D/|\D marked tools

[Mike Kelly]

I went to a local garage sale today and bought a box full of tools for 5 bucks . In the mix of sockets and old spanners was a D/I\D marked open spanner branded ZIRCALLOY . This is my second ZIRCALLOY spanner with the DD markings .

Were these spanners issued with vehicles as sets in a canvas roll ? The spanners are SAE sizes .

Mike

BTW I found in a box at the sale, a Morris Commercial radiator cap in as new condition .

[Mike Cecil]

Zircalloy was a post-WW2 brand name of the Lithgow Small Arms factory, according to their website:

"Post WWII period

From 1945 production of the SMLE, Vickers and Bren guns ceased, and the following 2 years saw closure of all feeder factories. Workforce numbers at Lithgow had halved and the factory again entered a period of decline as it had post WW1. Once again the Factory was operating on 'nucleus' policy requiring that skilled workers and raw materials be kept at levels specified by the Government.

Between 1945 and 1950 military work at the factory consisted of reconditioning weapons, mainly SMLE's and Owen guns. Refurbishment programs were also carried out on Brens, Vickers, Brownings and Thompsons, Besa cannons and Hispano cannons. Commercial production once again began to overtake military work. As part of the New South Wales Government's re-equipping after World War II the Factory manufactured parts for locomotives (including the C38's) and rolling stock.

Other commercial production at this time included refrigerator and Sunbeam Mixmaster parts, Westrex film projector spares, handcuffs, Slazenger golf club heads and the old turn-handle pencil sharpeners. The Factory was both retailer and wholesaler of its own Zircaloy brand open-ended, ring and adjustable spanners. Pinnock sewing machines were entering production in 1950."

Wartime tools may or may not be marked with the DD symbol: there is quite a lot of correspondence about the time and effort to mark up tools, and whether this was necessary. Post war, tool and equipment purchases were routinely marked DD by the manufacturer - I remember stamping thousands of 1 pint oil pourer bodies and meat safes with the hand operated screw press, prior to final assembly, during the 1970s.

Mike

[Mike Kelly]

Ok interesting Mike

So you are responsible for some of the DD markings - with a hand operated screw press, you must have developed a larger bicep on one arm . What became of the DD die / stamp that you used ? Did you have to return it to the Govt. ? I would imagine that copying such a stamp would be an illegal thing to do .

I had a feeling that the spanners I have are post WW2 . Now I know for sure .

[Mike Cecil]

Apologies for the delay in responding .... the screw press had a counterweight ball so 'throwing' the arm into reverse took little effort, then hold the arm while positioning the next piece for stamping, and then let the weight of the ball screw the die down to stamp the oil pourer body. I suppose the die stamp is still on a shelf at CESCO: it was not the D^D but just the broad arrow mark that was specified. I've no idea of the legalities of it all. There was a specification as part of the contract and I think my father had a die maker make the stamp once the contract was won the first time (back in the 60s). It was applicable to several of the contract items the company made for Defence over the years: oil pourers, meat safes, square 'outboard motor' funnels (this last one having a set of drawings dating from the 1930s!) and so on.

Mike

[Dianaa]

Some NSW Govt departments used to brand items with the broad arrow device. I can think of tyres on NSW Govt Buses and tools belonging to NSW Govt Railways although the NSWGR was the most common mark.

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by Dianaa

Some NSW Govt departments used to brand items with the broad arrow device. I can think of tyres on NSW Govt Buses and tools belonging to NSW Govt Railways although the NSWGR was the most common mark.

I have a WW2 109 radio set with the NSWGR plate on it. I guess the railways used some of the sets for field communications post WW2 .

Not forgetting the poor souls transported out to various colonies with the broad arrow on their clothing .