quick SLIK adjustable wrench

[international3414]

two wrenches i found yesterday,stamped made in england...B.S.F. ?

[Bill Houghton]

B.S.F. likely refers to "British Standard Fine" nuts/boltheads.  As I understand it, the British used differently sized nuts/boltheads for fine thread (BSF) than for standard thread (British Standard Whitworth, BSW).  You'll often find "Whitworth" wrenches marked "[X size] BSW/[Y size] BSF," referring to the major diameter of the thread, NOT to the nut dimension.  So the 1/2" BSF max on the range would mean it fits the nut for a 1/2" BSF bolt, although it's pretty short for removing a well-torqued/well-rusted nut that size.

Imagine being a British car/motorcycle mechanic, machinery mechanic, millwright, etc., and having to pick the right wrench for a nut you encountered on a repair.  You'd probably get pretty good at it, just as mechanics/repairfolk working on equipment with inch/fractional and metric parts: look at it, pick the right wrench.  But it might take longer.

[international3414]

ok thanks,not sure about the SLIK ,they are nicely chrome plated

[Bill Houghton]

Of course, this also means that you can't use the wrench on SAE or metric or, for that matter, Mesopotamian fasteners 

[international3414]

haaaaaaha

[four.cycle]

Empire / Empire Mdsg. Co., 140 Marbledale Rd., Tuckahoe, NY / importer of "SLIK" adjustable wrench / see Macdowell Equipment Co. Ltd., Romford, England /

Macdowell / Macdowell Equipment Co. Ltd., Romford, Essex, England / "Slik" adjustable wrench / patent GB 650363 Oct 29 1948 Charles Wilson Macdowell /

that same design was manufactured in Germany by a company that stamped it "SUL":

Schmidt / Fr. Paul Schmidt, 20 Herrenstrasse, Suhl, Thuringia, Germany / "SUL" wrench / patent DE 342600 Oct 20 1921 and patent GB 169675 Dec 1 1921 / https://www.datamp.org/patents/displayPatent.php?number=342600&typeCode=0&country=DE /

There was a U.S. manufacturer as well:

U.S. Wrench / U.S. Wrench Co., Philadelphia, PA / "Bohn Quickfit" wrench / patent 1481250 Jan 22 1924 George J. Bohn and Fred W. Werner /

Interesting design. I have one or two of those here in my bicycle wrench collection.

[Yadda]

This wrench is very similar to the Fitzall wrenches.

[d42jeep]

Here is mine marked only "Made in England".
-Don