Masterench by Heller Bros. Post em up!

Outlawmws · Jun 22, 2018

By far my favorite style of adjustable wrench is the Masterench made by the Heller Brothers Co. out of Newark New Jersey. Commonly marked with 4-14-25, and 7-5-27 patent dates, and a Horse Logo.

The length, "MASTERENCH" and chrome Vanadium is usually marked on the opposite side.

Why do I like these so well? The harder you pull, the tighter it grips the nut or bolt. Crescent can't claim that, open end wrenches can't, heck, box end can't do that (but they do make six point contact so are less likely to slip.)

They made them for hex bolts and as pipe wrenches.

What got me going on this today? I picked up a 6" version of the hex wrench today for the first time! I had two 10" and three 8" and a couple 14" pipe wrenches, but no 6". I actually searched Eprey one day looking for a 4" version, but the smallest I found were 6" I carry one in my camp gear for the prop connectors, and other use as needed, but I'm thinking I'l put the 6, and 8 and a 10 in my road box...

Besides gripping tighter the harder you pull, these have an extremely wide size capacity all things considered. Why these didn't supplant the ubiquitous adjustable wrench I'l never know, and why they stopped making them is also a mystery. (you can get Chicom monkey copies, but I wouldn't... I'd love to see a top tool brand bring these back out! SK, Maybe SO under the Williams brand? :dunno:

I'll get pics of some of my others later but here is the 6" version:

From 5/32 (or equiv metric):

To 9/16/14MM (maybe 15?)

Anyone else have a good collection of these? Maybe in another brand or unmarked for rebranding?

ssdave · Jun 22, 2018

What soured the market for these is the cheap japanese and taiwan ones that came out in the 70's. They were poorly designed (not a faithful copy even) and didn't work, as well as breaking easily. People became accustomed to them being a useless gimmick, and wouldn't buy them.

I have a couple of good ones, I think one for pipe and one for hex. But, larger sized.

woody 73 · Jun 22, 2018

Hope this old post of mine helps you out a little bit:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=266236&highlight=heller+masterwrench

4xdog · Jun 22, 2018

I've had this one for thirty years or so, rescuing it from a forgotten tool crib at the first place I worked out of college. It probably oughta get used more than it does...

(I need to take better pix of that wrench. I'll update this post when I do.)

Private Lugnutz · Jun 22, 2018

Outlawmws said:
Commonly marked with 4-14-25, and 7-5-27 patent dates

Outlaw said:
The length, "MASTERENCH" and chrome Vanadium is usually marked on the opposite side.

They also had a Chrome Vanadium production run with a third patent date (11-12-29) forged-in, and they had a run in the late 40's and 1950's with alloy steel versions that had forge marks (dots), no patent dates, no Brothers (just "Heller"), and no Newark, N.J. address, just COO, and they were typically black japanned.

I do share your enthusiasm for them! I’d really love to find one of the originals marked Lynchmead or Masterench, and Turlock, California. (Heller bought them out in 1928.)

Pics of mine below.

And here are the specs... (no two marked alike or having the same box wrench broaching in the hanging hole!)

Top to bottom in pics...

- 1941 Heller Brothers, Newark, N.J., 10” Chrome Vanadium Masterench with all three (3) patent dates on it (4-14-25, 7-5-27, and 11-12-29), also dated 7-11-41 on the flip side, with a 12-point 3/4” box end broached into the hanging hole. Plain steel finish.

- c. late 1940’s/1950’s era Heller (no Brothers, no address, no patent dates) 8” alloy Masterrench with a 3/8” 4-point/square opening hanging hole. Black japanned.

- c. late 1940’s/1950’s era Heller (no Brothers, no address, no patent dates) 6” alloy Masterrench with a 5/16” 4-point/square opening hanging hole. Black japanned.

- c. 1925–1927 Heller Brothers, Newark, N.J. (with the famously backward “N”!), 6” Chrome Vanadium Masterench with only one (1) patent date on it (4-14-25) and a 12-point 7/16” box end broached into the hanging hole. Plain steel finish.

- c. 1927-1929 Heller Brothers, Newark, N.J., 6” Chrome Vanadium Masterench with two (2) patent dates on it (4-14-25, 7-5-27) and a 6-point 7/16” box end broached into the hanging hole. Plain steel finish.

Also, not that it was a very intuitive title, but you may like some of the wrenches and information posted in the "SPEED WRENCH" thread, linked here. Notlob left a brief but interesting anecdote about Turlock (a former residence of his, as I recall).

d42jeep · Jun 22, 2018

Here is mine.
-Don

SilverDeck · Jun 23, 2018

Here are mine:

14” Heller Masterench, toothed jaw
8” Heller Masterench, toothed jaw
8” Heller Masterench, smooth jaw

HeelSpur · Jun 23, 2018

A couple I have.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/razorear/42066775785/in/dateposted-public/

Private Lugnutz · Jul 6, 2018

Prompted by duddly's recent signage score, which included a Heller Brothers rotary file display cabinet, I just looked through the 1936 and 1946 catalogs. I don't know of a source for Heller Brothers catalogs earlier than 1936. Note that the 1936 examples don't have hanging holes broached for wrenching. Note the note on both finishes on the later versions.

For reference...

Pic 1 is 1936

Pics 2 & 3 are from 1949

Capt. Spaulding · Jul 6, 2018

Awesome thread! I actually just bought my first today. It’s a 6”.

I had no idea the history behind these. It’s awesome hearing some were made in Turlock, CA. I actually just moved from Turlock a few months back and now I must find one!

Capt. Spaulding · Jul 6, 2018

Does anyone have a picture of one marked Turlock?

4xdog · Jul 6, 2018

“Also available in polished finish.”

Anybody have one of those?

Private Lugnutz · Jul 6, 2018

I was thinking that refers to all the wrenches that aren't black japanned. See post #5. My brightest wrench (second from bottom) looks the most "polished", but I suspect that all of the examples of Masterenches that are not black japanned were originally natural steel that are simply in different stages of having aged and lost their factory polish.

One of Silverdeck's still looks fairly polished, as does Outlaw's.

Outlawmws · Jul 6, 2018

I agree on the comments Lugz made on "polished" Probably polished on a wire wheel...

And I dug out the other 6 I have of these. I appear to have 5 different "versions", Including one from the originators, in Turlock.

That one first, since one from Turlock was asked about: The orange was put on by me as this is the one I carry in my camping "pantry", primarily for tightening the prop connections but it's been used for other things as well. Why the safety orange? lots of my gear/tools for camping get that so I'm less likely to miss it when e pack up! :tard:

Marked: Master rench (two words) and Lynchmead MFG. Co. Turlock CA With
Patents pending 11-21, 1921 and 2-23-1921 Supporit these were the originla designs. Its also "drop Forged Steel, no mention of vanadium. All the rest of mine are vanaduim Steel.

This next pair is only marked "Patented" with no dates. Not sure if that makes it older or newer? :dunno:

the rest of the markings are std Heller bros. on all of them the difference being the patent dates.

And this pair with the "Patented 4-14-25 and 7-5-27" markings

Next up are the pipe renches. :see:

Outlawmws · Jul 6, 2018

One had the "Patented 4-14-25 and 7-5-27" dates on it and one has the third date: "Patented 4-14-25 and 7-5-27 and 11-12-28" The two date one has remnants of the Japanned finish on it. none of the others do. the 3 date rench has the square hanger hole, the rest are boring holes... :lol:

DadsTools · Jul 7, 2018

Not all the later versions were junk. These CROMNA from Germany are serious wrenches!

egdede · Jul 7, 2018

Does the half-moon jaw rotate enough to keep parallel on any size nut?

Private Lugnutz · Jul 7, 2018

I know zip about those CROMNA wrenches, but I'm not sure I would categorize them as later versions of the Masterench. The principle (of a self-adjusting jaw) might be the same, but Masterrenches use a simple strip of spring steel.

Username already in use · Jul 7, 2018

Thanks to this thread, I picked up this 6in 'Auto Grip' wrench today at the flea. Made by The Cleveland Wrench Co.
The Design Patent (D138173) was awarded in 1944. The shortest Patent application that I've ever seen!

Not Heller and not Masterench, but I think it fits here, right?

Outlawmws · Jul 7, 2018

Sure!

Interesting design. Am I seeing teeth serrations on the "fixed" jaw? I wonder f they were trying to make a dual purpose Hex and Pipe wrench?

Private Lugnutz · Jul 7, 2018

Username already in use said:
The shortest Patent application that I've ever seen!

Design Patent applications are typically shorter than Utility Patent applications, almost always on one page, but that is really short, even for a Design Patent!

Capt. Spaulding · Jul 11, 2018

I actually found the Turlock, CA version I was looking for! Turlock is a **** town (no offense to anyone living there), as I lived there for a while myself so it’s nice to have this one in the collection.

Private Lugnutz · Jul 11, 2018

Capt. Spaulding said:
I actually found the Turlock, CA version I was looking for!

Is it the Lynchmeade Corp (like Outlaw's, in post #14) or the Masterench Corp?

Capt. Spaulding · Jul 12, 2018

It’s a Masterench Corp. 8”.

Private Lugnutz · Jul 12, 2018

If you post it we'd have every version of the original on this thread: Masterench Corp, Lynchmead Corp, Heller Bros, and Heller.

Capt. Spaulding · Jul 12, 2018

Sadly I can’t post pictures right now due to my phone and it not working properly with the hosting site. I have on another forum been emailing my pictures to a friend and he’s hosting them and posting them for me.

Capt. Spaulding · Jul 13, 2018

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Capt. Spaulding · Jul 13, 2018

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Private Lugnutz · Jul 13, 2018

Nice.

humber2 · Jul 13, 2018

An old idea I see marketed in sets on TV each day.

You can get them if you phone Right Now or his junior Now.

Private Lugnutz · Jul 13, 2018

humber2 said:
An old idea

In this country this particular design (with a flat spring steel pin for tension) on the idea owned by Mssrs Lynch and Meade is no older than 1925.

humber2 said:
You can get them if you phone Right Now or his junior Now.

Yes, others on this thread, on the thread linked in my first post, and in a thread woody started on the inventors, have remarked on the variety and availability of cheap imitations of the same basic concept. Getting the originals made by Lynchmeade Corp, Masterench Corp, Heller Brothers, and finally just Heller, is just a bit more difficult.

Outlawmws · Jul 13, 2018

Actually 1921 based on the patents applied for.

Private Lugnutz · Jul 13, 2018

Roger that!

Private Lugnutz · Aug 5, 2018

Picked up another Heller Brothers Masterrench at the flea this morning. It was in rough shape, but it's an early one with the full 'Heller Brothers', Newark address and patent dates, which matches my 12-incher and 6-incher (the 8-incher I have is the later Heller (no Brothers, no patents, no address), so I am actually pleased with how it turned out despite the box rot stains. (You can see what I started with in Pic 4.)

notlob · Aug 5, 2018

https://archive.org/details/HellerMasterwrench

Outlawmws · Aug 5, 2018

Nice save Lugz!

Not: Great catalog posting! Do you happen to know what year is was from? This is the first I have seen of an 18"

Private Lugnutz · Aug 5, 2018

Outlawmws said:
This is the first I have seen of an 18"

I think you may have missed post #9, Outlaw. I posted excerpts from the 1936 and 1947 catalogs, both of which include an 18-incher.

Outlawmws · Aug 5, 2018

Private Lugnutz said:
I think you may have missed post #9, Outlaw. I posted excerpts from the 1936 and 1947 catalogs, both of which include an 18-incher.

I must have gone crosseyed... :wtf:

I even updated my inventory spreadsheet to only show 6, 8, 10 and 14"!!!

(Updating Spreadsheet - AGAIN)

Private Lugnutz · Aug 5, 2018

No problem. What we have not yet seen on this thread or the previous threads (unless I missed it...) was a collected example of an 18-incher. So it is officially a little contest now!

Outlawmws · Aug 5, 2018

Hmmm, I forgot to post my latest Masterenceh find from two weeks or so back;

6" pipe with the square broached hanger hole:

Just says "Patented"

Masterench by Heller Bros. Post em up!

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