J C Penney Wrench

[rhandwor]

I purchased a double box 3/4x11/16 J C Penney wrench today. It looks close to a Snap On real nice chrome.
I was only able to find a 15mm impact socket. Numerous Cornwell Impacts all US sizes. If the sizes fit metric I buy them.
A few Wright double open end were observed.
I also got a 1 1/16 inch Armstrong combination wrench.
Who made the J C Penney?

 

[wrenchr]

I purchased a double box 3/4x11/16 J C Penney wrench today. It looks close to a Snap On real nice chrome.
I was only able to find a 15mm impact socket. Numerous Cornwell Impacts all US sizes. If the sizes fit metric I buy them.
A few Wright double open end were observed.
I also got a 1 1/16 inch Armstrong combination wrench.
Who made the J C Penney?

 

[Tool Pants]

At the flea market I have see a combo and adjustable marked JC Penney, USA. I was surprised because I thought all their stuff was marked Penncraft. Don't know who makes them.

 

[Tool Pants]

Today at the flea market I saw another JC Penney adjustable. This time I bought it.

 

[sanddrag]

Today I saw some JC Penney combination wrenches. Marked USA. Fully polished, and quite nice. Who makes them?

 

[MOPARHOUND!]

Today I saw some JC Penney combination wrenches. Marked USA. Fully polished, and quite nice. Who makes them?

Polished combo wrenches stamped JCPenney were mostly made by SK. SK and JCPenney 3/8" drive ratchet heads interchange.

I do have a 1/2" drive socket set stamped JCPenney that looks to be Thorsen sourced??

Penncraft is another story................

 

[usmc_noma]

i've got a complete set of jcpenny standard wrenches. they were my dads and are in decent shape imo. only thing is that there's some red paint on all of them. not sure why but i never bothered to ask.

 

[Mickey O]

i've got a complete set of jcpenny standard wrenches. they were my dads and are in decent shape imo. only thing is that there's some red paint on all of them. not sure why but i never bothered to ask.

Makes it real easy to identify unless the other guys in the shop paint their tools red as well, it's easily removed.

 

[Blacknwhitepit]

Here is one of mine. I thought they were made by Penens/Penncraft.......

-BWP

 

[TireTracks]

We have one of that style. my dad says it's from the 70's or so.

 

[mrshaun]

does look like an older snap on wrench. I have some older metric ones that look very similar

 

[paranoid56]

i think i have one of those in storage LOL

 

[TireTracks]

Makes it real easy to identify unless the other guys in the shop paint their tools red as well, it's easily removed.

I paint all the punched in names on my tools with paint. Currenty white.

 

[tonydanzah]

I paint all my metric wrenches red and all my standard wrenches blue

 

[usmc_noma]

if i get a chance later i'll take some pics of my sae set i've got. i was actually surprised when i found the whole set. i thought i only had one or two of them.

 

[picshooter]

I worked in a Penny auto center during a transition part of my life. They not only provided us with boxes of tools and good equipment but an opportunity to make a nice living.
I don't know who made the wrenches but breakage was rare. The boxes were Kennedy.
I believe the socket sets I had were SK. But if I remember correctly there were more than one socket mfgr. The store had a small tool dept, but with Sears at the other end they never sold much.

 

[Thumper]

I've got an old Penncraft box end I bought at JC Penny and its tuff as hell.

 

[ranger_dood]

My dad has a bunch of combo wrenches from JCP. They're really very nice quality. Purchased when JCP was selling tools cheaper than Sears.

 

[makgreens]

i have one in 7/16
i was surprosed to see usa on it

 

[Tool Pants]

Found this 1/2" JCP combo at the flea market today, to keep the adjustable company. Looks like the one in post #9. I have bought tools from the seller before. He is there every weekend, and has been in the tool biz for years. He said it was made by Snap-On, but I said no. S-K or Thorsen I could believe.

Also bought a 1/2" Par-X combo from him. He did not seem to know that brand, so I told him it was Snap-On. After I paid him....

 

[toolmiser]

I have a JC Penny wood chizel with the original packaging that came with a box of "stuff" at a garage sale. I didn't use it because I thought some collector might need it more than me.

 

[rhastings80]

Here are some I have. If you want to sell any please let me know.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JYozKAaerbipjVt6xWTRzg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_gyA2MJjiLlg/S1fPzPBFSOI/AAAAAAAAANw/A8hVFrRnGRE/s800/IMG_4402.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=mike.4324&target=ALBUM&id=5429035922195776497&feat=embedwebsite"></a></td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3_3C1Uq8YQjxZdXIaFRO6A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_gyA2MJjiLlg/S1fPzW3i-2I/AAAAAAAAAN0/dlYPdkDZAx4/s800/IMG_4405.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mike.4324/JCPenny?feat=embedwebsite">JC Penny</a></td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OfK2CIU1T39ErVvn6sUmFA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_gyA2MJjiLlg/S1fPzsHGM7I/AAAAAAAAAN4/6dM0QhDMeP4/s800/IMG_4406.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mike.4324/JCPenny?feat=embedwebsite">JC Penny</a></td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wGQOzka-qqgSfp3d5Bi2Fw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_gyA2MJjiLlg/S1fPz58KFVI/AAAAAAAAAN8/sBZ5BVgbNEg/s800/IMG_4407.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mike.4324/JCPenny?feat=embedwebsite">JC Penny</a></td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/IvKahR2eAZvaafMx5xG40w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_gyA2MJjiLlg/S1fP0H1D9kI/AAAAAAAAAOA/v-w2Y8rM0W0/s800/IMG_4408.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mike.4324/JCPenny?feat=embedwebsite">JC Penny</a></td></tr></table>

 

[Scooterfish]

How old are the above wrenches? My Penncraft wrenches from the 60s look like SK raised panels. I think the J C Penney wrenches are newer than the Penncraft ones.

 

[krusty the clown]

i have no doubt that they are SK. look at the thickness of the beam at the box end.

 

[usmc_noma]

those are in pretty good shape. do you have more than just those? i still have to take a pic of mine to post on here.

 

[rhastings80]

I know nothing more about the wrenches I have. I have found them at a local flea market and estate sale over the past year. They do seem to be very nice. I'm guessing they may have been made by SK but not sure.

 

[dkcase]

My flare nut wrenches are JC Penney. From the 70s.

 

[krehmkej]

I bought two sets of these about 1978. Very good tools. Just replaced them this year. At that time Pennys had pretensions of challenging Sears.

 

[usmc_noma]

does anyone have a metric set of the combo wrenches?

 

[usmc_noma]

here's my jcpenney standard wrenches. not in the best of shape but i like them.

on another note, rhastings i'll buy that 7/8 wrench from you! that's the only one as far as i know that i'm missing.

 

[caper]

My JC Penney torque wrench is out being calibrated now.The company called me today saying they didn't have any listings for what the specs should be on it,they had never heard of one before.Said it was a quality wrench but they had no reference material on it.Asked me if it was calibrated to their standards for Snap on and Proto would that be acceptable.Works for me!

 

[usmc_noma]

good deal. when you get it back in, post some pics. btw, who'd you send it to?

 

[caper]

Eastern Canadian company called Land And Sea Calibration.They do all our companies calibration work,torque wrenchs,dynos,gauges,flow meters etc.

 

[sasquach]

I still have a couple from my first tool set . 101 piece standard sockets that had a piece of metal that went into the sockets to make them metric . Hell I just got rid of the box about 2 years ago before I found this sight . My Dad still has the ratchet

 

[kxxr]

Anyone still hunting these? A JC Penney 3441 3/4 x 11/16.

 

[dwiggins]

I paint all my metric wrenches red and all my standard wrenches blue

I don't need to do that, since my entire SAE collection can be held in two hands, and that's AFTER my recent purchase of a larger set of SAE combination wrenches. A couple months ago, if it was standard and it wasn't 1/2 or 9/16, if you wanted to turn it with stuff I owned, you were using an adjustable wrench.

If it's a tool that comes in metric or standard measurements, and it's in my tool box, there's a 99.44% chance that it's metric, because everything I own with an engine in it is metric. German car, British bike, Swedish lawnmower.

Interestingly, my German car and my Swedish lawnmower were actually built here in the USA. The car had the engine/****** come over from Germany, but all the big steel parts were stamped out, welded together, painted and final assembled in South Carolina. Most of the parts that AREN'T engine/****** were made here, actually.

On my lawnmower, I really think the only thing Swedish about it is the label. It's got a Briggs & Stratton engine in it. Course, the engine was probably NOT made here

 

[honcho]

Swedish Lawnmower must be a Husqvarna! I have two Husky lawnmowers, one actually made in Sweden (Swedish Rider 155) with a USA built Kohler Command engine and the other made in England (Royal 53S) with a Briggs & Stratton engine. fine mowers, but parts, while available, always have to be ordered and tend to be expensive. The rider has three blades and uses these little shear pins that protect the blade synchronizer I generally manage to hit something and break a shear pin at least once a month.

As for J.C. Penney tools, I found a tray of 6 pt J.C. Penney metric sockets 3/8 drive at my local thrift shop for $1.50. Couldn't pass it up. Tried to take a photo but the cell phone didn't work very well.

 

[chuckwp]

i have one in 7/16
i was surprosed to see usa on it

I've been looking for one! PM sent.

 

[MShaw]

When I worked for New Britain in the early 70s we were trying to get into production with full polished wrenches to compete with Snap on. I left before the program became reality. Since New Britain made Penncraft in those days they could have made those wrenches. Attached is a photo of a sample I have from a prototype lot.

 

[Empty Pockets]

I still have a Penncraft socket set, and a few JCP and Penncraft wrenches. All have served me well over about 40 years, with only 1 socket failing