J H Williams vintage hand tools

[Ricky Joe]

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[d42jeep]

I found a pretty nice Williams nutdriver at a tool sale this morning.
-Don

 

[PSCo1867]

I found this brake wrench last Thursday, but finally had a chance to attend to it. It's a No. 1984 Chro-Moly "SUPERRENCH" with 4-point 1/2" x 7/16" service openings. I have a few other Williams special brake service tools from the No. 19xx series set. A similar wrench to this with eccentric openings. Pliers. Etc. I will have to make a note to gather them for a group shot some time next year.

Here's another JHW brake wrench: No. 1983. The openings are 3/16" & 1/4", and wrench is about about 9" long. I don't think the severe dog-leg bend was from the factory!

 

[d42jeep]

I’ve found a few Williams tools lately. The Whitworth/British Standard wrenches are unusual and are spoken for.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Found another "DEXTER" wrench. It's not rusty or dark finish, and it's not non-sparking, just denuded and showing only its dirty copper undercoat. As I noted a few years ago, there were a few companies with that name in NY, a lithographer, and one that made washing machines, not sure which one of those or possibly some other Dexter I never identified was their customer. Whoever it is, they were selling them wrenches for quite some time. The first one I found is an ISN 21 (5/16" x 13/32") and later production, with only the < W > logo on the major jaw. This one is an ISN 721 (5/16" x 3/8") and it has the early Brooklyn oval logo. The marking is very faint, so I chalked it for the family shot.

 

[d42jeep]

These two Superrench offset DBE wrenches are different in appearance from most that I’ve run across.
-Don

 

[misterbill]

These two Superrench offset DBE wrenches are different in appearance from most that I’ve run across.
-Don

Short lived style from the mid 1950s.

 

[d42jeep]

They aren’t pristine but are serviceable. They look better in the pictures than in person. You want them?
-Don

 

[PSCo1867]

They aren’t pristine but are serviceable. They look better in the pictures than in person. You want them?
-Don

PM

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

I got this Yellow Williams from an auction a while back, I had never seen one that was yellow, they are usually red. One sticker say Williams, but there is another sticker I can’t make out what it says, if anyone out there knows more please do share.
-Tommy

Williams sticker.

Other sticker.


Overall box

I currently have my Williams 1/2 drive stuff in it.(pardon the bad pic)

 

[misterbill]

I got this Yellow Williams from an auction a while back, I had never seen one that was yellow, they are usually red. One sticker say Williams, but there is another sticker I can’t make out what it says, if anyone out there knows more please do share.
-Tommy

Williams sticker.

Other sticker.


Overall box

I currently have my Williams 1/2 drive stuff in it.(pardon the bad pic)

Hornet?

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

Thank you so much! That’s definitely what it is! You guys never cease to amaze me!
-Tommy

 

[genog]

I got one too....but mine is empty

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

Mine was empty when I got it, I put my 1/2 drive Williams stuff in it because they were homeless.

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

Picked this up for 55¢, is it specifically made for something? It says “Check nut wrench” and has a number 607 on it.

 

[misterbill]

Picked this up for 55¢, is it specifically made for something? It says “Check nut wrench” and has a number 607 on it.

IIRC Williams moved to Buffalo during or just after WWI - say 1915-1919 range - so your wrench predates that move. It's made for tightening check nuts or jam nuts in confined spaces. Here's a listing for them in the 1914 Williams catalog on ITCL.

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

Here it is after light wire wheeling and a coat of fluid film.

 

[rockettauto]

This 3/4 drive is still in service in the shop, has been continuously in shop service for 3 generations at least.

 

[wrench136]

Found this in the bottom of one my tool boxes a couple weeks ago.

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

Would this W & B Rail Road Special monkey wrench be the same Willams?

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

Would this W & B Rail Road Special monkey wrench be the same Willams?

I am not the sharpest marble in the bag. Once I looked close enough, I thought about my question. Duh.

 

[SKJay]

Some <W> with a USS at the top

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

Got this weird Williams 13/16 deep well yesterday, it have very thin walls, is it for something special or is it supposed to be like that.

 

[Provincial]

Got this weird Williams 13/16 deep well yesterday, it have very thin walls, is it for something special or is it supposed to be like that.

Judging from how the reduced diameter area runs into a stamped marking, I deduce that the socket was field modified, probably by turning on a lathe. The person doing that probably needed the diameter reduction to access a tight location.

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

Thats what my first thought was, they did a really good job of doing it.

 

[WNYflyer]

History of the Vulcan Tool Division of JH Williams as of the Spring of 1985

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

Got this 8” Superjustable from a flea market for a whopping $4.

 

[d42jeep]

Those are nice adjustables but what is sticking out of the pin hole on your new wrench?
-Don

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

I don't really know, I think someone screwed it up, because it has a weird hex pin that's too long and sometimes causes the thumb wheel too jamb and bind.

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

[Deleted]

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

I don't really know, I think someone screwed it up, because it has a weird hex pin that's too long and sometimes causes the thumb wheel too jam and bind.

 

[WNYflyer]

I don't really know, I think someone screwed it up, because it has a weird hex pin that's too long and sometimes causes the thumb wheel to jam and bind.

Looks like the locking version adjustable wrench. I have a Williams or Vulcan locking version laying around somewhere.

 

[RTM]

Yup, a locking pin. I've got 12" with it (APL-12). Pushed in, locks the adjustment. Out, spins like normal. Yours looks like its in the middle.





My 8" isn't nearly as obvious.

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

Yup that’s what it is, that is awesome!

 

[Old Radar]

I've never seen that feature before.

 

[RTM]

Here is the 8", no obvious tags saying locking, no part number, much lower extension, locked in 1st, unlocked in 2nd pic

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

Yup that’s exactly how mine looks in each position.

 

[Ricky Joe]

.

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

That's interesting, that seems more plausible than it being turned down.

 

[Provincial]

Or a regular socket turned down in the field for that application.