Tool Restoration
A Couple Old Wrenches Good As New
I think I say this with every post but - this should be a short post. Today's offering is the cleanup of two pipe wrenches, one I picked up in June of '21, the other in September of '21. Another tidbit of note is that I cleaned these things up back in October of '21 but I'm just now getting around to writing about them! Nonetheless, here we are - let's get into it!
A Quick Word About Trimo
The Trimont Tool Company was founded in Roxbury, Massachusetts sometime around 1889 by the Ely brothers, and was known nationwide for their high quality wrenches and pipe-fitting tools under the Trimo name. I can't find much information on this but apparently, in 1949 Trimont sold tools under the Roxco name also. My guess is...Roxbury + Company = Roxco. I know, I know, hold the applause, I'm here all week! Anyway, it seems they closed their doors sometime around 1954.
The Trimont - Proper
This wrench was a wonderful find at The Tool Box back in '21. They have a wall full of all types of wrenches, and this little Trimo quickly caught my attention. First off, it was small and I didn't have any pipe wrenches off that size.
Next as you can tell... it was in excellent shape with just a very little bit of that light orange surface rust.
A couple minutes on the wire wheel and the buffing wheel made quick work of the cleanup.
And a few minutes of light brushing in the hard to reach areas left the parts ready for a little shining!
At some point along my tool restoration journey, I either saw someone on YouTube or it dawned on me that a good way to prevent the tools from rusting was to apply some car wax. I love the smell of carnauba wax, and I get a little nostalgic about Turtle Wax so I have both - why not right? In this case, a couple coats of carnauba wax ought to ward off any more rust for awhile.
And just like that, this old wrench was good as new, ready for the next hundred years!
I've been devoting quite a bit of my time to harmonic studies on my own, in libraries and places like that. I've found you've got to look back at the old things and see them in a new light. - John Coltrane
The Trimont - Roxco
The next wrench in '21 was this little Roxco pipe wrench. I think it's only about 6" long (we'll take a look at that shortly) and is incredibly nimble. I think it has become a bit of an adjustable wrench replacement for me (at least on small jobs! I know some wrenches had factory-applied red paint on their handles back in the day, but this one looks like it was more likely used as a stir stick in a small can of red paint.
The rest of the wrench was a kind of blue-gray paint, which also looked owner-applied as opposed to factory. Either way, the paint was coming off...in a bowl of Citristrip!
I also want to point out the near pristine teeth on the jaws. I used a small triangle file to clean them out, about a three minute task!
After the paint stripping, and a little time with the metal polish and the Dremel tool, this little wrench was really looking good!
I also did a little grinding to clean up the Roxco logo a little. It was in decent shape, but a couple spots on the lettering had gotten a little boogered up over the years.
Monkey wrenches and pipe wrenches look the same to the untrained eye, and the name is often used interchangeably. These tools have two main differences: the monkey wrench has a smooth, flat jaw, while the pipe wrench has serrated teeth on its jaw. Pipe wrenches have a stationary lower jaw and movable upper jaw, while monkey wrenches have a stationary upper jaw and movable lower jaw. - Dan Miller, Fine Power Tools
Together
I have no idea why it took me so long to post about these little wrenches, I mean - two years? Nonetheless, here they are. One of my favorite things about these wrenches is that they're so small - so many uses!
Here they are lined up with the tape measure. I know they don't look lined up, but this shot is more of a commentary on the photography skills of yours truly!
Oh, and here's a shot with some similarly-sized wrenches I have with them...
Natural Habitat
And here's the now almost obligatory natural habitat shot. I decided they would reside on the new tool board I put in last December out by the drill press.
And with that - I have finally reported on the two little wrenches restored over a year ago! Hey, thanks for stopping by and, as always - see ya' next time!
