FWK Adjustable Wrench

[Quasimodo]

Does anyone know who the maker of this tool might be - believed to be from Germany. There was a company called FW Kessler in the gun making trade there but that seems a bit removed from tool making. Have seen a few other tools on the web marked FWK as well.

Thanks for any help.

 

[DadsTools]

I suspect it's US made, 1960s or earlier. It doesn't say "Vanadium" which I find very often on the imported stuff from the 1950s or later, trying to fit in with all the pre-war US stuff that said Vanadium. Funny thing about that is that after the war, most US companies stopped marking their tools with it, while the imports destined for the US started!

Dating suspicion is based on the recess not being cut all the way to the adjusting nut. Crescent changed to a recess all the way to the nut sometime in the 1960s and all the other US mfrs seem to have shortly thereafter followed suit.

 

[Richard Cranium]

have you checked with "AA" they have a very good selection of older tools
Alloy Artifacts="AA" Sorry I couldn't remember their real name when I started typing this.

 

[Carla]

Both the Crescent Co., and the Diamond Calk Horseshoe Co. made 'Crescent pattern' wrenches on contract for various hardware sales firms, using either 'plain' forging dies and stamping the retailer's name, or specially- made dies marked with the seller's name or logo.

This one looks more like the generality of older Diamond Calk production, in its shape, generally, but a close comparison of forging details with those of pre-war Crescent and Diamond Calk wrenches may offer a better clue.

cheers

Carla

 

[Quasimodo]

Thanks for your suggestions - have checked AA with no result.

There is a small stamp near the head just visible in the first photograph saying "Made in Germany" so that is its country of origin.

A gun book "THE DICTIONARY OF GUNS AND GUNMAKERS" says of F.W. Kessler
"Marks including F.W.K. (sometimes in the form of a monogram) have been found on pistols and Martini-action sporting rifles."

Maybe they switched to tool making after 1945 when the German weapons industry was shut down.

In any event the script logo and the crispness of the handle markings was unusual and made me add it to my collection.

 

[DadsTools]

The small stamp is very hard to see. When you stated, "believed to be from Germany" of sounded speculative, no sense that there was positive ID for COO. My apologies.