GREAT AMERICAN adjustable wrench

[Leviton]

Found this 6-inch adjustable wrench. It it substantial and well made with very little play. It is marked Great American.

Not distinctive other than the teardrop hangy hole. Barcalo also made an adjustable with a teardrop hole.

Ever seen a "Great American" tool?

 

[Shiftless]

Looks unusual with the raised lettering on one side and the stamped lettering on the other side.
I‘m sure the experts will chime in soon.

There a company by that name listed operating out of Getzville NY.

 

[Username already in use]

The teardrop hanging hole was a Barcalo thing. @d42jeep may be able to show us a 6" Barcalo branded example.

 

[Leviton]

The teardrop hanging hole was a Barcalo thing. @d42jeep may be able to show us a 6" Barcalo branded example.

I mentioned that in my post. The other commonality between my wrench and the Barcalo is the relatively thick head. The difference is that the Barcalos had two oval panels on each side.

 

[Shiftless]

Here is an image from alloy artifacts.

 

[d42jeep]

That non-divided style of Barcalo adjustable actually has a round hole so that particular adjustable wrench may have been sourced elsewhere, but who knows? I seem to recall another manufacturer using the teardrop shaped hanging hole.
Other side
Teardrop shaped hanging hole on the unique style of adjustable that Shiftless posted above.
-Don

 

[RTM]

Hmm, they may not be a total flash in the pan. Augusta Wrench held at least 2 patents per DATAMP. They are not on four.cycles big list, unless they morphed into Machine Works

Building Age

www.google.com

and a satirical reference

The Literary Digest

www.google.com

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Lawson and Lawson-USHCO used a tear drop hanging hole on their pipe wrenches, as we have talked about on a few threads. And @davethorik has a Wright adjustable with a tear drop hanging hole. With the unusual "R" in "WRIGHT" and "GREAT" being identical, I'd say Leviton may have just answered Dave's question.

Vintage Wright - Share it Here

have fun with these "date codes" If I had to hazard a guess I'd say that Wright had hired someone who was dyslexic and those should actually be stamped 52 and 53! Bill

www.garagejournal.com

 

[four.cycle]

^ so you think they were made by.... Wright? Barcalo? or?

 

[d42jeep]

It looks like the Wright marked example Lugz referenced above. I vote against it being made by Barcalo.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

@RTM - there appears to be some relationship between Augusta Wrench Co. and Augusta Machine Works, but I have no idea what it might have been. Both patents aren't really applicable in the cases of both company names, though.
I may have some wires crossed on this one.

American / American Wrench Co., Augusta, ME / Patent 325942 Sep 8 1885 & 376891 Jan 24 1888 Bradford F. Lancaster / wrench / see also Augusta Wrench Co., Augusta Machine Works /

Augusta / Augusta Machine Works, Augusta, ME / (see also Geo. E. Gay) / patent 325942 Sep 8 1885 Bradford F. Lancaster & 357869 Feb 15 1887 Albion K. Spaulding and Alpheus M. Spaulding / http://toolarchives.com/index.php/node/35 / see also American Wrench Co., Augusta, ME /

Augusta / August Wrench Co., Augusta ME / (see also Geo. E. Gay) / patent 325942 Sep 8 1885 Bradford F. Lancaster & 357869 Feb 15 1887 Albion K. Spaulding and Alpheus M. Spaulding / http://toolarchives.com/index.php/node/35 /

it doesn't look to me like any of these three have anything to do with that adjustable of Leviton's.

 

[d42jeep]

Pictures of a Harrold adjustable from an eBay listing.
-Don

 

[Leviton]

Shiftless, RTM, four.cycle and Username - thanks for all your research help!

d42jeep, good find on the Harrold for another teardrop hole adjustable. However, the side lines on that, near the adjuster screw, look different than the Wright and the Great American. Also, the few Harrold pliers I have come across were not well made. This Great American wrench IS well made. (And, great collection of Barcalos you have there).

Lugz - I'm impressed with your capacity to dig up related facts of past posts - awesome brain. That WRIGHT adjustable and the GREAT AMERICAN have to have been made in the same place - the question is WHERE? With the dearth of information on Great American in the 20th century I'm inclined to think it was NOT the manufacturer or there would be more info on the company?

So - still stuck with who made these? Wright? Great American? Barcalo? I don't know enough about manufacturing techniques to speculate - could Barcalo have combined their teardrop hole and the their single panel into one wrench to make such a version for others, or would that have been impractical?

(If it would be helpful, I could take measurements of thicknesses or other components to compare with one of d42jeep's 6-inch wrenches?)

 

[four.cycle]

Harrold definitely had their own forging facilities, so one has to ask why would they be outsourcing from Barcalo. But then, outsourcing has been part of the game since day one.

"...could Barcalo have combined their teardrop hole and the their single panel into one wrench to make such a version for others..."

Yes, they most certainly could have. Would have required making a new die.

 

[d42jeep]

How about a wrench made by Crescent with the elongated hole added. The markings on one side are a pretty close match, in my opinion. That would account for raised markings on one side and stamped markings on the other.
-Don