Barcalo Buffalo Tools

[twertsy]

Yes Don, I like that board................cuz' I don't have enough yet

What's the one you're missing?

 

[ken w.]

I just picked up a 4" Barcalo adjustable. Here in the Buffalo area Barcalo tools are everywhere. I don't see many adjustable though. A few years ago there was so much Barcalo tools at every garage and estate sale that it got kind of annoying seeing it all. Now I'm starting to pick more of it up.

 

[d42jeep]

Yes Don, I like that board................cuz' I don't have enough yet

What's the one you're missing?

I just grabbed some examples out of the Barcalo box when I was in the Bay Area that I thought might fit. It's likely that I'll have the correct wrench when I'm able to put the board together with the rest of the wrenches. If I don't have the correct wrench I'll be sure to let you know. Thanks for asking.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Neat board. Thanks for sharing.

Starting at 70 cents and up from there huh, lol.

Thanks. I loaded it with the missing wrenches today. They were 13/16" X 7/8". I think it looks better complete.
-Don

 

[Provincial]

I picked up an interesting Barcalo DBE wrench the other day. It is 13/16 x 7/8, and the large end is formed at an odd angle, almost straight. I can't find any evidence that it was field modified, since the plating is intact and there is no evidence of heat in that area.

I believe that it was a factory special purpose wrench, but there are no markings other than the standard Barcalo and the sizes.

 

[Username already in use]

These would have followed me home this weekend, to be destined for the Barcalo shrine is beautiful sunny California, if they would have been anywhere close to reasonably priced... but alas, a pic is all that remains.

 

[d42jeep]

-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Now that I've recovered from "the one that got away", I thought I would post these wrenches I received from an old friend who is aware of my Barcalo fetish. The reason for the posting is that these are the first Old Forge wrenches that I've run across that were obviously made by Barcalo. I guess Mr Jones didn't want anyone stealing his Old Forge wrenches.
-Don

 

[3baygarage]

Nice Don. We don't see those every day. I picked up a drain plug wrench yesterday. I'll get pics up soon.

 

[twertsy]

For the Barcalo folks, I added a "Barcalo Wrenches" view under Barcalo Manufacturing Company on the Tool Archives. Should have been there a long time ago!

 

[d42jeep]

I checked it out and it looks great, Todd. I'll try to post some more examples as time permits. Most all of my prior postings were just the WW2 wrenches. Now that Tin Medic has come up with a '60 catalog, some of the newer wrenches are easier to date.
-Don

 

[3baygarage]

I'd love to flip through that. Is it going up on the Archives? Never had the pleasure of looking at a Barcalo cat.



Wrench for old Fords for use on spark plugs, brake adjustment, and drain plugs. Patented 1932.

http://www.datamp.org/patents/displayPatent.php?id=27932


View media item 75706
View media item 75707

 

[d42jeep]

I'd love to flip through that. Is it going up on the Archives? Never had the pleasure of looking at a Barcalo cat.

As far as I know, Twertsy has posted most of Tin Medic's extensive catalog collection on the Tool Archives so I'm hopeful that this one will be posted there as well. There are a couple of earlier Barcalo catalogs already available there.
Here are a few images from the '40 catalog followed by a couple from the 1960 catalog.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Following a tip from GJ member mrbill (Thanks, Bill) I contacted the seller who had posted this large Barcalo lot on the Buffalo Craigslist. He was willing to ship them to the west coast and after unpacking them I took some pictures. Some are duplicates for me but these are my first wrench rolls. The wrench roll image is from Tin Medic's '60 catalog.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

More Barcalo pictures.
-Don

 

[notlob]

Wow!

Don must have been a very good boy this year!

BTW, Don - remember all the WAY overpriced mostly large Barcalo wrenches at the recent estate sale we both attended? Guess who ended up buying them (and about 60 lb of other vintage tools) for a pittance on the last day of the sale...

 

[d42jeep]

That's funny. We also went back the last day and grabbed a bunch of large wrenches and other items as well! Here is a picture of the haul from the last day and the other picture is the generous contribution you made to the Barcalo shrine. Thanks again. Merry Christmas.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ love the "kitchen tool". that thing looks lethal!

 

[3baygarage]

^ love the "kitchen tool". that thing looks lethal!

Nice.

Great coast to coast haul.

 

[d42jeep]

If you can find one you can join the international 7 in 1 club. We have a secret handshake and are looking into getting club jackets. Username and Tin Medic belong as well as a couple other anonymous members.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ I think my mother would seriously injure herself with something like that, so I went with the much simpler "Wizard" jar opener.
She already has enough gadgetry to cover the other bases.

 

[BFBOB]

These may be the po' relations of the Barcalo line, but I like their Art-Deco style. I grabbed a couple at a flea market just because of the design. They were unmarked, but then I came across others with the Barcalo stamping. I've managed to piece together everything in DOE's from 5/16 to 1 1/8. That might be all there are, but who knows?

 

[3baygarage]

An old funiture tag from an estate sale.

Reposting these pictures from the Factory Flaw thread. I posted quite a few Barcalo "seconds" and factory scrap pieces in that thread. In case anyone who hasn't seen wants to take a look. Post 32, 40, 103, 123, 152, 155, 194 in particular:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=237358

 

[d42jeep]

These may be the po' relations of the Barcalo line, but I like their Art-Deco style. I grabbed a couple at a flea market just because of the design. They were unmarked, but then I came across others with the Barcalo stamping. I've managed to piece together everything in DOE's from 5/16 to 1 1/8. That might be all there are, but who knows?

I like those too and they are underrepresented in my collection. I got three more in my recent Craigslist lot. Some of mine are marked, some are unmarked.
-Don

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Cool I have never seen one of those geometric ones in the inch plus sizes.

 

[d42jeep]

I gathered mine together for a photo op today while I was incorporating all the new tools into the collection. I took a few other pictures as well.
-Don

 

[eggs73]

Picked these up few months ago

 

[d42jeep]

Those are nice rolls. With the scarcity of Barcalo catalogs it difficult to date the tools but I would guess your combination roll was made in the mid to late 50s. I don't know about the DOE wrenches as I haven't seen a catalog with those in it. Here are my similar combination wrenches.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Thanks to a tip from Four Cycle, I was able to pick up this new appearing unmarked Barcalo geometric pattern DOE wrench set with clip off of eBay.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

fabulous!

and thanks again!

 

[BFBOB]

Thanks to a tip from Four Cycle, I was able to pick up this new appearing unmarked Barcalo geometric pattern DOE wrench set with clip off of eBay.
-Don

Dang, that's quite a find! No rust to be seen- envy!!

my only consolation is mine is still bigger than yours.

 

[d42jeep]

Dang, that's quite a find! No rust to be seen- envy!!

my only consolation is mine is still bigger than yours.

Thanks! They almost didn't make it. The box had come open on one end and I was really happy to see that none of the pieces were missing.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a combination set with roll that arrived from eBay today.
-Don

 

[notlob]

Nice! I've got a fairly heavy bag with your name on it that contains several larger sizes of that wrench style, and a selection of other priceless items.

 

[d42jeep]

BB & Priceless are my favorite kinds! Thanks! I have a few items for you as well. We just have to attend the same tool heavy estate sale, which have been a little sparse lately. I'll let you know if I see anything likely.
-Don

 

[bonneyman]

I like those too and they are underrepresented in my collection. I got three more in my recent Craigslist lot. Some of mine are marked, some are unmarked.
-Don

I see that style occasionally but never larger than 5/8".

 

[d42jeep]

As reported in the 2018 Garage sale thread, we went to an estate sale in Alameda today where my wife found this flat panel DBE set. The first picture is the wrenches as found. The next is after some cleaning. Additionally, this nice raised panel DBE arrived in the mail from Oregon today. It was one that was missing from the Barcalo shrine!
-Don

 

[shanny19]

Those are nice rolls. With the scarcity of Barcalo catalogs it difficult to date the tools but I would guess your combination roll was made in the mid to late 50s. I don't know about the DOE wrenches as I haven't seen a catalog with those in it. Here are my similar combination wrenches.
-Don

If when viewed from the side, the box end has the weird and characteristic wedge shape, they are late fifties into sixties. No wedge shape is early fifties or older. That's IIRC from an old post on the late 90s tool talk board ran by MarkKW.

 

[d42jeep]

In post #51 in this thread a 1960 catalog has surfaced and it shows the “wedge end” but also this rectangular raised panel, so these wrenches are definitely ‘60 or newer.
-Don

 

[shanny19]

I knew it as an identifying oddity, but had no idea it was an advertised feature!!!