H-P Tool Manufacturing Corp./ Blue Line

woody 73 · Nov 5, 2016

This next story can be found in the AA web-site but I can add a few more items that might be of interest to you. The reason I picked this story is because you never hear much about H-P Tool Manufacturing; occasionally a GJ member will find an old Blue Line Wrench and ask about it. As a post script thanks to GJ member twertsy it now looks like the Man that started the Company was a Mr. Benjamin Komins around 1954.

If you can recall from my last two stories finding these tools is the easy part, but finding information about these tool companies is the hard part so keep that in mind.

I do know they got started in Philadelphia, Pa. sometime in the second half of the 20th Century. They made punches, chisels, star drills, wrenches and other hand tools for the trades.

From looking at the Trademark information the filing date for the name Blue line was on 06/15/1961 and a registration date of 05/25/1965. First use any where was on 05/17/1961 and first use in commerce was on 05/17/1961.

The trademark expired on 08/25/1985 this much we know but the next part is very interesting because you will not see that part in the AA web-site. From other sources (see the Links) they filed for bankruptcy protection sometime in 1980 apparently after stiffing one of their wholesale accounts with a bad batch of low quality wrenches.

In the past I sometimes run into their line of wrenches and I always thought they looked very nice; I do not know how well they stand up to every day abuse? Of special note the next few pictures you will see a shield on the set of punches be sure and look very close for the H-P/ blue line stamps.

Just another tool to look for in your many tool hunts.

https://trademarks.justia.com/721/22/blue-line-72122082.html

http://alloy-artifacts.org/other-makers-p2.html

http://progress-is-fine.blogspot.com/2016/01/vanished-tool-makers-h-p-tool.html#!

http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=0...TION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch

Rileysan · Nov 5, 2016

Fascinating. I've never heard of, nor have I seen any Blue Line tools. Do you know much about their distribution channels? Did they sell much outside of the NE US?

Brian

woody 73 · Nov 5, 2016

Rileyan I wish I could tell you more about how they distributed their tools, but like I said information is very scarce on their company including History.

If I was as old as my older brother (scary thought) then perhaps I could have helped with that information.

The wrenches that I do find look like some what like snap on.

Sam'sAutoParts · Nov 5, 2016

I see a lot of Punches and Chisels in my neck of the woods, still have yet to see any wrenches in the wild. So far I have been avoiding the temptation to build a set of combo wrenches off eBay.

twertsy · Nov 5, 2016

woody 73 said:
Rileyan I wish I could tell you more about how they distributed their tools, but like I said information is very scarce on their company including History.

If I was as old as my older brother (scary thought) then perhaps I could have helped with that information.

The wrenches that I do find look like some what like snap on.

Hmmmm....I've Done research on them but haven't documented it yet. If I recall correctly, founded in '45.

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woody 73 · Nov 5, 2016

twertsy Wow you are way ahead of me because I never found any information about the starting date let alone mention of 1945 good job! :thumbup:

woody 73 · Nov 5, 2016

Sam go for it and buy the sets on E-bay something to remind you about your Home state. :rocker:

twertsy · Nov 5, 2016

I knew I had done some research, looks like it was around '54.

Ok. H-P Tool Manufacturing Co. I can only find anything as far back as 1954, based out of Philadelphia.

The founder is Benjamin Komins, who also founded Penn Tool Co. in 1937(ish). Mr. Komins passed in August of '56. https://books.google.com/books?id=j...=0ahUKEwjXuZDv6M3OAhXGbiYKHf-uCis4ChDoAQhDMAk

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woody 73 · Nov 5, 2016

twertsy said:
I knew I had done some research, looks like it was around '54.

Ok. H-P Tool Manufacturing Co. I can only find anything as far back as 1954, based out of Philadelphia.

The founder is Benjamin Komins, who also founded Penn Tool Co. in 1937(ish). Mr. Komins passed in August of '56. https://books.google.com/books?id=j...=0ahUKEwjXuZDv6M3OAhXGbiYKHf-uCis4ChDoAQhDMAk

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

Fantastic good job I will add it to the post story!

Thumper · Nov 5, 2016

I have a set of Blue Line combo wrenches...3/8 to 3/4. They are at work or I would post a picture. I've had them a long time and they hold up damn good.

twertsy · Nov 5, 2016

Thumper said:
I have a set of Blue Line combo wrenches...3/8 to 3/4. They are at work or I would post a picture. I've had them a long time and they hold up damn good.

Good to see you again thumper.......been a while!

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StillTooManyHobbies · Nov 5, 2016

I have a set of Blue Line punches and chisels that came from a tool auction held somewhere outside Morgantown, WV in the mid or late 70s. Still have them and use them, but they do seem a little soft. Auctioneer would only sell one if he did not get his price, but sell as many as you wanted if he did. I'll post a pic later (after I take it!). I always wondered what the story was about this brand.

coljar · May 29, 2018

StillTooManyHobbies said:
I have a set of Blue Line punches and chisels that came from a tool auction held somewhere outside Morgantown, WV in the mid or late 70s. Still have them and use them, but they do seem a little soft. Auctioneer would only sell one if he did not get his price, but sell as many as you wanted if he did. I'll post a pic later (after I take it!). I always wondered what the story was about this brand.

I also have what is probably the same set. I bought mine at a tool auction in Mineral Wells, WV. about 1979.

Private Lugnutz · May 29, 2018

woody 73 said:
In the past I sometimes run into their line of wrenches and I always thought they looked very nice

woody 73 said:
The wrenches that I do find look like some what like snap on.

I ran into a dozen of them recently, combos, on a stringer, all the same size (7/8"), and they were quite literally blue. Not a tinge of blue, like some very early Blue-Point tools. Not gunsmith blue (although I suspected that's how they were finished and how they got their name). They were almost black, but not black like black oxide. But yeah, they had that Snap-on streamline styling (also reminiscent of New Britain NDF line). I remember texting Todd about them while I was still at the flea market looking at them, because I had never heard of them or seen them before. I thought I snapped a photo and sent it to Todd, to see if he had seen them before, but apparently not, or I deleted it since. I can't find it. Anyway, they didn't look anything like the wrenches on AA, so I'll be curious to see what Thumper posts.

EDIT: Here's pair of H-P Tools drive pin punches I have. Funny how one is stamped "H-P TOOLS" while the other is stamped "HP TOOLS" (no hyphen). I guess they weren't too particular. Now that I am looking at them, maybe the wrenches were just very dark gunsmith or steel blue like this and the combination of the name and the finish struck me.

genog · Jun 20, 2022

I am going to bump this old thread.
The OP provided real good info on H-P, much better than if I start a new thread.

I recently ran into an interesting set of Blue Line combos

A couple of the wrenches appears to have had minor imperfections before being chromed.
Some of the boo-boos look like grind marks that were not polished out before finishing

The partial set spans 7/16 to 15/16, just missing the 7/8 (anyone have an extra?)

Private Lugnutz · Jun 30, 2023

I found these partial DOE and Combo sets at the flea this morning.

As I was saying on the Garage Sale thread, I've seen them before in onesy-twosies and did not pick them up. Those were dark steel. Maybe older? I don't really know, but I remember thinking they got their name from blueing. Maybe not. Anyway, I am kicking myself now, because I may have been able fill out more of these sets I just found if I had picked them up. A little later than my collecting timeframe, but I agree with @outofbounds, cross-posting from a different thread...

outofbounds said:
Turned up these 4 BlueLine combination wrenches at the flea market last Saturday. Top flight quality in my opinion.

They are very well made. I like anything with a hex gullet and the stylishness of the markings is bonus.

Leviton · Jan 12, 2025

Found this stubby flathead screwdriver last week. I haven't seen too many "H-P Tool" marked screwdrivers. I can't find any here or on eBay. The only ones I've seen are a wooden handled one on the Progress Is Fine site and a steel 4-way offset screwdriver on Alloy Artifacts. The H-P Blue Line catalog on ITCL has some Blue Line marked screwdrivers but none with the H-P Tool marking.

Private Lugnutz · Oct 10, 2025

Spotted this set in a roll-up at the flea this morning.

rickhigginshtbr · Oct 12, 2025

My problem with Blue Line wrenches is usually it's missing a chunk of chrome somewhere. Punches and Chisels were top notch.

Anyone ever figure out if they were forging tools in Philadelphia? Or just having other manufacturers produce the tools while they just distributed?

Private Lugnutz · Oct 12, 2025

rickhigginshtbr said:
Anyone ever figure out if they were forging tools in Philadelphia? Or just having other manufacturers produce the tools while they just distributed?

Not that I know of. Back when Tool Archives was active and Todd and I were chasing this down, I remember running into an Army contracts document that showed them with a plant in Richmond, Indiana, but I never could confirm that in any other literature or if the name was a coincidence or a mistake.

Long time no see, Rick.

cochenee · Oct 28, 2025

From a Navy issued-1970 tool box, I inherited a used 3/8 cape chisel of high quality. I’ve been using it ever since. Not the best of stamping, but I could make out “HPTOOL”. So the story continues.

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