Thread: One for the fridgies

I have sockets as well as the old mans bunch from the days of Apprenticeship. Just as well all these things are dull Chrome plated or they would have all rusted away due to lack of use. Mind you the Tin Boxes they are in are looking a bit worse for wear. A ****ty rag over them when I think of it does help.


It is simply amazing the uses one can find for a 1/4" Whit open ender Even when it is not the correct spanner for the job in hand. it always seems to fit. Somewhere between 1/2" x 9/16" usually. Either that or we seemed to work on old crap.

Stillson and Crescent (both American), seem to have taken the credit for the pipe wrench and adjustable spanner (typical American thing to do)

Well my late father was about 4th generation Australian and that's what he called both of them. So it followed that I did the same!

I worked for years with Americans and they have some weird names for all sorts of things. But the one that used to annoy me the most was "channel locks". They are what we call water pump pliers, but it refers to the type of locking groves between the jaws.

The oilfield is a place with many strange names. Drill pipe has one female end and one male end, but the yanks call them a "pin end" for the male, and a "box end" for the female end. (also has a tapered buttress thread) Anything that sticks out from something else is called a "stinger".

Not many of them had any idea what a megger was, or how to use it. I recall one graduate electrical engineer that argued point blank that it was impossible for insulation to measure infinity!

Yep, I've seen multi grips called Channel Locks by Americans too.
And Channel Lock is a brand, I've used their side cutters, they are nicely made.

Ring spanners are called 'box wrenches' in US speak, an open ender is a 'flat wrench' etc.

A big one for me that has changed in usage is a tension wrench.
Everyone calls them the US 'Torque Wrench' these days which is sad.

Originally Posted by 4bee

When me & my mate Noah built the ARK it was all inches, or was it rods or Etzbas, or even a piece of string with a rock tied to the end?


I dunno, it was too long ago.

Cubits, Des and you'd have to have a mate the same size as you. A cubit was the distance of the forearm, between the wrist and elbow. If your mate was shorter or taller than you, your ark would've been banana shaped and floated 'round in circles.

Originally Posted by rick130

Yep, I've seen multi grips called Channel Locks by Americans too.
And Channel Lock is a brand, I've used their side cutters, they are nicely made.

Ring spanners are called 'box wrenches' in US speak, an open ender is a 'flat wrench' etc.

A big one for me that has changed in usage is a tension wrench.
Everyone calls them the US 'Torque Wrench' these days which is sad.

I always assumed that a box wrench was a tube/box spanner.

I just gave away 35 different odd sized and manufactured spanners to a guy whose face lit up like xmas tree when he saw them.

They were advertised here as a give away for ages.

I still have a huge collection of fitters/engineering tools that most of you here are still too young to have used .

Originally Posted by 4bee

I have never owned a Snapon probably because they came out in later years to my Apprentice Toolbox building days. Since then, apart from quality they were quite expensive so I stayed with me "good olde school" tools...........

Apprenticed to Noah ?

Bought an adze with your first month's pay?

I've got my grandfather's SnapOn socket set that has done a **** load of work and is an absolute delight to use. From memory the hallmarks say 1947.

cheers, DL

1947, Des was the foreman by then.