re-occuring end wrench

Whenever I am at a garage sale or flea market I always look for single wrenches that I dedicate to my machinery. e.g. toolpost wrench, milling vise wrench etc.

For years now seems like everywhere I go I seem to find the same wrench, and sometimes the only wrench. It is a double open ended wrench, short (6" ±) and heavy. Sometimes the only marking on it is the number "31" on one of the heads. Today I saw the same wrench. This time it is marked Vlchek, marked 7/8" on one end and 25/32" on the other. And, yes, the flip side of the 25/32 head has the number 31. What is this wrench? Why are there so many of them? Was this one of those giveaways 50-60 years ago when you went to the movies? Seems like every barn or ranch sale has one or more of these. Special farm tractor wrench?

Any ideas?

Thanks, Ivan Vegvary

Reply to
Ivan Vegvary
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There aren't. There's only one. And it's following you.

Sorry, I don't know what it is either.

Reply to
Doug Miller

Useful for an Aloris AXA toolpost, a 7/8" wrench is. Also useful for those ubiquitous Bridgeport milling clamp sets.

My guess would be they came in the tool kit of something like a Ford truck.

Grant

Reply to
Grant Erwin

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Unka' George [George McDuffee] ============ Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), U.S. president. Letter, 17 March 1814.

Reply to
F. George McDuffee

I like that answer, Doug!!

Ivan

Reply to
Ivan Vegvary

Grant, you are probably correct that it was part of a kit. Poster F. George, right below you, gives a link to the Vlchek company which further links to "Industry Standard Wrench Sizes". Lo and behold a number 31 wrench is indeed a 25/32 by 7/8 double ended wrench. The remaining question is "Why is it that this wrench seems to be the only survivor"? Like I said, it is everywhere.

Ivan Vegvary

Reply to
Ivan Vegvary

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F. George, thank you, thank you for the links. Very interesting. I did find out that the "31" designation is part of a standard numbering system for wrenches and conforms to the 25/32 x 7/8 wrench in question. So, Vlchek and possibly others (remember, this is the first one that I had seen with markings other than the "31") made these wrenches to be distributed for some use. I suspect they were a single item and not a set of wrenches, because I never see a '29' or '30' etc. etc.

Thanks again,

Ivan Vegvary

Reply to
Ivan Vegvary

Reply to
JR North

The 25/32" smells like old Ford to me. Maybe a Model "T" spark plug wrench?

Reply to
Steve Austin

Fascinating history and information. Many many thanks George.

I just wandered out to my rollaways and found a goodly number of Vlcek wrenches, id'd either by name or the sheild.

Way cool.

Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

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