Hoe Corporation #10 All Purpose Self Adjusting Wrench

[jkoll42]

Hi all - now that the cold weather is upon us I have a little time to start going through my late fathers old tools, restore them and either add to threads or start new. My hope is just to document them and anyone who can add info would help others out.

This is a #10 Hoe Corporation self adjusting wrench and still works smoothly. The teeth are in very good sharp condition, spring is strong, pivot points smooth. There are some obvious "persuasion" strike marks on the top of the handle but no signs of marks from an extension pipe that could account for the handle bend.

If anyone can help with the bend it would be appreciated. I haven't seen any examples other than a straight handle but I don't see any metal stretching/pinching on the handle. Also the style of the font is not one I have seen when looking around.

I also attached a screen capture of a original ad in Popular Mechanics for the wrench from September 1925.

-Jon

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice. I've been keeping my eye out for one, but I have yet to see one in the wild. Patent is 1,407,578 (Roberts). See Post #6 (my bucket list) in this "Oddfellows" thread, linked here.

I think the explanation for your large font is it's early. When Roberts was making them, they also had a large marking like that. Perhaps Hoe adopted that when they acquired the rights in 1926 and eventually shrunk it on the die later.

I've had luck with torch heat, a cheater pipe, and a vise with a bend like that. It won't take much. EDIT: Or just leave it. Better bend than broke.

 

[jkoll42]

OK interesting so probably late 20's. It would have come from one of my grandfathers who were in the N Jersey area and the timeframe fits.

Thanks for the tip on torching it. I may keep it bent since either my dad or grandpa obviously put some effort into bending it! My goal is to clean everything up, build a nice toolbox with my daughter and keep them all in it.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

That's the way to go.

 

[woody 73]

very nice what is the story behind Frederic P. Robert ?

 

[outofbounds]

The bend in that handle is the epitome of "honest wear". The effort to straighten it is diminishing returns IMHO.