Trimont Manufacturing Company

What's New (Last Updated August 8, 2023)
Recent changes to this page:
- 08/08/2023: Added no-wrap spans for figures, minor layout changes.
- 04/11/2023: Minor layout changes.
- 03/09/2023: Add indexing under "Stillson-Pattern" for Trimo wrench.
- 04/06/2022: Added a 1909 Ad for Trimont Manufacturing.
- 01/23/2022: Added Cragin & Company 1921 catalog to distributor list.
- 01/14/2022: Added Pittsburgh Gage & Supply 1913 and Buhl Sons 1918 to distributor list.
- 01/11/2022: Added H. Channon 1916 to distributor list.
- 01/10/2022: Moved to a separate page, renumbered figures.
- 05/17/2021: Added a Trimo 12 Inch Monkey Wrench.
- 05/16/2021: Added a patent table for Trimont Manufacturing.
- 01/11/2016: Added a Trimo 10 Inch Pipe Wrench.

Introduction

Trimont Manufacturing was a maker of pipe wrenches, plumbing tools, and nut wrenches operating in Roxbury, Massachusetts. The company was founded in 1888.

Company History

An entry for the Trimont Manufacturing Company can be found on page 1818 [External Link] of the 1896 edition of the New England Business Directory, which states that the company was organized in 1888 as a maker of tools and wrenches. The capital was listed as $150,000 and the officers were given as E.L. Button, president and E.O. Ely, treasurer and secretary.

The Trimo Brand

The company's products were sold primarily under the "Trimo" brand.

Fig. 2. 1900 Listing for Trimo Pipe Tools. [External Link]

Fig. 2 shows an ad for Trimo wrenches and related products, as published on page 62 of the February, 1900 issue of the Journal of Railway Appliances.

The illustration shows Trimo pipe wrenches, chain pipe wrenches, combination nut and pipe wrenches, and pipe cutters.

Fig. 3. 1909 Advertisement for Trimo Tools.

The scan in Fig. 3 shows an ad summarizing the company's tools, as published on page 145 of the September, 1909 edition of Engineering Review.

The illustration shows the company's five most popular tools, a pipe wrench, chain pipe wrench, monkey wrench, auto wrench, and pipe cutter.

Fig. 4. 1911 Advertisement for Trimont Wrenches. [External Link]

Fig. 4 shows a later ad for the company's wrenches, as published on page 585 of the October, 1911 edition of the Automobile Trade Directory.

One of the company's popular products was an improved Stillson style pipe wrench based on patent 1,012,037, filed in 1911 by J.H. Vinton and issued later that year, with assignment to Trimont Manufacturing.

The patent specified a circular disk next to the adjusting nut, to prevent accidental changes in adjustment.

Trimont Manufacturing: Issued and Licensed Patents
Patent No.	Inventor	Filed	Issued	Notes and Examples
D19,168	J.H. Vinton	12/26/1888	06/18/1889	Design for pipe wrench jaws
536,553	J.H. Vinton	07/27/1894	03/26/1895	Chain pipe wrench
536,554	J.H. Vinton	07/13/1894	03/26/1895	Pipe cutter
1,012,037	J.H. Vinton	08/10/1911	12/19/1911	Adjustment protection for pipe or similar wrenches Trimo 12 Inch Monkey Wrench

Trademarks

Trimont used "Trimo" as its primary brand and first registered it as trademark #63,620 on July 2, 1907. A later registration was issued as trademark #210,584 on March 16, 1926.

Trimont Mfg.: Registered Trademarks
Text Mark or Logo	Reg. No.	First Use	Date Filed	Date Issued	Notes
Trimo	63,620		03/16/1907	07/02/1907	Pipe and monkey wrenches
TRIMO	210,584	01/01/1894	10/17/1925	03/16/1926	Pipe and monkey wrenches, chain wrenches, pipe cutters. Pipe vises since 1924. Serial 221,936. Published 01/05/1926. Renewed 03/16/1946.
Sando	255,222	11/07/1928	11/15/1928	04/16/1929	Wrenches
Moroco	255,223	11/01/1928	11/15/1928	04/16/1929	Wrenches

References and Resources

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

Currently we do not have any catalogs for Trimont Manufacturing.

Industrial Distributors

Trimont tools were widely available through industrial distributors.

Chas. A. Strelinger 1895. The 1895 catalog from Chas. A. Strelinger & Company lists Trimo pipe wrenches on page 183 in sizes 6, 8, 10, 14, 18, 24, 36, and 48 inches.
Chandler & Farquhar 1910. The 1910 catalog from the Chandler & Farquhar Company of Boston lists Trimo pipe wrenches on page 177 in sizes 6, 8, 10, 14, 18, 24, 36, and 48 inches.
Pittsburgh Gage & Supply 1913. The 1913 catalog from the Pittsburgh Gage & Supply Company lists Trimo monkey wrenches on page 840 in sizes 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, and 21 inches.

Other listings include Trimo pipe wrenches on page 842, in sizes 6, 8, 10, 14, 18, 24, 36, and 48 inches, Trimo chain pipe wrenches on page 843 in model Nos. 10, 11, 12, 13, 13-1/2, 14, 15, and 16, and Trimo pipe cutters on page 847 in model Nos. 1, 2, and 3.
H. Channon 1916. The 1916 catalog No. 80 from the H. Channon Company lists Trimo pipe cutters Nos. 1, 2, and 3 on page 39. Trimo pipe wrenches are listed on page 188 in sizes from 6 to 14 inches for wooden handles, and 6 to 48 inches for steel handles.
Buhl Sons Company 1918. The 1918 catalog from the Buhl Sons Company of Detroit lists Trimo pipe cutters on page 255 in model Nos. 1, 2, and 3, and Trimo chain pipe wrenches on page 255 in model Nos. 10, 11, 12, 13, 13-1/2, 14, 15, and 16.

Other listings include and Trimo pipe wrenches on page 256 in sizes 6, 8, 10, and 14 for wooden handles, and sizes 6, 8, 10, 14, 18, 24, 36, and 48 inches for steel handles.
Cragin & Company 1921. The 1921 catalog No. 2 from Cragin & Company of Seattle lists Trimo monkey wrenches on page 201 in sizes 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, and 21 inches. A narrow-jaw model was also available in a 12 inch size only.

Other listings include Trimont narrow-jaw auto wrenches on page 204 in sizes 6, 8, and 10 inches, Trimo pipe wrenches on page 205 in sizes from 6 to 48 inches, and Trimo pipe cutters on page 224.
Ducommun "G" 1926. The 1926 catalog "G" from the Ducommun Corporation lists Trimo monkey wrenches in sizes 6 to 21 inches on page 249, Trimo pipe wrenches with wood handles in sizes 6-14 inches on page 251, Trimo pipe wrenches with steel handles in sizes 6-48 inches on page 251, and Trimo pipe cutters Nos, 1, 2, and 3 on page 255.
Waterston No. 25 1926. The 1926 catalog No. 25 from J.M. Waterston of Detroit lists Trimo pipe cutters Nos. 1, 2, and 3 on page 152, and Trimo pipe wrenches in sizes 6, 8, 10, 14, 18, and 24 inches on page 154. Note that this catalog is undated, but is referenced in the trade press in November of 1926.

Trimo 12 Inch Monkey Wrench

Fig. 5. Trimo 12 Inch Monkey Wrench, with Inset for Back Side Detail, ca. 1910s to 1920s.

Fig. 5 shows a Trimo 12 inch monkey wrench, marked with "Trimont Mfg. Co." and "Roxbury Mass. USA" forged into the shank, with "Size 12" and "Pat'd 12-19-1911" forged into the back side, as seen in the inset. (The inset has been rotated for readabiity.)

The overall length is 11.4 inches closed and 14.0 inches fully extended.

The finish is plain steel.

The wrench also has a "Trimo" marking forged into the body near the jaw, and the movable jaw has "Drop Forged" forged into the shank, with "Trimo" forged into the back side (not shown).

The patent date corresponds to patent 1,012,037, issued to J.H. Vinton in 1911 with assignment to Trimont Manufacturing. This patent was originally issued for pipe wrenches and describes a circular disk placed next to the adjusting nut, in order to prevent accidental changes in the adjustment of the wrench.

Trimo 10 Inch Stillson-Pattern Pipe Wrench

Fig. 6. Trimo 10 Inch Pipe Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Back Side Detail, ca. Mid 1930s to 1940s.

Fig. 6 shows a Trimo 10 inch Stillson-pattern pipe wrench, marked with "Trimont Mfg Co" and "Roxbury Mass USA" forged into the shank, with "Trimo Size 10" and "Drop Forged Pat'd" forged into the back side.

The carrier shell is also stamped "Trimo Alloy", and the movable jaw has "Cr Mol" forged in near the bend.

The overall length is 9.6 inches closed and 11.0 inches fully extended. The finish is plain steel.