Old wrench

[threeputt]

I have been cleaning some in my old shop and I found an old box end wrench. It has Pl?mb on it. The ? could be an o, not sure. It has 1068 marked on it. The wrench is 34 inches long with the size being 2 1/2 on one end and 2 inch on the other. This thing is heavy, weighing 10 pounds. I am not sure what a wrench this big was doing in my shop. It probably was a tractor track wrench?? Anyone know anything about these old wrenches?

 

[SweetD]

It's a Plomb wrench. Everything you'd like to know is here:

http://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/plomb-gallery.html

Nice find - that's a big boy!

Dave

 

[JSBriggs]

Looks (and is marked) like a spud wrench. Is it a single box end and the handle tapes to a point?

-Jeff

 

[threeputt]

It is not a spud wrench. I found a couple of those a few years ago and sold them on ebay for big bucks. I had no idea a spud wrench would sell for over $75. An Iron worker called me later and told me that these wrenches I sold were the top of the line and all Iron workers wanted them. I think they were American Bridge or something like that . He said they are like Snap-on tools. He mentioned that if you were working at very high places you wanted a wrench that would not break, the best. I have one spud wrench left but it would not fetch as much money as these American Bridge. I wonder what this old large wrench was used for? I am wondering if maybe the people who built my building in 1961 left these wrenches because of the three spud wrenches I found also. Tom thanks for the site also.

 

[Outlawmws]

Plomb was often spelled Plvmb, where the O is V shaped, so that may be the confusion. Great tools! Dates from 1939 - 1947, as it has USA vs. Los Angeles?

 

[davesnothere]

Despite what anyone else may tell you, those wrenches are garbage. And they're made of uranium. If you keep it, it could give you and your entire family cancer, or worse.

Luckily for you, I saw this, and I run a uranium recovery center out of the kindness of my heart.
PM me and I will let you know where to ship it, and pay shipping cost.

 

[threeputt]

To late Dave, I've had it at least 50 years and I am still here but come to mention it I have not been feeling that good today. Could be me handling the wrench.

 

[lbgradwell]

...the size being 2 1/2 on one end and 2 inch on the other..

2" x 2-3/8"!

It's an "Extra Heavy Duty Double End Box Wrench" for industrial applications. The "10XX"-series were round beam; "11XX" would be the same size in flat beam.

I'm surprised the old U.S.S. sizes are marked on a wrench from the 1940s...