Herbrand Spanners

[Spencer54]

Decided last week to have a look around for some tools at local boot fairs and flea markets.
I showed my little boy what to look for (roughly) and first spanner in his hand was a Barcalo that looks spot on - unbelievable.

As I was digging through a pile I found a Herbrand, with a number on the head and a script similar to the Williams one on Jeepdraw.
Would these have been used for Jeeps?

I think the spanner dates from circa 1930, and can't for the life of me think of a reason for one of these to be found on the Kent coast other than brought across as part of a wartime toolkit for something. Anyone know if this is correct?

We also found some British arrow marked spanners, so not a bad haul - and I'll be going back.

[gpw_42]

Welcome to "the thrill of the hunt!" It's addictive, as you've recently discovered, and kudos to your son!

Your Herbrand is probably right for a motorpool MB/GPW restoration if it's in compliance with what's on Jeepdraw; the finish may affect that (black paint, natural steel, cadmium & japanning are all period options, and I likely left off one or two). Barcalo is generally considered to be for GPWs and Fairmount is for MBs, but that distinction is really for "factory class" restorers; I promise that the Army didn't care which manufacturer made the tools in a toolkit, just that they were present and serviceable. I have two recommendations:
1) Obtain as many references as possible. Options include:
- Jeepdraw (specific portions can be accessed from this thread, here on the G: viewtopic.php?f=48&t=103612)
- this section of the G
- Wingnutt's GMTK guide (PM him directly, or he may pop up on this thread)
- John Barton's Flea Market Guide
http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/john-bar ... 07467.html and
viewtopic.php?f=48&t=81630

2) Get a box for the tools you buy which are close, but not quite right. Particularly important if you end up eventually deciding to dig off into a general mechanics tool kit (GMTK is the post-war general term we use a lot, unless specifically referring to a kit from particular periods of the war).

Have fun!
Steve

[Wingnutt]

...first spanner in his hand was a Barcalo that looks spot on - unbelievable.

As I was digging through a pile I found a Herbrand, with a number on the head and a script similar to the Williams one on Jeepdraw.
Would these have been used for Jeeps?

Indications are that Herbrand dropped the fancy script logo sometime during the early part of the war (better said, the early part of US entry), going with a simpler block text instead, but there are a few exceptions and anomalies out there (e.g., wrenches and other tools with a Herbrand script but a "1340" or "8670" AISI marking, indicating it was made with wartime alloy restrictions in mind). I would be leery of a Herbrand script wrench that did NOT have an ASIS number forged-in, personally. But finding it in England lends credence. It could very likely be a pre- (Lend-Lease) or early war wrench. As Steve alluded to, Herbrand is not a verified Jeep factory supplier (to Willys or Ford), and it's not one of the more popular brands for a Jeep motor pool set, either, but hey, finding it with your son probably trumps popularity if you ask me!

There are so many Barcalo variants, we'd really need to see it to assess it. If you post pics, post the Herbrand, too.

[Spencer54]

I’ll have a go at posting pics.

I’m not 100% sure it’s Barcalo it’s marked made in USA and looks similar with that diamond shape but it’s a small spanner.

The Herbrand has a four digit number on one side and the script with something written in the swirl.

I can see this being an addictive sub hobby in itself.

[Wingnutt]

Sounds like the Herbrand could be a winner.

Posting pics is pretty easy.

Save photos to your computer as 700 x 500 pixels. Photos bigger than that will probably get rejected.
Click [Post Reply]
Below the [Save draft] [Preview] and [Submit] buttons at the bottom of the post white blank post composing window, you'll see two tabs: [Options] and [Attachments]
Click on [Attachments]
Click on [Add files]
That opens the file browser on your computer.
Find the photo you want to attach in your folder/file browser, click on it, and hit [Open]
That adds the file to a list of files you will see in a little table under the [Add files] button below.
If you want to add another photo, click n [Add files] again.
Use your browser again.
When all the photos have been added in the list below, compose your post in this white space here.
Place your cursor on the place inside your post where you want a photo to appear, and click on the [Place inline] button to the right of that photo's filename.

[Spencer54]

Right I'll give that a go.

This weekend first spanner picked up was a British WD dated 1938, and two more Snail Brand - one has 1945, one appears undated, but we took a chance.

We also picked up a 6 pounder anti-tank ammo box which has been painted but looks in good condition.

[Silly's MB]

Welcome along Spencer, at least you have an ammo box to put all your tools in !
The WD spanners are getting harder to find but nobody is really that interested in them at the moment which I find quite sad. They are very poor quality compared to the US spanners but have a certain character.

Looking forward to seeing some pictures.

Roger