Unusual vintage multi size spanner

[breakwellmz]

Shown this today, German made.

[Brucey]

never seen one of those before. What does the screw do?

I would imagine that the shims would be vulnerable to being damaged when used at high load...?

cheers

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
How practical these were who knows.
You see special tools that only fit one thing, or go round corners / through holes, but spanners have to be robust in the hands of unskilled.
http://www.antiqbuyer.com/all_archives/ ... rchive.htm

[Vorpal]

They were made for use on German U-boats during WWII, for fine adjustments, rather than high torque.
edit: or at least it is known as a 'submarine spanner', and of WWII German manufacture.

[fastpedaller]

An interesting item - I've used a coin to pack out a spanner when there is nothing else available and it's got me out of a fix.

[rjb]

My dad was a submariner and he told me stories about making do when at sea. One story involved machining a key way in a drive shaft. 2 days of hard labour using a hammer and chisel. When needs must you have to make do!

[thirdcrank]

They were made for use on German U-boats during WWII, for fine adjustments, rather than high torque.
edit: or at least it is known as a 'submarine spanner', and of WWII German manufacture.

There's a "Don't mention the war" joke in there somewhere. (Ve haf vays of making you torque. )

As you might expect, there's one going on eBay.

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ ... -281868955

I've used a slim screwdriver to achieve this when I discovered that my son's Viscount bike had smaller-than-normal track nuts and the fix it got us out of was an inquisitive bull, whose water trough I'd just used to trace a puncture.

Which reminds me of the Johnny Helms ad for Mal Rees bikes: "Cor blimey," said the matador, "that's a load of bull..."

Sorry. I'll get my traje de luces

[PDQ Mobile]

They were made for use on German U-boats during WWII, for fine adjustments, rather than high torque.
edit: or at least it is known as a 'submarine spanner', and of WWII German manufacture.

Wow! A font of knowledge!

In Southern Germany(perhaps North too?)and german speaking Switzerland a conventional adustable spanner, sliding jaw type, is known as an "Engländer", which has, in the past, been the source of some amusment!!

[Neilo]

Portugese that I have worked with, call an adjustable spanner an "English spanner"

[Brucey]

the first adjustable spanner was patented by Edwin Beard Budding (yes he of lawnmower fame) in 1842



the chances were excellent that the first adjustable spanner seen in many parts of the world was an English adjustable spanner to Budding's design.

cheers

[Vorpal]

They were made for use on German U-boats during WWII, for fine adjustments, rather than high torque.
edit: or at least it is known as a 'submarine spanner', and of WWII German manufacture.

Wow! A font of knowledge!

Hardly! My dad had one. A friend of his from the US Army Reserves gave it to him (IIRC the friend had some fantastic story about its acquisition, but I don't remember it anymore). He called it a 'submarine wrench', so I translated it , but I've never seen another one.

In Southern Germany(perhaps North too?)and german speaking Switzerland a conventional adustable spanner, sliding jaw type, is known as an "Engländer", which has, in the past, been the source of some amusment!!

In Italian, they're called 'chiave inglese', which also means English key. I'll have to find out what they're called in Norwegian.

[colin54]

A long thread about these here,still making a similar design in the USA apparently.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/sho ... hp?t=27701

http://toolmonger.com/2008/10/31/folding-pocket-wrench/

Quite a few about if you Google submarine spanner.

The small screw is holding a piece of spring steel that the leaves presumably click on to out of the way.

I like the idea of turning different size valves on and off with one.

Bahco rule adjustable spanners for my money, light for their size due to the quality of steel used.

[PeterBL]

In Southern Germany(perhaps North too?)and german speaking Switzerland a conventional adustable spanner, sliding jaw type, is known as an "Engländer", which has, in the past, been the source of some amusment!!

In Italian, they're called 'chiave inglese', which also means English key. I'll have to find out what they're called in Norwegian.

In both Norway and Denmark the nickname is Swedish key. Not sure about Sweden then.

[Vorpal]

In Southern Germany(perhaps North too?)and german speaking Switzerland a conventional adustable spanner, sliding jaw type, is known as an "Engländer", which has, in the past, been the source of some amusment!!

In Italian, they're called 'chiave inglese', which also means English key. I'll have to find out what they're called in Norwegian.

In both Norway and Denmark the nickname is Swedish key. Not sure about Sweden then.

A Norwegian colleague just told me 'skiftenøkkel' (adjustable key) in Norwegian, and 'danskanyckel' (Danish key) in Swedish.

[PeterBL]

Stupid Swedes...

The "official" name here in Denmark is also skiftenøgle (basically meaning adjustable spanner) but Swedish key is used in daily life.