Spreading the Bonney affliction!

[Oldtuleguy]

Yes most of it looks unused. Threw in a few extras to fill it up

 

[outofbounds]

Also posted not he 1/4" socket set thread.....Woke up, poured a cup of coffee and opened my computer to this set. Couldn't resist. Love the breaker bar handle! Now to find the missing wrenches and bits.

 

[RagTopTA]

My buddy picked up a 3/4 drive torque wrench at the flea if anyone is interested.in it.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Rags! How are you? We missed you.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Thats a whopper of a torque wrench

 

[RagTopTA]

Rags! How are you? We missed you.

hiya Lugz!! missed you guys also! I been mia a while. Got the daughter married off and this that and the other. Still been picking every weekend but have been buying a lot less. I am out of room : ( But I thought that Bonney TW was too awesome and wanted to post it. Hes will def sell it if anyone is interested.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Made an offer awhile back on this wrench board and got stuck with another project. Was missing the pegs so made some out of coat hangers. Cleaned up some of my old bonney wrenches and hung them up. Not all the correct vintage but at least they are out of their drawer!

 

[Old Radar]

Nice display board, OTG!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Thanks oldradar. Makes it easy to look at them!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Looks great on that wall.

 

[LesserSon]

OTG, that looks great!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Thanks guys. Its always interesting trying to find some 100+ year old wrenches!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Forgive the question if it's too prying, Otg, but is that wall and doorway near/in the same building as the rest of your massive collection? Why I'm curious is your show n' tell shots on various threads have been typically either devoid of background, or a background that looks like a cart or bench or open bay area in your professional garage. That wall and doorframe looks totally different, much 'cleaner', like living space. Are you, like me, moving slowly but inexorably from 'storage' to 'display'?

 

[MR.X]

There's an interesting auction of Bonney interest on the bay right now from the standpoint of WW2 contracting. I have no affiliation with it and I'm not sure what the policy is ref. linking auctions so if you search WW2 singer wrenches it should come up. It's not really for the actual AA gun but for a fire control device supporting AA guns manf. by Singer.

 

[LesserSon]

I had picked up two crocodile wrenches a couple weeks ago, and recognized they were from before 1921 and 1923. I already had one CO date code, and now a second. The company name, of course, changed from Bonney Vise & Tool Works to Bonney Forge & Tool Works in 1921. But there are more subtle differences.
I looked them over more closely, and noted the change from Allentown, PA. U.S.A. to Allentown PA. Made in U.S.A. (a change more often seen in reverse order post-WWII).
No10 to NO.10
The teeth! The pre-1921 teeth are at an angle, maybe 5° from perpendicular, whereas the later ones are 90°square. I know my photos don’t quite make the difference obvious (I’ll try again) but I think that’s really intriguing. Teeth at an angle could help or hinder fitting sections of pipe, causing the tool to slide slightly toward or away from the joint.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Lugz, stuck it in back office. May move it to a better spot. Definitely worth putting on display.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I see the angle ls, that is interesting. I am guessing it must not have worked so great as they changed it, or perhaps cost too much to do.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Is it these mrx?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1944-Lot-2...-/184491123847?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292

 

[MR.X]

Is it these mrx?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1944-Lot-2...-/184491123847?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292

yep.

 

[Farmer J.]

Made an offer awhile back on this wrench board and got stuck with another project. Was missing the pegs so made some out of coat hangers. Cleaned up some of my old bonney wrenches and hung them up. Not all the correct vintage but at least they are out of their drawer!

That is a very elegant wrench display OTG!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Thanks farmerj the old bonney wrenches were nicely made.

 

[LesserSon]

Hmm. I had posted on the GS thread that I chose a single grind-off (presumably factory second) from a clutch of several pre-date-codes 825A thin wrenches at the flea.
Compared to a non-grind-off, the narrow head is smaller and the shaft is meatier, winding up nearly a quarter-ounce heavier overall. And the fractional sizes are marked differently (— vs /). I don’t notice any obvious defects (nor any among the others in the clutch).
I’m pretty sure I have another grind-off of a different model in the 82X-series, if I hunt it down. I’ll add it when I find it.

EDIT - here it is. An 825, with a rather obvious flaw. Interesting, too, that the stamped marks (enbedded-shield, model no & fractional sizes) are on opposite forged sides from the other two examples.

 

[LesserSon]

Couple Stillsons from the flea and a mystery DBE from the ‘bay.
Date code AW, manufacturer and alloy both ground off. It most resembles a 2540 Chevy main bearings wrench, but is longer, larger, with lower angle/offset, nearly flat.
15/16x1-1/16. Model number 15142, but I don’t see it in the catalog pdfs I have.
Custom, maybe? Any ideas?

 

[Oldtuleguy]

That is an odd size combo. Maybe a custom order.

 

[LesserSon]

Yeah. If it was made in 1945, why isn’t it number 2862 for Bendix brake anchor bolts (p16, 1942 catalog 32)? Same openings, and about the right size and shape. It does look like a number was ground off from in the depressed panel, but it seems to have traces of “414.” Plus, “15142” is very clearly stamped on the side (I’ll post a pic tomorrow), like some Chrome-Vanadium DBEs.
1946 catalog shows a Bonaloy 15° DBE with the same openings, model 2895B, on p7.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Bit of a mystery. Here is an old cv 4091 rotating grip extension that caught my eye. I have a few williams, snap on and blackhawk versions but this is the first bonney.

 

[bonneyman]

Bit of a mystery. Here is an old cv 4091 rotating grip extension that caught my eye. I have a few williams, snap on and blackhawk versions but this is the first bonney.

I, too, have never seen a Bonney like that. But it's cool!

I wonder how hard it would be to fab something similar? Could be nice to have on those repetitious jobs.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Bit of a mystery.

I've never found one in the wild, but the 1939 and 1941 catalogs show the rotating grips on the speeder, the brace, and the 4091 (10") extension. The 4091a (20") and 4091e (26") extensions are not shown with a rotating grip, but I think that's just an artists' rendering thing.

I wonder how hard it would be to fab something similar? Could be nice to have on those repetitious jobs.

Funny, I just saw an old Snap-on speeder at the flea with a copper rotating grip on it. The grip is what caught my eye. Someone had taken a copper line, split it, stuck it on the swing, and brazed it back together again. It was crude, but effective.

 

[Mintgrun]

Here's a 4084 speeder with a grip that matches that extension. 14" long overall.








I picked up the little 2805 DOE the other day. It's hanging out in the orphanage, while I continue the hunt for some family members.





Tom

 

[r_olson_06]

Bit of a mystery. Here is an old cv 4091 rotating grip extension that caught my eye. I have a few williams, snap on and blackhawk versions but this is the first bonney.

Glad to see that one again. Glad you scooped it up.
I have little backstory on that one that may help a bit for the age of it if you want it?

Looking for a Round Beam Plomb 1068 Double Box End Wrench

 

[Oldtuleguy]

That would be awesome roy! Very curious about it.

 

[Shelbylex]

Bonney chrysler corp master “tech” award combination wrenches
9/16, 1/2, 7/16, 3/8, 5/16

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Some kmo (kent moore organization) Detroit brake pliers with what looks like a bonney date code.

 

[LesserSon]

Last Bonney haul of the year (for me, at least) from Jake’s flea today. Have to clear sone rust. Mostly dupes, I think, but I was feeling festive.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It's very difficult to see, but there is a BONNEY marking on these. It doesn't resemble the ignition pliers out of my Bonney ignition kit (middle), and I don't believe it was made by Champion DeArment (bottom), either. It is more robust than typical ignition pliers, too.

 

[LesserSon]

As you know, Bonney didn’t manufacture pliers, at least not generally. The catalogs bespeak a sequence of OEMs. Obviously Utica was one (problem with mounting tools under glass).

Your kit pair look Utica to me.

I have a pair with similar profile to the ones in question (and similarly faint “Bonney”), but they do not have the robust handles. They are clearly made with a handle geometry intended to slip easily into the narrow pocket of a kit pouch.

I would not go so far as to conclude that Champion DeArment isn’t the OEM - NOTE which half has the 3-position slot - they certainly had the capability to customize patterns for clients, plus they went through quite a few pattern changes themselves. I think I saw yet ANOTHER pattern in a Bonney kit on eBay a while back. I’ll see if I can dredge it up.

EDIT - here

Oh, wait! Just saw a pair of Wilde that have those heavy handles HERE.

 

[Mintgrun]

I don't want to interrupt the pliers discussion, but while this thread is up top, I'd like to share some things.

I was excited to find this little refrigeration ratchet the other day. I guess they're a dime-a-dozen on that auction site, but whatever. Too cool to pass up for a buck.





I've had this brake wrench for a while now and tried looking it up in some archived catalogs, but didn't have any luck.











I've read that ZENEL wrench numbers typically start with 3XXX, unless they were replacing/eliminating the non-ZENEL examples; in which case they gave them that number.

The date code is BY, (Feb. '33) and the part number (2561) shows up in the '33 catalog on page 33, but it does not list the ZENEL option.

I am wondering why this wrench retains the original brake wrench part number, if it was not replacing it. I'm also wondering why it doesn't show up in the '33 catalog with the other ZENEL wrenches.

Does anyone have any insight for me? Is this wrench rare and special, due to how early it is? The non-ZENEL examples seem to fetch a pretty penny.

Tom

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Hi Tom,

I don't actually own that many -ZENEL- pieces, but I have no awareness or knowledge of the 'replacement' number theory you're referring to. Bonney gave the DOE engineers wrenches they made with special steel and branded as -ZENEL- a "3" prefix in front of the ISN (e.g., 3731-A) to distinguish them from the regular version (e.g., 1731-A) in their model numbering scheme. But other wrenches they made as -ZENEL- wrenches had other numbers. The H series miniature wrenches and the E series electrical wrenches for example. I can't see the branding on the jaw face, but are you sre it's a 1933 Bendix wrench? Could be a 1947.

 

[LesserSon]

Lugz is asking: is it “USA” or “Made in USA” under “Bonney”? It looks like “Made in USA” to me, so maybe 1933.
The specialty wrenches are going to be problematic dating because they were made in smaller numbers, probably in clusters intended to be sold over time (years, even). Could be the forging dies were used lighter than other models. If the dies were updated, the date codes could be updated, too, but if the forging die was good, why change it?
As to number replacement, I think early single-offset double box-end wrenches did go through a short period of confusion, Zenel examples someimes but not always, showing a Z-prefix to the same model numbers for CV alloy equivalents. For some stretches, the same size/purpose wrench could be made of carbon, CV, Zenel, Bonaloy, or “other.” Bonney tried to distinguish the specific alloy in the model numbers, at least for general-purpise wrenches, as Lugz said, but this is not a reliable rule for periods of rapid innovation or for speciakty wrenches.
I think the alloy-restrictions in WWII made those distinctions seem fussy, and the number changes after the war seem to indicate an attempt ti “rationalize” and unify the numbering system. Subsequent management and ownership changes, along with brand-mixing with other purchase manufacturers re-confused it.

BTW, I like it. I don’t think I have one, but I’ll have to check to be sure.

 

[Mintgrun]

Thank you for the reply, Lugs. Here's a photo of the branding. (what's left of it).



According to the date code interpretations on the Tool Archives, they phased out Made in USA in '46 and used USA in '47, so I belieeeve this one is from '33.

https://toolarchives.com/node/69

Tom