Fig. 7 shows a Pexto 6 inch "Solid Bar" adjustable wrench, stamped with "P.S.W. & Co." and "Solid Bar" on the shank, along with "Pat. Jan 14, 1896" and "Made in U.S.A." below.

In later advertising the company claimed to have been established in 1819, but some sources place the company's origins as early as 1797.

Peck, Stow & Wilcox were offering "Swedish pattern" box-joint diagonal cutting pliers as early as 1903, based on a notice displayed earlier in this article.

The original Stillson wrench was produced by Walworth Manufacturing and more information can be found in our article on Walworth.

The scan in Fig. 3B shows a full-page ad for Pexto wrenches, as published on page 7 [External Link] of the December, 1919 issue of Hardware World.

Fig. 9B shows a Pexto 14 inch Stillson-pattern pipe wrench, stamped with the PEXTO-Oval logo and "Made in U.S.A." on the shank.

Fig. 18 shows a pair of Pexto No. 20 5 inch flat-nose pliers, marked "P.S.&W.Co." and "U.S.A." with the PEXTO-Oval logo.

Fig. 1 shows an excerpt from an early history of the company, published on page 333 of the 1903 Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics for Connecticut, included as part of the Public Documents of the State of Connecticut.

Pipe wrenches were an important tool in the late 19th and early 20th century, and the most popular model by far was the Stillson-pattern wrench.

Fig. 6 shows a [Pexto] Robinson's patent 10 inch adjustable wrench, marked on the fixed jaw with "Robinson Patent" and "June 16, 1885" in an oval.

In addition, we suspect that some pliers may have been supplied by Utica. Pexto appears to have used Utica as a supplier somewhat later, based on the distinctive handle pattern.

The "Swedish pattern" mentioned in the text is believed to be a reference to diagonal cutting pliers from F.E. Lindström of Eskilstuna, Sweden. Imported Lindström diagonal cutters were later offered as the Utica No. 842 Diagonal Cutters and Smith & Hemenway No. 342 Diagonal Cutters.

After the Stillson patent expired, many manufacturers (including Pexto) began producing Stillson-pattern pipe wrenches, sometimes with minor variations or improvements.

This wrench is not marked with the company's name or logo, but is being attributed to Pexto based on the extensive advertising of this model.

Fig. 12 shows a pair of Pexto N8-7 universal combination pliers, stamped "Made in USA" with the PEXTO-Oval logo, and with "Made in U.S.A." forged into the underside of one handle (not shown).

The company's 1910 catalog (available for Download from the International Tool Catalog Library) spans 463 numbered pages and presents an astonishing variety of goods for a single company, comparable to what might be offered by a major distributor.

Even without the decline of the tinsmithing industry, it still would have been very expensive for Pexto to make such a wide selection of goods. The bewildering variety of machinery would all have required custom castings and forgings for the major parts, and the company would have needed an army of patternmakers to create and maintain the patterns and dies.

The diamond checkered gripping pattern with the V-shaped transition allows us to identify Utica Drop Forge as the maker of these pliers. A similar Utica model can be seen as the Utica 2050[-8] Box-Joint Lineman's Pliers.

Fig. 26 shows a pair of P.S.&W. No. 240[-8] 8 inch lineman's pliers with raised cutters, stamped "P. S. & W." and "Guaranteed" around the pivot.

Fig. 17 shows a pair of Pexto No. 20 4½ inch flat-nose pliers, marked "P.S.&W.Co." and "U.S.A." with the PEXTO-Oval logo. (The etched markings are very faint, though, and require a magnifying glass to read.)

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The patent date corresponds to patent #553,059, issued to R.C. Ellrich with assignment to the Peck, Stow & Wilcox Company.

By 1894 Peck, Stow & Wilcox were offering adjustable wrenches based on the 1885 Robinson patent 320,172. This patent describes a spring-loaded pin to secure the adjusting screw to its ferrule.

Fig. 23 shows a later pair of Pexto No. 30 7 inch lineman's pliers with raised cutters, stamped "P.S. & W. Co. U.S.A." with the PEXTO-Oval logo.

Fig. 2 shows an illustration of a Peck's patent brace, as published on page 130 [External Link] of the January 15, 1891 issue of The Iron Age.

The top inset shows a side view of the pliers, illustrating the diamond checkered gripping pattern on the handles. Note the V-shaped transition at the front of the gripping pattern.

The first section begins on page 17 with 92 pages of specialized tinsmithing machinery and another 45 pages of tinner's tools.

This catalog is undated and was published without copyright, but the date can be estimated as 1929-1930 by the contents.

Waterhouse-Lester-Scovel 1930. The Waterhouse-Lester-Scovel catalog No. 21 from around 1930 lists Pexto body work tools on page 605, including dolly blocks, spoons, dinging hammers, and fender pliers. Also listed are Pexto fender flange pliers on page 604.

Bit-braces were a particular specialty for the company. The company claimed to have made the first bit brace in 1850, which at first was just a primitive cast iron frame.

This is followed by a section for "Mechanics' Tools" spanning pages 155 to 258 and including 16 pages of bit-braces and breast drills, woodworking chisels, hammers, hatchets, axes, carpenter's squares, monkey wrenches, pipe wrenches, dividers, calipers, 11 pages of pliers, farrier's tools, awls, saw-sets, plumb bobs, and clamps.

Fig. 13 shows the Pexto No. 8 bent-nose combination pliers, marked "P.S. &W. Co." with the PEXTO-Oval logo, and with "Made in U.S.A." forged into the underside of one handle.

A section for "Builders' Hardware" extends from page 259 to 330 with a wide variety of hardware such as cabinet latches, pulls, handles, and hooks.

The top inset shows a side view of the pliers, illustrating the diamond checkered gripping pattern on the handles. Note the V-shaped transition at the front of the gripping pattern.

Fig. 5 shows an ad for a Robinson's patent monkey wrench, as published near the front of the October, 1894 edition of Hardware.

Fig. 10 shows a pair of Pexto 5-10 10 inch combination pliers, stamped with the PEXTO-Oval logo and "Made in USA" near the pivot. The pliers are also marked with "Made in U.S.A." forged into the underside of one handle.

A section on "Fire Place Goods" offers fireplace andirons and pokers from pages 404 to 440, and a final section on "Stationers' Hardware" offers inkstands and paper files from pages 441 to 463.

The Peck, Stow & Wilcox Company ("Pexto") was organized in 1870 by a three-way merger of the Peck, Smith Manufacturing Company, the S. Stow Manufacturing Company, and the Roys & Wilcox Company. In 1880 the company was chartered by an act of the Connecticut legislature.

In looking through this catalog we think it must represent "Peak Pexto", with the company facing steep declines as its tinsmithing machinery slipped into obsolescence. The machinery offered by Pexto was not production machinery for factories, but rather hand-operated tools to be used by a skilled craftsman to make small batches of sheet metal goods.

Fig. 24 shows a pair of [Pexto] No. 30 8 inch lineman's pliers with raised cutters, stamped marked "P.S. & W." and "Guaranteed" in a circle logo, with the model number below.

Fig. 8 shows a Pexto 10 inch "Solid Bar" monkey wrench, stamped with "P.S.W. & Co." and "Solid Bar" on the shank, along wit "Pat. Jan 14, 1896" and "Made in U.S.A." below (see middle inset).

At that time the company had factories in Southington, Plantsville, and East Berlin, Connecticut, and in Cleveland, Ohio as well.

The diamond checkered gripping pattern with the V-shaped transition allows us to identify Utica Drop Forge as the maker of these pliers. The corresponding Utica model can be seen as the Utica 2050[-6] Box-Joint Lineman's Pliers.

The text notes that in 1797 Seth Peck of Southington, Connecticut began making machinery for tinsmithing and eventually became the Peck, Smith Manufacturing Company, thereby setting the stage for the three-way merger in 1870.

The model number is not marked on the pincers, but was found by reference to Pexto catalog No. 26T of 1927. This model was available in a range of sizes with nominal lengths 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12 inches.

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Fig. 11 shows a pair of Pexto 7-8 8 inch combination pliers, stamped "Made in USA" with the PEXTO-Oval logo, and with "Made in U.S.A." forged into the underside of one handle (not shown).

The composite scan in Fig. 2B shows a notice for Peck, Stow & Wilcox "Swedish pattern" box-joint diagonal cutters, as published on page 59 [External Link] of the July 23, 1903 issue of The Iron Age. (We shifted the illustration to make a compact presentation.)

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The top inset shows a side view of the pliers, illustrating the diamond checkered gripping pattern on the handles. Note that the front of the gripping pattern is flat, rather than the V-shape observed in earlier production.

Fig. 25 shows a pair of P.S.&W. No. 240-7 7 inch lineman's pliers with raised cutters, stamped "P. S. & W." and "Made in U.S.A." across the pivot.

The scan in Fig. 19A shows a catalog listing for No. 27 (and No. 127) box-joint diagonal cutters, as published on page 235 of the 1910 Peck, Stow & Wilcox catalog.

The text goes on to note that by 1881 the company's capital had reached $1.5 million, and the company had acquired Wilcox, Treadway & Company of Cleveland, Ohio.

Fig. 22 shows an earlier pair of [Pexto] No. 30 7 inch lineman's pliers with raised cutters, stamped "P.S. & W." and "Guaranteed" in a circle logo.

The 1910 catalog suggests that Pexto may have started using contract production from other manufacturers to fill out its line. For example, page 224 offers "Agricultural" or "Standard" wrought iron monkey wrenches that appear to be production from the Girard Wrench Manufacturing Company, based on the illustration and the use of the terms "Agricultural" and "Standard".

Fig. 31 shows an early pair of Pexto [No. 60-6] carpenter's pincers, marked "P.S.&W. Co." and "Made in U.S.A." on the handle.

By this time the brace had been greatly improved, with a rotating hand grip, a ratchet drive, and a collet chuck for round or square bits.

A 1901 Manual of Statistics notes on page 483 [External Link] that the company made tinner's machinery, mechanic's tools, and household utensils. The 1901 sales were listed as $1,152,000.

The top inset shows a side view of the pliers, illustrating the diamond checkered gripping pattern on the handles. Note the V-shaped transition at the front of the gripping pattern.

Fig. 16 shows a pair of Pexto 7 inch parrot-head pliers, stamped with the PEXTO-Oval logo and "Made in U.S.A." on one handle, with "Carlson" in an oval panel forged into the other.

Tools made by Pexto were typically marked with the company name, or with the abbreviated forms "P.S.&W." or "P.S.W. & Co." if space was limited.

The top inset shows a side view of the pliers, illustrating the diamond checkered gripping pattern on the handles. Note the V-shaped transition at the front of the gripping pattern.

This is followed by a section for "General Hardware" extending from pages 331 to 431 and including household items like scales, meat grinders, coffee mills, nut crackers, ice picks, animal traps, and pruning shears.

Harron, Rickard & McCone 1918. The 1918 catalog No. 2 from Harron, Rickard & McCone, an industrial distributor, lists an extensive selection of Pexto sheet metal machinery and tools on pages 216 to 234. Also listed are Pexto pliers on pages 136-138 and Pexto shears on pages 142-143.

The original Stillson pipe wrench design described by the 1869 Stillson patent #95,744 is arguably one of the most famous tool patents of all time. The Stillson pipe wrench was highly successful for its maker and generated a small fortune in royalties for the inventor, a fact that probably encouraged generations of later inventors to develop their ideas.

Fig. 28 shows a pair of Pexto 6-3 6 inch gas and burner pliers, stamped with the PEXTO-Oval logo and "Made in U.S.A." near the pivot.

Diagonal cutters are an important and popular type of cutting pliers, and Peck, Stow & Wilcox were offering box-joint diagonal cutting pliers as early as 1903, making them possibly the first U.S. manufacturer to produce these pliers.

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The diamond checkered gripping pattern with the V-shaped transition allows us to identify Utica Drop Forge as the maker of these pliers. The corresponding Utica model can be seen as the Utica 2050[-8] Box-Joint Lineman's Pliers.

In 1897 Pexto introduced a significant innovation with a new line of bit-braces featuring the "Samson" ball-bearing chuck. A description and illustration of the braces can be found on page 48 [External Link] of the May 27, 1897 issue of The Iron Age.

Fig. 3 shows an ad for P.S. & W. No. 30 box joint pliers, as published on page xi of the July, 1910 issue of Electrician and Mechanic.

The Peck, Stow & Wilcox Company was a major manufacturer of machinery and tools during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The company specialized in machinery for tinsmithing, an industry that faded to insignificance as better manufacturing and transportation greatly reduced the need for local production of sheet-metal goods.

Fig. 14 shows a pair of Pexto 22-5 1/2 slip-joint combination pliers, marked with the "PEXTO" block-letter logo and model number.

Fig. 27 shows a pair of Pexto 500-8 8 inch lineman's pliers, stamped with the "PEXTO" block logo and the model number around the pivot.

The patent date corresponds to patent #553,059, issued to R.C. Ellrich with assignment to the Peck, Stow & Wilcox Company.

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Fig. 21 shows a later pair of Pexto No. 30 6 inch lineman's pliers, stamped "P.S.&W. Co." and "USA" with the PEXTO-Oval logo.

These pliers closely resemble the "Swedish pattern" pliers illustrated in a 1903 Notice for Peck, Stow & Wilcox Diagonal Cutters.

The patent describes a novel construction technique whereby the fixed jaw can be made integral with the shaft and handle, instead of being added after assembling the sliding jaw. The trick to the assembly is that the sliding jaw has slits in the back, allowing it to be spread open for installation over the shaft.

Although tinsmithing machinery was the most important early product, the company also produced a wide variety of other tools and hardware, including bit braces, woodworking chisels, hammers, and squares.

The catalog also listed the very similar No. 50 Carpenter's Pincers, identical to the No. 60 but without the wire cutting slot between the jaws.

Chas. A. Strelinger 1895. The 1895 catalog from Chas. A. Strelinger & Company lists tools from Peck, Stow & Wilcox on page 61-63. The listings include cutting nippers in sizes from 8-12 inches and several models of shears and snips.