Alloy Artifacts

The Armaloy Era

The earlier alloy tools were generally marked with "Chrome-Vanadium", "Alloy Steel", or some equivalent, but in 1946 Armstrong registered the trademark "Armaloy" as the standard marking for alloy steel tools.

Open-End Wrenches

1021-S 1/4x5/16 Specialty Open-End Wrench

Fig. 80. Armstrong Armaloy 1021-S 1/4x5/16 Specialty Open-End Wrench, with Inset for Reverse.

Fig. 80 shows an Armstrong 1021-S 1/4x5/16 specialty open-end wrench, stamped "Made in U.S.A." with the Strong-Arm logo on the face, and with the "Armaloy" trademark on the shank.

The overall length is 4.6 inches, and the finish is polished chrome plating.

1731-A 3/4x7/8 Open-End Wrench

Fig. 81. Armstrong Armaloy 1731-A 3/4x7/8 Open-End Wrench.

Fig. 81 shows an Armstrong 1731-A 3/4x7/8 open-end wrench, marked "Made in U.S.A." with the Strong-Arm logo on the face, and with the "Armaloy" trademark on the shank.

The overall length is 9.3 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

1039-B Armaloy 1-1/4x1-5/16 Open-End Wrench

Fig. 82. Armstrong Armaloy 1039-B 1-1/4x1-5/16 Open-End Wrench.

Fig. 82 shows an Armstrong 1039-B 1-1/4x1-5/16 open-end wrench, stamped "Made in U.S.A." with the Strong-Arm logo on the face, although barely visible due to wear and pitting. The shank is stamped "Armaloy" near the center.

The overall length is 14.1 inches, and the finish is chrome plating.

1029-C 11/16x13/16 Open-End Wrench

In later production Armstrong dropped the venerable Strong-Arm logo from its tools, but continued to use the Armaloy trademark for some time.

Fig. 82B. Armstrong Armaloy 1029-C 11/16x13/16 Open-End Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail.

Fig. 82B shows an Armstrong 1029-C 1-1/4x1-5/16 open-end wrench, stamped "U.S.A." and "Armaloy" on the shank, with the model number and sizes on the reverse.

The overall length is 8.5 inches, and the finish is chrome plating.

Ignition Wrenches

1122 11/32x11/32 Ignition Wrench

Fig. 83. Armstrong 1122 11/32x11/32 Ignition Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail.

Fig. 83 shows an Armstrong 1122 11/32x11/32 obstruction wrench, stamped "Armstrong U.S.A." and "Armaloy" on the reverse.

The overall length is 3.7 inches, and the finish is polished chrome.

Box-End Wrenches

8723 Armaloy 3/8x7/16 Offset Box-End Wrench

Fig. 84. Armstrong Armaloy 8723 3/8x7/16 Offset Box-End Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

Fig. 84 shows an Armstrong 8723 3/8x7/16 offset box wrench, stamped "Made U.S.A." with the "Armaloy" trademark, and with the model and sizes on the reverse.

The overall length is 8.0 inches, and the finish is chrome plating.

8025 Armaloy 1/2x19/32 Offset Box-End Wrench

Fig. 85. Armstrong Armaloy 8025 1/2x19/32 Offset Box-End Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

Fig. 85 shows an Armstrong 8025 1/2x19/32 offset box wrench, stamped "Made U.S.A." with the "Armaloy" trademark, and with the model and sizes on the reverse.

The overall length is 9.1 inches, and the finish is chrome plating.

8727 Armaloy 9/16x5/8 Offset Box-End Wrenches

The next two figures show examples of the 8727 offset box wrench.

Fig. 86. Armstrong Armaloy 8727 9/16x5/8 Offset Box-End Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

Fig. 86 shows an earlier Armstrong 8727 9/16x5/8 offset box wrench, marked "Made in U.S.A." with the Strong-Arm logo, and with "Armaloy" on the reverse.

The overall length is 9.7 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

The rough, unplated finish of this wrench suggests that it was probably made during the wartime period, but the "Armaloy" marking would normally indicate a manufacturing date after 1946. To reconcile these observations, this wrench may a very early example of the use of "Armaloy", perhaps an informal marking before the trademark was actually registered.

Fig. 87. Armstrong Armaloy 8727 9/16x5/8 Offset Box-End Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail.

Fig. 87 shows a much later version of the Armstrong 8727 offset box wrench, marked "Made U.S.A." and "Armaloy", with the model number on the reverse.

The overall length is 9.7 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished ends.

9725 Armaloy 9/16x5/8 Short Offset Box Wrench

Armstrong also offered a 9000 series of short offset box wrenches, as the next figure illustrates.

Fig. 88. Armstrong Armaloy 9725 7/16x1/2 Short Offset Box Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

Fig. 88 shows an Armstrong 9725 7/16x1/2 short offset box wrench, stamped "Made U.S.A." with the Armaloy trademark, and with the model number and fractional sizes on the reverse.

The overall length is 5.6 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

Combination Wrenches

1159-A Armaloy 11/32 Combination Wrench

Fig. 89. Armstrong Armaloy 1159-A 11/32 Combination Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail.

Fig. 89 shows an Armstrong 1159-A 11/32 combination wrench, stamped "Armstrong U.S.A." and "Armaloy" on the shank, with the size and model number stamped on the reverse.

The overall length is 4.0 inches, and the finish is polished chrome.

1160 Armaloy 3/8 Combination Wrench

Fig. 90. Armstrong Armaloy 1160 3/8 Combination Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

Fig. 90 shows an Armstrong 1160 3/8 combination wrench, stamped "Made in U.S.A." with the Strong-Arm logo on the face, and with the size and "Armaloy" trademark stamped on the shank. The reverse face is stamped with the model number, as seen in the lower inset.

The overall length is 4.2 inches, and the finish is polished chrome.

1163 Armaloy 9/16 Combination Wrench

Fig. 91. Armstrong Armaloy 1163 9/16 Combination Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail.

Fig. 91 shows an Armstrong 1163 9/16 combination wrench, stamped "Armstrong U.S.A." and "Armaloy" on the shank, with the size and model number stamped on the reverse.

The overall length is 5.9 inches, and the finish is polished chrome.

1166 Armaloy 3/4 Combination Wrench

Fig. 92. Armstrong Armaloy 1166 3/4 Combination Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail.

The overall length is 8.1 inches, and the finish is polished chrome.

1168-L Armaloy 15/16 Long Combination Wrench

Fig. 93. Armstrong Armaloy 1168-L 15/16 Long Combination Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

Fig. 93 shows an Armstrong 1168-L 15/16 long-series combination wrench, stamped "Made in U.S.A." with the Strong-Arm logo on the face, and with the "Armaloy" trademark on the shank.

The overall length is 13.2 inches. The finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

1170-L Armaloy 1 Inch Long Combination Wrench

Fig. 94. Armstrong Armaloy 1170-L 1 Inch Long Combination Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

Fig. 94 shows an Armstrong 1170-L 1 Inch long-series combination wrench, stamped "Made in U.S.A." with the Strong-Arm logo on the face, and with the size and "Armaloy" trademark stamped on the shank. The reverse face is stamped with the model number, as seen in the lower inset.

The overall length is 13.3 inches, and the finish is polished chrome.

1172-L Armaloy 1-1/8 Long Combination Wrench

Fig. 95. Armstrong Armaloy 1172-L 1-1/8 Long Combination Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

Fig. 95 shows an Armstrong 1172-L 1-1/8 long-series combination wrench, stamped "U.S.A." and "Armaloy" on the shank, with the model number and fractional size on the reverse.

The overall length is 15.9 inches, and the finish is polished chrome.

25-524 Armaloy 3/4 Flex-Socket Combination Wrench

Fig. 96. Armstrong Armaloy 25-524 3/4 Flex-Socket Combination Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail, 1978+.

Fig. 96 shows a fairly recent Armstrong 25-524 3/4 flex-socket combination wrench, stamped "U.S.A." and "Armaloy" on the front, with the model number and fractional size on the reverse.

The overall length is 10.9 inches, and the finish is polished chrome.

Specialty Tools

Flare-Nut Wrenches

4122 Armaloy 11/16 Flare-Nut Wrench

Fig. 97. Armstrong Armaloy 4122 11/16 Flare-Nut Wrench.

Fig. 97 shows an Armstrong 4122 11/16 single-ended flare-nut wrench, marked "U.S.A." with the "Armaloy" trademark.

The overall length is 6.9 inches, and the finish is polished chrome.

Specialty Tools

T-4 Shock Absorber Wrench

Fig. 98. Armstrong T-4 Shock Absorber Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

Fig. 98 shows an Armstrong T-4 shock absorber specialty wrench, stamped "U.S.A." with the Strong-Arm logo, with "Columbus Shock Absorbers" on the reverse.

The overall length is 8.4 inches, and the finish is nickel (or possibly chrome) plating.

References and Resources

Photographs and observations of particular tools are based on items in my personal collection.

Catalog Coverage

Our current catalog resources are summarized in the table below.

Armstrong tools were distributed by many industrial supply companies, and the catalogs from these suppliers may contain helpful information on Armstrong products. We'll add references to some of these as time permits.

Patents and Trademarks

Patent and trademark information was obtained from the U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office (USPTO) web site at uspto.gov. Patent documents were obtained from sites offering free downloads, notably freepatentsonline.com.

Feedback

If any readers have additional information about Armstrong, please let us know via the "Contact Us" link on the home page. Your comments and suggestions are welcome as well.