Arg! I had a chance at a 23F lurking in a clutch of Bonney wrenches on eBay, but dozed off before the bidding closed last night. Missed it by 50cents!
Yesterday I picked up an extra 33F and an extra 29F. They ARE out there...
Spreading the Bonney affliction!
- Thread starter bonneyman
- Start date
Arg! I had a chance at a 23F lurking in a clutch of Bonney wrenches on eBay, but dozed off before the bidding closed last night. Missed it by 50cents!
Yesterday I picked up an extra 33F and an extra 29F. They ARE out there...
twertsy
Well-known member
Lol....I had that in my watch list as well and was also asleep when it cooked off......
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I was still awake. Its coming to Kentucky.
Provincial
Well-known member
A couple of Bonney finds this weekend.
First, a 403 DOE field modified, or perhaps collecting a bet that the CV wrenches can be bent 90 degrees without breaking.
Second, a 1232A 1-1/32" open-end.
They are the second and third from the top on the right side of the photo. I can take better photos if requested.
First, a 403 DOE field modified, or perhaps collecting a bet that the CV wrenches can be bent 90 degrees without breaking.
Second, a 1232A 1-1/32" open-end.
They are the second and third from the top on the right side of the photo. I can take better photos if requested.
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Provincial
Well-known member
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Water pump packing gland wrench. Did you buy this in the same lot as the Williams water pump packing gland wrench you reported on the Williams thread? Somebody was servicing water pumps!
I've got a few of each. Williams made them in several sizes from 3/4" to 1"+. Bonney's range was ridiculous. Thirty-one sizes between 3/4" and 2-1/2". You're not turning a 2-1/2" packing nut with a standard adjustable water pump plier! Provincial
Well-known member
Yes, in the same batch. Posted in the Garage Sale thread #2967.
Found a Diamalloy yesterday that looks like Bonney. Not quite identical. Same part number, stampings slightly different, and the finish isn’t polished chrome.
Interesting part is the licensed on back.
Digging those double flares!
I got an “upgrade” to my Zenel single-offset double-box-end wrenches today: a 2814 with a plated finish.
The former LT(Dec1942) placeholder was beat up from some serious hammering in the past, but retains some interesting details, all the same. It had no alloy designation - only the model number (a “stamped Z” prefix to the forged-in 2814) connects it to Zenel. It makes me wonder if we really understand where in the process “stamping” occurred - seems like if it was made from a modified Zenel die with the -ZENEL- ground off, they wouldn’t then stamp a Z into it. It has the older abrupt transition from shank to the in-line box end. And then it has Made in USA stamped on the side instead of forged-in on the depressed panel.
Anyway, the newer IV(Sep1944...would they have resumed using Zenel alloy then? But it can’t be 1958! Maybe it’s a Y? 1947? hmm) guy fits right in with the rest of the drawer. (Though it’s beginning to look like the Zenels and the CVs need separate drawers!)
The former LT(Dec1942) placeholder was beat up from some serious hammering in the past, but retains some interesting details, all the same. It had no alloy designation - only the model number (a “stamped Z” prefix to the forged-in 2814) connects it to Zenel. It makes me wonder if we really understand where in the process “stamping” occurred - seems like if it was made from a modified Zenel die with the -ZENEL- ground off, they wouldn’t then stamp a Z into it. It has the older abrupt transition from shank to the in-line box end. And then it has Made in USA stamped on the side instead of forged-in on the depressed panel.
Anyway, the newer IV(Sep1944...would they have resumed using Zenel alloy then? But it can’t be 1958! Maybe it’s a Y? 1947? hmm) guy fits right in with the rest of the drawer. (Though it’s beginning to look like the Zenels and the CVs need separate drawers!)
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I was despondently poking through some sockets today, and came across a 1/2dr Bonney with an unusual knurl. Turning it over, I saw that it’s a Whitworth size. Now wasn’t that thoughtful of Bonney, to make them easy to tell apart from SAE and metric?
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Mikeske
Well-known member
Pretty Cool.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bonney-Vis...572444?hash=item1cd222ae1c:g:Cu8AAOSwAepc7YWy
ebay no. 123784572444
no affiliation.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bonney-Vis...572444?hash=item1cd222ae1c:g:Cu8AAOSwAepc7YWy
ebay no. 123784572444
no affiliation.
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
That would be neat to own, but I'm not nutty enough to pay that, and what I would be willing to offer ($50) would be a 20% lowball by definition.
Is it just me, or have Bonney prices on ebay been going through the roof lately?
Prices have increased in the last decade since I started hunting in earnest, but it seems to me anyway that over the last year or two prices are just crazy.
Prices have increased in the last decade since I started hunting in earnest, but it seems to me anyway that over the last year or two prices are just crazy.
Mikeske
Well-known member
I have noticed it also but I just dig in deeper to find the better prices. I noticed sometimes that two like items will be listed one considerably cheaper then the other. I guess buyer beware
I saw that. Close enough to that machinist chest Twertsy bought recently, I wondered if they came from the same source. I recognize those badges must be extremely limited in number, but it isn’t gold.
I might think differently if I knew who the employee was, or had some personal connection.
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twertsy
Well-known member
In all my internet searches, I found an auction from 2017 that sold a ton of those. I'm quite sure this is one from that auction. If I recall correctly, they sold for $10-$20 each.
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Cross Posting from the Vises thread:
Does your Bonney Ajax 356 (could that be 35B, 35D, 35S?) have a two-digit number stamped under the dynamic jaw / bottom of the slide?
A couple weeks ago, Mrs LS texted me a photo at the flea market that got my immediate attention. $10 later, I was the happy owner of a Bonney Ajax No32, 3” jaws. Well, the static jaw isn’t quite 3” as it is missing a chunk.
Today I started stripping away the sloppy pale green (it was on the slide and jaws!) and rust. Under it, there may a darker green but also a splotch of dark blue. First thing I spotted was a stamped “2nd” on the side of the dynamic jaw, which I suspect may mean the missing chunk in the static happened at the foundry. Despite this flaw, the vise looks to have had plenty of use.
Then, on the bottom of the dynamic, just under the spindle hole, a “27”. Hmmm. 1927?
Twertsy
Does your Bonney Ajax 356 (could that be 35B, 35D, 35S?) have a two-digit number stamped under the dynamic jaw / bottom of the slide?
A couple weeks ago, Mrs LS texted me a photo at the flea market that got my immediate attention. $10 later, I was the happy owner of a Bonney Ajax No32, 3” jaws. Well, the static jaw isn’t quite 3” as it is missing a chunk.
Today I started stripping away the sloppy pale green (it was on the slide and jaws!) and rust. Under it, there may a darker green but also a splotch of dark blue. First thing I spotted was a stamped “2nd” on the side of the dynamic jaw, which I suspect may mean the missing chunk in the static happened at the foundry. Despite this flaw, the vise looks to have had plenty of use.
Then, on the bottom of the dynamic, just under the spindle hole, a “27”. Hmmm. 1927?
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twertsy
Well-known member
I'll take a look when I get back to the shop later.
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Well, THIS is interesting! I had thought Bonney started using the LocRite 12pt box ends on the Full Polish combos, but no: here is a 7/8 Triangle-era Outline combo on eBay, with that scalloped look. Too bad Outline didn’t continue the date code system.
Oldtuleguy
Well-known member
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Nice wrench. 30$ a little high though.
DD T/A
Well-known member
That's a $2 wrench at the swap, jeez.
Rileysan
Well-known member
Oregon rock crusher
Well-known member
Nice set Brian. There was a similar roll of Bonney tappet wrenches at the swap meet today. 8 wrenches also but it's really four sets of two identical wrenches. Too cool to leave behind...Ed.
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Tylermorris
Well-known member
Every “Made in USA” “TuType” Zenel combo I’ve seen has a CY (Mar1933) date code. Looks like the “Made in Canada” ones may follow the same rule? It is a Y, isn’t it? But I can’t read the first letter.
These wrenches show up in the 1934 catalog (along with the Chrome-Alloy Steel TuHex TuType wrenches), and persist as part of kits at least through 1939. There must be a reason production only lasted a month. Maybe two reasons: the pattern and plating may have pushed cost above what customers were willing to pay in the Depression, and the length wouldn’t give quite as much reach or leverage as the TuHex TuType (and later Bonaloy) combo pattern, which to my eye closely resembles Armstrong’s combo pattern. Shorties have a niche, but apparently it isn’t to introduce a new type of wrench.
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Tylermorris
Well-known member
Mikeske
Well-known member
eTip o’ the day:
Here’s a mostly complete c1944 no.16 electrical wrench set with pouch on eBay. The photos aren’t all clear, but I think the missing wrench is an E28, which shouldn’t be hard to find. Some WWII collector might be interested.
Here’s a mostly complete c1944 no.16 electrical wrench set with pouch on eBay. The photos aren’t all clear, but I think the missing wrench is an E28, which shouldn’t be hard to find. Some WWII collector might be interested.
Wow, that a big'un! Never knew they made the DBE's that large. Biggest ones I know about are 7/8 x 15/16.
Those sizes are useful. The K&H oil filters I've looked at for the cars have a 1" hex nut on the base for removal. And those damned anode rod nuts on water heaters are 1 1/16".
Mikeske
Well-known member
It sure surprised me as I never knew that they came as big as that also. I sure grabbed it fast and acted like Mongo from Blazing Saddles protecting his food but it was a wrench
My thing was it is a size that does have need and yes the anode rod on my water heater was a 1 1/16th but I had plenty of access and was able to get it out with a regular 1/2" drive socket and a breaker bar last year.Rileysan
Well-known member
I like it! They appear to be the same set as mine. I spent my weekend budget at that estate sale Saturday so I opted not to punish myself by looking at all the stuff I wasn't going to buy in Rickreall!
Brin
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Nice grabs, both of you! Sorry I missed this exchange at the bottom of the last page somehow.
You both have examples of Bonney wrench set No. 412. They also sold a smaller 6-wrench set (No. 22) and they sold them individually, of course. But this was their main set and it was advertised to cover "70 per cent of the passenger cars and trucks". All of the tappet wrench sets I have from this era (including Bonney, Herbrand, Craftsman, and Vlchek) came in pairs, except for one mfgr - Plomb. I have heard every explanation for this from left and right tappets to the two-handed tappet adjusting operation (check nut, adjusting nut) on a flat head. Either way, they're twice as nice!
Brian, I can't see your dates codes, but Ed, your set is from March and April 1925. My set is from December 1924, so very close in production.
As for the roll-ups, all my Bonney wrench sets from the 20's through the 40's have the trademark Bonney plaid corner. That's not to say yours are not original. They certainly look original, and, early Bonney roll-ups (prior to 1925) did not have the plaid corner. It seems to have been introduced with the "CV" line. So yours may have been old stock. My roll-ups also have very faint Bonney branding on the flap. You might get the old magnifying glass out to double check yours as this is just stamped on with ink, not fully impregnated, and it was a very light gold color to match the hems.
Hope this helps. And again, nice snags.
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Oregon rock crusher
Well-known member
I was surprised not to see you at Rickreal but it sounds like your estate sale finds were just a good or better! Plenty more swaps coming up. Ed.
Nice grabs, both of you! Sorry I missed this exchange at the bottom of the last page somehow.
You both have examples of Bonney wrench set No. 412. They also sold a smaller 6-wrench set (No. 22) and they sold them individually, of course. But this was their main set and it was advertised to cover "70 per cent of the passenger cars and trucks". All of the tappet wrench sets I have from this era (including Bonney, Herbrand, Craftsman, and Vlchek) came in pairs, except for one mfgr - Plomb. I have heard every explanation for this from left and right tappets to the two-handed tappet adjusting operation (check nut, adjusting nut) on a flat head. Either way, they're twice as nice!
Brian, I can't see your dates codes, but Ed, your set is from March and April 1925. My set is from December 1924, so very close in production.
As for the roll-ups, all my Bonney wrench sets from the 20's through the 40's have the trademark Bonney plaid corner. That's not to say yours are not original. They certainly look original, and, early Bonney roll-ups (prior to 1925) did not have the plaid corner. It seems to have been introduced with the "CV" line. So yours may have been old stock. My roll-ups also have very faint Bonney branding on the flap. You might get the old magnifying glass out to double check yours as this is just stamped on with ink, not fully impregnated, and it was a very light gold color to match the hems.
Hope this helps. And again, nice snags.
Thanks for the great info on Bonney tappet sets and comments lugz. I had read some of the old post for info and found your pics with the plaid Bonney colors...those are nice. I wasn't sure on date codes but I thought I had at least two different years with a P and a Q but I haven't studied them enough to know for sure. Ed.
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Sorry for not "minding my P's and Q's" as my momma used to say!
(Only Bonney's date code system would give us the opportunity to bring that expression into a vintage tool conversation! ) If you have "_ P" codes in there (which I didn't see...), too, then your set came from 1924 and 1925 production. 
It sure surprised me as I never knew that they came as big as that also. I sure grabbed it fast and acted like Mongo from Blazing Saddles protecting his food but it was a wrench
Yeah, I tried removing my used up anode rod fitting with my Bonney 1/2 drive socket and breaker about two years ago and it wouldn't budge. Called a buddy, he said he'd come over and help me but recommended against trying to remove it. If it snaps off I'd need a new heater. So I opted to just let it go and keep an eye on the WH. It's already 15 years old, so, I'm on borrowed time anyway.
