Spreading the Bonney affliction!

[CRTDI]

Some vintage Bonney mash-up.

 

[LesserSon]

Paid the eRansom on this Zenel 3737 (1-1/8x1-1/4) DOE, now repatriated to Allentown. Last one I saw was also on eBay, FOUR YEARS AGO. That one was chrome-finished, but bundled with some other stuff I didn’t want to pay shipping for. I had no idea then it would take this long.
This one is plain steel, fresh from Evaporust stew. Might have had a bit of cad clinging to it beforehand. Three forged-in dots, but no date code I can make out. “Zenel” and “Made in USA” narrow it to 1932-1946.

Woo-Hoo! There are only three Zenel DOE models in the WORLD that I don’t have. (Excluding tappet wrenches...)

May be a little over-the-top, but these are the wrenches that shifted me from scrounging to collecting.

 

[chickenfarmer]

I've never read this thread, but I found this bonney in some of my grandpas old wrenches.
It's a 25/32 x 5/8
Its definitely my only 25/32"
Part number 1028S, thought you guys might like it

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[Private Lugnutz]

Your grandad had a fine eye for good tools! Immediate postwar. They introduced BONALOY before the war, but not DOEs. And they dropped the "MADE IN" from the COO marking in 1946 or thereabouts. If that's a "Y" I see on the shank, then 1947 to be precise. Looks like he modified the throat on the 25/32" opening.

 

[LesserSon]

There’s a soft faced hammer on eBay.
It’s been re-hafted upside down (held in a vise!), and I don’t recognize the faces “SAC 2121.”
But my question is about what’s stamped under “BONNEY No PH15”:
“US_C” ... USAC? USMC? I kinda favor USAC (maybe influenced by the marks on the faces).
What do you think?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I kinda favor USAC (maybe influenced by the marks on the faces). What do you think?

I agree. And I would be tempted to say almost certainly representing US Air Corps. They were a prideful bunch, and I see merely 'AC' or merely 'USAC' stamps on things more often than 'USAAC' (for US Army Air Corps) or USAAF (for US Army Air Forces, which owned the Air Corps after 1942). My one caution is that 'SAC' stamp on the one face. That is odd. If it's not a miss-struck 'USAC' stamp, it could be Strategic Air Command. But, that was a postwar thing.

The PH15 was a 1/2-oz hammer, by the way. Tiny. Tinier even than the PH17 in my kit, which is 1-1/2 ozs for comparison.

One more related comment: the soft-face tips on my PH17 are trasnslucent, not solid, and they are shown as translucent in the 1939 and 1941 catalogs, too.

 

[LesserSon]

Thank you for the insight on USAC/USAAC, Lugz.
I was searching through multiple catalogs last week, trying to find a Bonney 1/4dr metal box to match the dimensions of a Bon-e-con box I have, and I feel like I DID flip past a page with replacement faces similar to the SAC-marked ones on the eBay hammer, in addition to the usual amber ones. (Not saying the eBay ones are Bonney, though.) I’ll look through the cats again, starting with 1977, and work back.
Bonney’s model numbers for hammers make no sense; I think you’ve got the wrong one in mind. PH15 is 8oz, so half-pound.
Here’s PH17 1.5oz, PH18 4oz, PH15 8oz, and PH20 16oz. (The handle of the PH20 is a bit loose, even with the wood wedge in. I’m waiting to put the NIB faces on it until I find the ideal fix.) I’d like to find a PH21 32oz in the wild.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Um, yeah, 1/2 lb does make much more sense!

 

[LesserSon]

Yay! I bought a MB36 with the M215B kit labels on it that ssdave was selling on eBay. It arrived today, so now five formerly-homeless tools have a home. Just have to find three sockets to complete the kit (MT10, MT11, MT12), then happy ever after.
Interestingly, though the available catalog illustrations show the under-lid decal in alternate locations, none show the reversed position of the socket corral. Lazy illustrators! I’m a little surprised at the unfilled volume of the container - room for expansion, I guess. Maybe I’ll add a spinner and some extensions...

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice. Metric stuff can be tough to find. Congrats!

 

[rickhigginshtbr]

So I found a A703 15” 1/2” drive... I’m sure it’s a long shot, but anyone know of a rebuild kit or any donor ratchets that can be used for it? Took it apart to clean and lube, one of the two pawls has the holder broken above it. Still works! But obviously not as it should. Debating carefully JB welding it.






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[outofbounds]

These Single Offset Box End Wrenches followed me home today. Not a “you ****” deal but at $20 still a pretty good value. I didn’t see the point in trying to beat five dollars out of a retiree on a fixed income…

 

[LesserSon]

Rick - Do you have an A701 to try? More “common,” or at least, less rare.
Would there be much difference besides the extra length? One way to find out.

OOB - I think that IS a U-**** deal. You’ll probably pay more filling in the 2014 & 2022.

 

[rickhigginshtbr]

Rick - Do you have an A701 to try? More “common,” or at least, less rare.
Would there be much difference besides the extra length? One way to find out.

OOB - I think that IS a U-**** deal. You’ll probably pay more filling in the 2014 & 2022.

I do have a 701, think I’ll be hunting for another one now though!


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[Oldtuleguy]

Oob 20$ is a you **** deal.

 

[bonneyman]

A "You ****" deal for sure!

 

[outofbounds]

Thanks for the affirmation, mates! Although I have to reduce the "you ****" factor by at least a third, based on the inherent bias on this page!

 

[snapmom]

AT9105 3/16w. I saw one of these years ago, I thought it was modified, but noooooo, saw a couple in the last few months, all with the offset handle. Would be part of a Merlin Packard RR tool kit, not sure which one.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

That is an odd one. Would be interesting to see what it was for. An a700 and a t701

 

[r_olson_06]

That is an odd one. Would be interesting to see what it was for. An a700 and a t701

I have never seen a selector like that on a bonney that the a700 has. Font looks older than the other.

Looking for a Plomb 3061 Pebble Open End.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

It's a fancy dual pawl set up. Feels like it has about a 100 teeth. Its a smooth ratchet.

 

[LesserSon]

Bonney picks from Jake’s flea today. The 6” Stillson is only a provisional Bonney - I haven’t found anything stamped on it yet.
The 4098(?) rat has a round hollow handle, with 8 evenly-spaced notches, something like a castellated nut. Wonder why?

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Don't know about the notches, but typically the hollow handle lightens the tool and can be for a cheater bar.

 

[LesserSon]

Three more DOEs for the coffers today. Princeton-shield 502 S-wrench, B-shield 27F, B-shield 723.
Not pictured, a very rust-encrusted S06 screwdriver.

 

[LesserSon]

Today I cleaned up the box I bought from ssdave, and then the sockets and ratchet that moved in. The spring clip does not protrude anywhere, so my SK 7639 couldn’t help. Finally a screwdriver and prestidigitation won out. Internals were caked with black grit. Because 3/8dr is so much smaller than 1/2dr, I chickened out to do a full teardown, even though the mechanism looks pretty familiar. I think I counted 45 or 46 teeth, plus each pawl has two. Sounds like 90 clicks. I rinsed it out, jammed some lube into it, and reassembled. The four sockets seem to have once belonged to a colony of mud-daubers, but I got them clean, too.

While I was at it, I rinsed the 4098 the best I could (riveted). Sounds like 20 clicks.

 

[LesserSon]

Got a TuHex 182 today, and a CV 1735.
Rust off! Now my 1737 has a brother. Both Nov1927 mfr. Hmm...build a set of usernamesake (LS) wrenches? Why not!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Was pleased to acquire this dayton sweetheart ratchet

 

[Mikeske]

Found this is a reopened Flea Market today. A Bonney 1733 7/8ths X 1" double open end wrench. It seems to have modified on the 1" side with a notches in the throat

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Bonney was really nice stuff we used them at school and I have a few of my own out of all brands it’s the brand I have found the least of I have I think 3 sockets and a 12 point line wrench from them but that’s all I have ever found I do have a few of their lower end Bon-E-Con tools too.


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[MR.X]

Hi. Could one of the Bonney experts on here direct me to any posts with pictures of the earliest known Bonney wrenches? Thanks.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Short answer...

Page 74/Post #1468 (RagTopTA) and Page 154/Post #3066 (leg17) for examples of early (1913-1920) period malleable iron wrenches.

Page 135/Post #2695 (me) for examples of early (1913-1920) period DOE carbon steel wrenches. I am pretty sure that Twertsy and LesserSon and others own and have shown them as well. Just handiest.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Longer answer...

Assuming you're not talking about Mr. C.S. Bonney's adjustable pipe wrenches (made by Kraeuter and dating to 1903 after he sold his stake in Bonney Vise & Tool Works...) or Bonney Vise & Tool Works VIXEN-branded "Crocodile" wrenches (made as early as 1913 and so-called to avoid Roebling's "Alligator" trademark), as seen in Pics 1 & 2 below, but end wrenches, that question - "earliest known", has been somewhat of a periodic subject of research, discussion, and congenial debate on this thread.

In summary, the situation with early Bonney end wrenches is much more nuanced and complex than what one might take away from a reading of AA.

We here, and on TA 2.0 as a reference website, are more helpful in recognizing that the move to Allentown took place in 1909, not 1906, that the "Princeton" shield (as we call it here), trademarked in 1913, included more than just cement working tools - as AA erroneously states, appears by itself in various forms (Full shield, full shield with a small 'B' only on the bottom under the chevrons, and a mini shield with only a big 'B' inside) on wrench shanks irrespective of it being embedded in the BONNEY name (e.g., BON{/}NEY) on wrench faces, which AA gives little to no credence to, and, that there are additional variations within that era to be sequenced, such as one or two chevrons in the shield, a 'MADE IN U.S.A.' marking or not, as well as the size conventions (e.g., S.A.E., U.S.S. etc) or not.

In general, though, all end wrenches without a date code are early, all made before 1921.

Most of the wrenches on the board in Pic 3 below were made before 1921, and after 1914, bearing B-shields on the shanks, most without and some with 'MADE IN U.S.A.', and the embedded shield logo (BON{/}NEY).

I have pulled off a couple of oldies in Pics 4, 5, & 6.

Neither has a date code. So older than 1921. One is similar to the wrenches on the board, as I described above, but has no B-shield on the shank. Probably early. Could pre-date that B-shield convention. The other, unlike most of the wrenches on the board, an dmost early wrenches we see, just has a B-shield on the shank, no Embedded Shield logo. Probably contract production. But could be early production, after they TM'd the shield, but before they started using the Embedded Shield logo (which they never TM'd).

In my personal opinion, a good argument for the oldest end wrench on this thread could be made for RagTopTA's malleable iron wrench on Page 74, Post #1468, as alluded to in the short answer. It only has one marking, a plain BONNEY name surrounded by a very faint jellybean. 'BONNEY' in a jellybean shaped oval (so-called "jellybean" logo) has been seen on some early end wrenches, specifically 'S' wrenches. This logo was not TM'ed. But I believe it is a version of the arching 'BONNEY' that was TM'd in 1908, first use 1876.

An equally and maybe even strong argument could be made for another malleable iron model, owned by leg17, shown on Page 154, Post #3066, as alluded to in the short answer. It only has one marking - the Princeton shield with the small 'B' under the chevrons that can be seen on early vises and my Vixen "Crocodile" wrench above.

Note in that same post leg17 has an 'S' wrench with the Bonney jellybean logo. The same wrench also has an embedded shield Bonney logo on the face of a jaw. I think it's a very early transitional. After 1913, when Bonney claims first use for the shield, but barely. In contrast, AA shows an 'S' wrench in Figure 3 on page 1 of its Bonney section that only has a Bonney jellybean logo, suggesting that it was made prior to 1913.

That earliest Allentown period (1909 to 1912) is the dark gap for us Bonney collectors. Few specimens and NO catalogs. We have an 1886, an 1888, and a 1914.

There is no evidence that Bonney Vise & Tool Works made end wrenches in Philadelphia prior to 1909.

Other than the jellybean logo only "S" wrench on AA, there is little to no evidence that Bonney Vise & Tool Works made end wrenches in Allentown after 1909 and before 1913.

 

[MR.X]

Wow! Thanks for that synopsis.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

You're welcome. Now c'mon, bro. Spill. Did you find an old Bonney wrench or what?!

 

[LesserSon]

Interesting find today at Jake’s Flea Mkt. A guy who had mostly WWII and later militaria had what I took to be a composite 1/4dr&3/8dr set in a Western Auto box. I saw enough Bonney to hand over the $10 asking price.
Got them home and cleaned up, seems the Bonney is all 9/32dr. Hmm. Still, looks like a broken set (no 13/32, no rat, no spinner). Then I find them in catalogs 1933-1938 (1939 shows 1/4dr). Complete 10pc ES “Extra Small” set, minus the 5-1/4x3-1/8x1-1/8” metal box.

 

[r_olson_06]

Interesting find today at Jake’s Flea Mkt. A guy who had mostly WWII and later militaria had what I took to be a composite 1/4dr&3/8dr set in a Western Auto box. I saw enough Bonney to hand over the $10 asking price.
Got them home and cleaned up, seems the Bonney is all 9/32dr. Hmm. Still, looks like a broken set (no 13/32, no rat, no spinner). Then I find them in catalogs 1933-1938 (1939 shows 1/4dr). Complete 10pc ES “Extra Small” set, minus the 5-1/4x3-1/8x1-1/8” metal box.

Nice piece! That box is sweet.

Looking for a Round Beam Plomb 1068 Double Box End Wrench

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Got them home and cleaned up, seems the Bonney is all 9/32dr. Hmm. Still, looks like a broken set (no 13/32, no rat, no spinner). Then I find them in catalogs 1933-1938 (1939 shows 1/4dr). Complete 10pc ES “Extra Small” set, minus the 5-1/4x3-1/8x1-1/8” metal box.

Terrific find! Congrats. Interestingly, Bonney never made a 9/32-inch drive ratchet. They were content with only the Sliding Tee handle for turning the sockets for several years before adding a spinner and never put a ratchet in their Extra Small sets, not even in the largest deluxe sets. As a reminder, see Pic below.

Ironically, the U.S. Army agreed with the strategy. After deploying some larger 1/4-inch drive midget sets, by 1945 they had settled on only the spinner and hinge handle for turning sockets.

I will be keeping an eye out for a Bonney box for that set for you.

 

[RedVise]

Came across a crusty old box last week, and found a decent Bonney 1/2 socket set with a A701 ratchet in good condition. Filled in 4 holes with some USA sockets.

Brian

 

[Provincial]

I found a Bonney T24 socket at an estate sale Thursday. I'm not a Bonney collector, but it was so cute, I couldn't resist taking it home.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Could one of the Bonney experts on here direct me to any posts with pictures of the earliest known Bonney wrenches? Thanks.

I replied to this twice already, at first with a short answer, and then a much longer one that, as it turns out, was sorely mistaken about the earliest wrench on this thread.

I now think that honor goes to LesserSon, who has an "Always Ready" wrench that had to have been made in Philadelphia, after 1890, when Mr. A.O. Bills re-organized the company as the Bonney Vise & Tool Works (formerly Bonney Vise & Tool Company), and before 1909, when the Durham 'Princeton' clan moved the company to Allentown. His wrench is linked here.

As little as 5 minutes ago, I thought that I may have had the sole honor with this "Always Ready" wrench...

...my newest acquisition, from one of those etsyLetCraigsOfferListGoUp type sites.

I won't be more specific about that so as not to give away any of MR. X's secret fishing holes! (Yes, as you may have already guessed, his having spotted it was the source of his question.) He was kind enough to tip me off, and I snatched it up like an, er, "alligator", even though Bonney (any everyone else other than the TM holder Roebling) never called them that on paper or steel. Bonney used "Crocodile" instead, and before that, "Always Ready."

But a last minute double-check by me turned up LS's earlier find.

I am honored to have the co-honor.

Mine is a No. 2.

There's nothing on the flip side.

The branding is awesome.

Here is an excerpt from the 1886 catalog in which it is unmarked...

...and an excerpt from the 1914 catalog in which it bears the 'Princeton shield' first used in 1913.

As I said above, our wrenches had to have been made between 1890 and 1909.