Spreading the Bonney affliction!

[twertsy]

Lesserson, I think the #21 Bonney was the last or one of the last wrenches that Twertsy was looking for, for his Bonney tool board.

Lugz- Thanks for addressing my misperception. I guess I imagine a set of 1940 tools, battered from wartime use, sitting next to a set of comparable NOS 1945 tools. Which is more authentic? Which would provoke more admiration?
UAIU- Yes, I think so, too. But this is like the third one I’ve found, and for some reason nothing has come of our PMs. I suspect he has more pressing things occupying his attention, and they don’t take up much space, even in my limited storage.
Edit - No, I just checked and he has filled the 1915-20 board.

Correct, I did in fact find one (I thought it came from you LS???) I know I got if from GJ. Regardless, your example is very cool given the oddball markings. If I recall correctly (given not even I can get to my site.........YET, the shield on the shank disappeared by at least 2/1921 so that would mean your "blank" sat around for 4-6 years before the gullets were cut and the head stamped. The doesn't seem plausible. That said, I've no other thoughts on how to explain it!!

 

[Mikeske]

Here is a socket that literally jumped into my hand. I was going through a bin of sockets and this Bonney LD32T 1" socket was in my way from looking at other sockets so I picked it up to move it and glanced at it and saw the Bonney circle CV on it. I then looked a little closer and saw the Bonney name. It was the only thing that I found with the Bonney name but I was being rushed by the grandkids at this 2nd hand store. I need to stop in there again another day and take a deeper dive into the bins.

This thing was extremely dirty and so I cleaned it up and peeled about four layers of paint and grease off it.

 

[LesserSon]

I actually saw quite a bit of Bonney today, but mostly things I already have multiples of (Zenel USA 3033C, CV LD22, not guranteed F18; and, wouldn’t be a multiple, a 1/2” sliding tee 4087). Wound up only buying two items: a pre-1921 553AS DOE, and a n4 screwdriver.

 

[bluebolt]

Here's my Bonney wrenches and pliers.

Pic 1: On top a Zenel single offset DBE, 3 late Streamline and 5 of the early Streamline wrenches. Notice that the big early Streamline is Whitworth! It's a 1/2 Whitworth which is a .920 opening, a little smaller than 15/16".


Pic 2: Bon-E-Con wrenches on top, a few other models on the bottom.


Pic 3 and 4: Bonaloy wrenches, top and bottom.


Pic 5: A few wrenches.


Pic 6: Adjustable wrench and pliers, I wish the linesman's pliers on the lower left had better amber handles!

 

[Mikeske]

Habitate for Humanities thrift store had this Bonney wrench # 1170 a 1" for $3.00 of course I grabbed it and added to my collection.

 

[bonneyman]

Habitate for Humanities thrift store had this Bonney wrench # 1170 a 1" for $3.00 of course I grabbed it and added to my collection.

Ha, I paid $3 for the 1170 Loc-Rite combo wrench I got at a pawn shop! A little owners mark, but I don't care on that.

 

[Mikeske]

Ha, I paid $3 for the 1170 Loc-Rite combo wrench I got at a pawn shop! A little owners mark, but I don't care on that.

I have 2 of the Triangle versions of the 1170 Bonney Loc-Rite combo but this one was the older version Bonaloy and since it is a Bonney I grabbed it anyway.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I picked up this No. 500 (3/8 x 1/2) S-wrench at my flea market this morning. No forge date codes. Early branding. B-shield logo on the shank. It's in the 1915 and the 1923 catalogs. Not in the 1925, when they went full-up CV with different model numbers.

 

[RagTopTA]

Heres some Bonney I dig up at the flea a couple weekends ago. Also, this box.... Is it Bonney? Not pictured is a paid of Bonney channel locks.

 

[LesserSon]

My guess is no, but I havn’t paid much attention to later boxes. The era boxes I’ve looked at have square-cornered lids and the paint is crinkle red, not smooth.

 

[bonneyman]

Heres some Bonney I dig up at the flea a couple weekends ago. Also, this box.... Is it Bonney? Not pictured is a paid of Bonney channel locks.

That shot of the inside lid almost looks like OXWALL to me. The all is pretty clear, the w is in pieces.

Nice box, though. Restored I'd hide some of my Bonney's in it!

 

[RagTopTA]

Thanks for the info guys, I thought maybe the round indented spot was bonney for some reason but its rounded and pretty neat box. Think I'll fix it up!

 

[davethorik]

Found this little guy today.
Openings measure .469 (15/32") and .229 (??in between 7/32" and 15/64"??)

 

[Username already in use]

I'll be picking up this on Wednesday so I'm not certain what all is there yet.
Can anyone tell me what should be in the set?
Missing quite a few sockets for sure.

Here's the relevant page from the 1950 catalog.
Looks like the 'B' in VM5B stands for box (metal).

 

[Land Rover 109]

Picked up a set of old well loved DOE's a wee while back.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice wrenches, LR109. You haven't shown all the sizes, but I am guessing from what you have shown that it's 5 of the 6 wrenches that made up Set No. 25, which included a 723, a 25, a 27-C, a 28-S, a 731-A and a 33-C, which covered every opening between 3/8" to 1" by 1/16" with no skips and better yet, no redundant ends, covering a wide range of USS, SAE and hex nuts. And if they all have the BON{/}NEY logo and a "_ Q" date mark, made in 1925. Came in a box or a leatherette rollup. The US Army Quartermaster Corps started buying these sets (different style wrenches, though) by the thousands from Bonney in the 1930's for vehicle maintenance.

 

[Land Rover 109]

Having some issues with my beloved photobucket account- will see what I can do.



Smallest to largest:
1/4 USS 5/16 CAP- 5/16 USS same logo CR code, 1025
3/8 SAE 3/8 CAP- 3/8 USS KQ code 1027-C
7/16 SAE 7/16 CAP- 7/16 USS LQ code, 1028-S
1/2 SAE 1/2 CAP- 1/2 USS 5/8 CAP, JQ? code, 1731-A
5/8 SAE- 11/16 SAE 3/4 CAP KQ code, 1033-C

 

[Land Rover 109]

Private Lugnuts, could it be that many of these sets made it to NZ with the US Pacific forces during WW2? There were lots of vehicle stores around many major ports here, many a GMC 6 wheeler and many crates of parts, so I guess the odd spanner or several thousand were needed as well.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Your wrenches - as I predicted, 5 of the 6 wrenches in the set, missing the 723 (3/8 x 7/16) or 1723 in Bonney's 1XXX model numbering scheme (which incorporated the ISN), commonly missing from many of these sets, and not only Bonney made sets - were without any shred of doubt made in 1925. The Bonney logo and the date code are unmistakable characteristics for that year of production, and Bonney dropped the markings with different sizes of hardware standards (U.S.S., S.A.E. hex cap) by the 1930's. In 1934, the US Army QMC established specifications for vehicle maintenance tool-sets, and the drawing number for a DOE wrench was 585. Bonney started making a line of DOE wrenches for the US Army QMC with that as a model number prefix shortly thereafter, forged into the shank. See my link here for photos and more info on them. Wrenches that have been found in Army QMC and Ordnance Dept surplus include primarily those "585" wrenches, Zenel wrenches, and a new line of wrenches that replaced the old (CV) line, made of triple-alloy, with no composition on the shank, and BONNEY (not BON{\}NEY) on the face of the largest jaw. Some (CV) wrenches have also been found, but they have all had late 1930's or 1940 and 1941 date codes, with no hardware standards size markings. Your (CV) wrenches are a whole generation behind those.

That all points to it being highly improbable that your wrenches were in a military tool-set in WWII.

I suppose there's a slim possibility they were hanging around QMC HQ in Holabird (i.e., very old NOS), the QMC was severely short on tools, and they issued them.

But I would suspect a civilian purchase.

 

[Land Rover 109]

Most probably civilian, but unusual to find US made from that era here in NZ. Still, they may have been bought over by an immigrant, some of these things you are just never meant to know about the history behind old tools, you just appreciate them for the fact they are near a century old and still in great condition, wipe ém down with an oily rag and place them in the tool box.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I may have your missing wrench. I'll search through my 723 collection this weekend. I'm away from home for the week.

 

[LesserSon]

Got something from eBay today: a hinged metal box for set no412 tappet wrenches. Came with three of the wrenches and two other CV items. Sadly, the decal on top is no better than the photos showed it. “Bonney CV Wrenches” is almost unreadable; the orange/red is almost entirely gone, leaving black on a very dark gray base. Well, now I have a box for my complete 412 set.
The three wrenches surprise me, because though the date code JU (Oct1929) on the 405s is identical to a pair I already had, the SIZE Of THE DECAL is much smaller! This smaller size is the one I expect to see on box wrenches with the depressed panel.
Happily, the EV (May1930) CV single square 2857 brake wrench that came with them has an alternate CV decal, which I think is neat. And it appears to have been double-struck: there are ghostly forged-in letters on both sides under the fully raised letters, which simply spell out what is on the other side. So most of “BONNEY 2857” is obliterated by “CHROME-VANADIUM (CV)” and vise versa. Even the forged in date codes and fractional sizes are double/flip struck. There seems to be no reason for it - the sizes are at the correct end, and it is symetrical. Maybe the first strike was too faint, or maybe it’s just an accident.

 

[LesserSon]

The last piece is a CS (Nov1927) 2605 5/8” solid single-hex socket that fits a bit brace chuck with the “Bonney Forged” script logo and a partial CV decal. I’ve looked and I don’t see it in the 1930s catalogs. The 05 ending is common to other designs of 5/8” hex sockets like lug wrenches, so I would expect other sizes in the 26xx series.

 

[LesserSon]

And from today’s outing...
I had seven other Bonney sockets in my hand today, at a different vendor. Mix of eras. Guy says $5 for the whole box. (A mix of stuff) I counteroffered $2 for just four of the sockets, he says no. Hmpf. I should have just paid the $5, there was a couple DI 1/2dr sockets, a Cornwell and a SK 1/4dr handle. Meh.
These two 504 S-wrenches (and a third no-name 104 with the same openings) turned out to have some interesting differences. One has a simple one-line chevron in the stamped BON\/NEY and a forged serif B-shield, while the other has a two-line chevron and a sansserif B-shield. Also the shield on the right has a more deeply-scooped top edge.
Hmmm, I wonder if one is older than the other, but neither has a date code to help. I’m inclined to think the one on the right is older because the forms on the left persisted into the date-stamped era.

 

[bonneyman]

Got something from eBay today: a hinged metal box for set no412 tappet wrenches. Came with three of the wrenches and two other CV items. Sadly, the decal on top is no better than the photos showed it. “Bonney CV Wrenches” is almost unreadable; the orange/red is almost entirely gone, leaving black on a very dark gray base. Well, now I have a box for my complete 412 set.
The three wrenches surprise me, because though the date code JU (Oct1929) on the 405s is identical to a pair I already had, the SIZE Of THE DECAL is much smaller! This smaller size is the one I expect to see on box wrenches with the depressed panel.
Happily, the EV (May1930) CV single square 2857 brake wrench that came with them has an alternate CV decal, which I think is neat. And it appears to have been double-struck: there are ghostly forged-in letters on both sides under the fully raised letters, which simply spell out what is on the other side. So most of “BONNEY 2857” is obliterated by “CHROME-VANADIUM (CV)” and vise versa. Even the forged in date codes and fractional sizes are double/flip struck. There seems to be no reason for it - the sizes are at the correct end, and it is symetrical. Maybe the first strike was too faint, or maybe it’s just an accident.

That box sure is neat!
I have a pair of Bonney (I think) tappet wrenches in my bicycle tool box. They seem to come in handy on older cone lock nuts.

 

[RagTopTA]

I found this little Bonney DBE in a shotgun cleaning kit at an estate sale last week end.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

You don't see those too often, Rags. Nice snag. What is the date code? Is that an "FM"? If so, 1935.

That was originally part of a 4-pc ignition set, No. 21:
E40: 3/16 x 13/64 6-point
E42: 7/32 x 15/64 6-point
E44: 1/4 x 9/32 12-point
E46: 5/16 x 11/32 12-point

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I picked up some interesting Bonney wrenches at my Thursday flea market this morning. All of them from the pre-war BON{/}NEY era.

First up, a pair of right-angle wrenches.

The 2725B (1/2 x 9/16) has an "IR" (1926) date code, cadmium plating remains, and is marked with U.S.S., Hex Cap, and S.A.E. nut sizes, not with the milled opening sizes.

The 2027C (9/16 x 11/16) has a "JS" (1927) date code, some kind of black rustproofing remains (perhaps worn enamel), and is marked with the milled opening sizes, not the nuts the milled openings fit.

That all makes sense, almost as if these two wrenches might pinpoint when they dropped the hardware standard markings (between 1926 and 1927). I've never really looked at that cut-off before (perhaps Todd or LS has?), but I really wouldn't go that conclusively far without examining many more wrenches. Interesting, nonetheless.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Also picked up this 100F Reverse Gear Wrench, which was one (1) of six (6) wrenches in the Ford Owner's Wrench Kit No. 9.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

1927 Catalog excerpts for that Ford 100F Reverse Gear Wrench

 

[Odes]

Heres some Bonney I dig up at the flea a couple weekends ago. Also, this box.... Is it Bonney? Not pictured is a paid of Bonney channel locks.

I have that box with the sockets and it’s a indestro 1/2 drive socket set

Has anybody else come across any Gray-Bonney marked tools I would like to find some but I have never seen any in person
Looking through this thread the later production after the partnership ended Bonney tools look just like there gray counter part.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Looking through this thread the later production after the partnership ended Bonney tools look just like there gray counter part.

Gray-Bonney was a subsidiary of Bonney from 1933 to 1961. During that time, Gray production used Bonney dies with very little to no difference except final stamping. If you're saying that Gray tools continued to resemble Bonney tools after 1962, after Bonney let Gray go, perhaps Bonney let them continue to use their dies. I don't know. Just a theory. I am not familiar enough with either Bonney or Gray tool production in the 1960's to agree or disagree with your observation. But it's interesting.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I bought a few vintage catalogs and magazines at the flea market yesterday, including a March 1949 issue of Automotive Digest that included this full-page Bonney ad. Nothing earthshattering in it, but it is interesting to see, since we have a catalog gap between 1947 and 1951 (as far as public domain catalogs go, anyway), when the logo and several major design changes hit.

 

[dutchgray]

I have that box with the sockets and it’s a indestro 1/2 drive socket set

Has anybody else come across any Gray-Bonney marked tools I would like to find some but I have never seen any in person
Looking through this thread the later production after the partnership ended Bonney tools look just like there gray counter part.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

Have seen a couple Gray-Bonney tools on eBay here in the UK, not bought any as most things are not something I want, or the condition is really bad, but they are out there. Got a catalogue as well.

 

[bonneyman]

I took some pics of my 3/8" drive Bonney stuff for show - figured all you Bonney would like them.

Older stuff on the left, more modern rats and such on the right.

 

[Mikeske]

I bought a few vintage catalogs and magazines at the flea market yesterday, including a March 1949 issue of Automotive Digest that included this full-page Bonney ad. Nothing earthshattering in it, but it is interesting to see, since we have a catalog gap between 1947 and 1951 (as far as public domain catalogs go, anyway), when the logo and several major design changes hit.

I have the 1950 bonney catalog PM me if anybody wants a digitized version as I have scanned it into my computer

 

[Private Lugnutz]

PM sent!

 

[Mikeske]

I sent the 1950 catalog, I am glad to fill in blanks where I can.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks.

 

[Mikeske]

I have the attitude that if I can share information at little to no cost I always will do it. If I have information that can be a value to fill in blanks I always will. The more these blanks are filled in the better we can all understand how Bonney changed and when it happened.