Generic Thorsen?

[alton1911]

My favorite spare time recreation is going through box after box of wrenches at the pawn shop. Some stuff I buy just because I find it interesting, other stuff because I think I can use it. I have been noticing a few unbranded vintage wrenches. They are almost completely unmarked... They don't even have a size stamp. They do however have what I assume is a date code letter positioned the same way the vintage Thosen wrenches are marked with similar lettering.
My question is simple. Why not mark them? No country of origin stamp, but my bet is they are US. Size stamps would just be helpful.

 

[four.cycle]

photos?

Thorsen made wrenches for several different companies.

 

[alton1911]

Sorry, I have not figured out how to add a photo yet.

 

[four.cycle]

click "post reply".
above the window into which you enter the text, click the little paperclip icon ("attachments")
a little applet will pop up. browse to the photos you want to post (up to seven images)
click "upload"
when they are uploaded, go back and click the little paperclip icon again and
click those images you want to post.
easy peasy.

 

[ken w.]

I get a lot of unmarked wrenches. I have a whole box of double off set 1/2" x 9/16" unmarked raised panel wrenches I got at a estate sale. Not a single mark anywhere.

 

[alton1911]

It worked.
The size is not even marked on this wrench.

 

[four.cycle]

image is too small for my old eyeballs.
looks like it could well be Thorsen-made, though.

could also have been stamped out by Proamerica / KAL, both of which make private label stuff for a bunch of other companies and the military.

odd that it wouldn't have the size on it, though.

as I recall, most all of my Thorsens have a letter code forged on them:



There's more around here somewhere... those should give you a general idea.

You might also want to take a look at "Proamerica" wrenches on Ebay (I don't own any myself... I only have a small set of older "KAL" SAE combination wrenches and they have a more "oval" shank, similar to a PROTO.)

 

[alton1911]

This one only has the one letter "A" directly under the smaller of the two ends.

 

[four.cycle]

All you can do then is a visual comparison and make a best guess.
I suppose it might be possible that it's a GILLER (Thorsen's "sister" company.)
Giller was exclusively military/government contract stuff, but I can't imagine why they'd stamp out a wrench with no size marking on it. Somebody more well-versed in military procurement might be able to answer that one.
(Proamerica/KAL is mostly sold as private-label stuff as well under various brand names. "KAL" is exclusively military/government now.)

 

[alton1911]

This Little town I live in used to house a large military base. It closed in the 70's. Military stuff is not at all uncommon in the boxes I dig through. I've seen lots of GILLER marked tools along with other stuff marked with owner marks USAF or Gov property.

 

[four.cycle]

^ After looking at some of the photo images on Ebay of Proameria open-ends, and your telling of the military base nearby, I'd be more inclined to think what you've got there is Thorsen/Giller.

That it's not marked even with the size is kind of puzzling, though.

The Proamerica open-ends appear to have wider beams than the Thorsen/Giller models. It doesn't look like they have the letter/number forging mark at the end of the beams either.

I am still looking for both 2114 and 2225 Giller wrenches just in case you trip over any.

 

[B.Boru]

''''

 

[d42jeep]

The wrench you posted does look very Thorsen-like. If I see one at a sale I always take a closer look at it and I don't recall seeing an unmarked one in that style. Even my Giller and Action tools are marked. You and BK could be onto something with your contract wrench theory.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ that's the only thing that makes much sense, if his wrench is US-made. I'd think, however, that even a military/government contract would have at least the size stamped on it, no?
what's up with that?

 

[d42jeep]

I get a lot of unmarked wrenches. I have a whole box of double off set 1/2" x 9/16" unmarked raised panel wrenches I got at a estate sale. Not a single mark anywhere.

If your unmarked raised panel double offset wrenches look like the one at the top of this picture, they were likely made by Barcalo.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

^ that's the only thing that makes much sense, if his wrench is US-made. I'd think, however, that even a military/government contract would have at least the size stamped on it, no?
what's up with that?

Maybe those are special military stealth wrenches for when they work in the dark!
-Don

 

[alton1911]

I have met with unmarked tools before in military applications. Usually, an unmarked wrench would be included with equipment. For example, a military pack with adjustments might include a wrench with the pack... If its unmarked its because its the only wrench supplied with the pack. However, it usually only has one application, and thus it only has one end. These do not look like field tools, they look very much at home in a set of tools, which would need to be marked in some way.
Just guessing, I truly am puzzled. The similarity in design and texture would suggest they are made by Thorsen.