Welcome to Tool Talk!
I often get Fairmont and Fairmount confused, and this info seems to indicate that they are the same. I always thought they were two different manufacturers.
Look at the G503 Military Vehicle Forum-
http://g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=32920"Fairmount Tool Company. It is owned by Martin Sprocket and Gear and they still make wrenches under the Martin name. Read and enjoy!
excerpts from a return email from Martin
Thank you for your patience. Martin Tool is indeed the successor to Fairmont Tool & Forge. A short History is attached. Martin Tool continues today as a high quality manufacturer of industrial hand tools, automotive specialty tools and commercial forgings. Visit us at
www.martintoolandforge.comAs the history indicates, Fairmont was producing wrenches and forgings for the war effort, and probably supplying tools for kits through the Naval Supply System, the precursor of the current GSA supply system. After he WW II, the Combination Wrench replaced the double open and double box wrenches as the wrench of choice. This extra heavy double open wrench series, with low sales, was discontinued in the 60's or 70's.
and document about the history of Fairmount
The History of Fairmount Tool
Fairmount Tool & Forge began operations in 1917. The operation started in a blacksmith shop on Cleveland’s east side. The first products produced were the utility wrench and several hammers and dollies for “horseless carriage” repair. These products were produced over the next few years and were sold direct to automobile companies.
In 1925, independent demand for these tools, and more like them, resulted in the installation of the first forging hammers at Fairmount. The product line was expanded to cover more specialized tools for auto body repair and additional assorted wrenches. As the country began to recover from the great depression, Fairmount added additional forging equipment in the late 1930's to produce commercial forgings for the auto industry.
In the early years of the 1940’s, the World War II requirements had Fairmount running three shifts producing forgings for tanks. The demand for special tools increased and became the nucleus of the Fairmount product line.
In the late 1940’s, with the war effort behind them, Fairmount returned to the automotive market. The body and fender repair tool product line was expanded to include over forty items. A “how to manual” was published and was used nationwide in training returning servicemen for the civilian work force.
During the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, Fairmount continued to expand it’s tool line focusing on the special and heavy duty industrial tool market with a distribution network of over 1,300 Industrial distributors nationwide. Fairmount also provided commercial forgings for machine tool O.E.M.’s and the trucking industry.
In 1953, Fairmount went from private ownership to a division of Frontier Industries. In 1956, Houdaille Hershey purchased Frontier Industries. In early 1983, Fairmount moved it’s entire operation to Fort Worth, Texas. Fairmount remained a division of Houdaille Industries until July of 1984 when Martin Sprocket & Gear acquired Fairmount and Fort Worth Steel and Machinery from Houdaille Industries."
