100 Years of Adjustable Spanners in Birmingham

Following on from my last 'Which Way To Turn? The Complete Nut', this article gives a summary of the main developments of design and manufacturing of the adjustable spanner in and around Birmingham from about 1850 to 1950. Although Richard Clyburn of Uley, Gloucestershire, registered his famous design in 1843, still in tool catalogues in 1964, Birmingham was certainly the centre of innovation in England and spawned the most interesting, clever, complicated, compact, sometimes impractical or just plain daft designs.

I should state here that I define the 'adjustable spanner' as 'a hand tool whose primary function is to grip and turn square or hexagonal nuts and bolts where the gripping faces are either parallel or form at least three sides of a hexagon and at least one of those faces is adjustable', but I may have to modify this since I have already identified at least 35 different methods of adjustment and unique ones are still emerging.

In this area centred on Birmingham where some of the finest and pioneering complex machines evolved, there were many nuts to turn but little or no standardisation of sizes. The spanner had to be adjustable, as did its name. Around 1850, these gadgets were variously called screw-keys, shifting keys, screw wrenches, coach wrenches or shifting spanners, manufactured and classed as 'heavy steel toys' along with more common handtools such as hammers, pincers and tongs. Manufacturing diversity of small metal goods, skills from gunmaking and pride in quality, themselves fuelling competition for originality, all contributed to fertile seams of spanner design.

Back in the 1700's, blacksmiths and cottage industries surrounding Birmingham made whole or parts of metal articles, either one-off or from pattern books, then sold direct to the public or to factors. Of the hundreds of early coach wrenches I've seen, no two are the same because the individual blacksmith interpreted a picture, either from a book or in his mind. Later, two of the earliest combined manufacturers and factors of heavy steel toys were William and Cornelius Wynn (W. & C. Wynn) and Richard Timmins & Sons, both trading by 1825 and issuing catalogues and pattern books. Many of Wynn's adjustable spanners are stamped "MULTUM IN PARVO" (much in little) and some stamped "WYNN'S PATENT", but this is by Edward Barnes of Aston in 1884. Wynn and Timmins combined in 1889 to become a prominent company until 1969.

l-r: Wynn; Ashted; Asbury; Asbury

Research involves checking Patents, Registered Designs, old tool catalogues, trade directories and advertisements. One little beauty stamped only 'THE "ASHTED" PATENT' turned out to be by Llewellyn Parrock and Benjamin Waldron, Ironfounder of 76 ASHTED Row, 1896. Earlier, Joseph Asbury of Balsall Heath occupied thirteen pages of patent describing his many variations of 1869. The drawings and examples show the screw-adjuster in every conceivable position.

In the competition for originality, J. B. Brooks (of the famous saddles) patented three mechanisms between 1905 and 1907. At least one of these got manufactured and, judging by the restricted adjustment range, may have been aimed at bicycle and motorcycle saddles: a fine piece of engineering, but not very practical. Structural and operational simplification brought their problems too. In 1907, the Birmingham Small Arms Company (B.S.A.) and its Robert Smith patented a unique one. The few that remain are usually in excellent condition because they were seldom used. The nose of the lower jaw is pushed by the thumb to adjust, but once it was locked on a nut, possibly deep in the intestines of a motorbike, it was nearly impossible to release. Another, the 'HOLDFAST', patented by the sewing machine turned vehicle manufacturer William Bown in 1879, offers a unique adjustment method: the moving
jaw incorporating a wedge is pushed in to grip, then locked by a collar tensioned by turning the handle.

top-bottom: Brooks; Holdfast

'TERRY'S TURBINE SPANNER' by the famous Albert Terry of Reddich in 1910 features 12 blades swung into the gap to fit the nut, approximately. My 7-bladed example shows that, despite Terry's famous tempering, they would tend to shear off. In 1921, Ernest Bowen of Hall Green and Ernest Skinner of Sparkhill patented a two-ended adjustable: parallel jaws at one end and an adjustable ring at the other. It was made as the 'FIRMA', but one of mine is 'Infirma' since bits have broken off. The 'BURSTON' was made by Chas. Richards & Son of Darlaston but patented by Arthur Abbott of Watford, Herts in 1932. This eccentric cam adjuster answers the trick question, "Left- or right-handed?" It's, "Right!" since the unique mechanism inhibits operation if turned over. It was probably bought for novelty value and superb machining. By 1950, the famous former magic of Birmingham design was waning, represented by the feeble, some say dainty, 'WEBMORE' by the same-named company in King's Norton. Although the patent says "simple in construction, cheap to manufacture and efficient in use", it is light and of pressed steel, asking for playground abuse.

l-r: Webmore; Terry's Turbine Spanner; Firma; Burston

l-r: Lucas 'King'; Lucas 'Grip'; B.S.A.; Lucas 'Girder' w. pipe-grip; Queen Bess

One of the great successes was the 'GIRDER' by Joseph Lucas & Son, actually patented by son Harry and Walter Fey in 1897 which wiped out all nine earlier models by Lucas. Clever Harry went a bit far in 1923 with the short-lived pipe-grip attachment. This lay down the handle when not in use - uncomfortable - and was swung into place when needed - not efficient  - but the tooling was immaculate. The original  4 1/2" 'GIRDER' became the preferred 'pocket' wrench of many mechanics, even issued as standard in Bentley and Rolls Royce toolkits. Analysis of some 60 examples of the eventual 3-size range reveals many style changes that greatly assist dating. Further work has to be done on the constantly-changing flames pattern in the torch of the logo, rather like counting the engraved lines on Queen Victoria's cheek in philately! The 'GIRDER' design was much copied in Europe and even by Abingdon King Dick. There was also the pregnant female version, the 'QUEEN BESS', by Thomas Blumfield of Hockley Street in 1923. The name no doubt had some connection with Blumfield's having been the resigned MD of Abingdon King Dick a year earlier.

l-r: set of Abingdon King Dick; Abingdon-Ecco 'Okeba'

Abingdon King Dick has a long history: Coxeter and Sons (bicycles, etc.) of Abingdon had become Abingdon Works Co. Ltd. by 1875; Albert Eadie Chain Co. had become ECCO (get it?) Works Ltd. in 1897; these two merged into Abingdon-Ecco Ltd. (bicycles, motorcycles, tools) in 1906, changing name to Abingdon Works Ltd. in 1920 and falling foul of Barclay's Bank in 1930, instantly reforming to continue up to the present. The most amazing production by Abingdon-Ecco was the 'OKEBA' (Ab-Ecco, backwards!), a quick-adjust patented by Frederic Russell of Redditch in 1911. Complex in design, it is beautifully machined and far too regal to associate with a nut. The famous 'KING DICK' pocket-wrench design was born around 1906, really a modification of one by Lucas of 1890 which itself was probably copied from earlier American designs. Analysis of the metamorphosis of the 'KING DICK' design is as complicated as that of the 'GIRDER' and runs to many pages.

top: Snail 'Fordson'. l-r: Victor; A.L.Lloyd 'The Bull Dog'

Thomas Smith & Sons of Saltley represent mass-production. Their adjustables abounded throughout the 20^th Century, variously marked 'TS&SOS', 'TS&S', 'SMITHS O' SALTLEY', 'SNAIL BRAND', or just with the SNAIL logo. Their designs followed the popular automotive tool patterns, with special versions for Ford and Fordson Tractors.

So, the adjustable spanner was not invented - it evolved. There appear to be endless methods and varieties of design to grip and turn the humble nut. Every discovery provokes more questions and enriches the history. Who made the 'VICTOR' and the 'VICTORIA'? Who was W.A.Lloyd and the 'BULL DOG', and Thomas Chatwin who made the Dutchman van Duijl's patent in 1907? Did Abingdon King Dick get their blanks from Germany before the War? Was 'KING DICK' a real bulldog as suggested by the trademark? What did the factories/workshops/sheds look like? Were you involved in the trade, or was your grandfather? What have you got under the bed, or in rusty bucket?

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