Covers Company

[bonneyman]

I'm going to do some research on this now defunct plumbing tool company. I have a pair of their tools - they seem to be excellent quality.
Other than a short blip in the progress blog, I can find out virtually nothing about this company. No names of founders, no years of operation, no timeline of events, no catalogs, no advertisements, no patents that I can find, nothing. Other than the inscription on the spanner wrench (indicating Bedford, Ohio), there are no leads. But, I'm going to try and uncover whatever I can.
I just feel bothered that someone started a company, bought a forge and built a factory, and employed unknown men to make the tools. They are all long gone now and have been swallowed up by history, but some of the tools live on. Who designed these tools - who made these tools - who used these tools? I just feel like someone has to at least try and find out the what and who of the company. Maybe it'll be a dead-end, maybe not. But I'll give it my best shot.

As far as I've been able to determine (from ebay), Covers Company made only 3 styles of plumbing tools: a slip nut wrench, a 4-in-1 spanner, and some basin wrenches. (Perhaps others will become known if I check Pinterest and the like). I have the spanner wrench and a 10" long basin wrench. The slip nut wrench is neat in that it has a Crescent wrench type of spiral adjustment wheel for sizing along with a wing-style locking nut. Most other brands of slip nut wrenches have only the wing locking nut.

Here is the spanner. It was a bit rusty when I bought it, so, I wire brushed it and gave it a coat of hi-temp silver. It makes it look nice, should render some protection, yet if a purist wants to buy it the paint is easy to remove. I like the design - not being a plumber means I don't know all the fastener names and uses. But the fact that it's 4 tools in one meant that the company was trying to make a tool that would serve the professional plumber with multiple tasks.
And the basin wrench - untouched.

[bonneyman]

The basin wrench is also nice in the fact that the inner knurled gripping surface is forged as part of the shaft, rather than being a separate smaller half-moon jaw like on many other brands. Plus, the end of the shaft is full diameter, and not cut down to about half to allow the jaws to swivel. This makes the jaw end extremely strong, though one cannot replace the inner jaw "surface" when it gets wore out. (However being forged I don't think the teeth are going to wear that easily - and I'm sure they could be refaced many times before becoming unserviceable).

At first, I didn't know what brand of basin wrench this was. But for $2, it was worth buying, and I've had it and used it for about 4-5 years. There was no brand stamped on it....I thought. Seeing a picture of a Covers basin wrench on a website I went and checked mine and found it indeed was a Covers. The name is forged onto the side of the moveable jaw (not the handle)!

[bonneyman]

Apparently there's a mention of the company on the Bedford, Ohio Preservation Society website. I'll have to email them and see if they have any info or leads.

https://bedfordohiohistory.org/history-of-companies-in-bedford

[bonneyman]

Found another Covers basin wrench today. A 15"er to go along with the 10"er I already had. Nice tool, solid construction. Sure I'll put it to good use.

[J.A.F.E.]

When I have to grab a basin wrench I know what's coming next won't be much fun.

[bonneyman]

I hear you. Plumbing is not a fun job for me - working with wood is right up there with it on the "Yuck"! scale - but with labor prices the way they are ($100 an hour and up) I figure I should be ready to fix plumbing stuff around the house. Might come in handy on the handyman front, too.

[Uncle Buck]

Plumbing I can handle, electrical more complicated than replacing a fixture or wall switch and I am out.

[J.A.F.E.]

I'll do all that stuff. I don't like working with wood but I'll do stuff that doesn't require a furniture finish. Electrical no problem and most plumbing I'll do as well. Except installing a commode especially on the second floor. Too much drywall to replace if it leaks.

[bonneyman]

I will have to learn more plumbing and electrical. That's why I'm grabbing any quality tools and parts I find. The day will come when I can't just call (or afford) to have a professional come out and fix things. So, I'll fix them myself or have to do without. And I don't like to suffer, so, I'm preparing.

[J.A.F.E.]

For some good grounding in basic electricity (pun very much intended) and some basic electronics the book Basic Electronics by Bernard Grob is about as good as they get. There are various editions I believe the current one (again, intended) is 11 but the fourth edition is the one I recommend. The US Navy has an excellent course published by Dover. Either of those and a copy of the NEC (National electrical code) will go a long way for someone as smart as you are.

[DeadNutz]

I hate working under a sink or counter. I have all the tools needed but it is best if they stay in the box and then I'm happy.

[goodfellow]

For some good grounding in basic electricity (pun very much intended) and some basic electronics the book Basic Electronics by Bernard Grob is about as good as they get. There are various editions I believe the current one (again, intended) is 11 but the fourth edition is the one I recommend. The US Navy has an excellent course published by Dover. Either of those and a copy of the NEC (National electrical code) will go a long way for someone as smart as you are.

There is also a very good "Basic Electricity" tutorial PDF written by G.K. Willecke and distributed in 1954 by the Miller Electric Manuf. Co. in Appleton Wis.

It was required reading when I was in tech school back in the 70s. It's a great read -- if you want it, I'll email it or post it for download.

[J.A.F.E.]

There is also a very good "Basic Electricity" tutorial PDF written by G.K. Willecke and distributed in 1954 by the Miller Electric Manuf. Co. in Appleton Wis.

It was required reading when I was in tech school back in the 70s. It's a great read -- if you want it, I'll email it or post it for download.

I for one would love to see that.

[bonneyman]

For some good grounding in basic electricity (pun very much intended) and some basic electronics the book Basic Electronics by Bernard Grob is about as good as they get. There are various editions I believe the current one (again, intended) is 11 but the fourth edition is the one I recommend. The US Navy has an excellent course published by Dover. Either of those and a copy of the NEC (National electrical code) will go a long way for someone as smart as you are.

There is also a very good "Basic Electricity" tutorial PDF written by G.K. Willecke and distributed in 1954 by the Miller Electric Manuf. Co. in Appleton Wis.

It was required reading when I was in tech school back in the 70s. It's a great read -- if you want it, I'll email it or post it for download.

Yeah, I'd take a copy of that!

I've got a couple of "basic plumbing" books (written years ago) that help me out alot. The one is an early 70's edition, and - since my house was built during that time - the fixtures and fittings described match what I'm working on. 

[bonneyman]

Walked into a plumbing warehouse today with my Covers 4-way spud wrench, hoping to find an old retired plumber who might have a yarn to tell me. Ran into a guy my age who graduated HS the same year as me, and we laughed about old times.
He's done plumbing for 30 years, and he'd never heard of Covers Company. Plus his search though company records didn't yield anything new. Though he did say the quality of the tool I had was good and it was obviously American. So, the journey continues.