Pete K. Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 (edited) Here's something to gander on a very cold day like this WEEK here in Boston. I chose the coldest day of the year so far,(9 degrees F.) to remove my battery from the '25 Dodge. Could've done this on a balmy 40 degree day, but that would have been too easy. As I was digging through some old auto wrenches, I noticed there were two, supposedly 9'16" open-end wrenches laying there. On closer inspection, one was marked 3/8". It is actually a 9/16" wrench. It does not show any kind of "retro-fit" machine work in it's jaws. It is stamped on the other side with a diamond surrounding the initials, "W&B", "Made In USA". Where it is stamped 3/8", it also has a smaller stamping, "168" as you can see in the picture. I photographed the wrench with an old "Bonney", a true 9/16" adjacent to it. I also show a photo of a true, 3/8" modern chrome wrench with the odd 3/8" - 9/16" wrench showing how far off the two sizes really are for those of you that are in a Metric frame of mind. Was the wrench stamping guy at W&B Tool factory having a problem that day or am I missing something here? Jason, if you're reading this, get out from under your comforter and chime in--- Best regards, Pete. Edited January 24, 2013 by Pete K. (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1930 Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 (edited) Google Whitworth fasteners or wrenches and lots of interesting facts,Two wrenches, both nominal size 5/8", with a diagram superimposed to show the logic that allows them both to be nominal size 5/8" when their actual sizes are clearly different (across-flats distance vs screw diameter). The across-flats definition is the common standard today, and has been for many decades. The larger wrench in this photo is from the 1920s or earlier. Its face was polished to allow the size stamp to show well in the photograph. This example is American, but it illustrates the way that wrenches for Whitworth fasteners were typically labeled.I believe you will find it is Whitworth and Barnes if memory serves me the diamond logo will matchI bet Ray has alot of experience with these fasteners! Edited January 23, 2013 by 1930 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpage Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Early in automotive production I think they sized wrenches by the diameter of the bolt but the actual opening was sized for the O.D. of the companion nut. They also had thicker and wider nuts and bolt heads for a while. After the adoption of S.A.E. standards sizes were changed to the modern ones we use now. Or so I've been told! I've also seen reference in old Ford manuals refering to wrench sizes that matched the diameter of the fastener being used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete K. Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 My mystery wrench has been solved! Thank you very much Jason and jpage. The logo on that wrench has got to be for "Whitworth & Barnes". I'm still learning something new everyday. Thanks again. Now get back under that comforter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1936 Viper Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Royal Enfield Motorcycles were Whitworth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 22 hours ago, 1936 Viper said: Royal Enfield Motorcycles were Whitworth BSA as well as most all of the old British bikes I have had over the years. I keep a set of both combination wrenches and sockets just in case I need them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now