The Tiny Tools Thread

[Grokew]

a small screwdriver/bit driver set I picked up recently in a box of misc tools. The hammer is a nice added touch.

Wow, I had one set when I was a kid. I wish I had taken better care of it.

 

[Snaparxon]

Small and working micrometer

 

[Mintgrun]

I should have put something in the photos to show scale, but these little magneto/ignition wrenches are 3 1/2" long. I wonder if the wrench next to each name fits that particular maker's fastener, or if it is just a way to say "we've got you covered for all these makers." I think they used to be cad plated, but most of it has rubbed off. Tom

 

[Oldtuleguy]

They were labeled to fit that specific magneto. Cool set!

 

[bonneyman]

Small and working micrometer

You forgot to say how thick the quarter is.

Tiny tool for sure!

 

[four.cycle]

Mintgrun, your 3-piece magneto wrench set was made by Indestro. The names stamped on the wrenches are the brands of the magnetos those wrench ends fit. Later on some genius figured out you could simply stamp sizes on the wrenches and they'd fit all kinds of stuff.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

...these little magneto/ignition wrenches are 3 1/2" long.

Mintgrun, your 3-piece magneto wrench set was made by Indestro.

That is a really sweet set, Tom! Nice ID, 4.c!

I like how prominent the knurled thumbnut is. Say what you want about Indestro, when they had an idea, they stuck with it. They looked at ignition wrenches, pretty much just like these....




...and thought, 'Gee, wouldn't it be better if they were kept nice and neatly altogether, so they don't get lost,' and applied the same principle that they used for Auto-Kit type combination wrench sets, with the little bulge in the middle for the screw and nut.

Later on some genius figured out you could simply stamp sizes on the wrenches and they'd fit all kinds of stuff.

I've posted these two catalog excerpts before.



Pic 1 is from a c. 1930's Bonney. Pic 2 is from a c. 1940's New Britain. When looked at together, though, they tell the story of the evolution of ignition wrenches and ignition wrench set production.

From wrenches with individualized and specialized shapes and service openings tailored to specific brand ignition systems (i.e., magnetoes, magdynos, generators, etc), to standardized wrenches (miniature DOE) with standardized angles (15* x 60*, sometimes 75*) and openings (15/64" through 1/2") that fit all the various ignition systems.

I especially admire New Britain for that table, because you will NOT find the opening sizes in early catalogs and you will NOT find the system correlations in the ignition wrench pages of any other mfgr's catalogs, just the opening sizes. It's actually very helpful and informative.

 

[don long]

I didn't see any body posting their nuggie sets so I'll post mine

 

[Private Lugnutz]

And as long as we were on the subject and I opened my cabinet...

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Sweet! Here are some old ignition and magneto wrenches

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I didn't see any body posting their nuggie sets so I'll post mine

Nice! I see the rare 1/4" baldie in there

 

[four.cycle]

Private Lugnutz - RE: post #127
Any idea of manufacturer of those little ignition wrenches?
Are those at the top possible early-early Kastar (when they were on Long Island?) Don't suppose they have any markings on the other side, right?
The three wrenches below - any idea who made those? I have not seen that style before.

Oldtuleguy - RE: post #130
That is a really interesting set of Bonney magneto wrenches there.

I recently acquired a set of "magneto" tools, but I don't have good enough light right now, and they belong in a different thread. I'll try to get them posted soon.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Private Lugnutz - RE: post #127
Any idea of manufacturer of those little ignition wrenches?
Are those at the top possible early-early Kastar (when they were on Long Island?) Don't suppose they have any markings on the other side, right?
The three wrenches below - any idea who made those? I have not seen that style before.

I do believe the wrenches at the top are early Long Island Kastar. (As is that ignition rub stone I posted, by the way.) I'm not sure who made the wrenches at the bottom, but whoever it is, they were very prolific. They're pretty common, on the right coast, anyway, although I have never seen any other numbers except the No. 1, 2, and 3 in the wild. No markings on any of them.

Tiny tools have even tinier markings, and here are some of my faves.

Note the "FIB." (fiber) vs "STEEL" CAM DISTRIBUTOR feeler blades. Note the potatoes style spelling of the plural "MAGNETOES." (Yes, I am easily amused!)



You never know when even a wrench with a broken jaw is going to be useful. Like this one, which may help identify the nearly identical but unmarked one with the pinned SPARK PLUG and DISTRIBUTOR feeler blades (these are very common!) as Delco.



I know I've posted this one before. The **** Dastardly looking "Fritz the Flyer" logo on early American Bosch.

I recently acquired a set of "magneto" tools, but I don't have good enough light right now, and they belong in a different thread. I'll try to get them posted soon.

I look forward to seeing them.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Here are some old ignition and magneto wrenches

Nice stuff.

If we're going to blitz on this Tiny Tools sub-topic, let's really blitz!

I think you guys know I use this old New Britain display case to keep some of mine in. I have been picking them up for a long time, pouched sets when I am lucky, but usually onesy-twosie.



Here are the pouched sets. Top to bottom, left to right: New Britain, Duro, Duro, Wilde-made "41-W-900", Kastar, Misc., and 30's CRAFTSMAN.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

And here are the piles of orphans and extras and partial sets that have accumulated.

Top: Craftsman, Oxwall, Duro.
Middle: Kastar, Misc., Bonney.
Bottom: Early unknowns, Williams Chrome-Moly (prewar) Supers, Williams Chrome-Alloy or Alloy (wartime) Supers.



A closer look at the Williams Supers, in case anyone wants to do some horse trading.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

And that's not counting the ignition/electrical wrenches in socket sets or other boxes.

 

[four.cycle]

I think you've got a LOT more ignition wrenches there than I do here. Not sure that's not a bad thing. :
Love the "Magnetoes" - that is hilarious.

 

[joseywales]

I have some of the tiny screwdrivers already shown and tiny hammer and wrench kits.
I didn’t see some of these, so I’ll post my humble samples. The tiny wrench I picked up cleaning out the in-law’s.
No markings on the wrench kit and don’t think it’s ignition either.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The tiny wrench I picked up cleaning out the in-law’s.

Do you mean the 3" adjustable? Very cool. What is the brand?

No markings on the wrench kit and don’t think it’s ignition either.

That's nifty. I have a hard time leaving those behind, too, but none of mine have wrenches that small. Not even any size markings?

 

[joseywales]

Do you mean the 3" adjustable? Very cool. What is the brand?

That's nifty. I have a hard time leaving those behind, too, but none of mine have wrenches that small. Not even any size markings?

Yes, the adjustable, though I did pick up the wrench set there as well. You'll be disappointed on the adjustable. It simply reads: Hong Kong.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Disappointed, but not surprised. Most of the wee ones I have found are Hong Kong or Germany.

 

[four.cycle]

2-1/2" adjustable that says something other than "Hong Kong" or "Germany": https://www.ebay.com/itm/324218109924

 

[d42jeep]

China! How a once decent brand of tools has fallen.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

Hey, it's not "Hong Kong" or "Germany"! Whaddaya want?!?!?!

 

[d42jeep]

Emeryville, Oakland or Dallas. Even Spain would be preferable to China.
-Don

 

[wrenchguy]

My most uncommon ignition wrench. Other side not marked nor the gap gauge.

 

[beatcad]

I have other cool old tiny tools but I don't feel like looking for them right now.
I've had this adjustable craftsman wrench for maybe 20 years. Always used it as a keychain. But I have used it as a wrench a handful of times. It opens less than 10mm.

 

[joseywales]

I have other cool old tiny tools but I don't feel like looking for them right now.
I've had this adjustable craftsman wrench for maybe 20 years. Always used it as a keychain. But I have used it as a wrench a handful of times. It opens less than 10mm.

That's cool

 

[DAustin]

I have some of the tiny screwdrivers already shown and tiny hammer and wrench kits.
I didn’t see some of these, so I’ll post my humble samples. The tiny wrench I picked up cleaning out the in-law’s.
No markings on the wrench kit and don’t think it’s ignition either.

Does the Chinese type measure work as well as one built in Taiwan or the USA ?

 

[Mintgrun]

I shared the second DELCO/BOSCH wrench in the Indestro thread, but it snuck into this photo as well. The little 1/4" wrench that FITS BERLING is very similar to one Lugz posted above that is FOR BERLING. The hole placement is different though and Googling taught me that mine is missing a feeler gauge.





Here is a link to a Berling manual that shows my wrench with the feeler gauge intact.

Berling Types S Magneto Manual

Berling Types S Magneto Manual

oldcroak.com

Tom

 

[RTM]

This seems like a reasonable place to add this picture. A magneto wrench that fits Splitdorf, N East-Con & Auto-Lite nuts. Seems similar to the one Lugz posted upthread, but adds Auto-Lite

Fairly small at 3-1/2", one of many little wrenches I;ve got kicking around, but arranging them for a class picdture is like herding squirrels. The stamped are in one pile, the forged in another, the metric in a third.......

 

[humber2]

A Britool set of British Association (BA) wrenches.

 

[four.cycle]

RTM: your little ignition wrench was manufactured by KASTAR when they were still located on Long Island, prior to their move to Racine.
I do not know the exact timeline on that move. Information from the company was scant.
Kastar was aquired by Lang, and is now part of A&E
A & E / (see Lang) / http://alloy-artifacts.org/a_e_manufacturing.html / http://alloy-artifacts.org/a_e_manufacturing.html#history / http://toolarchives.com/node/366 /

Mintgrun:
Would it be reasonable to assume that Berling was manufacturing their own little wrenches as well as magnetos?

 

[humber2]

An English WW2 set by W Tyers &Co with WD broad arrow 1945 in fractional inch sizes.

What chance I’ll find a replacement 5/16 - 11/32 ?

 

[Slackmaster G]

How about a tiny adjustable wrench and a mutt and jeff snap on set

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a rather small wrench I found at a recent estate sale.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Speaking of Kastar.
-Don

 

[Mallen]

Here are some of my small screwdrivers.
-Don

I have some of those drivers but they are red.

 

[Mintgrun]

Mintgrun:
Would it be reasonable to assume that Berling was manufacturing their own little wrenches as well as magnetos?

I wondered if that might be the case. They refer to it as "the Berling wrench" in the manual and that one looks just like mine. It is shown in the parts list as item # 5027 Interrupter Contact Adj. Wrench ($.15).



It is has unique shape. The guy at the register called it adorable. I like buying the puniest bits and the rustiest/dirtiest tools because they seem to base prices on size and cleanliness. I got that wrench for five cents less than it cost new. Seems reasonable, since it is missing the feeler gauge.

Tom

 

[four.cycle]

Berling was made by Ericsson.

If they were making magnetos there they most certainly would have had the capacity to stamp out a little wrench.

Berling / Berling Magneto Company, Laird Ave. at Ontario St., Buffalo, NY / Ericsson Mfg. Co, Buffalo NY / magneto wrench / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/the-tiny-tools-thread.347764/page-4#post-9286439 / https://oldcroak.com/berling-magneto-types-s-manual/ / https://www.ericsson.com/en/about-u...ng-global-company/the-buffalo-plant-1907-1923 / https://www.ericsson.com/en/about-us/history/places/north-america/usa /

I just skimmed over those really quick but it sounds like your wrench was made prior to 1923.