Big wrenches

[IMCA38]

Picked up this interesting set of wrenches at an auction last weekend. I bid $2 to open and nobody challenged me.
Got them home and started to look them over/research them.
They are:
Armstrong 1037 1 1/16" x 1 1/4"
Armstrong 1041 (I could only make out "41" but from searching, it appears it is "1041") 1 7/16" x 1 5/8"
Billings 5B786 1 1/16" x 1 1/8"
Proto C11A 1 7/8"

I didn't look that closely at the auction, and assumed they were all the same brand due to the paint. Appears that the paint is a "field modification" done by the prior owner.

I found a post on a vintage machinery board about the Billings. Apparently Billings supplied wrenches for Caterpillar some years ago. If you bought a new bulldozer, they gave you a set of wrenches to work on it.

I'm wondering if I should strip the paint, or just leave them as is.

 

[LXCam]

If the paint were close to pristine, I'd maybe say ya. But those are pretty cool looking wrenches, I say strip, polish and seal. Great deal btw!

 

[jakemac]

If you want to take time with them, this is what they can look like after restoring.
Mine are Billings. The paint is XO-Rust Satin Black.

 

[Dave455]

Those are superb quality toolsI Although there's the paint, and a tiny bit of surface corrosion, the jaws look like they are in superb condition so I'd definitely give 'em a full resto!

It's always worth picking up big wrenches when you see 'em at a reasonable price, but that's better than 'reasonable'!

Lovely resto on yours Jakemac!

I've got a couple of Billings wrenches. Lovely thick jaws so they are gentle on the fastener and really nice to use! You can get similar quality today (at a price) but not the same patterns!

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

If the paint were close to pristine, I'd maybe say ya. But those are pretty cool looking wrenches, I say strip, polish and seal. Great deal btw!

Yeah I agree.. if they were in nice painted shape, I'd leave them alone.. but these definitely call for a thorough restore...