Monkey wrenches

[ScottyHOMeY]

Am I the last guy on the planet that uses monkey wrenches?

The younger guys around the neighborhood are startin' to take for bein' an old fart, which I don't mind, really. My mom used to tell folks I'd been an old fart since the age of three,, and it;s sort of a point of pride for me.

Regular Crescent-style adjustables have their place and I've got my fair share of them, but I've found that they open wider than they'll hold. That is, they'll open enough to just barely get onto a nut, but don't have the depth to hold the flats, where a monkey wrench does.
And there are those odd jobs where the deeper jaws of the monkey wrench for the same length wrench as the Crescent are just the ticket, and they sure don't tear things up like the pipe wrench that other folks haul out.

I've got some new ones (Chinese Crescents from McMaster-Carr) and a few old ones that are still tight enough to be usable.

Anybody else still use them?

 

[Anonymous-0]

Yes, I have an old Williams one and it gets a lot of use. About as much as the adjustables.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I sure can throw a "monkey wrench" into things. Grin. However, I really never do with my collections.

 

[TimV]

I've got several, including a couple from my grandfather, who fixed the early Ford cars in addition to being a farmer. An early 20th century engineering text I have shows a couple of pages worth of different styles that were in use at that time. According to the author, the name comes from a Charles Moncky, who invented one of the earlier forms of the wrench, though like many historical nuggets there are other versions of the story. They are quite a handy tool, and mine all show as much evidence of being used for percussive persuasion as they do of being used for wrenching.

 

[woody73]

I find that my arthritis will not permit me to hold a heavy monkey wrench for very long... I sure wish that one day I could find a two headed crescent wrench I keep looking,maybe 0ne day.P.S. my kids tell me that I am so old that Jesus sat behind me in the third grade;I remind them that it was not Jesus it was Moses...Have a Great Day Woody.

 

[ScottyHOMeY]

LOL!

I've found that it's sometimes a toss-up between persuasive percussion and verbal lubrication as to which one actually did the trick of bustin' somethin' loose.

 

[Jerry (KS)]

When you type "monkey wrench" in Google Images you sure see a lot of pipe wrenches that they call monkey wrenches. Back in the 60"s when I was in the USAF we changed fuel flow transmitters on B-52E"s with a monkey wrench. That was the only thing we had that would fit the big nuts on the transmitters.

 

[RayP(MI)]

I find that they, and the "newer" adjustable wrenches (Crescent wrenches) are a very poor choice for anything. They didn't call 'em "knuckle busters" for nothing. They might have worked OK on square head bolts and nuts, but on hex heads, they tend to slide off, and round off the edges way too easily. Destroy the fastener, and make it even more difficult to dael with with proper wrenches afterword. Nothing is better than a good, proper sized box-end, or socket wrench. and I'm getting to prefer 6 point, rather than 12 point. Any of those adjustable anythings are a failure waiting to happen.

 

[Old Timer in Ohio]

Hey there:
I went to the local "salvage freight", the
other day, and I saw a battery powered, I
guess you could say cresent wrench. Imagine
being too lazy, to wiggle your thumb for
adjusting it??? This generation is getting
that way, I guess.
Bob
God Bless

 

[tompepper]

I like to use an alligator wrench on the really tough stuff.

 

[Anonymous-0]

When I was a kid at home dad had a cresent wrench that had 2 heads, one on each end. The jaw was missing on one end. So they have been maufactured. J.

 

[ScottyHOMeY]

I agree, Ray, up to a point. Anybody that's done much wrenching on old stuff has run into rounded off nuts and bolt heads. The gizmos made to remove them seem to sell awfully well!

My first choice is always a good box, open-end or socket, but I still think an adjustable in good repair (i.e., not wobbly),adjusted and used properly has its place in the toolchest.

And as for other stuff, I have a few contraptions around that have two machined flats on a shaft as a way to hold it when turning the big nut on the end. An open-end or regular Crescent-type isn't deep enough to get onto those flats like they need to and, in cases like that, the deeper jaws of a monkey wrench make it just the ticket.

 

[Anonymous-0]

you havnt seen a monkey wrench until you have seen a left handed monkey wrench, just send someone for a lefthanded monkey wrench, they will be out of your hair for a while. LOL.

 

[ScottyHOMeY]

Now ya see, I was told that you could tell a left-handed monkey wrench by the way the thread went on the adjustment.

I'm still looking for one, as I've got one particular nut that nothing else will get in there.

 

[Mark]

I quit using them when I got rid of my last monkey. They bounced off her head no matter how they were adjusted.

 

[ScottyHOMeY]

Wimmens are a lot like that.

 

[Ron in NS]

I have a couple of old Stillson wrenches that are probably older than I am. Still work as well as they did 50 years ago, probably.

 

[1936]

Just got a big one this week with about 30 pounds of tools in a tub. Not sure it will be used again. Nice one.

 

[Bob S.]

Howdy
I never even thought of actually using them, I've got some laying around that I have just considered decorations. I have a lot of old stuff picked up at rummage sales, can't pass up a deal. I will give em a try.
Question----I also have some old wrenches that the jaws are in a V shape, open end not adjustable, how or what were they used on?
Bob S.

 

[ScottyHOMeY]

I'd suggest you start a new thread with a picture of one and let the gang puzzle it out for ya.

 

[Anonymous-0]

What you have are alligator wrenches. The V lets the wrench fit different size nuts. I believe that these are for the old square nuts. Just slide it on the nut until it fits. Some of these also had dies made into the wrench, so that you could touch up the threads on your bolts.

 

[Mike in Ohio]

I'm a little younger than some of you guys (only 45) so this may be a stupid question. What dad and grandpa called a monkey wrench looked alot like a pipe wrench but with smooth jaws and the bottom jaw moved instead of the top jaw moving. I am just wanting to be sure I know what you are talking about. thanks Mike

 

[440roadrunner]

(quoted from post at 20:47:35 04/11/09) I'm a little younger than some of you guys (only 45) so this may be a stupid question. What dad and grandpa called a monkey wrench looked alot like a pipe wrench but with smooth jaws and the bottom jaw moved instead of the top jaw moving. I am just wanting to be sure I know what you are talking about. thanks Mike

Monkey wrench:

 

[George G]

Here"s two that I use

 

[Leroy]

I have several of the wood handle type as 440roadrunner has pictured, They also made some wrenches of that type with a V in one of the jaws for use on pipe, also several of that type but with steel handles and several of tht type of the bottom one that George G has in his picture. All handy in different type of aplications. Never seen one of the type that George G has in top of picture, only wrenches of that style had pipe jaws.

 

[Mike in Ohio]

That is exactly what I was talking about. I have a couple of them from Grandpa, I keep one in the toolbox of the allis B I got from him. Mike

 

[usetob]

after this post, I"m going to find mine!! thanks for reminding me

 

[George G]

Do you mean, like these? They are called hex wrenches.

 

[Bob S.]

Howdy
Looks like you have it all covered George. Where did you get those hex wrenches.
Bob S.

 

[George G]

I used to use them alot when I was doing industral maintenance. Work nice on bigger hydraulic lines, unions and whatnot. The smaller one is a Ridge Hex #17, the bigger one is Hex #25. Still get em anyplace that sells Ridge.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I have a couple that my dad used to use and now I use them.