Spreading the Bonney affliction!

[Private Lugnutz]

Picked up this 25F at the flea yesterday. Veteran Bonney buffs will know that this was one of five wrenches of this design, with the reinforced jaws and opening sizes all milled for boltage on Fords (hence the "F"), in Bonney's Ford Owner's Wrench Set No. 9, which also came with a thinner, unreinforced, and oddly offset reverse gear and brake wrench in a handsome canvas pouch. I could be wrong, but I don't recall ever seeing the pouch. @LesserSon or @leg17 will correct me if I am wrong about that. I have a few of the 100F offsets on my wooden Bonney board, but this is only the second standard "F" wrench I have ever found in the wild. The other is a 33F. They are not too common (LS's three near complete sets beg to differ, but they haven't wandered too far from home...), and the 25F seems to be particulary elusive, as I recall both @twertsy and LS were looking for that one for quite some time.

 

[leg17]

Lugz I have not encountered a pouch, live or on eBay.
Just seen them in catalog illustrations.

 

[LesserSon]

Me neither on pouches.
29F and 27F wrenches seem the most “common.” But I don’t typically see them at Jake’s or Quakertown. More at Leesport or Saylorsburg.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I've picked up a few

 

[d42jeep]

I normally don’t collect Bonney tools but I couldn’t find any markings on this perfect handle monkey wrench at the estate sale yesterday. I cleaned off what markings I could find and figured that it was most likely Bonney. Username confirmed it for me plus I found an eBay listing with clear markings.
eBay listing photo
-Don

 

[LesserSon]

That’s a great find, Don!


I found this SE 394 Steering Gear Adjusting Wrench on Apr28. Badly pitted in places, but Oct1941 date code is clear. I didn’t have one, and haven’t found it in catalog yet. I guess 8592 is the stock number.

 

[humber2]

Did postwar Bonaloy tools ever have a transfer on them?

This pristine example of a D2857 Ford brake wrench, date code KY has been added to my collection.

 

[bonneyman]

Nice additions, guys!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I recently traded a rare hard to find Milwaukee Tool & Forge 3-drawer chest to fellow GJer @Steven 33, whose large MTF collection deserves a home and will look better inside of it than the couple of random orphan pieces I had stored in there. In exchange, I got a bunch of cool miscellaneous stuff that I will be showing on various threads, starting with this wartime DOE wrench that would be otherwise fairly innocuous and of little interest to me with ISN 1027-A opening sizes (not Jeep, not GMTK) if not for the intriguing "RAYTHEON" stamping on the flip side. During World War II, Raytheon was the largest supplier of the magnetron tubes used in microwave radar sets and by 1944 was producing entire radar systems. I don't know if this wrench was associated with that activity, but it has a 1944 date code, that's my story, and I am sticking with it! As an additional bonus, Steven said he picked it up in an estate sale on the former premises of the famous racing Vincent builder, seller, and rider, Coburn Benson, whose home and shop was in Concord, not that far from Raytheon's original HQ and plant. It has a really nice smoky finish.

 

[Ricky Joe]

.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It clearly looks like a proprietary marking applied by Raytheon. Whether Raytheon bought the wrench (and other tools) directly from Bonney (and other mfgrs) or they were supplied by the Defense Plant Corporation is unknown, but prior to 1940, when they were asked to make magnetrons for radar systems, the MIT spin-off producing tubes, rectifiers and switches for the electronics industry was not associated with the military. When the stamp was applied is more crucial than how or by whom. The history of this Bonney-made wrench and the history of Raytheon (now RTX, and one of the world's largest defense contractors) almost certainly intersecting in Massachusetts in 1944 is what makes the wrench special.

 

[LesserSon]

I normally don’t collect Bonney tools but I couldn’t find any markings on this perfect handle monkey wrench at the estate sale yesterday. I cleaned off what markings I could find and figured that it was most likely Bonney. Username confirmed it for me plus I found an eBay listing with clear markings.
eBay listing photo
-Don

With renewed enthusiasm (thanks to you, Don), I handled several like that yesterday at the Jacktown Steam Engine swap meet, but none had discernably promising marks.
I did get two Bonney tools for a buck a piece: an 18” Stillson (which needs TLC I didn’t have time for yet), and this 16” CV 2812D (1-1/16x1-1/8) DBE. The largest DBE I had in this design is a 2811A (1x1-1/6), which I think I have in both CV and Zenel. I do have a Bonaloy 2812B (1-1/16x1-1/4), but that has an oval beam.
Potentially, this guy’s BP code could be February 1924, 1938, or even 1952, but I think 1938 is the most likely.

 

[LesserSon]

Today I spotted something unfamiliar. The vendor thought it was half of a slate-cutting tool. What had really caught my eye was the shield. At first glance I thought “Bonney,” but that’s an “S” in there, isn’t it?
Yes it is. Just found the whole thing on eBay. Parsons Bros Slate Co (of Pen Argyl PA) Asbestos siding & shingle cutter label on the cutting bed, with a clearer “S” and “629” forged in the cutter handle.
I looked on Alloy Artifacts logo images list for an “S-shield”, but do not see it.

 

[Garage.Girl]

Saw this sold on marketplace up in Wisconsin, top box reminded me of a super chief from Blackhawk

 

[bonneyman]

That box would have looked good restored and packed with my Bonney tools!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

...top box reminded me of a super chief from Blackhawk

With good reason. Same OEM: Langenau. Good eye!

 

[Patrick Eubanks]

Packed like mine

 

[Shelbylex]

Saw this sold on marketplace up in Wisconsin, top box reminded me of a super chief from Blackhawk

Looks like the decorative piece on the right was just fell off or was taken down. I hope somebody will contact the owner to look for it

 

[Garage.Girl]

Looks like the decorative piece on the right was just fell off or was taken down. I hope somebody will contact the owner to look for it

I think its getting flipped on eBay now hahah, was $60 on FB marketplace when i came across it, $599 on eBay lol

 

[Garage.Girl]

That box would have looked good restored and packed with my Bonney tools!

Well if it makes u feel any worse( or better lol) , I was looking at a Gold Plated 1/4 drive Bonney socket set with driver over the weekend that I ultimately decided I would come back for next time, finally looked up what I was saw.... D'OH! it was a Chrysler master set +_+

 

[Patrick Eubanks]

I think its getting flipped on eBay now hahah, was $60 on FB marketplace when i came across it, $599 on eBay lol

I still think that if I lived within 6 hours of that bad boy I would have to go get it

 

[LesserSon]

Looks like the decorative piece on the right was just fell off or was taken down. I hope somebody will contact the owner to look for it

Weird - that’s the same one missing on mine. I wonder if its location made it more vulnerable to getting knocked off?
Then there’s the lock - mine is completely gone, but looks like this one has one stored inside (or maybe it’s just a similar one a PO thought might fit). I have a couple I thought might work, but don’t.

 

[LesserSon]

Well if it makes u feel any worse( or better lol) , I was looking at a Gold Plated 1/4 drive Bonney socket set with driver over the weekend that I ultimately decided I would come back for next time, finally looked up what I was saw.... D'OH! it was a Chrysler master set +_+

They are not gold plated - just a gold colored lacquer.

 

[Mikeske]

Well if it makes u feel any worse( or better lol) , I was looking at a Gold Plated 1/4 drive Bonney socket set with driver over the weekend that I ultimately decided I would come back for next time, finally looked up what I was saw.... D'OH! it was a Chrysler master set +_+

I don’t have that set and yes it is a Chrysler set. What I have is a 3/8ths ratchet and spark plug socket and a set of metric universal sockets and made by Bonney

 

[Mikeske]

Of course I have a complete set of Bonney ****. They are still used almost daily even if I am retired this is my SAE set and I have a complete set of metrics also and no skips

 

[LesserSon]

Three Bonney items came home from the flea today: 1/4d spinner, maleable steel “F” DOE (to add to my G, J & K), and a C3 with the Phillips head patent no and Lic1 on the shank. The grip was discolored red in a couple places, apparently from long contact with asphalt, which I removed.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

...malleable steel “F” DOE (to add to my G, J & K),

Nice find!

 

[LesserSon]

For whatever reason, the “F” is forged onto the center of the backside, unlike the others I have, where the letters are at one end on the same side as “BONNEY.”

 

[Private Lugnutz]

That's a half demerit by the judges!

 

[LesserSon]

After caring for my flea finds today, I spent a little time fastening a strip of plywood to a wall to hang toolboards. I plan to create two repro boards (hammers for sure, and not sure what else) to match the one original Bonney I have.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Dang, you're going to have to call that "the Bonney room."

 

[RTM]

After caring for my flea finds today, I spent a little time fastening a strip of plywood to a wall to hang toolboards.

Dang, all that bare space, on the walls, the bench, the floors, I'm feeling a little light headed just watching.

 

[rickhigginshtbr]

Nice Lesser! I almost snagged that bottom box on the left two months ago. Missed it!

 

[Patrick Eubanks]

After caring for my flea finds today, I spent a little time fastening a strip of plywood to a wall to hang toolboards. I plan to create two repro boards (hammers for sure, and not sure what else) to match the one original Bonney I have.

What a nice looking group of Boxes.

 

[Shelbylex]

After caring for my flea finds today, I spent a little time fastening a strip of plywood to a wall to hang toolboards. I plan to create two repro boards (hammers for sure, and not sure what else) to match the one original Bonney I have.

Wow! A Bonney Shrine!!!
This is amazing!!!

Lesser Son, I think we will need a separate thread on this at some point!!!

 

[LesserSon]

I will do a thread (or find one), but here’s a pic with the two panels I cut out and painted today.

 

[MisterEd]

Bonney H10 "M" Date

 

[LesserSon]

Brought home this 1940s 1/4dr box (my first brown one) and 5 (plus a dupe) “Made in U.S.A.” V-series sockets. The catch in the lid is smashed inward and cracked half-across, so I will leave it that way. No orange label (or even traces of an outline) under the lid. I had enough other partial sets to fill in the sockets, except for the VS12, which is “U.S.A.”
At one point, I had two spinners for this era, but lacking everything else, sold them. I do have an unmarked handle appropriate for frankensteining to a drive shank, if I ever find one suitable to the cause. I suppose there’s an extension, but I only have an M-series one of those.

 

[Raineman]

I will do a thread (or find one), but here’s a pic with the two panels I cut out and painted today.

I probably have most or all of those punches and chisels for that board in my collection (which I still use).

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Brought home this 1940s 1/4dr box (my first brown one) and 5 (plus a dupe) “Made in U.S.A.” V-series sockets.

I'll check my spares for what you need.