Barcalo Buffalo Tools

[3baygarage]

You’ve got a really awesome collection going Don. Here is a Ford style wrench. It’s seen better days.

 

[3baygarage]

Mastercraft- a couple examples by Barcalo.

 

[d42jeep]

This Lakeside combo I found recently may have been made by Barcalo as well.
-Don

 

[3baygarage]

Yep, that’s another of theirs. Early Wards.

 

[d42jeep]

My neighbor and I hit the Tahoe flea this morning and my regular seller had set aside several Barcalo wrenches, most of which were like new after cleaning. The first picture is the wrenches as found. The next is the DOE wrenches after cleaning and the last is everything cleaned up.
-Don

 

[Gerry Clarke]

I have a Whitworth set I got from an old, retired mechanic in 1983. I use them a lot. Have not seen the raised panel with inverted triangular ends elsewhere and I wonder do these date to the Lend-Lease era (1940's)?

Gerry

 

[d42jeep]

I think that it is very likely that those could be lend lease wrenches made before the metal restrictions went into effect. Yours are the first I’ve seen with that distinctive raised panel. I assume that was done to indicate that they were Whitworth. Perhaps some of our members in the U.K. can provide more information. They are very cool!
-Don

 

[3baygarage]

Nice set. I would think they are quite hard to find here because I have no recollection of seeing that panel in all the Barcalo I’ve sifted through.

 

[Provincial]

I found these Barcalo combination wrenches at a garage sale Friday. They seem identical to the script "Barcaloy" series, except the name is forged in raised letters on one raised panel and the opposite panel has no markings at all. The size is forged into the open end cheek (what Alloy Artifacts calls a "Size Field") just like post-war wrenches before the "scooped" design. The finish appears to be phosphate or bluing instead of plating.

I haven't found any references to these on the Web yet.

 

[d42jeep]

I found these Barcalo combination wrenches at a garage sale Friday. They seem identical to the script "Barcaloy" series, except the name is forged in raised letters on one raised panel and the opposite panel has no markings at all. The size is forged into the open end cheek (what Alloy Artifacts calls a "Size Field") just like post-war wrenches before the "scooped" design. The finish appears to be phosphate or bluing instead of plating.

I haven't found any references to these on the Web yet.

Those must be pretty uncommon. Any Barcalo wrenches with raised letters are fairly rare. I have a couple of raised letter DBE and DOE wrenches in the collection but my similar combos are all stamped in except for one. The top wrench in the last picture looks like yours.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Since we seem to be on the topic of unusual Barcalo wrenches, here is the only single offset Barcalo made DBE I have ever seen. It was generously sent to me from my vintage tool collecting counterpart in Wales, UK. Even though it isn’t actually marked Barcalo, it’s pretty clearly made by them.
-Don

 

[humber2]

I have a Whitworth set I got from an old, retired mechanic in 1983. I use them a lot. Have not seen the raised panel with inverted triangular ends elsewhere and I wonder do these date to the Lend-Lease era (1940's)?

Gerry

Interesting to see that wrenches in this set while not having Part Numbers do have individual numbers 1,2,3,4,5 to the left of the word Barcalo.

This 1 thru 5 numbering also appears on other US made Whitworth DBE's, two lots come to mind, Lectrolite and the lookalike but unnamed Duro make with two interlocking circles.

All WW2 era tooling, there must have been some direction for this to have happened.

Looks like these Barcalos were never plated. A complete set with the minimum number of openings. I have but one, a number 1.

 

[DadsTools]

Since we seem to be on the topic of unusual Barcalo wrenches, here is the only single offset Barcalo made DBE I have ever seen. It was generously sent to me from my vintage tool collecting counterpart in Wales, UK. Even though it isn’t actually marked Barcalo, it’s pretty clearly made by them.
-Don

Unquestionably Barcalo.

 

[DadsTools]

Interesting to see that wrenches in this set while not having Part Numbers do have individual numbers 1,2,3,4,5 to the left of the word Barcalo.

This 1 thru 5 numbering also appears on other US made Whitworth DBE's, two lots come to mind, Lectrolite and the lookalike but unnamed Duro make with two interlocking circles.

All WW2 era tooling, there must have been some direction for this to have happened.

Looks like these Barcalos were never plated. A complete set with the minimum number of openings. I have but one, a number 1.

I've seen Barcalo DBE long pattern sets having no model number but sequential forged-in numbers 1 though 6 on a six piece set ranging from 3/8 x 7/16 to 15/16 x 1.

 

[Provincial]

Yesterday I was driving past the Restore, so I stopped and found this pair of Barcalo pliers for $0.25. They look a little odd, but there is a pair just like this on Alloy Artifacts.

 

[Farmer J.]

I think that it is very likely that those could be lend lease wrenches made before the metal restrictions went into effect. Yours are the first I’ve seen with that distinctive raised panel. I assume that was done to indicate that they were Whitworth. Perhaps some of our members in the U.K. can provide more information. They are very cool!
-Don

I have a couple of those DBE wrenches with the raised panel like that. Posted info about them here:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6967921#post6967921

I have these 2 Barcolo Buffalo DBE wrenches and the sizes are stamped on opposite sides. Both wrenches have one side with the AF sizes and FORGED VANADIUM on it and the other side BARCOLO BUFFALO USA but not the same way round on both wrenches.. They always spark me off on this story...

One of these is a bit mangled and bent at one end where one hot dusty itchy day it was left on a belt adjuster of a Minneapolis Moline combine harvester and the machine was started up, and it literally became what we call here 'a spanner in the works'. Everyone survived ok though.

I don't know if these wrenches actually came with that machine but the MM combine was supplied to us by the War Agricultural Committee I think as part of WW2 Lend-Lease. It was the first combine harvester in the county and the operators had never even seen one before it arrived, it came packaged as a kit in several wooden crates delivered to the farm from the local station on a horse drawn wagon. When they opened the crates and started to put it together they discovered there was no engine, but then heard there was a wooden crate left at a pub by the roadside a couple of miles away. The horse had got tired and the thirsty carrier had got sick of the job and left it there. With the help of the excellent instructions enclosed and tools sent with the kits of parts they assembled the combine and it served us very well and harvested all the farms in the area for years to come. It was a well made and loved machine, the operator who taught me combining in the 1970's was still saying what a good strong machine it was and how well it worked, but only once they had got the engine!!.

So when I use my old Barcolo wrench I think of the story of it. Hope you enjoy it too. PS Thanks for the machines.

 

[Toothaker]

Anyone need some fills? I'm thinning the herd, and these are tools that are duplicates of others in my toolbox. I'm very unlikely to ever use them, and I'd like to get them into the hands of someone who will either use them, or put them into an existing collection of similar items.

1. Barcalo Buffalo 25/32" and 3/4" DBE offset wrench
2. Barcalo 1/2" and 9/16" DBE offset wrench
3. Barcalo 1/2" and 9/16" DBE 15° wrench

PM me if you're interested.

 

[d42jeep]

Anyone need some fills? I'm thinning the herd, and these are tools that are duplicates of others in my toolbox. I'm very unlikely to ever use them, and I'd like to get them into the hands of someone who will either use them, or put them into an existing collection of similar items.

1. Barcalo Buffalo 25/32" and 3/4" DBE offset wrench
2. Barcalo 1/2" and 9/16" DBE offset wrench
3. Barcalo 1/2" and 9/16" DBE 15° wrench

PM me if you're interested.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?
attachmentid=788106&stc=1&d=1531073506

Mick,
I have one and two covered but I do not have #3 in my collection. Thanks for your generous offer. I’ll send you a PM.
I found this DOE at the Tahoe flea today.
-Don

 

[Toothaker]

Mick,
I have one and two covered but I do not have #3 in my collection. Thanks for your generous offer. I’ll send you a PM.
I found this DOE at the Tahoe flea today.
-Don

Ok, it's yours. The other two are still available if anyone is interested in them.

Sent from my mobile using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[SPAMNATOR]

Found this in tools from an auction. First one I had ever seen. Any guess on age. I cant find any markings anywhere else.

 

[d42jeep]

Those are actually fairly common wrenches probably mostly from the ‘40s, although unlikely to have been used by the military. Here are mine along with a couple of catalog listings.
-Don

 

[SPAMNATOR]

Thanks for the info.

 

[d42jeep]

Ok, it's yours. The other two are still available if anyone is interested in them.

Sent from my mobile using The Garage Journal mobile app

The 1960 vintage DBE wrench from Mick will be added to my small collection of more modern Barcalo wrenches. Thanks, Mick!
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

The Barcalo 1/2” X 9/16” DBE wrench arrived from Mick Toothaker and will fit right in with the wrenches pictured above. It cleaned up beautifully. Thanks again, Mick.
-Don

 

[Toothaker]

The Barcalo 1/2” X 9/16” DBE wrench arrived from Mick Toothaker and will fit right in with the wrenches pictured above. It cleaned up beautifully. Thanks again, Mick.
-Don

Don, you are welcome. I still feel I got the better end of the deal.

He swapped a 1/4" drive SK Wayne ratchet for the DBE. No ski masks or dark alleys were involved. But I'm sure checking over my shoulder a lot.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

This partial set of Barc-Buff combos (13/16", 7/8", 15/16" and 1") was in that Plomb 5400-AB set I just picked up. Interesting that although they sure seem like they may be original to each other, two of them are the rarer forged-in letter variant, and two are the stamped variant. Three of them have some kind of two-digit code I have never seen on Barc-Buff's before (it's usually a forged-in single letter), B3, B3, and A7.

 

[d42jeep]

Nice find. I have plenty of the stamped in combos but I don’t seem to have any of the raised letter variety. Maybe you could set those aside for me if you don’t want to keep them.
-Don

 

[Provincial]

Does anyone have a raised-lettering Barcalo combo smaller than 11/16"? So far all those I have seen turn up in person or on here have been larger sizes. Mine are shown in post #89 of this thread.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice find. I have plenty of the stamped in combos but I don’t seem to have any of the raised letter variety. Maybe you could set those aside for me if you don’t want to keep them.

I don't even collect combos, and the only reason I didn't take these out of the danged Plomb box I had to haul around on my hip on Thursday and leave them behind on the table was the raised lettering.

Does anyone have a raised-lettering Barcalo combo smaller than 11/16"? So far all those I have seen turn up in person or on here have been larger sizes. Mine are shown in post #89 of this thread.

Interesting observation. Sorry I missed your post earlier or I would have made reference to it. If you need either of these two (can't see your sizes) to complete that set, you'll have to arm wrestle First-Dibs Don...

 

[d42jeep]

Lugz,
In double checking, it looks like username sent me a 15/16” raised letter combo last year, if Provincial needs that one. I would still like the 13/16” one though.
-Don

 

[Provincial]

I have the following raised-letter sizes: 11/16, 3/4, 7/8, 15/16, and 1 inch.

I, too, am missing the 13/16.

It is interesting that these are starting to show up now. Perhaps no one noticed the difference earlier?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I would still like the 13/16” one though.

I, too, am missing the 13/16.

Hmmmm. Maybe I spoke too soon. I'll be opening the bidding at $24.99!

 

[Provincial]

Not me, I prefer to find them in the wild, and Barcalo is a side interest.

 

[d42jeep]

Lugz was just displaying his unique sense of humor. He knows that like another collector that we both know, my max offer is $2.00 (plus freight of course).
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Yeah, fake bidding war is what I was going for there. They are all in the Don pile - I have no use for one raised lettering Barc-Buff without the other!

 

[d42jeep]

Thanks, Lugz! I’d like some crab patties too but I’m not sure they would travel well!
-Don

 

[notlob]

Lugz was just displaying his unique sense of humor. He knows that like another collector that we both know, my max offer is $2.00 (plus freight of course).
-Don

Y'all some cheap bastages!

 

[d42jeep]

I’ve heard that said before!
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Does the teardrop hanging hole on the end of this offset/parrot-head adjustable wrench remind anyone else of something?!

 

[d42jeep]

A little bit. What is the brand on that tool. Lawson? It kind of resembles this Ridgid offset pipe wrench too.
-Don