"Grant Erwin" wrote in message
...
Ivan Vegvary wrote:

Whenever I am at a garage sale or flea market I always look for single
wrenches that I dedicate to my machinery. e.g. toolpost wrench, milling
vise wrench etc.

For years now seems like everywhere I go I seem to find the same wrench,
and sometimes the only wrench. It is a double open ended wrench, short
(6" ±) and heavy. Sometimes the only marking on it is the number "31" on
one of the heads. Today I saw the same wrench. This time it is marked
Vlchek, marked 7/8" on one end and 25/32" on the other. And, yes, the
flip side of the 25/32 head has the number 31. What is this wrench? Why
are there so many of them? Was this one of those giveaways 50-60 years
ago when you went to the movies? Seems like every barn or ranch sale has
one or more of these. Special farm tractor wrench?

Useful for an Aloris AXA toolpost, a 7/8" wrench is. Also useful for those
ubiquitous Bridgeport milling clamp sets.

My guess would be they came in the tool kit of something like a Ford
truck.

Grant

Grant, you are probably correct that it was part of a kit. Poster F.
George, right below you, gives a link to the Vlchek company which further
links to "Industry Standard Wrench Sizes". Lo and behold a number 31
wrench is indeed a 25/32 by 7/8 double ended wrench.
The remaining question is "Why is it that this wrench seems to be the only
survivor"? Like I said, it is everywhere.

Ivan Vegvary