Found an Arcturus

[Stillgottimefor1]

In rough shape, and I have barely cleaned it, but I knew from reading this forum that it was worth the price-$2.00…..isn’t this good enough for a jeep tool box?

 

[Lassen Forge]

I love it when someone finds one of these lost brands... especially when they were so well made... Nicely done!!!

 

[Stillgottimefor1]

I am sad that it got so beat up…right on the date casting..oh well. Got a service call in the morning so I can’t do anything about further cleaning until later.

 

[d42jeep]

They didn’t come from the factory in Jeep toolsets but could have been wartime replacements or GMTK wrenches.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Well found, SGTF1!

I am sad that it got so beat up…right on the date casting

That is not a date casting. That is the Federal Stock Number. They made at least 4 of the 5 wrenches in the 5-wrench Jeep kit and they all have a different FSN. If you ever see one with a "41-W-991" casting, you'll be a hero. We like to throw the "unicorn" word around here on GJ, somewhat counterintuitively to mean a very rare tool, but an Arcturus 723 (3/8" x 7/16" - 41-W-991), the smallest of the 5 wrenches in the Jeep kit, has never been seen and may be a true unicorn.

...could have been wartime replacements or GMTK wrenches.

Almost assuredly Ordnance Dept spares for the Jeep factory wrenches, Don, and all made in 1945 per the WPB contracts books. I am skeptical of any other wartime applications, including the GMTK, because I don't remember seeing a 41-W-1021 (the 33C), or any other FSN's, either. If you have, please let me know. My notes still show no other FSNs besides the 4 Jeep wrenches.

The company is such an odd little late wartime story, from their name (taken no doubt from the nearby oil deposit and fields where they started in a shed, but also the name of the 4th brightest star in the sky) to their location (Santa Monica, not exactly a current industrial mecca), to their apparently small, focused output, EDIT: and yet, finishing that incomplete thought, they made, arguably, some of the most distinctively shaped and elaborately marked WWII wrenches out there.

 

[d42jeep]

I wasn’t saying that Arcturus made a complete set of GMTK DOE wrenches, but all of the FSNs on the Arcturus wrenches that have been found are also in the wartime GMTKs as far as I know.

41-W-1003 DOE Wrench 1/2" x 19/32"

41-W-1005-5 DOE Wrench 9/16" x 11/16"

41-W-1008-10 DOE Wrench 5/8" x 25/32"

41-W-1012-5 DOE Wrench 3/4" x 7/8"

Is there a reason that the Ordnance Dept couldn’t have issued those as GMTK wrenches?
-Don


Username’s Arcturus wrench.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

No, or to other applications that used the same sizes. They weren't exclusive to Jeep and GMTK. That 5 wrench set was specified by the QMC as a basic kit for all cars and smaller trucks (except Dodge) before the war. I just find it odd that we've never seen the 33C. I suppose it's possible the Ordnance Dept bought spares for all the wrenches except that one, but I struggle for a rationale for that. You could say the same for the 723, I suppose, but those are always scarcer, no matter the brand, due to their size, so I guess I'm saying there's more of a chance those were made and rare. But, you have a point.

 

[Ricky Joe]

Well found, SGTF1!


That is not a date casting. That is the Federal Stock Number. They made at least 4 of the 5 wrenches in the 5-wrench Jeep kit and they all have a different FSN. If you ever see one with a "41-W-991" casting, you'll be a hero. We like to throw the "unicorn" word around here on GJ, somewhat counterintuitively to mean a very rare tool, but an Arcturus 723 (3/8" x 7/16" - 41-W-991), the smallest of the 5 wrenches in the Jeep kit, has never been seen and may be a true unicorn.

Almost assuredly Ordnance Dept spares for the Jeep factory wrenches, Don, and all made in 1945 per the WPB contracts books. I am skeptical of any other wartime applications, including the GMTK, because I don't remember seeing a 41-W-1021 (the 33C), or any other FSN's, either. If you have, please let me know. My notes still show no other FSNs besides the 4 Jeep wrenches.

The company is such an odd little late wartime story, from their name (taken no doubt from the nearby oil deposit and fields where they started in a shed, but also the name of the 4th brightest star in the sky) to their location (Santa Monica, not exactly a current industrial mecca), to their apparently small, focused output, EDIT: and yet, finishing that incomplete thought, they made, arguably, some of the most distinctively shaped and elaborately marked WWII wrenches out there.

The company went on to make precision parts for NASA, and cap understandably forgot about the competitive hand tool market.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Yup. I mentioned it an earlier Arcturus related thread, here...

They had their forging sights on bigger fish. Better said bigger birds (Aerospace), a field they plied with small special parts through at least the early 1980's.

 

[Ricky Joe]

Yup. I mentioned it an earlier Arcturus related thread, here...

I was unaware of your research. I should have known better! It parallels my interest due to the one wrench I own, a 7/8” x 3/4”. I love the name! I thought the company was still in business. When I researched, probably ten years ago, they had a website.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

No problem. Just confirming we were both on the same page/track. As for them still being in business, I don't know. I think I stopped looking when I got to the 80s. Good to know!

 

[Username already in use]

Username’s Arcturus wrench.

I’m surprised you didn’t use the pic of the unopened box of wrenches.

 

[Stillgottimefor1]

It seems to always end this way. I start out really chuffed with something I perceived as being rare and sought after, then one of you shows a picture of an unused one coated in Cosmoline, followed by a photo of a CASE of new ones!!!!

 

[joel63]

It seems to always end this way. I start out really chuffed with something I perceived as being rare and sought after, then one of you shows a picture of an unused one coated in Cosmoline, followed by a photo of a CASE of new ones!!!!

I have those two of those wrenches. Forgot what sizes.
I served on the U.S.S. Arcturus AF 52 in the early sixties.
All engineering divisions were issued four tool sets which included a complete set of
Arcturus wrenches. They served us well.
A couple of them elected to go home with me when I got discharged.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I served on the U.S.S. Arcturus AF 52 in the early sixties.
All engineering divisions were issued four tool sets which included a complete of
Arcturus wrenches.

That's interesting. I'm thinking it was a coincidence (in other words, I'm sure it's just as likely that engineering divisions on other ships not named Arcturus also were issued Arcturus wrenches), but a cool coincidence for sure. Military tools tend to grow legs anyway, but there's little wonder how Arcturus wrenches on the U.S.S. Arcturus turned into service souvenirs! Great story. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Mintgrun]

This 41-W-1005-5 DOE Wrench 9/16" x 11/16" is the first ARCTURUS wrench I have come across. It was oily/dusty and looked a tiny bit rusty, but a toothbrush/WD-40 followed by LAVA soap cleaned it right up. It's obviously got a black oxide finish, which sparkles under bright light.





Looking at the open ends, it doesn't appear to have been used.



I'm a fan of black oxide finishes on tools. I think they're often misinterpreted as "dirty".

Tom

 

[d42jeep]

I bought these Arcturus wrenches from an eBay seller. They looked much nicer than the ones I had and when they arrived they looked unused.
-Don
41-W-1005-5 DOE Wrench 9/16" x 11/16"
(2) 41-W-1003 DOE Wrenches 1/2" x 19/32"
The wrenches together.

 

[Targa68]

Arcturus DOE, - 41-W-1005-5 - 9/16" x 11/16"

 

[d42jeep]

All of us WW2 tool collectors have been looking for a 3/8” x 7/16” version (ISN 723) for years but none has ever surfaced. The Federal Stock Number would be 41-W-991.
-Don

 

[humber2]

Is MFG a West Coast tool makers unique abbreviation?

 

[d42jeep]

Just an abbreviation for Manufacturing but I don’t know if it’s necessarily a West Coast thing.
-Don