Alloy Artifacts

Later Superrench Styles

The previous sections have introduced all of the major wrench types produced by Williams, so in this section we'll look at primarily stylistic changes to the wrench designs.

The Ribbed Style

In 1952 Williams introduced a new "Streamlined" design for its open-end wrenches, a somewhat odd but attractive style with raised ribs. The handles were made narrower and thinner, and raised and polished ribs extended part way down the shank before opening out at each end.

The ribs left only a small flat area around the middle of the shank, so the markings were generally stamped here, although some examples have the Williams logo on one face. The sizes were usually stamped on the faces.

Our first catalog reference for this style is from an edition of catalog A-50 printed in 1952, and the description there refers to the new wrench design, suggesting that 1952 is the likely date of introduction. The other wrenches in the catalog were not yet illustrated in the raised-panel style, so the ribbed design for open-end wrenches apparently preceded the design changes for other wrenches. A somewhat later catalog No. 302 from around 1956 shows box-end and combination wrenches with raised panels on the shank, such as the 7725B Raised-Panel Box-End Wrench.

1020 Open-End Wrench, Ribbed Style

Fig. 275. Williams 1020 1/4x5/16 Ribbed-Style Open-End Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail, ca. 1952-1959.

Our first (and smallest) example of the ribbed style is shown in Fig. 275 at the left, a Williams 1020 1/4x5/16 open-end wrench, stamped "U.S.A." with "Superrench" on the reverse.

The overall length is 3.8 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished ribs and faces.

A1723A Open-End Wrench, Ribbed Style

Fig. 276. Williams A1723A 3/8x1/2 Ribbed-Style Open-End Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail, ca. 1952-1959.

The overall length is 4.9 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished ribs and faces.

1025 Open-End Wrench, Ribbed-Style

Fig. 277. Williams 1025 1/2x19/32 Ribbed-Style Open-End Wrench, with Inset for Reverse, ca. 1952-1959.

Fig. 277 shows a Williams 1025 1/2x19/32 open-end wrench in the ribbed style, stamped with the "Williams U.S.A." logo on the shank, with "Superrench" on the reverse.

The overall length is 6.2 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with some loss due to rust.

1727 Open-End Wrench, Ribbed-Style

Fig. 278. Williams 1727 9/16x5/8 Ribbed-Style Open-End Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail, ca. 1952-1959.

Fig. 278 shows a Williams 1727 9/16x5/8 open-end wrench in the ribbed style, stamped with the "Williams U.S.A." logo on the shank, with "Superrench" on the reverse.

The overall length is 6.8 inches, and the finish is chrome plating.

1729 Open-End Wrench, Ribbed Style

Fig. 279. Williams 1729 5/8x3/4 Ribbed-Style Open-End Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail, ca. 1952-1959.

The overall length is 8.2 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished ribs and faces.

A1031B Open-End Wrench, Ribbed-Style

Fig. 280. Williams A1031B 25/32x13/16 Ribbed-Style Open-End Wrench, with Insets for Reverse Detail, ca. 1952-1959.

Fig. 280 shows a Williams A1031B 25/32x13/16 open-end wrench in the ribbed style, stamped on the shank with the "Williams U.S.A." logo, with "Superrench" on the reverse. The polished faces are stamped with the fractional sizes on the front, with the model number on the reverse (see upper inset).

The overall length is 9.7 inches. The finish is chrome plating with polished ribs and faces, but with some of the copper underplating revealed.

1031 Open-End Wrench, Ribbed-Style

Fig. 281. Williams 1031 25/32x7/8 Ribbed-Style Open-End Wrench, with Insets for Reverse Detail, ca. 1952-1959.

Fig. 281 shows a Williams 1031 25/32x7/8 open-end wrench in the ribbed style, stamped on the shank with the "Williams U.S.A." logo, with "Superrench" on the reverse. The polished faces are stamped with the fractional sizes on the front, with the model number on the reverse (see upper inset).

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

A1033C Open-End Wrench, Ribbed-Style

Fig. 282. Williams A1033C 15/16x1 Ribbed-Style Open-End Wrench, ca. 1952.

Fig. 282 shows a Williams A1033C 15/16x1 open-end wrench in the ribbed style, stamped "Superrench" on the shank. The faces are stamped with the "Williams U.S.A." logo at one end and the model number at the other, with the fractional sizes stamped on the reverse faces.

The overall length is 11.4 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished ribs and faces.

This example is unusual in that the "Williams U.S.A." logo is stamped on the face, rather than in the center of the shank.

1034A Open-End Wrench, Ribbed-Style

Fig. 283. Williams 1034A 15/16x1-1/16 Ribbed-Style Open-End Wrench, with Insets for Reverse Detail, ca. 1952-1959.

Fig. 283 shows a Williams 1034A 15/16x1-1/16 open-end wrench in the ribbed style, stamped on the shank with the "Williams U.S.A." logo, with "Superrench" on the reverse. The polished faces are stamped with the fractional sizes on the front, with the model number on the reverse (see upper inset).

The overall length is 11.5 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished ribs and faces.

The Raised-Panel Style

Some time around the mid 1950s Williams adopted a raised-panel style for some of their wrenches, in particular the box-end and combination wrenches. This style featured raised panels on both sides of the shank, with highly polished panel faces and box ends.

The raised-panel style is illustrated in catalog No. 302 from around 1956, and the same catalog shows open-end wrenches in the "ribbed" style. (See the 1729 Ribbed Open-End Wrench for an example.)

The raised-panel style was in production for only a relatively brief period and was soon replaced by the flat-shank style. (See the later section on the Flat-Shank Style for examples.) By 1959 the combination wrenches were shown in catalog No. 503 in the new flat-shank style, and by 1960 the catalog No. 504 was showing the box wrenches with flat shanks as well. Based on these catalog references, the manufacturing dates for the raised-panel style are approximately 1954-1958 for combination wrenches and 1954-1959 for box wrenches.

As might be expected from the short production period, wrenches in the raised-panel style are relatively uncommon.

7725B Box-End Wrench, Raised-Panel Style

Fig. 284. Williams 7725B 1/2x9/16 Box-End Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail, ca. 1954-1959.

Our first example of the raised panel style is shown in Fig. 284 below, a Williams 7725B 1/2x9/16 box-end wrench in exceptional condition, marked "J.H Williams & Co." with "Superrench" and "U.S.A." on the reverse. The overall length is 9.2 inches.

The top inset shows a side view of the wrench, illustrating the flat profile with angled box ends.

A faint forged-in code "B" can be seen on the shank at the left.

7727A Box-End Wrench, Raised-Panel Style

Fig. 285. Williams 7727A 5/8x11/16 Box-End Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail, ca. 1954-1959.

The overall length is 10.0 inches.

8729 Offset Box-End Wrench, Raised-Panel Style

Fig. 286. Williams 8729 5/8x3/4 Offset Box-End Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail, ca. 1954-1959.

The overall length is 10.4 inches.

8029 Offset Box-End Wrench, Raised-Panel Style

Fig. 287. Williams 8029 11/16x25/32 Offset Box-End Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail, ca. 1954-1959.

The overall length is 11.2 inches.

A forged-in code "B" can be seen on the shank at the left.

8034A Offset Box-End Wrench, Raised-Panel Style

Fig. 288. Williams 8034A 15/16x1-1/16 Offset Box-End Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail, ca. 1954-1959.

Fig. 288 shows an example of the raised-panel style in a less common size, a Williams 8034A 15/16x1-1/16 offset box wrench. The shank is stamped with the "Superrench" trademark plus the model number and "U.S.A" on the raised panel, with "J.H. Williams & Co." and the fractional sizes on the reverse panel. The reverse shank also has a forged-in code "B" (not shown).

The overall length is 15.9 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished panels and ends.

1158 Combination Wrench, Raised Panel Style

The raised-panel style has been discussed in conjunction with the box-end wrenches, and we'll now look at some examples of combination wrenches in this style.

Fig. 289. Williams 1158 5/16 Combination Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail, ca. 1954-1958.

Our first example is shown in Fig. 289, a Williams 1158 5/16 combination wrench stamped "Superrench" and "U.S.A." on the raised panel, with "J.H. Williams & Co." stamped on the reverse.

The overall length is 5.0 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

The shank has a forged-in "B" code on the reverse side.

1160 Combination Wrench, Raised-Panel Style

Fig. 290. Williams 1160 3/8 Combination Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail, ca. 1954-1958.

Fig. 290 shows a Williams 1160 3/8 combination wrench, stamped "Superrench" and "U.S.A." on the raised panel, with "J.H. Williams & Co." on the reverse panel. The shank also has a forged-in code "B" visible at the left.

The overall length is 6.0 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

1161 Combination Wrench, Raised-Panel Style

Fig. 291. Williams 1161 7/16 Combination Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail, ca. 1954-1958.

Fig. 291 shows a Williams 1161 7/16 combination wrench, stamped "Superrench" and "U.S.A." on the raised panel, with "J.H. Williams & Co." on the reverse panel. The reverse shank also has a forged-in code "B" visible at the left.

The overall length is 6.6 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

1163 9/16 Combination Wrench, Raised-Panel Style

Fig. 292. Williams 1163 9/16 Combination Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail, ca. 1954-1958.

Fig. 292 shows a Williams 1163 9/16 combination wrench, stamped "Superrench" and "U.S.A." on the raised panel, with "J.H. Williams & Co." on the reverse panel.

The overall length is 7.9 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

1176 1-7/16 Combination Wrench, Raised-Panel Style

Fig. 293. Williams 1176 1-7/16 Combination Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail, ca. 1954-1958.

Fig. 293 shows a much larger example of the panelled style, a Williams 1176 1-7/16 combination wrench. The panels are stamped "Superrench" and U.S.A." on the front, with "J.H. Williams & Co." and the fractional size on the reverse. The reverse shank also has a forged-in code "B" (not shown).

The overall length is 21.2 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

The Flat-Shank Style

The last major change in Williams' wrench styles came in the late 1950s with the introduction of the now familiar style with flat shanks. The flat-shank style was used for all of the major lines of wrenches -- open-end, box-end, and combination -- and for the first time all of these major wrench types had consistent markings.

The markings were changed considerably for the flat-shank style. The Williams name retained its underline from the final "S" and was enclosed by an outline box, then bracketed by sets of three parallel lines. The Superrench trademark (when present) was similarly enclosed in an outline box bracketed by lines and appeared on the opposite side from the company name. The model number and "U.S.A." (or opening sizes) were placed at the ends of the line markings. Smaller wrenches were given variant markings with the outline box omitted and fewer bracketing lines.

The flat-shank style was first introduced in 1959 for the open-end and combination wrenches, which are shown in the new style in catalog No. 503 of that year. By 1960 the flat-shank style had been extended to the other wrench types as well, and the illustrations in catalog No. 504 of 1960 all show the new style. The flat-shank style remained in production for many years, until at least the mid 1990s.

1029 Open-End Wrench, Flat-Shank Style

Fig. 294. Williams 1029 11/16x25/32 Open-End Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail.

Fig. 294 at the left shows an example of the flat shank style for a Williams 1029 11/16x25/32 open-end wrench. The Williams name appears underlined and is enclosed in an outline box, and the "Superrench" trademark is outlined on the reverse.

The overall length is 9.0 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

1090 Tappet Wrench, Flat-Shank Style

The next three figures show examples of tappet wrenches in the flat-shank style.

Fig. 295. Williams 1090 7/16x1/2 Tappet Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail, ca. 1960+.

Fig. 295 shows a Williams 1090 7/16x1/2 tappet wrench, marked with the standard flat-shank logo, and with a forged "B" code at the left.

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

1096 Tappet Wrench, Flat-Shank Style

Fig. 296. Williams 1096 15/16x1 Tappet Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail, ca. 1960+.

Fig. 296 at the left shows an example of a tappet wrench in the flat-shank style, a Williams 1096 15/16x1 tappet wrench marked with the standard flat-shank logo, and with a forged "B" code.

The overall length is 9.0 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

1096H Tappet Wrench, Flat-Shank Style

Fig. 297. Williams 1096H 7/8x1-1/16 Tappet Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail, ca. 1960+.

Fig. 297 at the left shows another example of a flat-shank style tappet wrench, a Williams 1096H 7/8x1-1/16 wrench marked with the standard flat-shank logo, and with a forged code "O" on the right.

The overall length is 9.0 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

1108A Ignition Wrench, Flat-Shank Style

Fig. 298. Williams 1108A 1/4x5/16 Ignition Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail, ca. 1960+.

Fig. 298 shows a Williams 1108A 1/4x5/16 ignition wrench, marked with a variant of the standard flat-shank logo.

The overall length is 3.5 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

1122 Ignition Wrench, Flat-Shank Style

Fig. 299. Williams 1122 11/32x11/32 Ignition Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail, ca. 1960+.

Fig. 299 shows a Williams 1122 11/32x11/32 ignition wrench, marked with a variant of the standard flat-shank logo.

The overall length is 3.8 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

1132 Ignition Wrench, Flat-Shank Style

Fig. 300. Williams 1132 1/2x1/2 Ignition Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail, ca. 1960+.

Fig. 300 shows a Williams 1132 1/2x1/2 ignition wrench, marked with the standard flat-shank logo.

The overall length is 4.5 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

7727A Box-End Wrench, Flat-Shank Style

Fig. 301. Williams 7727A 5/8x11/16 Box-End Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

Fig. 301 shows an example of a box wrench in the flat-shank style, a Williams 7727A 5/8x11/16 box wrench marked with the Williams logo, with "Superrench" and "U.S.A." on the reverse. The overall length is 10.0 inches.

The wrench is finished with satin chrome plating on the shank with polished ends.

A forged-in "B" code is visible at the left of the shank.

7733 Box-End Wrench, Flat-Shank Style

Fig. 302. Williams 7733 7/8x1 Box-End Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

Fig. 302 shows a Williams 7733 7/8x1 box wrench in the flat-shank style, stamped with the Williams logo, with "Superrench" and "U.S.A." on the reverse.

The overall length is 14.2 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished ends.

8033C Offset Box-End Wrench, Flat-Style Shank

Fig. 303. Williams 8033C 15/16x1 Offset Box-End Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail, ca. 1960+.

An example of an offset box wrench in the flat style is shown in Fig. 303, a Williams 8033C 15/16x1 offset box wrench marked with the Williams logo on one side, with "Superrench" and "U.S.A." on the reverse.

The overall length is 14.7 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished ends.

A forged-in code "B" can be seen on the shank at the right.

8037A Offset Box-End Wrench, Flat-Style Shank

Fig. 304. Williams 8037A 1-1/8x1-5/16 Offset Box-End Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail, ca. 1960+.

Fig. 304 shows a Williams 8037A 1-1/8x1-5/16 offset box wrench with the standard flat-style markings. The reverse shank also has a forged-in code "B" (not shown).

The overall length is 18.3 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished ends.

1161 Combination Wrench, Flat-Shank Style

Fig. 305. Williams 1161 7/16 Combination Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

Fig. 305 shows a Williams 1161 7/16 combination wrench in the flat-shank style, stamped "Superrench" and "U.S.A." on one side, with "Williams" and the fractional sizes on the reverse.

The overall length is 6.6 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

A forged-in code "B" can be seen on the shank at the left.

1164 Combination Wrench, Flat-Shank Style

Fig. 306. Williams 1164 5/8 Combination Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail.

The overall length is 8.7 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

A forged-in code "B" can be seen on the shank at the left.

XOEE-1218 Short Combination Wrench, Flat-Shank Style

In later years Williams offered an XOEE series of short combination wrenches.

Fig. 307. Williams XOEE-1218 9/16 Short Combination Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

Fig. 307 shows a Williams XOEE-1218 9/16 short combination wrench, stamped "Superrench" and "U.S.A." on the shank, with "Williams" and the fractional sizes on the reverse. The reverse shank also has a forged-in code "O" visible at the left.

The overall length is 5.5 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

XOEE-1220 Short Combination Wrench, Flat-Shank Style

Fig. 308. Williams XOEE-1220 5/8 Short Combination Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

Fig. 308 shows a Williams XOEE-1220 5/8 short combination wrench, stamped "Superrench" and "U.S.A." on the shank, with "Williams" and the fractional sizes on the reverse. The reverse shank also has a forged-in code "O" (not shown).

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