Alloy Artifacts |
The Fuller Tool Company was founded in May of 1937 by Bernard Fuller in Whitestone, New York, a section of Queens. (The founding date is based on the first use date in a later trademark filing.) The company's early products included screwdrivers and nut drivers.
The company was incorporated on July 26, 1946.
During the 1940s and 1950s the company advertised its screwdrivers in publications such as Hardware Age, Popular Mechanics, and Popular Science.
The scan in Fig. 1 shows an ad for Fuller "De Luxe" screwdrivers, as published on page 36 of the December 7, 1944 issue of Hardware Age.
Note that the list of sales offices below the illustration already includes an office in Montreal. Fuller Tool would later open a subsidiary in Canada, and eventually the company moved to Canada.
By the late 1950s Fuller had started importing tools, probably initially from Europe. By 1958 the company was advertising a selection of fixed-pivot pliers, which were probably imported from England, based on observed examples.
Fuller was also interested in sourcing tools from Japan, and the company may have worked with the Daido Corporation to arrange its Japanese imports. Daido was the U.S. subsidiary of a major Japanese distributor and had been set up specifically to assist American companies with finding Japanese manufacturing partners.
The scan in Fig. 2 shows a notice for Fuller adjustable wrenches in a merchandising stand, as published on page 28 of the October, 1960 edition of Hardware World.
The adjustable wrenches in the illustration are probably of Japanese origin.
By 1961 Fuller Tool was using Kyoto Kikai Kōgu (KTC) of Japan as a contract manufacturer of Fuller brand tools. Production by KTC included adjustable wrenches, open-end wrenches, and combination wrenches.
Fuller was one of the pioneers in importing tools from Japan and worked with other Japanese companies in addition to KTC. For example, Hokuyo Sangyō ("Sanki") is known to have supplied adjustable wrenches to Fuller, and Maruto Hasegawa is known to have supplied pliers.
We hope to discover other Japanese suppliers as well.
In 1963 the FTC issued a cease-and-desist order against Fuller for complaints including improper labeling of country of origin. The FTC order notes that at that time Fuller was importing tools from Japan, England, Holland, Italy, and Portugal.
In 1965 Fuller Tool acquired the Award Tool Company of Flushing, New York. Award Tool appears to have been an importer and reseller of tools, similar to the operations of Fuller Tool by that time.
Our information on the Award Tool Company comes from a small notice regarding Martin H. Rieger, the founder of Award Tool.
The scan in Fig. 3 shows a notice indirectly mentioning the Award Tool Company, as published on page 28 of the June 1, 1969 issue of Hardware Age.
The text notes that Martin H. Rieger had become president of Steelcraft Tools, having previously been the executive vice president of the Award Tool Company.
The notice provides additional background information that Award Tool had been founded by Rieger in 1963, and that Award had been a subsidiary of the Fuller Tool Company since 1965.
Prior to founding Award Tool, Rieger had been an employee of the Fuller Tool Company, and in 1947 was promoted to the position of sales manager at Fuller.
As a side note, the Steelcraft Tool Company was later acquired by the Daido Corporation, a Japanese company best known for its "Truecraft" tools.
Award Tool filed a trademark application for "AWARD" on April 16, 1964, with the first use date noted as April 1, 1964 and serial #191,242. The application was published on October 20, 1964, and the company received trademark #782,779 on January 5, 1965. The applicable goods were listed as screwdrivers, pliers, and wrenches.
In the 1990s Fuller Tool moved its operations to Montreal, Canada, and in 1995 Fuller was acquired by Johnson Level, a Canadian company.
Text Mark or Logo | Reg. No. | First Use | Date Filed | Date Issued | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BLUE OX | 415,648 | 09/01/1944 | 12/09/1944 | 08/14/1945 | For screwdrivers.
Serial 477,355. Published May 29, 1945. |
TOOL-A-MAT | 684,051 | 06/01/1958 | 10/13/1958 | 08/25/1959 | Dispensing stand for tools.
Serial 60,503. Published June 9, 1959. |
FULLER | 750,087 | 01/01/1940 | 08/26/1961 | 05/28/1963 | Pliers, screwdrivers, wrenches, and hammers.
Filed by Fuller Tool Co. Inc., 152-35 10th Avenue, Whitestone, New York Published March 12, 1963. |
FULLER | 754,049 | 05/01/1937 | 02/23/1962 | 08/06/1963 | Mechanic's hand tools, e.g. pliers, screwdrivers, wrenches
Published February 5, 1963. Renewed June 8, 2013. |
AWARD | 782,779 | 04/01/1964 | 04/16/1964 | 01/05/1965 | Screwdrivers, pliers, and wrenches
Filed by Award Tool Company, later acquired by Fuller. Serial 191,242. Published February 5, 1963. |
LIFELONG | 845,866 | 02/01/1967 | 03/12/1968 |
Serial 263,758. Published December 26, 1967. |
|
FULLER [design] | 907,758 | 07/01/1964 | 12/30/1968 | 02/16/1971 | Grinding wheels
Published January 13, 1970. |
Photographs and observations of particular tools are based on items in the Alloy Artifacts Collection.
Catalog | Year | Notes |
---|---|---|
La Cross Excerpt | 1979 | No copyright, dated March, 1979. 8 pages.
Excerpt from La Cross Steel Roofing Company catalog. Available for Download [External Link] from ITCL. Illustrates Fuller wrenches with parallelogram panels. |
Catalogue No. 8182 | 1981 | No copyright, date inferred from catalog number. 24 pages.
Published by Fuller Canada. Available for Download [External Link] from ITCL. Lists combination wrenches in Cr-Mo steel with parallelogram panels. |
Dealer Catalog No. 1184 | 1984 | No copyright, date inferred from catalog number. 24 pages.
Available for Download [External Link] from ITCL. |
Fuller tools were available from some industrial distributors. We'll add references as time permits.
Currently all of our examples of Fuller wrenches were made by KTC. KTC's production for Fuller goes back to the early 1960s, and based on KTC's reputation we would expect these to be high quality tools.
Wrenches made by KTC have been observed in three styles:
The sections below will offer production date estimates partly based on catalog references, but with a large degree of uncertanty due to a lack of early catalogs.
Wrenches with recessed oval panels are believed to represent the earliest production period and were likely made in the 1960s. Wrenches in this style were made with forged-in markings, and the known examples were marked for chrome vanadium steel.
The second style was characterized by raised oval panels and stamped markings. Production of this style probably began in the late 1960s and continued through the 1970s, and possibly beyond. The earliest known catalog reference is from 1976.
Wrenches in this style were marked either as "Drop Forged" for open-end wrenches or "Forged Alloy" for combination wrenches, but no specific alloy references are known.
Another characteristic of this style is a forged-in "Fx" manufacturing code, with the "F" prefix believed to indicate a Fuller-specific forging die.
The stamped markings and absent (or less specific) alloy references suggest that this style was intended for lower cost production.
The third style is characterized by raised paralleogram panels and stamped markings, with production commencing in the late 1970s. The earliest published reference is in a 1979 catalog, as noted in the figure below.
Wrenches in this style were marked with a specific alloy as either "Chrome Vanadium" or "Chrome Molybdenum".
Based on paired comparisons with the raised oval group, the larger wrenches in this group were somewhat longer. For example, a 5/8 parallelogram panel wrench was 7.8 inches long, compared to 7.0 inches for the oval panel wrench.
This style has a forged-in manufacturing code of the form "Ux".
Fig. 3B shows a 1979 catalog listing for Fuller combination wrenches with raised parallelogram panels, as published on page A-54 of a 1979 La Cross Roofing catalog.
The text notes that the wrenches were drop forged of chrome vanadium steel.
This catalog is currently the earliest known published reference showing the use of parallelogram panels on Fuller wrenches.
Fig. 4 shows an early Fuller 3/4x7/8 open-end wrench with recessed oval panels, marked with "*Fuller*" and "Chrome Vanadium" plus the fractional sizes forged into the front, with "Drop Forged" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo forged into the back.
The overall length is 8.6 inches, and the finish is chrome plating, with extensive losses due to wear and rust.
Fig. 5A shows a Fuller 9/16x5/8 open-end wrench with raised oval panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional sizes on the front panel, with "Forged Alloy" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.
The back side of the shank also has a forged-in "F20" code visible at the right.
The overall length is 6.4 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.
Fig. 5 shows a Fuller 11/16x3/4 open-end wrench with raised oval panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional sizes on the front panel, with "Drop Forged" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.
The back side of the shank also has a forged-in "F24" code visible at the right.
The overall length is 7.3 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.
Fig. 6 shows a Fuller 13x15mm open-end wrench with raised oval panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the metric sizes on the front panel, with "Drop Forged" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.
The back side of the shank also has a forged-in "F35" code visible at the right.
The overall length is 5.9 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.
Fig. 7 shows a Fuller 17x19mm open-end wrench with raised oval panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the metric sizes on the front panel, with "Drop Forged" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.
The back side of the shank also has a forged-in "F79" code visible at the right.
The overall length is 7.1 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.
Fig. 8 shows a Fuller 15/16x1 inch open-end wrench with parallelogram panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional sizes on the front panel, with "Chrome Molybdenum" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.
The back side of the shank also has a forged-in code "U02" visible at the right.
The overall length is 11.9 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.
We have a good selection of Fuller combination wrenches with examples available for all three stylistic periods.
The combination wrenches are presented by style of construction, providing a roughly chronological sequence.
Fig. 9A shows an early Fuller 9/16 combination wrench with recessed oval panels, marked with "*Fuller*" and "Chrome Vanadium" plus the fractional size forged into the front panel, with "Drop Forged" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo forged into the back panel.
The top inset shows a side view of the wrench.
The overall length is 7.0 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces and ends.
Fig. 9B shows a Fuller 3/8 combination wrench with raised oval panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional size on the front panel, with "Forged Alloy" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.
The back side of the shank also has a forged-in code "F2" visible at the left.
The overall length is 4.5 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces and ends.
Fig. 9C shows a Fuller 7/16 combination wrench with raised oval panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional size on the front panel, with "Forged Alloy" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.
The back side of the shank also has a forged-in code "F4" visible at the left.
The overall length is 5.0 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces and ends.
Fig. 10 shows a Fuller 1/2 combination wrench with raised oval panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional size on the front panel, with "Forged Alloy" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.
The back side of the shank also has a forged-in code "F6" visible at the left.
The overall length is 5.5 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces and ends.
Fig. 11 shows a Fuller 5/8 combination wrench with raised oval panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional size on the front panel, with "Forged Alloy" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.
The back side of the shank also has a forged-in "F6" code visible at the left.
The overall length is 7.0 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces and ends.
Fig. 11B shows a Fuller 11/16 combination wrench with raised oval panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional size on the front panel, with "Forged Alloy" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.
The back side of the shank also has a forged-in "F2" code visible at the left.
The overall length is 7.9 inches, and the finish is chrome plating.
Fig. 13A shows a Fuller 3/8 combination wrench with raised parallelogram panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional size on the front panel, with "Chrome Molybdenum" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.
The back side of the shank also has a forged-in "U2" code visible at the left.
The overall length is 4.5 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces and ends.
Fig. 13B shows a Fuller 5/8 combination wrench with raised parallelogram panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional size on the front panel, with "Chrome Molybdenum" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.
The back side of the shank also has a forged-in "U0" code visible at the left.
The overall length is 7.8 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces and ends.
Fig. 13C shows a Fuller 11/16 combination wrench with raised parallelogram panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional size on the front panel, with "Chrome Vanadium" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.
The back side of the shank also has a forged-in "U1" code visible (upside-down) at the left.
The overall length is 8.6 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces and ends.
Fig. 14 shows a Fuller 3/4 combination wrench with raised parallelogram panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional size on the front panel, with "Chrome Molybdenum" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.
The back side of the shank also has a forged-in "U4" code visible at the left.
The overall length is 9.5 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces and ends.
Fig. 15 shows a pair of Fuller 8 inch combination pliers, stamped with "Fuller" and "Drop Forged" near the pivot, and with "Japan" forged into the undersides of the handles.
The handles of the pliers are also marked with a forged-in "H" code at the ends.
The overall length is 8.0 inches, and the finish is polished chrome.
Fig. 16 shows a pair of Fuller No. 192 6 inch needlenose pliers with side-cutters, stamped with "Fuller" and "Drop Forged" around the pivot, with "BF Japan" and "ITO" on the back.
The handles of the pliers are covered with vinyl plastic grips.
The overall length is 6.5 inches, and the finish is plain steel.
These pliers were found in a vehicle toolkit we used in the mid 1970s to 1980s.
The Fuller 192-6 needlenose pliers were listed in the company's 1981 catalog. The pliers were also available in 5 and 8 inch sizes.
The "ITO" marking is believed to indicate the Japanese maker, but we need to do more research to identify the specific manufacturer. The "BF" code likely indicates that the maker was also producing pliers for Sears Roebuck.
Fuller also offered lineman's pliers, and by 1979 was sourcing the pliers from Maruto Hasegawa.
Fig. 16B shows a 1979 catalog listing for Fuller "Maruto" lineman's pliers, as published on page A-51 of a 1979 La Cross Roofing catalog.
The pliers were available in 7 and 8 inch sizes.
In the illustration the "Maruto" marking is visible below the pivot.
Fig. 17 shows a Fuller No. 7218 18 ounce claw hammer, stamped with "Fuller" plus "#7218" and "18oz" on the front, with "Japan-BF" on the back side.
The tubular steel handle is fitted with a rubber cushion grip, making the hammer comfortable to hold and use.
The overall length is 12.8 inches, and the finish is plain steel.
This hammer is very similar to the Sears Companion No. 3812 "BF" Claw Hammer, and the presence of the "BF" code suggests that they may have been made by the same manufacturer.
The No. 7218 hammer was listed in the 1979 "La Cross Roofing" Fuller excerpt catalog.
The Award Tool Company was formed in 1963 by Martin H. Rieger, formerly a sales manager at Fuller Tool. The company operated independently only briefly, as by 1965 Award Tool had been acquired by Fuller Tool.
After the acquisition Fuller used "Award" as a second brand for tools, with most of the production done by KTC.
Based on the observed examples, production for the Award brand was identical to that for the main Fuller brand.
Fig. 18 shows an Award 15/16x1 open-end wrench with recessed oval panels, marked with "Chrome Vanadium" and the fractional sizes forged into the shank, with "Drop Forged" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo forged into the back side.
The overall length is 11.9 inches, and the finish is chrome plating.
The KTC-Oval logo indicates that the wrench was produced by the Kyoto Tool Company.
Fig. 19 shows an Award 3/8 combination wrench with recessed oval panels, marked with "Award" and "Chrome Vanadium" plus the fractional size forged into the shank, with "Drop Forged" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo forged into the back side.
The overall length is 4.6 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.
Fig. 20 shows an Award 7/16 combination wrench with recessed oval panels, marked with "Award" and "Chrome Vanadium" plus the fractional size forged into the front panel, with "Drop Forged" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo forged into the back panel.
The overall length is 5.5 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.
Fig. 21 shows an Award 5/8 combination wrench with recessed oval panels, marked with "Award" and "Chrome Vanadium" plus the fractional size forged into the shank, with "Drop Forged" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo forged into the back side.
The overall length is 7.8 inches, and the finish is chrome plating, with losses due to wear.
The wrench in the next figure at first seemed to be a duplicate of the one above, but something looked a little bit off. Can you spot the difference?
Fig. 21B shows an Award 5/8 combination wrench with recessed oval panels, marked with "Award" and "Chrome Vanadium" plus the fractional size forged into the shank, with "Drop Forged" and "Japan" forged into the back side.
The overall length is 8.0 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.
Note that this wrench is not marked with the KTC logo! At first we thought it was just an omission, but then started noticing other small differences — the shank is a little thicker, the box end is thicker, the markings are slightly larger.
After noticing all of the small differences, we realized that this wrench is a copy made by another Japanese manufacturer rather than KTC.
Fig. 22 shows an Award 11/16 combination wrench with raised parallelogram panels, stamped with "Award" and the fractional size on the front panel, with "Chrome Molybdenum" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back side.
The shank is marked with a forged-in "U1" code visible at the left on the back side.
The overall length is 8.6 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.
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