Spreading the Bonney affliction!

[dutchgray]

Got some more nice wrenches
View media item 82865A complete chrome metric short set 6 to 20 and a 22mm
They are a mix of loc rite and traditional 12pt, the 16, 17, 18 and 22mm being the latter, condition is very good apart from the 19mm which has been hammered on the open end. The only problem with this set was the price, $180.

 

[bonneyman]

Found a 3/4" flare/box combo wrench...and the counter guy gave it to me! Can't complain about free!

 

[LesserSon]

Thanks.

The 1950 catalog (p71) has most of those manifold/starter wrenches. I was so happy to find on the same page, the “torque-ing wrench” I had posted a while back (post 699). The pdf I have of that catalog is from a pretty low res scan, and I remembered there was one on eBay for $10.
Dashed hope! It sold today. Hopefully, whoever bought it will be of a civic mind and post scans for the rest of us.

 

[LesserSon]

Wow! I noticed last night that the link to the eBay 11/16" Torque-ing Wrench was dead. Then today at the flea market, what do I spy? An 11/16" Torquing Wrench. So now I have BOTH. They were apparently made for mid-century Chrysler cars.
Also picked up a ⅜ Bonney Streamline combo. Haven't looked at it closely for date codes, but guessing from its sharp corners that it is from the early 1950s, maybe the first year of production of that style. I suspect some were made in Allentown PA, before production moved to Alliance OH, before the sale to Miller Manufacturing.
Also picked up a PH18 4oz soft face hammer with a good handle, though the steel is rusted and has no soft faces left. I'll clean and repaint it. Maybe make some new soft faces.
Edit: Okay so now I’ve looked. The (U.S.A.) 1160 (3/8) combo is from Dec1950. Fred S Durham I had died May1949. Miller acquired Bonney in 1853, Fred S Durham II resigned in 1954. J Edward Durham II must have previously retired and died Jan1955. Bonney opened the Alliance OH plant in 1956. This other (USA) 1160 was produced in Aug1957.

 

[LesserSon]

Oops ran out of pic limit. Here’s the PH18, with a refinished one.

 

[JMLangford]

Lookie, lookie, what I found.......

I was going thru some old catalogs and paperwork from when I worked as a mechanic in Columbia, SC (circa 1978-'80)

I found a '77-'78 Utica/Bonney catalog w/price sheet


Catalog is dated 1977....


Price sheet is dated 1978....


Interesting company history on the first page of the catalog....


A couple of random pages....


Let me know if youse guys have any questions about any item in the catalog or need a price......



.

 

[LesserSon]

JML, that is a neat find! Thanks for posting the company history.

 

[LesserSon]

A few Bonney finds today.
2539 CV Bendix brake adjustment wrench from 1928. Intrestingly, has forged-in number 9649.
8” Stillson. Interestingly, the dynamic jaw has the teeth backwards (facing out). I suppose it still does the job, as the non-adjustable “alligator” wrenches actually had one jaw smooth with no teeth. Maybe this one is meant to be reversible? Or just a mistake.
Last photos show comparison to a similar 8”. The wording is slightly different, and the new guy lacks the Bonney shield.

 

[Username already in use]

Scored this Bonney T701 3/8" drive ratchet from the flea this weekend for just a couple of bucks!

 

[LesserSon]

Today's Bonney haul. $5 at the flea market.

 

[bonneyman]

Scored this Bonney T701 3/8" drive ratchet from the flea this weekend for just a couple of bucks!

Oooh, the quad wing selector!

 

[LesserSon]

Today USPS delivered my eBay acquisition. What lovely little things these are!

 

[Username already in use]

Today USPS delivered my eBay acquisition. What lovely little things these are!

Nice! The USPS delivered some midget Bonney to me today as well.
(Thanks Don!)
Looks like all this set is missing is the 2in extension.

 

[jallyn]

Nice! The USPS delivered some midget Bonney to me today as well.
(Thanks Don!)
Looks like all this set is missing is the 2in extension.

 

[Mikeske]

Nice! The USPS delivered some midget Bonney to me today as well.
(Thanks Don!)
Looks like all this set is missing is the 2in extension.

I got 3 of the 1/4” by 2” extensions. I think they are all NOS I could be convinced to part with one. Send me a PM.

 

[Mikeske]

eBay delivery for me today also.

A RF57 and a RF58 tubing wrenches. The RF58 has been hard to find but I finally got one.

 

[bonneyman]

eBay delivery for me today also.

A RF57 and a RF58 tubing wrenches. The RF58 has been hard to find but I finally got one.

Nice! Do you have the complete set of those, Mike?

My mutt set is a mix of older style and newer Loc-Rite - don't have the 2 or 3 largest ones.

 

[bonneyman]

Nice! The USPS delivered some midget Bonney to me today as well.
(Thanks Don!)
Looks like all this set is missing is the 2in extension.

I had the 3/8" brother to that plastic box set. The box lasted about 10 openings then the hinge gave out.

The 2" ext are a bit harder to find then the 6" ones. Don't know why.

 

[Mikeske]

Nice! Do you have the complete set of those, Mike?

My mutt set is a mix of older style and newer Loc-Rite - don't have the 2 or 3 largest ones.

I have the older style RF54 and the newer style RF57 and RF58 in the pictures that I posted on. I will be watching eBay to fill out this set. I have a lot of the flaring wrenches in SAE flare and box and then the original sets that I got in 1983.

 

[Mikeske]

So this question is from my curiosity. How many actually use the Bonney tools we acquire for our collections. Of all of mine they are used as I really like them and particularly the wrenches, the flex head 3/8" ratchet and all the sockets.

 

[LesserSon]

I don’t hesitate to use the Bonney tools I buy, but as I am not a mechanic, they get used only for hobby projects. Here are a few I picked up today. Two are unfinished wrenches, so they couldn ‘t really be used anyway.
This is my first-found unfinished combo wrench. Looks like it was on its way to become a Bonaloy 1/2” combo in July 1947, and got interrupted. The forged-in date code is the only mark on it. The other side is completely blank.

 

[3baygarage]

Neat find there LS. You know I like that wrench.

I ran into a couple Bonney today. Have to get pics.

 

[AceofSpad3s]

https://nh.craigslist.org/tls/d/bonney-metric-combination/6613095752.html
Found these, 6 point bonney metrics sound good to me, but the price is a bit much in my eyes.
Should probably dig around and see where my 18mm one is.

 

[dutchgray]

https://nh.craigslist.org/tls/d/bonney-metric-combination/6613095752.html
Found these, 6 point bonney metrics sound good to me, but the price is a bit much in my eyes.
Should probably dig around and see where my 18mm one is.

Probably not overpriced, sets of those are extremely rare, if it was an eBay listing they would be gone quick.

 

[3baygarage]

The couple little line wrenches from yesterday.

 

[AceofSpad3s]

Probably not overpriced, sets of those are extremely rare, if it was an eBay listing they would be gone quick.

I don't think it's a bad price, but for me they'd be users so $110 for wrenches from a company that hasn't existed for 25 years makes me hesitate, especially since that'd be about the same price per wrench as new wrightgrips.
I do like the design of the bonney ones though, beam and opening are nice, plus six point box ends.

 

[davethorik]

So this question is from my curiosity. How many actually use the Bonney tools we acquire for our collections. Of all of mine they are used as I really like them and particularly the wrenches, the flex head 3/8" ratchet and all the sockets.

Funny you asked, I just bought a newer Bonney 1-1/4 combo off eBay to use at work. It looks good from this pic in the ad.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

How many actually use the Bonney tools we acquire for our collections.

I don't. Most of my Bonney is WWII era, and as such, either in or destined for WWII tool-sets that I collect for living history displays. I don't normally collect anything newer than that. I do go older, but in general, they may as well be pieces of fine china, and I may as well be wearing velvet gloves. Different strokes!

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I have other sockets with the fancy script Chrome-Vanadium marking, but this LD28T (1/2-inch drive 7/8” service opening) is the first LD series Extra Deep socket I have found, on Friday at a flea market. It most likely dates to NET 1933 and NLT 1942. In the 1933 catalog, the base of the LD series is not cross-drilled for a tommy bar. In the 1939 catalog it is, and again in the 1941 catalog. In 1942 Bonney dropped the CV composition and markings due to alloy restrictions.

The other socket is a D series (tapered wall) D16 CV.

 

[LesserSon]

Here’s a little Krieger-contract DOE I spotted today. Didn’t buy it, because I didn’t like that the one end had been ground narrower.
I don’t remember if I remarked here, but I spotted a great big one (maybe a 1033C) two weeks ago. I didn’t buy that one, either. He wanted $5, and these aren’t really any different from other wartime Bonney, except for the name. Haven’t seen that vendor again, anyway.
Still, it would be cool to have a set of them. There’s a sort of irony to the name.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Still, it would be cool to have a set of them.

Agreed! If only for the novelty and strange history of it (3rd party production for an Army bus, van, and truckbed shelter maker's odd and extremely short-lived wrench contract with the Ordnance Dept...). I've got one or two.

 

[bonneyman]

My SAE wrench sets, 3/8" drive sockets (both SAE and metric), and 1/2" drive metric sets get used regularly. Flare wrenches, too.

My DBE full polish metric Loc-Rite wrenches are quite rare and irreplaceable, so, I only tend to use them when I have to.
My Bonney ratchets are tight and a bit clunky (being NOS), and I don't really use them. Especially when I have S-K and EASCO rats handy that I like better.

 

[bonneyman]

https://nh.craigslist.org/tls/d/bonney-metric-combination/6613095752.html
Found these, 6 point bonney metrics sound good to me, but the price is a bit much in my eyes.
Should probably dig around and see where my 18mm one is.

If it were 12 point Loc-Rite I'd say the price is just about right. My set like that from 1981 cost me around $90. When my pay was $3.25 an hour!

 

[Mikeske]

If it were 12 point Loc-Rite I'd say the price is just about right. My set like that from 1981 cost me around $90. When my pay was $3.25 an hour!

I have the 12 point metric long set from 8MM to 20 MM and I have no idea of the price of metric set originally as it was part of a complete set of wrenches, sockets, ratchets and odds and ends that I bought in 1983. It did take a while last year to locate a 13 and 15 MM as my son had used them and promptly lost them years ago.

 

[davethorik]

Funny you asked, I just bought a newer Bonney 1-1/4 combo off eBay to use at work. It looks good from this pic in the ad.

Sometimes you gamble, and win. I bought that Bonney 1-1/4" combo based on description "used, great shape", and 2 small, crappy low-res pics that looked ok. Asking $14 offered $10, and got it.

What I received is this...I would personally call this wrench near NOS, as it looks new except for one mark on one side of open end, box end never used.

No. 23740 1-1/4" combo, it appears to have the Loc-Rite box end, and wrench is grippy satin chrome with some polishing on the ends. Beam very smoothly rounded and thick, pleasant to hold. 16-3/8" oal. This is a nice wrench!


Also my 3rd Bonney wrench of this style, generally speaking seem well made.

 

[bonneyman]

Nice grab, dave. The bigger Bonney wrenches tend to go for big money.

 

[davethorik]

Nice grab, dave. The bigger Bonney wrenches tend to go for big money.

Thanks bonneyman, this wrench is awesome. I'm guessing it is late production due to features and 5 digit part number. No triangles anywhere, Cooper production? I don't even know when they stopped using the name.

I kept the ebay luck going with a Bonney ALH36 deep 1-1/8" 6 pt. chrome 1/2 drive socket I just won for $1.62. This one has a Triangle so easy to tell when it's from.

 

[d42jeep]

Here are some cad plated 1/4” drive sockets I found yesterday. Like most of my Bonney finds they will be sent to username unless he already has them. I am a big fan of wartime 1/4” drive sets but doubt that I would be able to complete this one.
-Don

 

[twertsy]

I snagged this off eBay a couple weeks ago. It came out of eastern PA and was cheap. I'd like to think it sat on someone's desk at Bonney long ago. However, I'm more inclined to think the seller "faked it" due to the inside logo appearing to have simply been printed. Note the black around the edge......

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[3baygarage]

Huh, Lane Cedar Chest. That’s a very curious piece indeed. The stickers? have a nice aged look to them. Is it possible they’re old tool box stickers? I feel like I’ve seen some version on Ebay a few years back but I could be mistaken. Still a nice little box. Have to wonder why they would put one in the bottom though, other than to not cover up the box mfr.. in the lid.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I'd put cigars in it.