Milwaukee Tool & Forge

Logo from a Milwaukee Tool & Forge Ratchet.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Milwaukee Tool & Forge Company (MTF) was a maker of automotive service tools operating in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1917 through the early 1930s. The company is best known as an early contract manufacturer for Snap-on's Blue Point tools.

Company History

The Milwaukee Tool & Forge Company (MTF) was founded in 1917 by George F. Phillips, R.L. Wheeler, and George Haubert. The company was the successor to the Crary Tool Company and initially operated at 220 Becher Street in Milwaukee.

Fig. 1. 1917 Notice of Incorporation. [External Link]

Fig. 1 shows a notice announcing the incorporation of Milwaukee Tool & Forge, as published on page 787 of the September 27, 1917 issue of The Iron Age.

Fig. 2. 1917 Notice of Succession. [External Link]

Fig. 2 shows a slightly later notice from page 1032 of the October 25, 1917 issue of The Iron Age. The text states that MTF was the successor to the Crary Tool Company.

A Capital Raise

Fig. 3. 1920 Notice of Capital Raise. [External Link]

Fig. 3 shows a notice on page 1290 of the April 29, 1920 issue of The Iron Age stating that MTF had increased its capital stock to $25,000.

The company president is listed as George Haubert, and the address is given as 220 Becher Street in Milwaukee.

Fig. 4. 1920 Advertisement for Milwaukee Tool & Forge.

Fig. 4 shows an advertisement for MTF, as published on page 178 [External Link] of the December 30, 1920 issue of The Iron Trade Review.

The text notes various products offered by MTF, including chisels, punches, hammers, and mechanic's sets. The address is listed this time as 220 "Beecher" Street.

A check of the modern-day map of Milwaukee (via Google Maps) shows a Becher Street, but not a "Beecher" Street, indicating a misspelling of the street name in some of the published references.

The Move to South Milwaukee

Fig. 5. 1921 Moving Notice for Milwaukee Tool & Forge. [External Link]

Fig. 5 shows a small notice on page 1510 of the December 8, 1921 issue of The Iron Trade Review announcing the company's impending move to South Milwaukee, as well as a capital raise to $50,000.

This is a highly useful bit of information, as it places the company in the location known from later documents. (And we can forget about Becher Street, which nobody could spell anyway.)

One of the little-known aspects of MTF is that during most of the 1920s it operated as a subsidiary of the Line Material Company, a maker of street lighting and equipment for electric utilities. We discovered this connection after acquiring an MTF catalog listing W.D. Kyle as the company president. An online search turned up quite a bit of information about Kyle, including a number of patents for electrical equipment, plus the fact that he was president of the Line Material Company. And where was Line Material located? In South Milwaukee, of course.

Some of our readers may recall hearing about the Line Material Company in another context. Those familiar with the early history of the Snap-On Wrench Company may remember that Line Material was Snap-On's first supplier of socket blanks when the company was just getting started. Line Material had automatic screw machines for its own production and apparently had excess capacity, so it was able to offer contract production to Snap-On.

We even found a brief article on screw machine operations written by W.D. Kyle, published on page 332 [External Link] of the September, 1921 issue of Factory and called "Checking Screw Output".

The Line Material Connection

With this background information, we can connect the dots and surmise about how MTF came to be associated with W.D. Kyle and the Line Material Company. As the producer of Snap-On's socket blanks, Kyle would have been very familiar with the rapid growth of Snap-On's business. And as an entrepreneur and president of a manufacturing business, Kyle may have wanted to get into the rapidly-growing tool industry, especially since Line Material already had distribution and branch offices for sales. Perhaps Kyle had already done business with MTF, or at least knew that they were looking for additional investment.

Referring back to the small notice about MTF's pending move to South Milwaukee, we note that the article also mentions a capital raise to $50,000. Since the previous capital raise in 1920 had valued the company at $25,000, the new raise implies that an investor paid in an additional $25,000, or enough to buy 50 percent (i.e. control) of the company. Based on what we know, that new investor was the Line Material Company, or possibly W.D. Kyle acting for himself.

Fig. 6. Excerpt from a 1924 Line Material Company Catalog.

Within a few years MTF under Kyle's management had expanded into a line of alloy-steel wrenches, as well as sockets and drive tools in 1/2- and 3/4-drive. As might be expected, the sockets and drive tools closely resembled those from Snap-On.

Fig. 6 shows a scan from a Line Material catalog, published without copyright around 1924. It shows a set of three photographs of one of the workers (perhaps W.D. Kyle himself!) attempting to break one of the new wrenches, which are noted as being made of chrome vanadium steel. A table below provides the specifications for the open-end wrenches.

The Line Material catalog includes two more pages of tools from MTF, showing a wide variety of chisels and punches, with photographs of punches being driven through steel plates.

Tools were only a very small part of Line Material's business though, as the catalog has in excess of 200 pages of items for electric utilities.

It's worth noting that MTF's 1924 introduction of chrome-vanadium open-end and tappet wrenches was quite early for the tool industry. Bonney had only started advertising its ground-breaking CV line in late 1922, and the tool-industry heavyweights such as J.H. Williams and Billings & Spencer didn't offer alloy-steel tools (except for some experimental tappet wrenches) until 1925 or later.

Supplier to Blue Point

By 1925 MTF had landed a supplier contract with the Motor Tool Specialty Company, the exclusive distributor for Snap-On and the Blue Point Tool Company. MTF produced wrenches, chisels, and punches for the new Blue Point brand, and a catalog from around 1925 for the Motor Tool Specialty Company lists 16 pages of tools from MTF. (Editor's note: this catalog can be downloaded from the International Tool Catalog Library listed on the External Links page.)

Fig. 7. 1925 MTF Catalog for Motor Tool Specialties.

Fig. 7 shows the front cover of the catalog, with "Milwaukee Wrenches" and "Blue Points" as the main headings. The bottom then shows Milwaukee Tool & Forge Company as the factory, with Motor Tool Specialty Company as exclusive distributors. We'll have more to say about this catalog later.

Interestingly enough, the photographs and tables in this catalog are the same as those published in the 1924 Line Material catalog.

Some examples of tools produced by MTF can be found in our article on the early operations of Snap-On and Blue Point. For example, a canvas tool roll (found by another collector) clearly identifies Milwaukee Tool & Forge as the maker of "Milwaukee Blue Points" tools. The interested reader can refer to our article on Blue Point Tools for more information.

We should note here though that MTF wasn't the only contract supplier to Blue Point — the Forged Steel Products Company, supplier of Vacuum Grip pliers, also produced open-end wrenches, chisels, and punches for Blue Point. We'll refer back to this later.

Expanding Catalog Selections

A 32-page MTF catalog from around 1925 or 1926 lists chrome-vanadium open-end and tappet wrenches, an extensive selection of chisels and punches, a few automotive specialty tools, and sockets and drive tools in 1/2-drive ("King") and 3/4-drive ("Mogul") sizes. The prices for the open-end wrenches match those in the Motor Tool Specialty catalog, but one additional size (9/16x5/8) is available. Although the catalog is undated, the matching prices place it in the same time frame as the Motor Tool Specialty catalog.

This early listing of 3/4-drive socket tools is notable and shows that W.D. Kyle had a keen intuition for the direction of the tool industry. At this time only a few companies were yet offering larger drive sizes, and only Blackhawk is known to have been offering 3/4-drive tools by 1925. (Snap-On was offering 5/8- and 7/8-drive tools, but both drive sizes would soon be superseded.)

Fig. 8. 1927 Notice for MTF Chevrolet Main Bearing Wrench.

The composite scan in Fig. 8 shows a notice for an MTF Chevrolet main bearing wrench, as published on page 47 of the June 16, 1927 issue of Hardware Age. (The text has been reflowed to fit at the left of the illustration.)

The text uses the "True Fit" trademark and notes the use of chrome nickel steel. Note that the illustration shows the main bearing wrench with hexagon rather than double-hexagon openings.

1928 Catalog

A 48-page MTF catalog dated April, 1928 shows that it had a surprisingly extensive line of tools available at that time. The description of the tools shows an emphasis on the use of high-quality alloy steel, with careful heat-treating after machining or forging. The catalog lists a variety of tools including open-end and tappet wrenches, a large selection of punches and chisels, a few 12-point box-end wrenches, sockets and drive tools in 1/2 and 3/4 (square) drive, toolboxes, and other specialty tools. There's even a "Midget" socket set with the drive size unspecified, but which a later catalog identifies as 1/4-drive.

This catalog uses the "True-Fit" brand for most of the listed tools, and the company later registered this brand as a trademark, with the first use date given as 1921. The catalog also shows the use of an "MTF" logo, and this was frequently marked on tools when space was limited.

The 1928 listing for a 1/4-drive socket set once again shows that MTF had an early sense of where the tool industry was heading. The 1/4-drive size would become the industry standard in future years, but Snap-On took a detour through 9/32-drive, and Husky Wrench (and later Williams) used 5/16-hex drive for miniature sockets. To our knowledge, MTF's 1928 "Midget" set was the earliest offering of 1/4-drive socket tools.

1931 Catalog

Our last catalog has 64 pages and a 1931 copyright date, and shows a continuing expansion along the same lines as the previous publications. Sockets and drive tools are now available in four drive sizes, 1/4 ("Midget"), 3/8 ("Gopher"), 1/2 ("King") and 3/4 ("Mogul"). One change is that this catalog now uses a "Tru-Fit" logo for the tools, a slight variation from the registered form, and the same one later used by Lectrolite.

All three of the catalogs mention W.D. Kyle as the president of the company, and the company address is consistently given as just South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, without a street address. However, the S.A.E. Handbook from 1929 gives the company address as 9th and Marion Streets in South Milwaukee. MTF was listed in the 1930 Donnelley's Industrial Directory, with the address again as just South Milwaukee.

The backs of the MTF catalogs for 1925 and 1928 list branch offices in various cities, 11 in 1925 and 28 in 1928, suggesting a fairly substantial operation, but which we now know reflects the existing branch offices of the Line Material Company.

Later History

One of the main puzzles regarding Milwaukee Tool & Forge concerns the later fate of the company, as the company seemed to have just disappeared, after enjoying considerable success during the 1920s. Our operating hypothesis had been that the company probably closed during the Great Depression, as many other companies did.

However, this turns out not to be the case. Recently discovered (January 2016) documents show conclusively that MTF merged in 1932 with two Ohio-based companies, forming none other than the Lectrolite Corporation of Defiance, Ohio!

A good article summarizing the merger can be found under the heading "Kyle Company To Be Merged" on page 8 [Sorry, dead link 😢] of the September 28, 1932 edition of The Milwaukee Journal newspaper. The article notes that W.D. Kyle had acquired stock in the new company and might become one of the directors. Also noted are the fact that MTF's machinery and equipment would be moved to Ohio.

Another interesting article can be found on page 18 of the October 7, 1932 edition of The Milwaukee Journal under the title Tool, Forge Firm Moving to Ohio [Sorry, dead link 😢]. (Thanks to a diligent reader for the link!) It notes that the machinery of MTF would be moved to Defiance, Ohio as part of the merger with the Pressed Products Company of Napoleon, Ohio and the Saturn Electric Water Heater Company of Bryan, Ohio.

The article goes on to identify W.D. Kyle as president of both the Line Material Company as well as Milwaukee Tool & Forge, making this one of the few references to mention both roles. The article also introduces a new twist by citing Elizabeth M. Ziemer, treasurer of MTF, as saying that the move was necessitated by the high tax rate in Wisconsin, with taxes of $1200 in South Milwaukee compared to just $88 at the new Ohio facility.

Finally, it offers a rare glimpse into the scale of operations at MTF, noting that MTF employed 50 to 75 (in "normal times"), and that the company's sales in 1927 had hit $350,000. We'll have more to say about this article shortly.

Under the capable management of Harold L. Schlosser, Lectrolite continued as a maker of tools, auto parts, and water heaters (!), and eventually joined with S-K Tools. Lectrolite even continued the use of the "Tru-Fit" brand, with the later spelling change that MTF had used for their 1931 catalog. Interested readers may wish to refer to our article on Lectrolite for further details.

Postscript

Now that we have a reasonable understanding of what happened to MTF, we would like to add a few thoughts on why W.D. Kyle and Line Material decided to exit their tool operations. First of all, we would tend to dismiss the disparity in tax rates cited in the October 7 newpaper article as being the real cause of the move. Businessmen always complain about taxes, and on the occasion of a business moving elsewhere, few could resist the opportunity to castigate the local officials on the loss of jobs and revenue. In reality though, there probably wouldn't have been much in tax savings — the Line Material Company wasn't moving, and the taxes probably continued to apply to the building and real estate. (We've seen a reference to a new subsidiary operation a few years later referred to as the successor to MTF.)

The "conventional wisdom" here would be that the Line Material Company had a great opportunity for growth as the electric utilities industry geared up for the rural electrification programs of the 1930s. Facing this significant business opportunity, W.D. Kyle may have needed space to expand Line Material's operations, or simply not wanted the distraction of running a tool business on the side.

The expansion of the electric utilities business probably provides an adequate reason for closing MTF, but with a careful reading of the material cited above, we can glean some additional information and offer a new perspective.

A Break from Snap-On?

Our hypothesis is that MTF had some kind of a falling out with Snap-On in the late 1920s, and that the reduction in sales volume (with little prospect for recovery) lead to the decision to sell the company.

The evidence for this hypothesis begins with the sales figure cited in the October 7, 1932 article. From the tone of the article, in order to have the greatest impact MTF would want to cite the largest sales figure. So why would they give sales in 1927, instead of 1928 or even 1929? The stock market didn't crash until October of 1929, and a fast-growing company might have had greater sales in the first 10 months than in the prior year.

Our conclusion is that sales for MTF likely peaked in 1927 and declined thereafter, even though the catalogs show a modest expansion of products offered. And if sales declined after 1927, the most likely reason would be that Snap-On had reduced its purchases from MTF.

To continue building evidence for our hypothesis, we need to ask whether Snap-On would have had any reasons to cut back on purchases from MTF. Even for a casual observer far removed from the event, there appear to be several such reasons.

The most important reason is that MTF had become a competitor to Snap-On. From its starting point of making chisels, punches, and open-end wrenches — which Snap-On didn't make — by 1926 MTF had added socket sets in 1/2 and 3/4-drive, which were the core product line for Snap-On. MTF's socket tools were quite similar to Snap-On's tools, and MTF correctly predicted that the 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, and 3/4 drive sizes would become the industry standard, avoiding the 5/8-drive, 7/8-drive, and 9/32-drive dead-ends followed by Snap-On. Snap-On may have feared that its contract production purchases were building up the strength of a potentially serious competitor.

Snap-On had good reasons to fear insiders (or quasi-insiders) becoming competitors. In 1924 a group of Snap-On employees had left the company to form the Husky Wrench Company, which offered a line of sockets and drive tools built around forged-body ratchets. (Since in 1924 Snap-On still didn't offer a ratchet, it must have been a bit embarrassing to see the new start-up immediately offer a ratchet.)

Husky Wrench was able to get its products into distribution channels and was doing well in the late 1920s, and even had a joint sales agreement with J.H Williams & Company. The fresh memories of the Husky Wrench fiasco could have made Snap-On fear a repetition with MTF.

Another reason centers on the expected or appropriate role for a contract manufacturer. Contract manufacturers are generally expected to work quietly in the background, without drawing attention to the fact that their production is being sold under some other company's brand. Without insider information, it's often difficult to determine which company actually manufactured a product.

To see the problem with MTF, the reader needs only to look again at the catalog cover displayed earlier. The catalog is supposed to be a listing of wrenches, punches, and chisels sold by the Blue Point Tool Company through their exclusive distributor, the Motor Tool Specialty Company. Instead, it looks like a catalog for Milwaukee Tool & Forge, selling under their brands "Milwaukee" and "Blue Points", with Motor Tool Specialty as the exclusive distributor for MTF! With this catalog MTF has misappropriated both the "Blue Points" brand and the Motor Tool Specialty distributorship.

This was not an isolated incident — canvas tool rolls made for Blue Point are known to have been marked showing MTF as the manufacturer. These actions give the impression that MTF was abusing its role as contract manufacturer to promote its own business.

Patents

We haven't found any patents filed by or assigned to MTF.

Trademarks

In 1929 Milwaukee Tool & Forge filed a trademark application for "True Fit", with the first use date listed as March of 1921. The trademark was issued as #271,470 on June 3 of 1930.

By 1931 the company was using a "Tru-Fit" variant of the trademark, with the top of the "T" and "F" extended to make an overline. This was the form later used by Lectrolite.

References and Resources

Photographs and observations of particular tools are based on items in the Alloy Artifacts Collection.

Catalog Coverage

Our catalog resources for Milwaukee Tool & Forge include an undated 32 page booklet probably from 1925 or 1926, a 48 page booklet dated April, 1928, and a 64 page booklet dated 1931. The catalogs show a progression of items beginning with open-end and tappet wrenches, punches and chisels, sockets and drive tools, and other automotive specialty tools. Later catalogs add box-end wrenches and more specialty tools.

In addition, a catalog from around 1925 shows the company's tools offered through the Motor Tool Specialty Company, the distributor for Snap-on and Blue Point. As expected, this catalog does not list MTF's socket and drive tools, which were quite similar to and substantially overlapped Snap-on's offerings.

Sockets and Drive Tools

Although Milwaukee Tool & Forge produced a variety of tools, at the present time most of our examples are sockets or drive tools. We hope to acquire more examples and will expand this page as possible.

Milwaukee Tool & Forge offered sockets in two drive sizes, the 1/2-drive S-xx series and 3/4-drive MS-xx series. Drive tools included ratchets, offset handles, sliding Tee handles, and extensions.

To avoid needless repetition in the descriptions, we'll refer to the company as simply "Milwaukee" or "MTF" when the meaning is clear from the context. Since the company used both its full name and the shortened "MTF" form for marking tools, our index entries will follow the actual marking.

HS-7 1/2-Drive Ratchet

Fig. 9. Milwaukee Tool & Forge 1/2-Drive Ratchet and Sockets, ca. 1928.

Fig. 9 shows a Milwaukee 1/2-drive ratchet, marked "Milwaukee Tool & Forge Co." and "So. Milwaukee Wis." in forged raised letters. The overall length is 9.6 inches.

Also shown are three 12-point sockets with tapered walls, each marked "MTF". Note that the sockets all have different lengths; the catalog touted this as a design feature.

Although the model numbers aren't marked on the tools, the catalog identifies the ratchet as a model HS-7. The 1/2-drive sockets were given model numbers of the form S-xx, where "xx" is the size in 32nds.

[HS-3] 1/2-Drive Sliding Tee Handle

Fig. 10. Milwaukee Tool & Forge [HS-3] 1/2-Drive Sliding Tee Handle, with Inset for Detail.

Fig. 10 shows a Milwaukee 1/2-drive [HS-3] sliding Tee handle, marked "Milwaukee Tool & Forge Co." with the word "True" sharing the "T". No model number is marked, but the catalog identifies this as a model HS-3.

The overall length is 9.0 inches.

The inset with the marking detail shows the only known example of the "True-Fit" brand marked on a tool, although only the "True" is clearly visible. The catalog shows a printed design with the "T" shared by "Tool" and "True", and the "F" shared by "Forge" and "Fit".

[HS-4] 1/2-Drive Rotating-Grip Extension

Fig. 11. Milwaukee Tool & Forge [HS-4] 1/2-Drive Rotating-Grip Extension, ca. 1928.

Fig. 11 shows a Milwaukee 1/2-drive rotating-grip extension, marked "MTF" on the head. No model number is marked, but the catalog identifies this as a model HS-4. The overall length is 5.0 inches.

This tool bears a striking resemblance to the swivel-grip extension in the patent illustration filed by Sigmund Mandl for patent #1,775,4021.

No connection is known between Sigmund Mandl (of Husky Wrench fame) and the present company, but since both were in the Milwaukee area, there's certainly a possibility.

The rotating grip is secured on the shaft by a flat washer held by two stop-balls, one of the construction details in the above-mentioned patent. This same construction can be seen on the rotating grip of a Husky Wrench 9/32-Drive Extension.

HS-5-A 1/2-Drive Rotating-Grip Extension

Fig. 12. Milwaukee Tool & Forge HS-5-A 1/2-Drive Rotating-Grip Extension, ca. 1928.

Fig. 12 shows a 1/2-drive Milwaukee HS-5-A rotating-grip extension, stamped with "MTF" and the model number on the head.

The overall length is 9.6 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

True-Fit HS-6 1/2-Drive Offset Handle

Fig. 13. True-Fit [HS-6] 1/2-Drive Offset Handle, with Inset for Marking Detail, ca. 1920s.

Fig. 13 shows a 1/2-drive True-Fit HS-6 offset handle, stamped with the True-Fit brand and "Milwaukee Tool & Forge Co." on the shank. No model number is marked, but the catalog identifies this as a model HS-6.

The overall length is 11.3 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

The knurled hand grip was machined separately and press-fit to the shank, a construction technique also used by Snap-On for some of their early handles.

SAD-45 1/2-Drive 5/8 Adapter

Fig. 14. Milwaukee Tool & Forge [SAD-45] 1/2-Drive to 5/8-Drive Adapter.

Fig. 14 shows a Milwaukee 1/2-drive adapter with a 5/8-drive plug, marked "MTF" and identified in the catalog as a model SAD-45 adapter.

The overall length is 1.3 inches.

5Z1948 5/8-Drive Ratchet

Fig. 15. Milwaukee Tool & Forge 5/8-Drive 5Z1948 Ratchet, with Insets for Model and Ford Logo.

Fig. 15 shows a 5/8-drive Milwaukee ratchet with a 5Z1948 Ford part number, marked "Milwaukee Tool & Forge Co." and "So. Milwaukee Wis." in forged raised letters.

The overall length is 17.3 inches, and the finish is black oxide (or perhaps natural rust).

The insets to the photograph show the Ford script logo and part number, as stamped on the back side face.

The handle forging also shows an interesting hex logo with "Milwaukee Tools" and an open-end wrench.

3/4-Drive Tools

"True Fit" MH-17 3/4-Drive Ratchet

Fig. 16. Milwaukee Tool & Forge "True Fit" [MH-17] 3/4-Drive Ratchet, with Inset for Side View, ca. 1920s.

Fig. 16 shows an early 3/4-drive Milwaukee [MH-17] ratchet and drive plug, marked with the "True Fit" brand and "Milwaukee Tool & Forge Co." forged into the handle, and with the "So. Milwaukee" location. The ratchet is not marked with a model number, but is listed as an MH-17 ratchet in the catalogs.

The overall length is 15.5 inches, and the finish is nickel plating.

The ratchet has a 12-tooth drive gear with a removable drive plug. The plug has dual detent balls on each end and stop-balls in the center.

MS3112 3/4-Drive 31/32 Socket

Fig. 17. MTF MS3112 3/4-Drive 31/32 Socket, with Insets for Broaching and Marking Detail, ca. 1929-1930.

Fig. 17 shows a 3/4-drive MTF MS3112 31/32 double-hex socket, stamped "MTF" with the size as "31-32".

The finish is nickel plating.

The 1928 catalog offered 3/4-drive hex sockets in the MS-series, but double-hex sockets were not yet available at that time.

MS5212 3/4-Drive 1-5/8 Socket

Fig. 18. MTF MS5212 3/4-Drive 1-5/8 Socket, with Inset for Broaching, ca. 1929-1930.

Fig. 18 shows a 3/4-drive MTF MS5212 1-5/8 double-hex socket, stamped "MTF" with the size as "1-5-8".

The finish is nickel plating.

The 1928 catalog offered 3/4-drive hex sockets in the MS-series, but double-hex sockets were not yet available at that time.

Wrenches

Milwaukee Tool & Forge produced a variety of wrenches, but at the present time we have only a limited selection. We hope to acquire more examples and will expand this page as possible.

Open-End Wrenches

5/8x11/16 Open-End Wrench

Fig. 19. MTF 5/8x11/16 Open-End Wrench, with Insets for Back Side Detail, ca. Early 1920s to 1927.

Fig. 19 shows a MTF 5/8x11/16 open-end wrench, stamped with "Milwaukee Tool & Forge Co." in a slanted font, with "3/8 U.S.S." and "7/16 S.A.E." on the back side faces.

The overall length is 7.4 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

The back side face markings are references to the older U.S.S. and S.A.E. Size Conventions corresponding to the 5/8 and 11/16 openings.

Most tool companies replaced the older size conventions with the modern across-flats fractional sizes in 1927 or shortly thereafter, suggesting an earlier manifacturing date for this example.

15/16x1-1/16 Open-End Wrench

Fig. 20. MTF 15/16x1-1/16 Open-End Wrench, with Insets for Back Side Detail, ca. Early 1920s to 1927.

Fig. 20 shows a MTF 15/16x1-1/16 open-end wrench, stamped "Milwaukee Tool & Forge Co." on one face, with "5/8 S.A.E." and "3/4 S.A.E." on the back side faces.

The overall length is 11.0 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

The back side face markings are references to the older S.A.E. Size Convention corresponding to the 15/16 and 1-1/16 openings.

Most tool companies replaced the older size conventions with the modern across-flats fractional sizes in 1927 or shortly thereafter, suggesting an earlier manifacturing date for this example.

Tappet Wrenches

7/16x1/2 Tappet Wrench

Fig. 21. MTF 7/16x1/2 Tappet Wrench, with Insets for Back Side and Marking Detail, ca. 1920s.

Fig. 21 shows a MTF 7/16x1/2 tappet wrench, stamped on the face with "Milwaukee Tool & Forge Co." in a slanted font, with the fractional sizes on the back side faces.

The overall length is 6.8 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

3/4x7/8 Tappet Wrench

Fig. 22. MTF 3/4x7/8 Tappet Wrench, with Inset for Marking Detail, ca. 1920s.

Fig. 22 shows a MTF 3/4x7/8 tappet wrench, stamped on the face with "Milwaukee Tool & Forge Co." in a hexagonal logo, with the fractional sizes on the back side faces (not shown).

The overall length is 8.0 inches, and the finish is nickel plating.

1/2 Long Tappet Wrench

Fig. 23. MTF 1/2 Long Tappet Wrench, with Inset for Marking Detail, ca. 1920s.

Fig. 23 shows a MTF 1/2 long tappet wrench, stamped with the Milwaukee Tool & Forge logo the face, with the fractional size on the back side face.

The overall length is 10.0 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

Box-End Wrenches

Milwaukee Tool & Forge was offering box-end wrenches as early as 1928, based on a catalog published in April of that year.

Box-end wrenches were still quite new in the late 1920s and only a few companies offered them, including P&C, Blue Point, and Truth Tool.

Tru-Fit 5/8x11/16 Offset Box-End Wrench

Fig. 24. Tru-Fit 5/8x11/16 Offset Box-End Wrench, with Insets for Back Side and Edge View, ca. Late 1920s to Early 1930s.

Fig. 24 shows a rare Tru-Fit 5/8x11/16 offset box-end wrench, stamped with "Tru-Fit" and the fractional sizes on the shank, with "Chrome Vanadium Steel" on the back side.

The overall length is 9.3 inches, and the finish is nickel plating.

Tru-Fit BW-2628 13/16x7/8 Offset Box-End Wrench

Fig. 25. Tru-Fit BW-2628 13/16x7/8 Offset Box-End Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Marking Detail, ca. 1930-1932.

Fig. 25 shows a rare Tru-Fit BW-2628 13/16x7/8 offset box-end wrench, stamped with the "Tru-Fit" logo and model number on the shank, with "Chrome Vanadium Steel" and the fractional sizes on the back side.

The overall length is 13.2 inches, and the finish is nickel plating.

Other Tools

No. 11 Battery Pliers

Fig. 26. MTF No. 11 Battery Pliers, with Inset for Side View, ca. 1931-1932.

Fig. 26 shows a rare pair of MTF No. 11 battery pliers, stamped with "MTF" and the model number near the pivot.

The overall length is 7.3 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

Currently we don't have a catalog reference for these pliers, suggesting they were developed in the early 1930s.

DT2 (5Z1131) 3/8 Ratcheting Socket Wrench

Fig. 27. MTF DT2 (5Z1131) 3/8 Ratcheting Socket Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Marking Detail, ca. 1920s.

Fig. 27 shows a MTF DT2 3/8 ratcheting socket wrench, dual marked with a 5Z1131 Ford part number. The socket is stamped "DT2" and "MTF", with a "19Z 41" marking on the back side, and the "5Z1131" number is marked on the top of the handle.

The overall length is 7.3 inches, and the finish is plain steel.