“I just came across this in the back of my wrench drawer, and have no idea why it is set up this way.”
Cederq: I have no idea why it is set up. I looked up in my tool catalogs and tried googlefuing the name on the handle and by the opening and had no luck finding any information.
Should be teeth on the adjustable jaw. This is an early pipe wrench for tight spaces.
Your Google Fu is weak, young padawan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhyhkJWBY_o The AI assistant informs us of this: The Westcott adjustable wrench is a vintage tool, commonly produced by the Keystone Manufacturing Company in Buffalo, NY, starting in the late 19th century. Often featuring an “S” curve design, these wrenches were popular adjustable tools before the widespread adoption of the Crescent brand. They are sought after today as collectibles, frequently found in 6-inch to 10-inch sizes, according to Alloy Artifacts and eBay listings.
It is weak because I refuse to use friggen’ AI or it’s ASSistant.
My vote is with CQ on this.
Only, I refuse to interact with anything gugglish (except, unfortunately, blogger).
Juan
That video does not address the particulars of the wrench in question here. The one in the video has parallel jaws and no teeth. AI loses again.
An adjustable hammer that’s guaranteed to strip a bolt head?
The non parallel jaws remind me of the five sided bolt heads on fire hydrants. Looks about the right angle and the little teeth would help to keep it from slipping. It looks a little short to use on a hydrant but maybe there’s (or was) another common application for a five sided bolt head.
Yup. https://real4wd.com/product/nut-5-sided-attach-rim-halves/
I inherited a 10 inch version of one of these. I have never found a use for it. The non parallel jaws make it useless for the nuts and bolt heads I have run across.
It’s a pipe wrench. It isn’t intended for hex head bolts.
Those are metric cresent wrenches…
I was thinking left handed Whitworth……
Leigh
Whitehall, NY
I know you’re right.
First thing that comes to mind, is this wrench has been used as a hammer.
I have never seen one before, but the design of teeth to a shallow depth with a backstop (seen from the rear there are two smooth edges) leads me to think it is indeed for a pentagon shaped bolt head in a very tight space. I can envision the interior of a large tower clock where shaft bolt and nut have to be very low profile between multiple plates and using a 5 side nut would make standard tools useless. Think of it as a modern security head bolt or screw approach.
Have never seen pentagon pipe fittings but who knows, they might have existed in the late 1800’s,
On the other hand, the S shaped wrench was quite prevalent in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, my grandfather was a master mechanic with the Renault motor car company in 1906 and when he eventually opened his own mechanic shop in the late 1920’s the tool complement was heavily populated with such shape wrenches. I saw this as a wee lad in the late 1950’s when I would sit on the steps leading up to the parts storage loft,of the garage from where I could watch him and his hired lads working on cars. I tell ya, re doing babbitt .bearings on a model T is quite a show.
My initial thought was ‘security bolt’ but it could be for a specific valve or faucet. Controlled access without tracking locks and keys.
Its for gripping the tooth of a gear so you can keep it steady while pound in the key .
This reminds me. What do people do with old extra tools? I used to have two houses, and had tool sets at each one. Then my father and father-in-law died and left me their tools. Now I’ve retired and “downsized” so I don’t have as big of a workshop. So, I’ve got like 10 drills, 5 cordless and without batteries, probably 50 extra crescent wrenches, 15 pipe wrenches, more screwdrivers than I can count, etc. My nephews don’t seem to be interested in this stuff, and all the people I know my age are much like me — they all have more tools than they need. I hate to throw them away. What to people do with extra tools like this?
The Westcott “S” Wrench is featured on page 22 of the Keystone Tool catalog No. 31 as being a general purpose wrench. The picture associated with it shows straight parallel jaws and the replacement jaw is also straight. The one you are showing here looks to have been bench modified for some special purpose as the slot in the handle is also not as manufactured.
When looking for old tools I use Archive.org and then search for the company catalog. Works almost every time.
45 Years as a Jet Mechanic, have 5 ? Westcott Wrenches, 6″ to 15″. Immensely Useful in confined spaces on Fuel, Pneumatic, an Hydraulic Fittings, where you need a Short Wrench with Wide Jaws. I must have over a Hundred “Old” odd Tools, found at Garage Sales and Flea Markets, that often have a Certain Application that seems like they were made just for the job.
FJB- The Slotted Handle IS standard- all of Mine have that.
This is clearly a ‘Special Tool’, and the Angled Jaw is an ‘Insert’ to the Fixed Jaw. Possibly, part of a Set with various Inserts.
Wild guess as to the angle of the jaws is so the corners of the bolt catch the top of the stationary jaw and the bottom of the adjustable jaw to prevent damage.
Serrations on the jaw appears to be a replacable insert.