First Stillson Wrench

PRR

From the Patents column of the Scientific American 1925: apparently the working model of Stillson's invention was moved from the Patent Office to the Smithsonian.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipe_wrench

DanHolohan

Nice! The rest of the story:

https://heatinghelp.com/news-and-media/dead-men-tales/the-little-known-story-behind-a-popular-tool/

pecmsg

The Little-Known Story Behind a Popular Tool (heatinghelp.com)

PRR

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1807695#Comment_1807695

Thanks, Dan.

PRR

DH> "…reach into your toolbox for that durable Stillson wrench that will forever carry its inventor’s proud name."

But because toolmakers are not lawyers, and allowed another company to make this type wrench for 20 years without objection, Stillson lost (never had) a Trademark.

mattmia2

What is the ball and ring thingie for?

FredoSP

My grandfather always called it that, my response was always "dont you mean a pipe wrench?"

Another thing that comes to mind was the blacktop driveway or asphalt he would always say "macadam", I guess Tugboat engineers had their own way of saying things. "Remember Fred, we had no Home Depot on the tugboat, we had to use what we had."

PRR

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1807952#Comment_1807952

'Round here that stuff is "hot-top".

Which is going out of style because they are moving from hot tar to emulsion binders. But I bet the name sticks.

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes

This may give Stillson a run for the money as the first. Credit Leonardo da Vinci.

hot_rod

I visited this museum when Max worked in Italy. It supposedly has an example of each of his inventions. Lots of war machinery surprised me

IMG_8499.jpeg

PRR

a run for the money as the first.

Hardly the first. Just used a LOT.

Thanks! I'd never seen that type, even (AFAIK) in Maine antique tool shops.

DCContrarian

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1807950#Comment_1807950

It had a wooden handle that was burned off in the Patent Office fire. Those were the end caps.

DCContrarian

Macadam was the invention of John Loudon McAdam, it's a method of laying crushed stone to make a surface that stands up to vehicle traffic and weather.

With the advent of motor vehicles, dust became a problem. It was found that spraying the macadam with tar would keep the dust down. The resulting surface was known as tar-macadam, or tarmac for short.

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes

This particular Da Vinci museum is in France at Da Vinci’s home for the last 3 years of his life. Yes, lots of war machinery; the first machine gun, tanks, temporary bridges ……. Back then, if you wanted to attract the king’s attention for support of your inventions, you showed him quick ways to kill the enemy because France was constantly at war; mostly with England.