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The wrench itself is a manual tool that was created in 1835 by a man named
Solymon Merrick for tightening and loosening bolts. There have been many wrenches
that were being made at this time but the pipe wrench which is one of the most
popular wrenches to date was issued a patent in 1869 by a man named Daniel C
Stillson. Once the patent was granted Stillson went from plumbing company to
plumbing company in hopes of getting his dream recognized.
He has no luck until he brought his idea to a heating and piping company called
Walworth. He suggested that the company use these pipe wrenches for screwing
piping together. Before pipe wrenches came along companies would use a set of
tongs made by a blacksmith with serrated ends. The owner of the Walworth Company,
James Walworth liked the idea and told Stillson to create a prototype that would
twist the pipe or break the wrench. The prototype Stillson made twisted the
pipe.
The pipe wrench was a huge success and Stillson was paid an estimated $ 80,000
in royalties before he died. Pipe wrenches are available in 10 inches, 14 inches,
18 inches, 24 inches, 36 inches and 48 inches. There are two types of pipe wrenches
either the steel or aluminum. The Stillson pipe wrench is an adjustable wrench
that was created for the use of changing soft iron pipes and fittings with round
shapes. The shape of the wrench allowed the tool to rock the pipe back and forth
until it came loose. Another name for pipe wrench is also a plumber wrench.
Today one of the most popular brand of tools is RIGID. Every plumber or handy
man has at least 3 pipe wrenches or more in his toolbox. These wrenches are
durable but there are teeth and jaw kits available so wrenches that broke can
be repaired. This may be cheaper than buying a new one. Though most tools today
that are manual tools are pretty inexpensive. There are different version of
the pipe wrench, there is the heavy Duty Offset, the Offset Pipe Wrench and
the Straight Handle.
You can find any of these wrenches in any hardware store. Lowe', Home
Depot, Ace or any local hardware section of stores like Wal-Mart or Target.
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