retroelectro
installation, maintenance job, or repair involving pipes took longer and cost more labor
were familiar and friendly with each other. There is a chance that he had already worked for Walworth before the war. The records of this time are sparse, but it sounds like it was a strong, connected ship-building community at the time. Challenges with early pipe wrenches This era marked the golden age of steam systems. While the practical electric motor was just around the corner, steam was the peak technology driving the Industrial Revolution during this time. Before the invention of the Stillson wrench in 1869, working with pipes was an arduous and frustrating task. The tools available were not designed
“The 1865 patent for an early Stillson Wrench attempt.”
Post-war career Following the war, Stillson resigned from the Navy and joined the team at Walworth Manufacturing. Soon after he filed a patent for a new pipe wrench in 1865. This particular wrench was made obsolete soon after, but it was the first to be adjustable with a self-tightening bite action, making it easy to use on rounded steam pipes. The patent was filed so soon after the war, it is easy to imagine that he was crafting and perfecting this tool, while servicing the steam engine and boiler on the USS Queen. The legend of the Stillson wrench The lack of a reliable, one-handed pipe tool also slowed America’s expansion of steam heating systems, plumbing infrastructure, and industrial piping. Every Writer’s note: information about Levi Green is hard to find, and some inaccuracies may exist. Many sources state that Levi Green left the Navy ahead of Stillson and assisted Stillson in getting a job with him at Walworth Manufacturing Company, but the Navy’s own records indicate that Green did not leave the Navy until 1869. One thing is sure: They worked together, with Green as the Chief Engineer, at Walworth Manufacturing Co. in 1869.
before the wrench’s release. The need for a better solution was obvious to anyone working with steam or water systems. Yet no commercially available wrench fully solved the problem until Stillson created a pipe wrench with serrated jaws, an adjustable threaded nut, and a self-tightening pivoting head that bit into the pipe harder the more torque was applied. As a career expert steam pipe worker, he had a level of experience with his hand tools that most men will never have. Consider the smoke-filled boiler rooms in the wooden steamships in the middle of the night, with nothing but your hands and your tools. These
rounding off and damaging the pipe. The difficulty was compounded in industrial settings such as steamships, factories, and railroad yards. Pipes were often rusted, oily, or hot. Working conditions were cramped, with minimal lighting and limited access to fittings. Maintaining two-handed pressure on a traditional wrench was nearly impossible in these environments. A pipe that slipped out of a wrench’s jaws could result in delays, injuries, or catastrophic leaks in steam systems – a genuine hazard in the high-pressure world of 19th-century industry. The sudden release of super-heated steam often resulted in lethal burn injuries to workers and bystanders.
for gripping round, smooth surfaces under heavy torque.
Instead, craftsmen had to make do with general-purpose wrenches like monkey wrenches or adjustable spanners – tools suited for flat- sided fasteners, not cylindrical pipes. Monkey wrenches, first patented in the 1840s by Loring Coes, were adjustable and sturdy, but their smooth jaws had little ability to grip the slick, round surfaces of steam pipes or gas fittings. Mechanics and plumbers often had to apply enormous hand strength to maintain pressure between the wrench jaws and the pipe while turning. If the user’s grip slipped even slightly, the wrench would lose purchase, spinning freely or worse,
“Wrenches came in all shapes and sizes, many trying to solve the same problem that the Stillson Wrench solved.”
However, their expertise quickly expanded to include the installation of boilers, hot water, and steam heating systems in buildings, ships, and textile mills, making them the largest manufacturer of steam systems in the New World. The Walworth Manufacturing Company collaborated with the US Navy in Boston during the mid- 19th Century, particularly through
its work on steam systems and fittings. Being based in Boston was ideal for the Navy since the Charleston Navy Yard was where much of the pre-war Navy was constructed. Since Stillson already had an established career at the Charleston Navy Yard before the war, it is reasonable to assume that he and members of the team at Walworth Manufacturing Co.
“The 1970 Patent for the Stillson Wrench”
we get technical
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