Lowentraut 1894 Combination Tool

Post date: 22-Oct-2013 21:58:01

Lowentraut Combination Tool

On December the 4th 1894 Samual Johnston of Leesburg Virginia was granted US patent 530419 for a combination tool. In his specification he describes his tool as "........to provide a new and useful tool of this character that can be used for a variety of different purposes. To this end the main and primary object of the present invention is to construct a combination tool or wrench the several parts of which are readily adjustable and interchangeable to adapt the tool for use as different kinds of wrenches, as a vice, as a bit brace in fact for any purpose to which the tool could possibly be adapted."

The combination tool was made by the P Lowentraut Manufacturing Co of Newark New Jersey, a manufacturer of various hand tools and also ice skates. This company was founded by Peter Lowentraut in 1869.

Tool Broken Down

The tool can be broken down into three pieces, the wrench, the handle and the crank. The handle has a hollow steel core with a wooden grip that turns on the core. The inner end of the core is threaded which corresponds to two threaded studs on the wrench. To facilitate its installation and removal, the handle is equipped with a knurled finger grip at the front or threaded end.  The outer end of the handle has a square socket to receive the end of the crank.

The wrench has a fixed jaw at the outer end and a moveable jaw adjusted by a long threaded thumbscrew, these jaws are at right angles to the line of the tool. At the other end are two, previously mentioned, threaded studs, one in line with the tool and the other at a right angle. With the handle attached to the in line stud, the tool can be used as a spanner or monkey wrench.

Used as a Wrench

By attaching the handle to the right angled stud and inserting the crank into the outer end, it will be seen that the tool can then be used as a brace or a crank wrench. In this position the body of the wrench has a spring loaded locking pin which locates in a hole in the face of the knurled finger grip of the handle to stop it unscrewing when being cranked. 

In addition the crank holds a  screwdriver blade that can be removed and gripped in the jaws of the wrench.