the v-cut wrench thread version 2.0

[skfarmer]

one of my favorite  topics and references  from the old joint was the v-cut wrench thread. it is time to revive at  as version 2.0.

i bought this lonely set of matco wrenches from a fire sale, yup a fire sale.  they tray was brittle and smoke damaged but  wrenches were fine. i still don't know how they got to the little obscure surplus store but there they were. little did i know at the time over 25 years ago where i would end up with them.

i had no idea that bonney made them for matco at the time but i knew nice wrenches when i saw them. this small purchase purchase fueled my preference for this good looking classy type of wrench and to some extent my love for good quality tools.  eventually i would learn that similar wrenches could be found in many brands made by many manufacturers such as bonney, matco, mac, wright vanadium and others.

i have lots of pictures and lots of wrenches so be patient and feel free to add your own as we go! here there are, my matco 3/8-3/4 full polish long set that started it all!

[skfarmer]

how about the matching bonney set? same sizes, 3/8-3/4  satin finish long. these were nos from hje.

[bonneyman]

Here's my set of Bonney angle wrenches and my SAE satin combos.

[skfarmer]

here is one a little more uncommon. bonney made matco short wrenches 3/8- 3/4 aquired from a hodge podge of places but all matching.

[skfarmer]

here are some bonney made wrenches  that bonney did not produce under  their  own label.  matco 1/2-3/4 extra long wrenches.

the last pic is a comparison  of the 4 types shown so far. notice that the short and long matco wrenches do not have off corner engagement while the bonney and xl matco do. it is consistent through the sets shown so far.

[skfarmer]

let's switch gears. here is a set of mac line wrenches 3/8-5/8.   notice the thicker open ends for strength combined with with the line end. i picked up this set used and the smallest is a sabina wrench if you look close. i assume it is original to the set but i don't know.

[skfarmer]

here is one you don't see every day. this a set i picked up used. vanadium double offset combo wrenches 3/8-5/8. supposedly some other companies made a wrench like this  but these are the only ones i have seen. i would love to have more sizes.

[skfarmer]

these match pretty well with my other long wrenches. bonney 3/8-3/4 six point.

[skfarmer]

i don't buy much off the truck but i did these. mac sae stubby wrenches 7/16-1 and mac angle wrenches 3/8-3/4.

[skfarmer]

some of you guys may be saying. that's nice but who cares about sae?

i have some of that too. i mentioned nos wrenches from hje earlier. about 5 years ago jori alluded to making a deal on a couple pallets of nos bonney tools from an old warehouse. how you lose a couple pallets i don't know but it worked out all right in the end.

i picked up this nos 10 pc set of metric long wrenches from epstein's. full polish metric long from 10-19 mm.

[skfarmer]

well metric wrenches are fine but  farmers work on  big stuff on occasion. 10-19 is good on cars but what about trucks and tractors?


shortly after i picked up the bonney metrics i saw a for sale ad  for nos metric john deere wrenches at the journal. i about fell over when i saw the pics!

a  bonney made john deere wrench topper set from 20-32 mm. who would have even thought there was such a thing? some flash rust in the crome from 30 yrs of storage but other than that pretty damn nice. i don't remember what i paid but i didn't haggle for fear of losing out. notice they flipped the wrench the other way when they stamped em, otherwise perfect matches

[skfarmer]

i am not done yet but will wait up for some others to show.


how about it? anyone have any wright or iinternational harvester  v-cut wrenches?

[PowderKeg]

Here are my SAE Martins.

[skfarmer]

oh my , those are nice! 

[Midnitemack]

Some have even escaped Downunder, the matcos thanks to Jabber......
The Bonneys and The Vanadium Tool Co wrenches were here in NZ, would still like to fill the gaps in the sets !





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[skfarmer]

i obviously i  like the bonney stuff but the vanadium is way cool. there is next to no info out there on the  vanadium tool co. the look and feel is so similar to the old mac and martin, there must be some of connection.

[PowderKeg]

Yes, would be very interesting to set them side-by-side with Fairmount/Martins - I'm gonna go out on a limb (if nobody else has already) and guess that Mac sourced theirs from F/M, since they've sourced so much from so many others at some point.  Could even toss Cornwell into the comparison mix.  What was it about these early Ohio based tool companies - Fairmount (Cleveland, later bought by Martin Sprocket), Mac (Sabina), Cornwell (Mogadore), Vanadium (Athens)....

Geez, might even have to throw Wright (Barberton) into the mix too.  Can OH born wrenches not keep their pants zipped?!

[bonneyman]

Yes, would be very interesting to set them side-by-side with Fairmount/Martins - I'm gonna go out on a limb (if nobody else has already) and guess that Mac sourced theirs from F/M, since they've sourced so much from so many others at some point.  Could even toss Cornwell into the comparison mix.  What was it about these early Ohio based tool companies - Fairmount (Cleveland, later bought by Martin Sprocket), Mac (Sabina), Cornwell (Mogadore), Vanadium (Athens)....

Geez, might even have to throw Wright (Barberton) into the mix too.  Can OH born wrenches not keep their pants zipped?!

Might have been something to do with the steel industry and the established infrastructure. Being there were already companies in the state or the county - and people were used to heavy industry and their associated "complaints" - new manufacturers would find it easier to set up their shops there. Maybe?

[Snaparxon]

Some MAC's

[Snaparxon]

Some more MAC's

[skfarmer]

nice examples from mac. the crow foots are a great addition to the thread. i really like the short combos with the deep offset and the double offset combos  similar to my vanadium wrenches.

[skfarmer]

previous to this  i have posted pics of wrenches that are in the use pile and main box.

here is a nos bonney set that i picked from the epstein deal. 3/8-1 1/4, full polish,  long.

[skfarmer]

here is a set i really like. bought these from hiball years ago. cornwell extra long combos in satin from 1/2-3/4 in a roll.

[skfarmer]

since you don't just guy to the hardware store and pick up replacements for incomplete set, loss or breakage i started picking up partials and singles.

the top pic has several large herbrand wrenches up on the top. obviously bonney made. the wrenches in the middle are bonney and the bottom row is matco. they are used from good to poor condition.

the second pic is a mix of bonney and matco wrenches and like new or near new condition.

[Snaparxon]

nice examples from mac. the crow foots are a great addition to the thread. i really like the short combos with the deep offset and the double offset combos  similar to my vanadium wrenches.

Mac is the only brand I have seen the double offset combo's in metric, Cornwell maybe but I have never seen any.
Mac is also the only company I have seen that offered the deep offset short combo's. They didn't offer metric in any of the catalogs I have seen.
I have a Snap on set of wrenches like your Vanadiums also.

[Snaparxon]

Here is my Johnny Cash bastard set of angle wrenches I had in my service truck. Now they are in the home box.
Mostly Cornwell, a few Matco/Bonney made, a couple Snap on, one factory one home-made and a Fairmount.
1/4" to 1-1/4" missing the Cornwell 1-1/8" if any body has one.

[BuckHenry]

Did you make the 15/16" wrench your self or find it that way?

[Snaparxon]

Did you make the 15/16" wrench your self or find it that way?

I made it out of two old Snap on DOE wrenches. I lost my nice original one from my Snap on set so I made this one to replace it. Months later one of the customers tractors came into the shop. I needed to remove the tool box to get to the batteries and I'll be damned if my nice Snap on angle wrench wasn't nestled in with his Harbor Freight shit. My full last name engraved on the wrench. I had asked them the day I lost them to keep an eye out cause I had lost 2 wrenches I used on their tractor. I had the same thing happen with a MAC tape measure years before for a different customer. Nope haven't seen it, tractor comes in the shop weeks later and it is sitting on the drivers console. My name engraved on it.

[PowderKeg]

here is a set i really like. bought these from hiball years ago. cornwell extra long combos in satin from 1/2-3/4 in a roll.

SWEET!!!  My extra long SAE Snappys were one of the smartest buys I ever made - and they were used out of the paper.  Are there many of us left out there that remember the classified section in the local paper??? 

[Snaparxon]

here is a set i really like. bought these from hiball years ago. cornwell extra long combos in satin from 1/2-3/4 in a roll.

SWEET!!!  My extra long SAE Snappys were one of the smartest buys I ever made - and they were used out of the paper.  Are there many of us left out there that remember the classified section in the local paper??? 

My local classifieds paper printed it's last paper this week after 34 years. All I have left is Craigslist since I don't do Facebook. Tried to make an fake account a couple weeks ago and they wanted a photo of me for their facial recognition. F that

[skfarmer]

here are some partial sets i am working on.

a long  set of bonney sae in a pouch and  long set of bonney 6pt metric.

i have a half a chance on the sae but the 6pt bonney metric. well, they are something like hen's teeth.