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Wrench Forum => Wrench Forum => Topic started by: Wrenchmensch on March 26, 2012, 02:51:02 PM

Title: Harold's Grandfather's Wrench is How Old?
Post by: Wrenchmensch on March 26, 2012, 02:51:02 PM

I offered to clean up Harold's grandfather's wrench. Harold is in his early 80's and not all that well.  Besides that he leads Tuesday Morning Bible Study, humbly so we all enjoy it.

Can anyone date the 8-inch Walworth Stillson pipe wrench below. I'm returning it to Harold tomorrow morning, and I would like to tell him.

Title: Re: Harold's Grandfather's Wrench is How Old?
Post by: scottg on March 26, 2012, 05:04:07 PM

I think giving a timeframe of 1870 to 1920 would be in the ballpark. They made these for a long time.

Stillson invented the wrench. But Wallworth made them.
  Henry worked for Wallworth and came up with the idea. It was the first moveable jaw pipe wrench.
The story goes, old man Wallworth saw the wooden pattern and said, "Make this wrench and put it on a pipe and twist off either the pipe or the wrench, see which breaks first."
 The pipe broke and the rest is history.

   Wallworth was a very stand up company didn't try to screw Stillson out of the credit/patent as so many others have done through time.  He got his royalties as long as it lasted.
 That why the wrenches are marked Wallworth and the hook jaw is marked Stillson.

 The wrench looks beautiful, btw.
  yours Scott

Title: Re: Harold's Grandfather's Wrench is How Old?
Post by: Wrenchmensch on March 26, 2012, 10:28:09 PM

Thanks Scott!  I will tell Harold "Before 1920".  I have the first Stillson made by Walworth and it has a patent date well before 1900,  1882 I think (It's at the Newark, DE Library as I write this). That 10-inch wrench is markedly different from Harold's (See picture below).

Thanks also for the compliment; I worked hard cleaning it up.

Title: Re: Harold's Grandfather's Wrench is How Old?
Post by: Branson on March 27, 2012, 09:00:14 AM

Your hard work sure paid off.  That wrench is pretty!