Alloy Artifacts

Exploring Ingenuity in Iron ...

• Armstrong Bros., the Strong Arm of Tools
• Billings & Spencer
• Blackhawk Mfg.: The Spirit of Innovation
• Bonney Forge & Tool Works
• Cornwell Quality Tools Company [Under Construction]
• Duro and Indestro Tool Identification
• Herbrand, The Vanguard of Van-Chrome
• Hinsdale in Hindsight
• New Britain Machine Company
• Plomb: A Gallery of Tools
• Sherman-Klove and S-K Tools [Under Construction]
• Snap-On: Early Sockets and Drive Tools
• Snap-On: 1930s to 1950s
• Utica Drop Forge & Tool
• The Story of Vlchek
• Walden-Worcester
• J.H. Williams, The SuperCompany
• Wright Tool and Forge Company

Tool Industry Features

• A Tool Industry Timeline
• Trademarks and Logos
• Selected Tool Patents
• Patented Tools

The Retail Connection

• Early Craftsman Tools
• Craftsman "BE" and H-Circle Tools
• Craftsman Maker "V" and The Modern Era

Briefly Noted

• Lounging with Barcalo
• Bog Manufacturing of Chicago
• Bridgeport Hardware Manufacturing
• Champion DeArment Tool Company
• Crescent Tool Company
• J.P. Danielson Company
• Diamond Calk Horseshoe Company
• Fairmount Tool & Forging Company
• Forged Steel Products Company ("Vacuum Grip")
• Frank Mossberg Company
• Husky Wrench and Common Sense
• Kraeuter & Company
• Milwaukee Tool & Forge Company
• Owatonna Tool Company (OTC) [Under Construction]
• P & C Hand Forged Tools (P&C) [Under Construction]
• Peck, Stow, & Wilcox (Pexto) [Under Construction]
• S-K Knurled-Base Sockets
• Truth Tool Company

Other Features

• Archived Articles
• Table of Industry-Standard Wrench Numbers

Tool of the Week: Loc-Rite 23336 Flare-Box Combination Wrench

Flare-nut wrenches, for working on air or hydraulic tubing systems, are very familiar in single- and double-flare models. Flare and open-end combination wrenches are available as well, but the flare-box combination is probably unfamiliar to many people. And if we combine an unusual configuration with an uncommon brand name, made by a company not usually associated with tools, and add an interesting patent, we've got a Tool of the Week with some surprises for everyone.

Let's begin with the tool itself, a Loc-Rite model 23336 flare-box combination wrench in size 1-1/8x1-1/8. The wrench is marked with the Loc-Rite logo and "Patented", with "USA" and "Kelsey-Hayes Tool Div." on the reverse. The overall length is 14.4 inches.

Loc-Rite 23336 1-1/8 Flare-Box Combination Wrench, with Inset for Reverse, ca. 1964-1967.

We've called this a combination wrench since it combines two different openings of the same size, the general meaning of the term. The wrench is well made with a full-polish finish.

The Loc-Rite brand turns out to be a trademarked name registered to Kelsey-Hayes, so that establishes the connection with the name marked on the reverse. But who is Kelsey-Hayes?

Kelsey-Hayes is a major industrial manufacturer whose products include braking systems and air brakes for large trucks. In 1956 they embarked on a roll-up of tool companies, beginning with Utica Tools, adding Herbrand in 1961, and then acquiring Bonney in 1964. This established three of the major old-line tool makers under one roof as the Kelsey-Hayes Tool Division, and their tools are more commonly marked with one of the names Utica, Herbrand, or Bonney. (In 1967 Kelsey-Hayes sold the tool division to the Triangle Corporation.)

To research the patent, we turn to a Utica catalog that cites the Loc-Rite patent #3,125,910 in a discussion of the advantages of Loc-Rite wrenches. The inventor was A. Kavalar, a name some readers will remember from our article on the interesting Swagelok roller-cam wrench. The claims of the Loc-Rite patent turn out to be similar to those of the earlier roller-cam patent, in that the wrench delivers its turning force to the flats of a nut rather than the vertices. This helps to prevent distortion of the fastener, which can lead to leaks in a tubing system, obviously a critical concern for companies making air-brake systems.