Barcalo Buffalo Tools

[d42jeep]

That is the exact same set I have, shown back in post #156. Mine was unused as well. It’s the “Shopmaster Tool-Kit”. They must be pretty rare. I think it’s the one I circled shown in the 1960 catalog.
-Don

 

[Username already in use]

Oh no, Don's asleep at the wheel. This thread was 4 pages back!

These were a pleasant surprise in the bottom of a cheap carry box yesterday. They'll be headed to their forever home soon.

 

[d42jeep]

Wow. That looks like most of a set. I was playing with Craftsman stuff. I did take the time to finish these twin rolls, however.
-Don

 

[Provincial]

I stumbled upon some Barcalo at the restore the other day. Sandwiched between the Long-C Craftsman DOE and the Williams B52 ratchet are the following:

DOE 19/32x11/16
DOE 25/32x7/8
Combo 3/4
Combo 9/16
Crescent Combo 7/16

I pick up cheap Tonka toy trucks for an acquaintance that collects them. The other day he handed me this Barcalo 6" S-type adjustable.

 

[Tylermorris]

A few Barcalo wrenches and some shears

 

[d42jeep]

Found these at the Tahoe flea market on Saturday morning. The bottom one is a Barcalo made Wardmaster wrench.
-Don

 

[transam81]

Found a Barcalo-Buffalo duouble boxend wrench at flea market today. It's stamped "2ND" which appears to be a factory marking. Is it?
1" & 15/16"

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Could be, implied "Factory Second", i.e., defect sold cut rate.

 

[transam81]

I was assuming that. Never seen a tool marked that way.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Me neither. Very literal!

 

[d42jeep]

The seconds I’ve seen are marked like this. Barcalo seconds aren’t exactly unheard of.
-Don

 

[3baygarage]

Neat find. They indeed marked some of them. More in this thread:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6915019&postcount=194

 

[snapmom]

A Barcalo Buffalo AT8052
A Blue Point (unmarked) AT8052 with a 41 code
The ATxxxx wrenches are usually Whitworth, but a few were SAE

 

[d42jeep]

A Barcalo Buffalo AT8052
A Blue Point (unmarked) AT8052 with a 41 code
The ATxxxx wrenches are usually Whitworth, but a few were SAE

Here are some 7/16” AT8005 combos.
-Don

 

[HeelSpur]

I'm assuming this is an upholstery hammer it was with 2 others.

DSCF2406 by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF2407 by wvwheaties, on Flickr

Was with these two;
DSCF2409 by wvwheaties, on Flickr

 

[d42jeep]

It looks as if the end on your Barcalo hammer may have been modified. Mine looks a bit different but I imagine that they started out looking the same. Maybe mine has been shortened.
-Don

 

[HeelSpur]

It looks as if the end on your Barcalo hammer may have been modified. Mine looks a bit different but I imagine that they started out looking the same. Maybe mine has been shortened.
-Don

Mine has a flat head screwdriver tip at the end.

 

[d42jeep]

Mine has a flat head screwdriver tip at the end.

Does the flat head screwdriver look original or user modified? The only ones I’ve seen are yours and mine. Yours looks longer to me which is why I now suspect that mine has been shortened.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Mine has a flat head screwdriver tip at the end.

Maybe mine has been shortened.

If the OAL and the placement of the branding is any indication, it sure looks like it.

Well, you could always put a flat head screwdriver tip back onto yours. I know I would be tempted!

 

[d42jeep]

I’ll probably just wait 5 years for the next one to come along. Here are a few recent additions to the Barcalo shrine, generously donated by misterbill.
-Don

 

[HeelSpur]

Does the flat head screwdriver look original or user modified? The only ones I’ve seen are yours and mine. Yours looks longer to me which is why I now suspect that mine has been shortened.
-Don

I'm not so sure if its a screwdriver end or a pry bar end since I took a closer look. Looks original to me though.

DSCF2417 by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF2416 by wvwheaties, on Flickr

 

[d42jeep]

Thanks for posting the additional pictures. I’ll be on the lookout for one that hasn’t been modified.
-Don

 

[Provincial]

Here are a couple of recent Barcalo-made combos that I purchased recently. Both are what I call "Thick Panel" models. The side panels are large and much thicker than previous models. I believe that these were late production, and I have seen them marked as Wardmaster and Crescent in addition to Barcalo. The markings are usually etched, and are often worn off. The shorty DBE here has no markings left at all.

Do you guys think that I have this right?

 

[d42jeep]

The first evidence I’ve seen of this style of Barcalo wrench appears in this recently discovered 1958 catalog. They are also in Tin Medic’s 1960 catalog. I believe they are the last style of wrenches made by Barcalo.
-Don

 

[Provincial]

Many of the examples I see of this style have thicker walls to the box ends. I wonder if they used weaker steel or (my preference) management decided that thicker walls would reduce warranty claims.

I think most of these design wrenches were made after the acquisition by Crescent Niagara.

 

[Farmer J.]

Here's some pics of my Barcalo DBE wrenches, as requested by Don. Hope you enjoy them!
It's taken a while, I have a new digital camera which my daughter found somebody had lost it around the farm. After trying all the usual 'lost property' routes to trace the owner she gave it to me but it is so complicated and digital I couldn't work it! So, after getting the son-in-law to restore all the settings I had messed with i stuck duct tape over all the buttons and switches and now it just works on 'auto'..
Pics spread over 3 posts.
2 of these wrenches are AF and I think came here with the MM combine harvester in WW2. I could be wrong, but they were used with that machine and lived in the tool box so are very worn.
The Whitworth one has the strange ends on the side panels, I have no idea of whence it came.

 

[Farmer J.]

More pictures.

 

[Farmer J.]

The rest of the pictures. The whole lot loaded up in the opposite order to how I intended, these should have been first but as it's so painfully slow putting pictures onto this site I have left them in this order.. Hope they show all the required detail and angles for you to see what they look like.
Have a nice weekend, J.

 

[d42jeep]

J,
Thanks for all of the pictures. Were most of your wrenches sourced in the UK? All of the Whitworth examples I’ve heard of have been found there. It was clever of Barcalo to make the unique raised panels on the Whitworth wrenches to easily differentiate them from the rest of their wrenches. I imagine that all of the Whitworth production was for the war effort since I don’t know of any that have been found in the US. Here are some others found by a long time collector in Wales.
-Don

 

[Bryan Burns]

The first evidence I’ve seen of this style of Barcalo wrench appears in this recently discovered 1958 catalog. They are also in Tin Medic’s 1960 catalog. I believe they are the last style of wrenches made by Barcalo.
-Don

I have 7 of these wrenches. I really like the mirror polish and 30 degree offset on them. Also have an open end wrench and nail puller.

PM me if you're interested in the combination wrenches. I like them but made an agreement with myself awhile back that I will use my FLEET wrenches for my personal use.

Bryan

 

[Farmer J.]

J,
Thanks for all of the pictures. Were most of your wrenches sourced in the UK? All of the Whitworth examples I’ve heard of have been found there. It was clever of Barcalo to make the unique raised panels on the Whitworth wrenches to easily differentiate them from the rest of their wrenches. I imagine that all of the Whitworth production was for the war effort since I don’t know of any that have been found in the US. Here are some others found by a long time collector in Wales.
-Don

Thanks for posting the pictures of the ones in Wales, the only other Whitworth ones I have seen.
Mine were all on the farm here before I came along so here for well over 60 yrs. J.

 

[rickhigginshtbr]

Here are a couple of recent Barcalo-made combos that I purchased recently. Both are what I call "Thick Panel" models. The side panels are large and much thicker than previous models. I believe that these were late production, and I have seen them marked as Wardmaster and Crescent in addition to Barcalo. The markings are usually etched, and are often worn off. The shorty DBE here has no markings left at all.

Do you guys think that I have this right?

I would think they're later production as well. The first gen style I've been stumbling on marked as Lifetime and Powr Kraft too.

 

[d42jeep]

They were also made for Wards marked as Powr-Kraft 100. Here are some Powr-Kraft wrenches followed by some Barcalo examples.
-Don

 

[Provincial]

Barcalo from last weekend.

Powr-Kraft 5/8 scoop combo
Barcalo 3/4 combo
Barcalo 3/8x7/16 DOE

 

[d42jeep]

I found these Barcalo Buffalo wrenches on Saturday at the flea.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I see so many of these 'Roofline' wrenches every week (easily the most ubiquitous type in my neck of the woods, along with Indestro Select Steel, Craftsman CI, and Billings) that I always leave them behind, but I don't recall seeing one this small before. So small it's unbranded. Someone wedged the 13/32" head with a grinder, unfortunately. Let me know if you want it, Don, or if you already have one.

 

[3baygarage]

I saw a Crusader combo today Don. Possibly a 7/16”. Sadly both jaws were badly spread.

 

[d42jeep]

I see so many of these 'Roofline' wrenches every week (easily the most ubiquitous type in my neck of the woods, along with Indestro Select Steel, Craftsman CI, and Billings) that I always leave them behind, but I don't recall seeing one this small before. So small it's unbranded. Someone wedged the 13/32" head with a grinder, unfortunately. Let me know if you want it, Don, or if you already have one.

I saw a Crusader combo today Don. Possibly a 7/16”. Sadly both jaws were badly spread.

Thanks, guys!
Lugz, I’ve got the tiny ones covered, but I appreciate it. Thanks for the ID on the hatchet.
-Don

 

[leg17]

I can't find the 3/4 x 13/16 or the 3/4 x 7/8.
Are you all having any luck?

 

[d42jeep]

My largest ones are 7/8” x 25/32” and 3/4” x 5/8”.
-Don