Whitman & Barnes Mfg. Company

Table of Contents

Introduction

Whitman & Barnes (W&B) was a well-known tool maker active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its main office in Akron, Ohio.

Whitman & Barnes Manufacturing Company

The Whitman & Barnes Manufacturing Company (W&B) was founded in 1877 by the merger of the Whitman & Miles Company with George Barnes & Company, and initially operated as a maker of knives for mowers and reapers. The company's principal location was in Akron, Ohio, with a secondary location in Syracuse, New York.

The company later built factories in Chicago and in St. Catherines, Ontario.

In 1893 the company acquired the Acme line of monkey wrenches from the Capitol Manufacturing Company of Chicago.

Fig. 1. 1891 Advertisement for Capitol Mfg. Acme Wrench. [External Link]

Fig. 1 shows an ad for Capitol Manufacturing Acme wrenches, as published in page 117 of the January 1, 1891 issue of The Iron Age.

The illustration shows the distinctive twisted handle of the Acme wrench.

In subsequent years the company expanded its wrench business with various models of bicycle wrenches, pipe wrenches, fixed and adjustable alligator wrenches, auto wrenches, and other tools. One of their best known products was the line of "Bull Dog" alligator wrenches, produced in a range of sizes.

Fig. 2. 1904 Advertisement for Whitman & Barnes Wrench.

Fig. 2 shows an ad for a Whitman & Barnes "knife handle" monkey wrench, as published on page 139 of the August 4, 1904 issue of American Machinist.

Close examination of the upper jaw shows "W & B Co" in a diamond outline, which was later registered as a trademark.

Twist Drills

Twist drills were another important product of W&B.

Fig. 3. 1909 Advertisement for Whitman & Barnes Twist Drills. [External Link]

Fig. 3 shows an ad for W&B twist drills, as published in the December 2, 1909 issue of The Iron Age.

The illustration shows two versions of the W&B "Diamond" trademarks, one with "W&B Co." at the vertices of the diamond, and the other with "W&B" inside the diamond outline.

Fig. 4. 1915 Advertisement for Whitman & Barnes Tools. [External Link]

Fig. 4 shows an ad for various W&B tools, as published on page 1 of the December, 1915 issue of the Railroad Journal.

The illustration shows a reamer, a twist drill, and two wrenches inside a "W & B Co." diamond logo.

The text at the bottom notes the company's factories in Akron, Chicago, and St. Catherines, Ontario.

Acquisition of Wrench Operations by J.H. Williams

In 1920 the J.H. Williams company acquired the drop-forge and wrench operations of Whitman & Barnes, and the W&B president A.D. Armitage became a vice-president of J.H. Williams. Some of the W&B product lines (e.g. monkey wrenches and alligator wrenches) remained in production under J.H. Williams.

After the sale of the wrench operations, W&B continued as a maker of twist drills and reamers.

Patents

Trademarks

Whitman & Barnes registered a number of trademarks for its various products. The table below shows the known trademarks applying to tools; additional trademarks were registered for the company's farm implement related business.

Tool Identification

WB-Diamond Logo

Fig. 4B. WB-Diamond Logo from Trademark #49,625.

The scan in Fig. 4B shows the WB-Diamond logo as it was presented in trademark #49,625.

WBCo-Diamond Logo

Fig. 4C. WBCo-Diamond Logo from Trademark #52,966.

The scan in Fig. 4C shows the WBCo-Diamond logo as it was presented in trademark #52,966.

The illustration has the text "W & B Co" arranged at the points of a diamond outline. This design was frequently stamped on or forged into Whitman & Barnes tools.

References and Resources

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

Catalog Resources

Industrial Distributors

Whitman & Barnes tools were widely available from industrial distributors. We will add references as time permits.

• H. Channon 1910. The 1910 catalog from the H. Channon Company of Chicago lists W & B monkey wrenches on page 536 in four styles, Knife Handle, Regular, Railroad Special, and Steel Handle. A W & B 10 inch auto wrench is listed on page 540. Drop-forged wrenches are listed on pages 541-542 in a number of styles, including single-open, double-open, set screw, hexagon cap-screw, toolpost, and "S" wrenches.

  Also listed are check-nut wrenches on page 544 and alligator wrenches on page 545.

• H. Channon 1916. The 1916 catalog No. 80 from the H. Channon Company lists W & B monkey wrenches on page 184 in the Knife Handle, Steel Handle, and Railroad Special styles, in sizes from 6 to 21 inches. Also listed on page 184 are the Regular monkey wrench in sizes 6 to 15 inches, and the combination pipe and nut wrench in sizes 10, 12, 15, and 18 inches.

Selected Tools

W&B No. 1 Alligator Wrench

Fig. 5. W&B No. 1 Alligator Wrench, with Inset for Back Side Detail.

Fig. 5 shows a W&B No. 1 alligator wrench, stamped with the WB-Diamond logo and "Made in U.S.A." on one side, with the model number on the back side.

The overall length is 5.5 inches, and the finish is plain steel, with pitting due to rust.

W&B 5 Inch Double-Ended Alligator Wrench

Fig. 6. W&B 5 Inch Double-Ended Alligator Wrench.

Fig. 6 shows a W&B 5 inch double-ended alligator wrench, stamped with the WBCo-Diamond logo, with "Made in U.S.A." in the center.

The overall length is 4.9 inches, and the finish is nickel plating.

W&B 5.5 Inch Bicycle Wrench

Fig. 7. W&B 5.5 Inch Bicycle Wrench, with Inset for Marking Detail.

Fig. 7 shows a W&B 5.5 inch bicycle wrench, stamped with the WBCo-Diamond logo, with "Made in U.S.A." below.

The overall length is 5.6 inches, and the finish is nickel plating.

The prominent grooves in the shank give the wrench a distinctive appearance, but the intent appears to be cosmetic rather than functional.

W&B No. 27 19/32x11/16 Open-End Wrench

Fig. 8. W&B No. 27 19/32x11/16 Open-End Wrench, with Insets for Back Side Detail.

Fig. 8 shows a W&B No. 27 19/32x11/16 open-end wrench, marked with "Made in U.S.A." and the WB-Diamond logo forged into the shank.

The overall length is 5.9 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

The insets show the back side face markings "3/8" and "5/16", references to the older U.S.S. size convention.

W&B No. 501 1/2x5/8 S-Shaped Open-End Wrench

Fig. 9. W&B No. 501 1/2x5/8 S-Shaped Open-End Wrench, with Inset for Back Side.

Fig. 9 shows a W&B No. 501 1/2x5/8 S-shaped open-end wrench, marked with the model number and "Made in U.S.A." plus the WB-Diamond logo forged into the shank, with the fractional sizes forged into the back side.

The overall length is 7.0 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

W&B No. 287 19/32 Single-Open Toolpost Wrench

Fig. 10. W&B No. 287 19/32 Single-Open Toolpost Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Back Side Detail.

Fig. 10 shows a W&B No. 287 19/32 single-open toolpost wrench, marked with the WB-Diamond logo forged into the head, with the model number forged into the back side.

The overall length is 8.0 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

Whitman & Barnes No. 478 1/2 Open-End Spud Wrench

Fig. 11. W&B No. 478 1/2 Open-End Spud Wrench, with Inset for Side View.

Fig. 11 shows a W&B No. 478 1/2 single open-end wrench with a spud handle, marked "Made in U.S.A." with the WB-Diamond logo forged into the shank.

The overall length is 8.0 inches, and the finish is plain steel.