Throw Back Thursday - A little Late

I am a little late this week putting up the Throw Back Thursday. I had therapy on Thursday and didn't do much after that but lay around and rest my knee. Friday a friend picked me up and we took an amazing field trip to a wonderful gentleman's place and he gave us a tour of his fine collection of everything you can imagine. It was awesome.

So today I am putting up the Throw Back Thursday and forgive me for being late.

Snap On has been one of those names in the wrench world that is know as a very fine quality tool. Snap on also manufactured a line of wrenches under the name Blue Point. Snap On was founded in 1920 by Joseph Johnson and William Seideman, with its initial location at 134 Reed Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The name Blue Point was first used in 1923 but the patent for the name was not filed until 1929 and received in 1930. During the '30's the line of wrench under the Blue Point name greatly expanded.

In 1935 they introduced a line called the Blue Point Supreme open end wrenches.According to the 1935 Snap-on catalog, the new wrenches were made possible by the development of a high-carbon alloy steel, which allowed a thinner and lighter design without compromising strength.

The early production of the Supreme wrenches had the shank ground after forging, with the sides tapering to a flat strip in the center. The flat strip was used for the marking "Blue-Point Supreme" (and possibly a date code), and the wrenches were finished with nickel plating.

This ground-shank style was soon superseded; by 1937 the Blue-Point Supreme wrenches were using a forged design with a raised rib in the center. The top of the rib was then ground and polished, and the sides were left with their natural forged finish. By this time the standard finish had become plated chrome.

This wrench is a Blue Point Supreme S2024.

The S2024 was first offered in 1935. There are several different ways they identified this wrench. Actually mine is not shown on their web site but is under the S2224.

This style of the S2224 was produced from 1942 to 1947. The only difference in this wrench and the one I have is the size. Mine is a 3/4 x 5/x8. The S2224 is an 11/16 x 3/4". You can see the others HERE.

The Herbrand Company was founded in 1881 in Fremont, Ohio by Charles Thompson, a native of Fremont. During the 1920s and early 1930s Herbrand developed their line of tools and was a supplier to high-volume retailers such as Western Auto Supply and Montgomery Ward. Western Auto catalogs from the early 1930s list Herbrand tools and mention their brand names "Van-Chrome" and "Multihex".

By the 1960s the increasing competition in the tool industry had made it difficult to remain independent, and in 1961 Herbrand was acquired by the Kelsey-Hayes Corporation, an industrial manufacturer. Kelsey-Hayes had previously acquired Utica Tools in 1956, and Herbrand became part of their Utica Tools Division. The parent company built a huge new factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina for the combined Utica-Herbrand manufacturing operations, and by 1962 Utica and Herbrand had relocated to Spartanburg. A further acquisition in 1964 added Bonney Forge and Tool to the Utica Tools Division.

In 1967 the Utica Tools Division was acquired from Kelsey-Hayes by the Triangle Corporation. Initially all three tool brands remained in production under Triangle, and tools made during this era were marked with a small triangle symbol. Triangle was eventually acquired by Cooper Industries, and at some point the Herbrand line was discontinued.

In 1948 the Bingham-Herbrand Corporation filed a trademark application for "Herbrand" in block letters. The application provided an extensive list of covered products and listed the first use date as November 1, 1921. The trademark was issued as #523,089 on March 28, 1950.

J.H. Williams Co. received their first patent in 1881. The Williams Scroll Logo with the S in the Williams underlining the name was first introduced in 1924. It has the Diamond W below the Script line and the words Forged In USA on either side of the diamond W.

a Williams 762 "Special" textile-pattern wrench with measured sizes 5/8x23/32, stamped on the face "Forged in U.S.A." with the W-Diamond logo.

I ran across this Williams wrench in a box of Rust that I bought. Cleaned it up just enough to be able to read the logo and name.

Proto tools started life as the Plomb Tool Company. In 1950 the line started going under the name of Proto Tools. The Proto trademark was registered by Plomb Tool, with the first use date listed as January 23, 1948.

Here is a pair of Proto 218 8" Battery Pliers Made in the USA.

Next time you are out, take a look at a few old wrench and see what you can find in the box. You might be surprised what is there. Each one has a story to tell and you might be just the one to share that story and keep the History alive.

John Moody
Site Administratorhttp://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com
“Don’t make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don’t hesitate to make it beautiful.†Shaker Saying