Possibly the best example of something everyone wants but no one needs.

I came across this patent for a pistol grip wrench while randomly scrolling through an antique tool group where someone made a post saying they found a production model of this wrench made by the Rex Engineering Co.. Immediately intrigued, I messaged the person who had it and asked if they wanted to sell it, to which they never responded. A year or two later it popped up again in the same group, but under a different owner, who must have purchased it. The new owner was a well known wrench collector, whose name I'll keep private. I messaged him in hopes of getting some more information on the tool. He responded with some fantastic photos and dimensions to help me get started on this project, but I began to realize that the production model was quite different than the patented design. You can see the original patent here: https://patents.google.com/patent/US1...

I'd like to thank @joshsfick on Instagram for once again helping model this tool digitally so some templates could be produced that were invaluable during the manufacturing process.

This was the most complex tool I have machined so far, but also the most fun. I got to use a variety of machining tools and techniques that I have been wanted to try for a while. The choice of using 4140 steel made the machining a little more difficult, but it was not a major issue. I decided against heat-treating the finished wrench as I was too concerned about the risk of warping or cracking ruining the wrench forever. I chose to use jatoba for the wooden handle scales.

Once finished, there is just something about holding this insane design in your hand that makes you laugh as you can't believe it's real. I think it came out fairly well and I honestly wish I had made more of different sizes. I also hope I could have a few of these remade in the CNC machine shop to share with all of you.

Wrenches, screwdrivers, and socket drivers are now for sale at www.handtoolrescue.com

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