Continued from part one.
Cleaned the Garrington Jackdaw up with a wire brush:
Didn’t want to change the patina of the tool too much – at 63 it seemed right. Noticed that the thumbwheel had a little protrusion of the thread:
After the wire brushing and the application of some MX4 (available on eBay US, eBay UK and eBay AU):
In the end there’s something else – 9D? G6? Batch number?
So, what’s it like to use in practice?
After a clean and fresh lube it’s pretty smooth in use, and the handle is reasonably lightweight at 327gm – it’s a nice tool in the hand and grips bolts about as well as you would expect a vintage shifter should. Compared to something newer like the Kincrome K04004 (eBay AU) it doesn’t grip quite as firmly and the head on the more modern adjustable wrench is notably pointier, which makes it easier to get into tight spots. I suppose 50+ further years of development of the basic crescent wrench concept should result in some benefits… Notably, the K04004 weighs in 100gm heavier. Mind you, they’re both basically the lowest choice on my list of tools to reach for but if you need one, this one is at least one of the nicer ones!
Oh, and while I am measuring things the jaws open to approx. 29.5mm max:
Want a piece of UK manufacturing history for your own toolbox? You can usually find these on eBay UK, eBay US and eBay AU. Check them out!