarracuda]

Here's my little collection.
King **** on top.
Mossberg No. 1
Gedron
I don't know what the bottom one is. I can find no markings on it at all.

 

[four.cycle]

"I'm not fond of posting redundant duplicates..."

Generally a good policy to follow, but in this particular case, there are so many variants, even among the same manufacturer's same models, that posting them all is probably the say to go here.
Those B&S wrenches show up in all sorts of flavors - black, plated, plain steel.

The King **** units on the previous page are fabulous.
And, like Don's "Indian MotOcycle", they're most definitely in this "bicycle" wrench category.

Yes, Gormully & Jeffery's bicycle manufacturing business was where the "Rambler" automobile got its start. That article I posted above details all that, although I think it's too small to be able to read. Jeffery was a tireless innovator and promoter.

Thanks for posting your little G&J 3-incher. I think those were made as a promotional item by somebody else - I've seen them on ebay - same exact wrench - with all kinds of different names stamped on them.

(Still trying to figure out how to use this photo editor.)

 

[Private Lugnutz]

...there are so many variants...

Agreed. Which is why I added this...

but this A-1 is slightly different (with the notch on the back) than the model you posted,

...and posted that A-1 variant, but not the other A-1's I have that are identical to the examples you have already posted. Not a critique. Just a statement of personal posting philosophy.

And, like Don's "Indian MotOcycle", they're most definitely in this "bicycle" wrench category.

If you're sure you want to open it up to the motor(ized bi)cycle versions, which are usually a little bigger and a little more robust, but usually do still make it underneath your 7" limbo bar, then here is an "Indian" - which could easily vie for top 5 fave wrenches in my entire tool collection.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

(Still trying to figure out how to use this photo editor.)

What photo editor are you referring to, 4.c? What was wrong with whatever editor you were using before?

 

[four.cycle]

^ I would also include THAT "Indian" model (a copy of which I own, believe it or not) as it IS a "cycle" wrench. Not "automotive", clearly.

I was using the "Nikon" software that came with my camera. I accidentally UNINSTALLED the program and it's no longer available, so I had to download Nikon's new software and I just haven't figured out the "crop" part of it yet. I managed to get a few images cropped, but I find it hard to believe that it requires so many steps to get from A to B - there should be a simpler way. I just haven't figured out the program yet. Just a minor hurdle, but sometimes it just takes me a while to figure stuff out.

 

[four.cycle]

fashion:


1886 The Cycle Holmes & Co. advertisement

1896 Hulbert Bros. advertisement

1895 Gormully & Jeffery Rambler Bicycle advertisement

1886 The Cycle front cover

1926 Ludwig Hohlwein Munchen Victoria Fahrrader Bicycle ad

 

[MisterEd]

Resembles a C.E. Billings.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

fashion:

Thanks, 4.c. Those are amazing.

Not "automotive", clearly.

Agreed. It can be less clear, though!

Here is a wrench that would probably be identified as a bicycle or motorcycle wrench because of its size, well under your limit, forged inside the bar or fixed jaw half, and making the placing of a rule in the photo unnecessary.



But screwing down the dynamic jaw just a little more reveals that it's just a very short AUTO wrench!



Made by Vlchek.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I think I might have one of those but NOT with a Vlchek mark on it! Now I'm going to have to go dig through that box.

Hope the fashion model photos help with daughter's project. Sorry that's all I've got! That 1926 German watercolor is fabulous.

I think we're going to find some anomalies here, which I expected, as what I have in the other box kind of stretches the limits as well.

BK

 

[d42jeep]

Here is my Billings & Spencer shorty that blurs the lines between bicycle and auto wrench. Probably a little closer to auto wrench.
-Don

 

[Mintgrun]

Are you going to reapply crinkle black paint to that one, Don? I'll bet that was one handsome wrench when it was new. Tom

 

[four.cycle]

^ That style design is fairly common among bicycle wrenches. If I didn't know better, I'd confuse it with a Springfield.

 

[d42jeep]

Are you going to reapply crinkle black paint to that one, Don? I'll bet that was one handsome wrench when it was new. Tom

I could but I probably won’t. I had a heck of a time removing the remnants of the paint. That stuff was tough. I don’t mind the bare steel lock.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Are you going to reapply crinkle black paint to that one, Don? I'll bet that was one handsome wrench when it was new.

I had a heck of a time removing the remnants of the paint.

I see the crinkles, but I would've thought it would be black japan or black enamel, if original, which would explain the stubborness. Unless a PO did that. Billings was fond of black japan on their auto wrenches.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

You've seen this one before. I'm no closer to identifying it.

 

[four.cycle]

^ and THAT one is REALLY quite a piece of work when you look at how the "dynamic jaw" part of it was constructed.
Stan might be able to dig up the patent on it. I'm pretty sure I gave it a shot when you posted it back in May. (Maybe not, the photos are in a "hold" folder.)

The reason I'm posting the oddball shots showing the screw which holds the adjustment wheel in place is because when you start looking closely at these things, you'll see that they're designed and constructed in all kinds of ways, which in itself I find fascinating - the "building a better mousetrap" thing.
That unit is a really excellent example of just that.

Thanks for posting again... I've got it erroneously tagged "A in a circle" instead of "A in a diamond".

Is the jaw on that thing PINNED to that outer shell? Or spot-welded? (or both??) Not sure if I'm seeing details correctly. BK

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I'm pretty sure it's spot-welded, but I can't seem to find it right now, and my workbench, and every other horizontal surface, is piled high with finds. I've been really bad about putting things away this year. When I find it, I will post better photos.

 

[four.cycle]

Moore Drop Forge 7-inch adjustable wrench "Indian"

Moore Drop Forge 7-inch adjustable wrench "Indian"

See Private Lugnutz's example of same wrench @ post #44 - his appears to be plain steel, this unit appears to have been the unfortunate victim of a wire wheel as well as a grinder.

 

[four.cycle]

Barnes Tool Co. 5½-inch bicycle wrench

Barnes Tool Co. 5½-inch bicycle wrench ("W" forging code on one side)

Barnes Tool Co. 5½-inch bicycle wrench ( maximum jaw opening 1-3/8" )

Barnes Tool Co. 5½-inch bicycle wrench

Barnes / Barnes Tool Co., New Haven, CT / http://alloy-artifacts.org/other-makers.html#barnes / patent 282435 Jul 31 1883 Elbridge F Barnes & 307163 Oct 28 1884 Elbridge F. Barnes & George A. Barnes /

 

[four.cycle]

Lakeside Forge 4-1/4" bicycle wrench

Lakeside Forge 4-1/4" bicycle wrench

Lakeside Forge 4-1/4" bicycle wrench (maximum jaw opening: 1-3/8" unit originally had a black Japanned finish )

Lakeside Forge 4-1/4" bicycle wrench

Lakeside Forge 4-1/4" bicycle wrench

Lakeside / Lakeside Forge, Erie, PA / http://alloy-artifacts.org/lakeside-forge-company.html#history /

 

[four.cycle]

Tower & Lyon, New York 4-1/4" "Safety" bicycle wrench (patent D20932)
Tower & Lyon, New York 4-1/4" "Safety" bicycle wrench (patent D20932)

Tower & Lyon, New York 4-1/4" "Safety" bicycle wrench (patent D20932) ( it appears the previous owner was attempting to bite off more than the wrench was able to chew )

Tower & Lyon, New York 4-1/4" "Safety" bicycle wrench (patent D20932)

patent D20932 July 14 1891 John J. Tower

Tower & Lyon / Tower & Lion, New York, NY / patent D20932 Jul 14 1892 John J. Tower & 84605 Dec 1 1868 William Baxter / (see Baxter; Green, Tweed & Co.; Stearns)(see Donohue) / http://alloy-artifacts.org/other-makers-p3.html#tower-lyon /

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Moore Drop Forge 7-inch adjustable wrench "Indian"

I've always been curious about the Circle-M on these. It's the swept handle that is unusual. It's classic Vlchek. So classic, I have never seen an Auto wrench with a swept handle other than Vlchek - and these "Indian" wrenches with the Circle-M. Conversely, I have never seen a Moore Drop Forge branded auto wrench with a swept handle. So what gives? Did Vlchek make it for them or the other way around? Or did Indian specify a swept handle "like the handle on a Vlchek" to MDF and they obeyed. Compounding the wonder is the fact that Vlchek clearly made motorcycle wrenches. I've never really looked into it further than the observation and question mark.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Sorry to break up your flow there with that interjection, 4.c. I've known you for many years here, and I've seen some of your collections revealed in dribs and drabs, the midget and Indestro stuff, for example, I know the reasons for it - storage (I can just imagine the number and size of the boxes your tools are in!) and your research funny bone, like mine, just tingling more often than not, and I've heard you reference your "bicycle wrenches" from time to time, and I have to say, now that we're seeing more of it for the first time, much too modestly! It's as large as it is fabulous.

 

[four.cycle]

Vlchek 5 inch Auto wrench ( see Private Lugnutz's example above @ post #40 for comparison. this unit has been the victim of some modification by a previous owner. note that this specimen lacks the "V Shield" Vlcheck logo. )

Vlchek 5 inch Auto wrench

Vlchek 5 inch Auto wrench ( maximum jaw opening: 1-3/8" )

Vlchek 5 inch Auto wrench

Vlchek 5 inch Auto wrench

( I find no other forging marks on this unit other than the "5-IN-AUTO" on the static jaw. )

Vlchek / Vlchek Tool Co., 3000 E. 87th, Cleveland, OH / http://alloy-artifacts.org/vlchek-story.html#history / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/show-your-vlchek-tools.278503/ / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/vlchek-tools-discussion.317666/ /

 

[four.cycle]

Eska 23 0648 4-inch bicycle wrench

Eska 23 0648 4-inch bicycle wrench

( * I have no idea what the "CSN" stamped above the "Eska" name is about. )

Eska / Eska, Cheb, Czechoslovakia / est. 1911 defunct 2001 / bicycles and bicycle tools / https://www.disraeligears.co.uk/site/eska_derailleurs.html /

 

[four.cycle]

Hayden's Patent 4-in bicycle wrench (patent 228755) ( this specimen is erroneously stamped with an incorrect patent date of "Jun 16-80" )

Hayden's Patent 4-in bicycle wrench (patent 228755)

Hayden's Patent 4-in bicycle wrench (patent 228755) ( The patent document specifies a "machined nut", but does not mention the material it is made of. This brass nut doesn't appear to be original to this piece by a long shot. )

Hayden's Patent 4-in bicycle wrench (patent 228755)

patent 228755 Jun 15 1880 R. Hayden

1881 A.O. Reed & Co. hardware catalog Hayden's Patent Wrench ad

Hayden / Randolph Hayden, Middletown, Ct. / patent 228755 Jun 15 1880 Randolph Hayden / "Hayden's Patent" bicycle wrench / https://www.angelfire.com/wy/mttools/Hayden.htm / see also Reed & Co. (* Reed and Co. probably was the sole maker of the wrench. *) / * some units may appear to be stamped June 16 1880 * /

 

[four.cycle]

U.S. Wrench Co., Philadelphia, PA Bohn "Quickfit" (patent 1481250)

U.S. Wrench Co., Philadelphia, PA Bohn "Quickfit" (patent 1481250)

U.S. Wrench Co., Philadelphia, PA Bohn "Quickfit" (patent 1481250)

This unit has a really interesting mechanism requiring one only to slide the "band" up and down on the static jaw to adjust the opening.


patent 1481250 Jan 22 1924 G.J. Bohn

U.S. Wrench / U.S. Wrench Co., Philadelphia, PA / patent 1481250 Jan 22 1924 George J. Bohn and Fred W. Werner / "Bohn Quickfit" wrench /

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I have no idea what the "CSN" stamped above the "Eska" name is about.

I forget the exact translation, because the governance body (standards, metrology, and testing) has changed its name and merged and split and remerged a few times as the "ownership" of the country changed hands from the Hapsburgs to an independent republic to the USSR and then a federal republic again. But it's basically the Czech Standards Institute. Meaning, it meets their specs for performance and safety etc.

U.S. Wrench Co., Philadelphia, PA Bohn "Quickfit" (patent 1481250)

I like wedge-adjusts, and I have a few on my "Oddfellows" thread, as you know. I'm a little surprised you're including them in this category. Was bicycle or motorcycle maintenance how they pitched it?

 

[NJ Marty]

I got this last week and it does measure 6 1/8" when closed. When I got it it was grimy with surface rust, it worked flawlessly.
I left it in this open position since last weekend and it is stuck this way now. I soaked it Kroil with no luck and don't see an easy
way of opening it up to take a look.

 

[four.cycle]

Once again, stretching the limits of the definition of "bicycle wrench", here's John Boos' idea for an adjustable wrench.


Boos Tool Corp. 6-inch adjustable wrench (patent D130015)

Boos Tool Corp. 6-inch adjustable wrench (patent D130015)

Boos Tool Corp. 6-inch adjustable wrench (patent D130015)

Boos Tool Corp. 6-inch adjustable wrench (patent D130015)
Boos Tool Corp. 6-inch adjustable wrench (patent D130015)


patent D130015 Oct 24 1941 J.B. Boos

Note that while Alloy-Artifacts' example is stamped "Chrome Molybdenum", neither of my pieces are marked as such. Both are marked "BOOS TOOL CORP, K.C. MO." - one being marked "PAT. PEND" and the other "PATENTED". The unit which is disassembled in the photos appears to have had some handywork done on that L-shaped hook that retains the handle.
These were manufactured with both smooth and serrated jaws (an example of which is posted here below.)

 

[four.cycle]

I like wedge-adjusts, and I have a few on my "Oddfellows" thread, as you know. I'm a little surprised you're including them in this category. Was bicycle or motorcycle maintenance how they pitched it?

I have no documentation on that U.S. Wrench Co. "Bohn" model other than the patent drawing. I couldn't figure out how to download the entire *.pdf so I'm not sure how that thing works, but it is slicker than deer guts on a doorknob - you just slide that band up and down with your thumb.

Going through this box, I am finding three different types of wrenches - bicycle, alligator, and your so-called "oddfellows", a couple of which surprisingly cross over some lines of CW. I'm dumping these photos in a separate folder and I intend to post some of these in that "oddfellow" thread.

Thanks for the info on the Czech wrench.

 

[four.cycle]

@NJ Marty -

Your Gordon Automatic Wrench takes quite a different approach to "adjustment". Nice piece.

Gordon / Gordon Automatic, Union, NJ / patent 1380794 Jun 7 1921 William Gordon / https://wrenchwiki.com/gordon-automatic-wrench/ / datamp.org / see also Automatic Wrench Mfg. Corp. of America /


patent 1380794 Jun 7 1921 W. Gordon

 

[NJ Marty]

Thanks so much Four.cycle for the image of the patent. I pushed harder than I wanted to to slide #14 off of #5 in figure one.
I works again and can see the corrosion that was holding it stuck.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

@NJ Marty I have a Gordon. If you're interested in seeing it, it's posted in the 'Oddfellows' thread, along with the patent and some interesting period ads, linked here.

I'm dumping these photos in a separate folder and I intend to post some of these in that "oddfellows" thread.

Don't worry about it, 4.c. Post them wherever you want. Post them here if that's your preference.

When I think of a bicycle wrench, it's a miniature auto wrench. Vice versa, an auto wrench is an overgrown bicycle wrench, as Msrrs. Coes acerbically described them. They both have the same mechanism. A worm gear. Like a Crescent wrench, but oriented differently on the shank. Or maybe a little screw wrench, like the B&S types. But, I have to admit, in perusing DATAMP just now, to check myself, I can see that their definition is also more expansive. Their definition agrees with you. They, too, conflate any adjustable wrench that was meant to fit in a pocket as a bicycle wrench.

If this thread is going to include any and all adjustable wrenches of any and all adjustable types that are less than 7" OAL, whether they were marketed as "bicycle" wrenches or not, I suspect we're going to continue to see lots of overlap with the 'Oddfellows' thread, which was explicitly intended for wrenches that do NOT use a screw on the shank (Monkey) or off the shank (Stillson, Ridge) or a worm gear (Crescent, bicycle, auto), regardless of the size. Such as the Boos. And that's okay. I'll just stop commenting on that. It seems to just be me with a narrower definition.

 

[four.cycle]

the word "nebulous" comes to mind.... after that comment, I've got a couple here you're going to love.

I think the "overlap" thing is going to go both ways: bicycle/oddfellow. probably all three ways, when you include the "Coes" type (aka "monkey") wrench.
I'm okay with some of it falling into gray areas.... I think that's going to be inevitable.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

the word "nebulous" comes to mind

Hmm. I don't know about that. The "Oddfellows" thread is pretty well-defined. When I said, "No monkey wrenches, no pipe wrenches, no bicycle/auto wrenches, and no crescent wrenches," it pretty much leaves only the oddballs that adjust some other way. And this thread is pretty well-defined on OAL. But yeah, there is an overlap.

I think the "overlap" thing is going to go both ways: bicycle/oddfellow.

Oh, it already has. There are clearly several wrenches on the "Oddfellows" thread less than 7" OAL. But they're there because they're kooky. They do not have classic monkey, bicycle/auto, pipe, or crescent type adjusting mechanisms. If someone posted them here, it would be because they're less than 7" OAL.

probably all three ways, when you include the "Coes" type (aka "monkey") wrench.

You already have tiny monkey wrenches (wrenches which use a screw mechanism to adjust) here. We wouldn't see them on the "Oddfellows" thread, though.

But you will have other overlaps. The "Tiny Tools" thread, for example. In fact, a few of the wrenches I have posted here I have already posted in that thread.

Again, it's no big deal. Some would even say the more the merrier. And we can make the distinction between classic bicycle wrenches (i.e., those that Mossberg, Wakefield, and others marketed as bicycle wrenches) from the wrenches that are more or less just tiny adjustables.

I'm just looking forward to seeing the rest of your collection! And I have to admit - wondering when that will end. It seems pretty bottomless right now!

 

[four.cycle]

I'm in the "more is merrier" camp on this one, because pretty much any wrench could be used on a bicycle, and I would posit that many "nut wrenches" (or "monkey wrenches", as some prefer to call them) were used on bicycles, as the Coes/Merrick type adjustable pre-dated what you and I would call classic "bicycle" wrench by a few decades, right?

I only put that "7-inch" thing on the header because I didn't want the thread to get cluttered up with a mess of 10-inch "auto" wrenches, which (at least from ebay listings) are all too often confused with "bicycle" wrench.

I tried artificial light but it didn't work. I'm waiting for enough light to shoot this next one, which is going to blow your "CW" right out of the water.

I have no idea where it "ends". I've got one box I'm going to do - there's a dozen or so left in it - and the rest of them are scattered all over.

BK

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I have no idea where it "ends". I've got one box I'm going to do - there's a dozen or so left in it - and the rest of them are scattered all over.

Where's that rubbing hands together with glee emoji when you need it?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I only put that "7-inch" thing on the header because I didn't want the thread to get cluttered up with a mess of 10-inch "auto" wrenches, which (at least from ebay listings) are all too often confused with "bicycle" wrenches

Only? Thank goodness you did! If not, this thread would have no parameters whatsoever. It would just be all adjustables. And that's a too big bin.