Barcalo Buffalo Tools

[Private Lugnutz]

Those look 50s to me, OOB. Maybe late 40s at best. Love the pouch.

 

[outofbounds]

WOW, you nailed it on the Head, Lugz!!​

​

From Alloy Artifacts:​

Five Piece Open-End Wrench Set in Tool Roll​

Barcalo was well known as a maker of wrenches for tool kits, including kits for military vehicles. The next several figures will show a set of wrenches from a green canvas tool roll, believed to have been supplied for a military vehicle.

Fig. 53. Barcalo 5-Piece Open-End Wrench Set in Tool Roll, ca. mid 1940s to 1950s.
Fig. 53 shows a set of five wrenches in a green canvas tool roll, with each wrench stamped "Barcalo-Buffalo-USA" on the shank.
The wrench sizes are, from left to right, 3/8x7/16, 1/2x9/16, 19/32x11/16, 5/8x3/4, and 13/16x7/8.
The individual wrenches are shown in the next several figures.

 

[d42jeep]

There were a lot of WW2 DOE wrenches left as surplus after the war ended so I suspect those flat panel wrenches in the pouch would have been from the Korean era. I have plenty of that style of wrench but all of the ones with pouches I’ve seen on eBay are listed for more than I’m willing to pay.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

If I am onesy-twosying my way to a full set (seven (7)) of these 15* x 22-1/2* angle style tappet wrenches, I've got five more to go. Found a second this morning. See Pic 3 for both.

 

[d42jeep]

I need to find some of those.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

They are neat-looking! Of that style, I have a full set of Bonney in a pouch, a couple Billings, and then that solo Barc-Buff straggler until this morning. At my rate, I might finish the Barc-Buff set before I need a walking cane!

 

[Isaiah6113]

A modest post today. Found this 9/16-1/2 DOE at the bottom of a large bin of unappealing brands and terrible condition wrenches. Rusted, pitted, and most of the chrome off both sides of each end.

But for $0.50 it was worth seeing what could be done. So, an evaporust bath, a quick and light touch on a soft brass wire wheel, a polish with some green compound on a treated sisal buff (using my 1961 Rockwell 7" grinder [zoom driveby!]), and a final polish with some Autosol.

You can see the pitting, and the chrome is basically gone from the end faces and the raised panels, but the chrome remains in each cartouche, and on the body and sides of the wrench. Looking under my desk magnifying glass it seems the wrench has seen very little actual use. The 1/2 side has some, and there is a small chip from the tip of the right point, but it may be a casting flaw.

So a lot went into saving this little fellow, but hey, who doesn't like getting cleaned up.

Matthew

 

[d42jeep]

That one came out great. Nice save!
Here is the newest addition to the Barcalo shrine. I was alerted to the sale by a fellow Barcalo fancier in TN.
-Don

 

[misterbill]

Dang, Don, it looks like you got yourself a time machine! They look great.

 

[d42jeep]

Thanks, Bill. I was lucky that the price was fairly reasonable.
-Don

 

[JjKk40]

Wow thats a sweet pair of pliars right there! Nice score!

 

[d42jeep]

Thanks.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

If I am onesy-twosying my way to a full set (seven (7)) of these 15* x 22-1/2* angle style tappet wrenches, I've got five more to go. Found a second this morning. See Pic 3 for both.

I need to find some of those.
-Don

eBay to the rescue. These arrived today.
-Don

 

[MisterEd]

Hoping someone can tell me what the limited purpose was for this Barcalo Buffalo DBE Off-Set 3/4 x 11/16?

 

[Provincial]

I found a similar DBE in 13/16 x 7/8 that has the 7/8 end modified sort of like yours. I showed it in this thread at Post #45, so you can compare it to yours. I never could find out more about it. Mine looks like it was modified at the factory, due to the plating seeming to have been done after the wrench was modified.

Other than being modified to fit a spot with difficult access, I don't know anything particular to this design. It is interesting that your wrench is of a different size. Your "working" end is 3/4 and mine is 7/8. Yours has more of a leg on the modified end, and mine has no leg. Check your wench for plating, and if it was heated after it was plated.

 

[MisterEd]

Been sixty years since I hung out in the drop forging plant where my father worked so I have no hope of being certain whether the Wrench was modified by a user, but there seemes to be a darening on the insidse of the bend.. Even given that possibility, how come two similar Wrenches were like that?

 

[Isaiah6113]

A friend gave me a bag with some wrenches in it, most were damaged, but these six I kept.

First up, and the reason I'm posting in this thread, are the two Eclipse wrenches. These are Barcalo-made certainly. I'm laughing a bit a the little 5/16--11/32. Of note, these are upside down from the usual Barcalo arrangement of large left. These Eclipse are large right.

The others are here just cause they are.
A nice little Challenger/Proto made in Canada.
A 6-point 3/8--5/16 DBE Indestro Select made in USA.
And finally, two KMart wrenches, made in Japan.

Thanks,

Matthew

 

[d42jeep]

There is little doubt that those Eclipse wrenches were supplied by Barcalo.
-Don

 

[Shelbylex]

Hoping someone can tell me what the limited purpose was for this Barcalo Buffalo DBE Off-Set 3/4 x 11/16?

Distributor wrench?

 

[Provincial]

Pretty big distributor to need a 3/4" hex wrench!

This would be for a 1/2" bolt/nut. I could see using it on a mounting flange fastener where the flange bolt circle is recessed behind a larger object.

 

[d42jeep]

Oddly, I found an Eclipse DBE wrench today along with a couple of other Barcalo tools at a sale up the street. The short DBE wrench is a WW2 GMTK correct 41-W-625.
-Don

 

[RTM]

I’ve found several Barcalo pliers lately. 2 of three were in hand today, so I grabbed the third to take a pic. The oddball jaws in the middle were a bit rusty, and lost part of the sheen in the evaporust.

the wrenches will be a few days later. Out of evaporust, and my current lot is about out of potency.

 

[d42jeep]

I’ve found several Barcalo pliers lately. 2 of three were in hand today, so I grabbed the third to take a pic. The oddball jaws in the middle were a bit rusty, and lost part of the sheen in the evaporust.

the wrenches will be a few days later. Out of evaporust, and my current lot is about out of potency.

During the time Barcalo was in business, they made an incredible variety of pliers
-Don

 

[outofbounds]

Turned up this "Most of a Barcalo Raised Panel OE set" today from Facebook Marketplace. Not sure if I have the missing 15/16" x 1" size buried somewhere, but willing to bet I've at least got the Powr-Kraft equal laying about. Precisely where is always the struggle.......

 

[d42jeep]

Nice set. I don’t have that exact one.
-Don

 

[Provincial]

I picked up some Barcalo "scoop" combos Saturday. 1-1/8, 1", 15/16, and 7/8.
Once I find a 13/16 I may have a set!

 

[d42jeep]

I was recently reviewing the Barcalo catalogs available on Internet Archive and was surprised to see information on my Barcalo tool board. When I bought it, I filled it with wrenches that seemed to fit the hooks and match the size combinations marked on the board.

After seeing the new information, it was obvious that I had used wrenches that were too modern and it was going to be necessary to use wrenches that matched the vintage of the board.
i went through the wrenches of each category and matched the style of wrenches to the ad. It turned out that I was only missing the largest DBE wrench. I should be able to locate that one on eBay.
-Don

 

[Provincial]

Don, the 15/16 x 1 that I have has the size markings on the side opposite the Barcalo name. I think they all may be that way.

 

[RTM]

Here is a Barcalo manifold starter wrench, was in very rusty condition when I got it. Could not read most of the markings it was so rusty. Even after an Evaporust bath, and scrubbing and polishing, it’s still kind of a dog. 9/16“ and 5/8” openings.

 

[d42jeep]

Don, the 15/16 x 1 that I have has the size markings on the side opposite the Barcalo name. I think they all may be that way.

Jock, Is it a flat panel like the rest of the DBE wrenches? I have some raised panel versions, just not a flat panel.
RTM, Good save. They only made two sizes of the manifold/starter wrenches.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Jock,
This is the one I’m missing. These photos are from eBay
-Don

 

[Provincial]

Yes, mine is a raised panel. I didn't catch that.

 

[d42jeep]

I found the missing 15/16” x 1” DBE wrenches where I had misplaced them. Now the board is complete.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

cool.

 

[saukit]

That board is so cool Don!

I picked up a few pieces of Barcalo at the swap meet the other day, here they are...

The top DBE is really corroded unfortunately, it's got that black corrosion on it that Evaporust won't take off. The next two down are in decent condition although one is in much better shape than the other. 4th down is my favorite, this one has very shallow offset angles and seems older than the others...

Lastly I believe this little DBE is Barcalo, but it's not marked with a brand.

 

[d42jeep]

For sure the bottom one is an unmarked Barcalo and your 3/4” x 11/16” favorite one above it is the style used in the WW2 GMTK.
-Don

 

[saukit]

Great information as always Don, thank you!

 

[d42jeep]

Your welcome.
I always feel like an estate sale is a good one if there are some Barcalo wrenches available. We found these at a sale this afternoon in El Sobrante, CA. They cleaned up pretty well.
-Don

 

[Mallen]

I have this 1-1/8" and 1-1/16" DBE wrench made by Barcalo Buffalo. I bought it from a museum a few years ago. It has definitely seen a bit of use. I'm curious as to how common these are and any other info anybody might know about the brand, so if anybody has any knowledge to share about these, it would be appreciated. Thanks!

I have a few small wrenches that I picked up from local thrift shops in grab bags of tools. They show up from time to time. Usually the grab bags are loaded with a few "good" ones, usually craftsmam, sometimes old US made. And a bunch of "junk" which is often Chinese and Taiwanese stuff, but sometimes old US made stuff like Barcalo. When you find that sort of stuff you usually get a deal because a lot of people dont know what it is. Like the entire set of Par-X box end wrenches I got for 8 dollars because it wasn't craftsman. (I almost felt bad about that one)

 

[outofbounds]

Picked up a total of 3 different sizes of these old Barcalo wrenches. Only had time for a couple quick snaps of this 7/8 x 25/32 one as I was racing back into the office on a time crunch.