Flickr user whiteforge has a great collection of forged and antique tools, as you may remember from previous TM posts. This set of adjustable wrenches he posted caught my eye, since I’ve never seen any quite like them. Oldtools in the UK has some cool-looking twisted handle wrenches that are similar, but not identical.
Have any Toolmongers out there forged your own hand tools? It’s act of labor and love, and pretty humbling to think that people used to forge their own tools as the norm — not to mention every nail they used to build a house. I’ve heard that centuries ago, families would burn down their houses before moving just to collect all the hand-forged nails to build the next house. I don’t know if this is really true, but I wouldn’t blame folks for taking their nails with them.
If you’ve forged your own tools, or if you possess any hand-forged tools, do they still get regular use, or do they get a protected place in the tool retirement box?
Oldtools.co.uk [Website]
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7 Responses to Vintage Hand-Forged Wrenches
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I’ve heard of shipwrecks being burned for their hardware.
I have looked over all these pix and am amazed at the great work here and the OLD tools.
I am trying to identfy my late husbands many vintage tools.
Trying to clean off the rust and grime and store them whee they won’t rust again!
So I am looking at MANY sites with old tools but yours is the most interesting!!
My father has a lot of vintage tools and I would love to compare it too with what you have presented but my father doesn’t entrust his tools just like that. Actually, they are in a locked storeroom. Meaning he has the only access to that room. That is how important his tools to him.
Yes, I forge my own wood turning and carving tools. It is a very gratifying process, and one which provides a sense of continuity with those earlier craftsmen and craftswomen.
With regard to the story of houses being burned to retrieve the nails holding it together, I’ve always been tempted to dismiss it as legend. However, in his work “Early American Ironwork,” Albert Sonn does in fact list documents attesting to the practise in Colonial America. I believe Sonn listed court or property records of the day showing that certain homeowners had burned their houses to retrieve nails before moving on to new land.
It’s really mind boggling to think that the value of the nails in the house exceeded the structure’s then-current market value!
hi all , i was looking over internet to find a wrenche like the one i find while i ws digging in the basement , my house was build in 1826 and i find the exact same one as the 3rd from the left , but mine is very rusty and nearly felt apart .
i was looking to get an idea of the age of that tool .
anyone have an idea ? .
you can send me a mail to patrick.jeep@videotron.ca
Hi, we found one exactly like the first wrench in the picture while combining and I plan to clean it up and keep it for a keepsake. I am curious as to how old it might be. Any ideas?
Thanks
I’ve yet to make anything as impressive as these wrenches but I have hand forged a coping saw