Rusty Relics from a National Historical Landmark

Private Lugnutz · Mar 13, 2020

I picked up this set of single offset fixed socket wrenches at a flea market yesterday morning, with hex openings ranging from 7/16" to 1-1/8".

I knew they weren't made by Mossberg, Hinsdale, Walden-Worcetser, or Blackhawk, because none of those are hand-forged with a bent octagonal shank. I knew they weren't Braunsdorf-Mueller, because they used bent pressed steel pipes. The only thing I could make out on the spot with a little rubbing was a set of initials ("WPG") and what looked possibly like a single digit number. I bought them almost entirely to satisfy my curiosity about their origins.

Funny, there was another guy hanging around the vendors table who made a sarcastic remark about their condition and age, and the price, which was 5 bucks, and what a deal. As I walked away, the vendor, who was one of those guys with a little too much excess pride, said, "He may get his money back in scrap."

I pulled them out of the de-rusting bath this morning, found a name, and did some quick research and ended up spending the rest of the morning in phone calls and emails with the director and the site manager of a National Historical Landmark. As it turns out, they're kind of unique with a very interesting history, one which I never would've imagined.

I will be back with more photos and the rest of the story as soon as I can finish cleaning up the tools and gathering the contextual information.

Private Lugnutz · Mar 13, 2020

Here are some views of the set cleaned-up and some views of the largest and smallest just to get a better perspective of the construction.

Private Lugnutz · Mar 13, 2020

Here are some close-ups of the markings, all of which include the name “GRUBER” and a number on each wrench, from "00" to "9".

Private Lugnutz · Mar 13, 2020

And here are some views of the initials "WPG" that appear on the shanks near the offset end.

Private Lugnutz · Mar 13, 2020

Here is an inventory:

No. 00: 7/16”
No. 0: 1/2”
No. 1: 9/16”
No. 2: 19/32”
No. 3: 5/8”
No. 4: 11/16”
No. 6: 7/8”
No. 8: 1”
No. 9: 1-1/8”

I am guessing that the set had a No. 5 (3/4” or possibly 25/32”) and a No. 7 (31/32”).

Private Lugnutz · Mar 13, 2020

So who was Gruber?

Believe it or not – they made horse-drawn wagons and carriages. Famously!

Gruber Wagon Works was in operation in Berks County, Pennsylvania from 1882 to 1971. Franklin Gruber had five sons and they each had a job as they got older. John was the Business Mgr and wood shop guy. Jacob was the wheelwright. Adam was the painter (striping and scrollwork), and Levi was a jack-of-all-trades. George was the Blacksmith.

I know what you’re thinking. These aren’t wrenches that would be used to build or maintain horse-drawn wagons, and none of those names start with a “W”.

You're correct. William P. Gruber was a grandson and they made these wrenches in the blacksmith shop in an effort to expand the family business in the early days of the automobile, when the wagon business was waning. In fact, Gruber legend has it that they sent a set to Henry Ford himself, upon request. But they sold most of them directly to garages and dealerships in the area for owners to use on their cars.

Attached are some excerpts of articles from various issues of The Carriage Journal in the 70's and 80's talking about the history of the Gruber Wagon Works and the socket wrenches.

Private Lugnutz · Mar 13, 2020

The story gets better.

In 1972, Gruber Wagon Works was purchased by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

In 1974 the building and all its contents were photographed, inventoried, and removed (19,000 individual pieces of equipment, machinery, and tools) and later on reconstructed exactly as it looked by the Corps of Engineers at 1102 Red Bridge Road in Reading, PA.

In 1977 it was named a National Historic Landmark and is maintained by the Berks County Parks & Recreation Department. Their website is linked here. And here is the Wikipedia article on Gruber Wagon Works.

I am attaching some documents from the hearings before the House of Representatives proposing a bill to fund the project in 1976, because they do more justice than I ever could to the importance of preserving the Gruber Wagon Works as a National Historical Landmark.

From the last highlight in the third attachment:

"The inventory is so complete that the impression upon seeing it is that the workmen had just stepped out to lunch and upon returning could resume making farm wagons."

Private Lugnutz · Mar 13, 2020

These wrenches go immediately into my Top 5 Favorite Finds in the last couple years. The Gruber Wagon Works site is only open from May to October, but the director is gong to arrange for me to make a off-season visit and I am going to get a personal tour.

With my wrenches in tow, of course.

They have some wrenches on display (see the photo of them hanging on a board in the blacksmith shop and read the text from a book called The Gruber Wagon Works – The Place Where Time Stood Still by Carol Hunsberger) - but they don't have any with the personal initials of William P. Gruber.

Farmer J. · Mar 13, 2020

Nice find Lugz, and great research as always. This will be an interesting read for the weekend..

leg17 · Mar 13, 2020

Lugz this is so cool.
Thanks for the posting and for all the research.

Private Lugnutz · Mar 13, 2020

Thanks, guys. I knew you would appreciate it! I was thinking of you two and humber and HeelSpur and woody and others when I started to realize what I had found and where they came from.

4xdog · Mar 13, 2020

We've talked about socket wrenches in other threads, Lugz. They're surprisingly efficient, and it's curious that they've fallen out of favor in our country.

Those are indeed some of the neatest I've ever seen, and that's before the amazing backstory. Thanks for the look.

Private Lugnutz · Mar 13, 2020

4xdog said:
We've talked about socket wrenches in other threads, Lugz. They're surprisingly efficient, and it's curious that they've fallen out of favor in our country.

Those are indeed some of the neatest I've ever seen, and that's before the amazing backstory. Thanks for the look.

Thanks. My pleasure. And yes, it's one of those strange things where technicians in France and Germany are reaching for cles-a-pipes right now more than any other tools and here they are only antiques.

harley jim · Mar 13, 2020

Lugs
That's a very cool story I enjoyed it.
And a great eye to spot them.
Thanks for what you do.

Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk

Outlawmws · Mar 13, 2020

Very cool story and finds!

So is the thought these were Williams PERSONAL set?

Are you taking them just to make them salivate? To sell them, or are you going to leave them?

Private Lugnutz · Mar 13, 2020

Thanks, Harley Jim. Glad you liked it.

Outlaw,

Great questions!

The Director of the entire Berks County Parks & Recreation Dept was the site manager at Gruber Wagon Works for many years before she was promoted. When she heard what I had from the new site manager, who has been in that position for almost 10 years now, and was a college intern there prior to that, she wanted to talk to me, too. Neither one of them have ever seen any examples with those or any other initials before, so they don't really know. Their hunch, and I share it, is that they just don't have enough surviving examples of the wrenches to know what was typical or atypical. In other words, maybe many of them were made that way and those just haven't turned up like the ones the blacksmiths didn't personally mark. They only made these wrenches for a few years, they said.

I am taking them so they can see them in person and maybe we can compare them to the other wrenches, but mainly just to show off and celebrate them in the steel, so to speak.

I have no plans to donate them at this time - and I actually brought that up with them, stopping just short of telling them the WWII Chapman Midget Set story.

woody 73 · Mar 13, 2020

Super cool fantastic write-up... yet another American tool maker to add to the list. :thumbup:

I have been gone for a few days, I believe that due to the corona virus things have been rather hectic as to be expected
Private as always I enjoyed your story very much. :beer:

LesserSon · Mar 13, 2020

Wow! Amazing sleuth-work (and nice clean-up, too)!

leg17 · Mar 13, 2020

Private Lugnutz said:
I picked up this set of single offset fixed socket wrenches at a flea market yesterday morning, with hex openings ranging from 7/16" to 1-1/8".

I knew they weren't made by Mossberg, Hinsdale, Walden-Worcetser, or Blackhawk, because none of those are hand-forged with a bent octagonal shank. I knew they weren't Braunsdorf-Mueller, because they used bent pressed steel pipes. .......

Or Vlchek

2oolhound · Mar 13, 2020

I've come close to buying the modern Facom version of these. What a great find although I think they found you.

Thanks for the whole story!

wrenchguy · Mar 13, 2020

thanks.

Private Lugnutz · Mar 13, 2020

LesserSon said:
Wow! Amazing sleuth-work (and nice clean-up, too)!

Thanks, LS. Short roadtrip for you. Tin Medic texted me offboard and said that he has visited Gruber Wagon Works - twice, first in 1977 and again in 1999!

2oolhound said:
I've come close to buying the modern Facom version of these.

leg17 said:
Or Vlchek

Vlchek and Braunsdorf-Mueller are the closest to the Facom wrenches 2oolhound is talking about, which are hollow tubular construction, not solid. They are hot forged steel though, not pressed steel. I'm actually very impressed with them. If I was going to buy modern wrenches, I would buy them. As you know, Vlchek and BMCo cross-drilled a hole for a tommy bar in the shank near the offset end. Facom ingeniously put a through-hole in the back (or the "bottom", I suppose) of each offset socket for a tommy bar. There's an older thread on the General Discussion board for those wrenches where I posted photos of a bunch of older American offset socket wrenches and people were literally astonished that it's a 100+ year old design. EDIT: A link to that thread is here, and my posts start with post #49 on page 3.

jabberwoki · Mar 13, 2020

So you'll leave it to them in your will?
You find the best stuff Lugs

Private Lugnutz · Mar 13, 2020

Thanks, jabberwoki! That's a great idea.

SweetD · Mar 13, 2020

Amazing. Thanks for sharing!

:beer:

lardy1 · Mar 14, 2020

They're just rusty old wrenches without the footwork and research. Thanks for sharing, Lugz. Always appreciated. I grew up a few miles from Flint, Michigan which had a prospering carriage industry that evolved into the automobile industry. .

bugnut · Mar 14, 2020

Lugz great info and backstory.

Any linkage to grub screws?

driftpin · Mar 14, 2020

That reminds me of the claim that Studebaker was the "oldest car manufacturer" because they built wagons before entering the automobile business.

An interesting story, some useful tools, and historical context, what-else could you ask-for?

Maybe in 50 years, someone will turn-up some beryllium wrenches, find-out that the alloy was a space program strategic material, and that the markings on them relate to Titusville FL and the Kennedy Space Center, where they were used. That-is, if the tools haven't been confiscated because of the harmful effects of airborne beryllium.

3baygarage · Mar 14, 2020

Very cool rescue, and nice work. Enjoyed the article on Gruber wrenches, the picture makes it even better.

txlonghorn1989 · Mar 14, 2020

Lugz, that is very cool! When you're on that factory tour keep your eyes open for any stamp sets. You might just find an exact match the the WPG stamped on your tools. Just sayin' it could happen. :0)

Private Lugnutz · Mar 14, 2020

Thanks, SweetD and 3bay.

Thanks, and that evolution makes a lot of sense, lardy and driftpin. I don't know how deeply you read any of the attachments, but very much like their foray into wrenches to keep their business going, Gruber made wooden bodies for early automobiles. I don't know why they didn't make the leap from horse-drawn to horseless carriages. EDIT: They knew their way round an engine, having installed an early Otto to run their machinery!

Possibly, Tex. The site manager and the director are actually going to check the wrenches they have in storage, because the wrenches they are familiar with (hanging on a board and some in a chest in the blacksmith shop) don't have any initials. That's why they are so interested in them.

I don't think so, bugnut. I can see why you might think so, but the intended fasteners had external heads.

Shiftless · Mar 14, 2020

Amazizng find and an even better historical back story to go with it. Thanks for posting all of those attachments. Made a great read this morning.
You certainly do stumble upon some of the best finds out there. And for only $5 !!

.

ganymede · Mar 14, 2020

Great job saving some historic tools.
Also F those zero sum turds and their comments at the flea market .

Private Lugnutz · Mar 14, 2020

Thanks, guys!

ddawg16 · Mar 14, 2020

One hell of a story......and a great "you ****" find.......

You could maybe 'loan' them to the museum for a short time. That is how a lot of museums get their art....

r_olson_06 · Mar 14, 2020

Very cool Lugz and great research piece as always.

Sent from my XT1710-02 using The Garage Journal mobile app

Private Lugnutz · Mar 14, 2020

Ricky Joe said:
Why would you think the no. 7 would be 31/32” and not 15/16”?

Good question, RJ. Probably just outsmarted myself.

r_olson_06 said:
Very cool Lugz and great research piece as always.

Thanks, Roy. (Cross-threading, I smiled reading LS's first experience with your sticky packing MO.)

ddawg16 said:
You could maybe 'loan' them to the museum for a short time. That is how a lot of museums get their art....

Maybe. Last time I donated a rare tool-set (WWII-era Chapman midget set in an eyeglass case they were putting them in back then...) I got a lucky and found another one a few years later. Somehow I think that's less likely in this case!

Private Lugnutz · Mar 25, 2020

UPDATE:

The Berks County Parks & Rec, which owns and operates the Gruber Wagon Works NHL, is shut down just like almost everything else. But I have been in contact with the Director and the site manager at GWW. They sent me a Gruber family genealogical chart and some more scans from the book I posted some excerpts from above.

Believe it or not, our own tin medic has been there - twice! First in 1977 with his parents, and again in 1999 with his own family. He kindly recently sent me a second book about GWW. See Pics 1 through 5 below.

It's fantastic. It was originally a masters thesis in 1968 written by Paul Kube a former Navy WWII vet and high school teacher. With some introductory material, and some material discussing the NHL designation and additional research that the county conducted, it was turned into a book in 2005.

One of the contributor credits on the cover (Cathy Wegener) is the person I am communicating with about the wrenches. She was the manager of GWW and is now the Berks County Parks & Rec Director.

Interestingly, not only do they not have any wrenches with "WPG" stamped on them, they don't have any wrenches greater than size 6, whereas my set includes an 8 and a 9.

It includes a table of all GWW production by type and numbers. Truck bodies is included (extreme right, starting in 1920), but no wrenches. Apparently the office didn't consider them significant enough to track.

leg17 · Mar 26, 2020

Just gotta say it again.
This is very cool stuff Lugz.

bigredcornhead · Apr 3, 2020

Very Cool ready my man, thanks for sharing!

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