[ARC5] Bristo vs. Bristol Wrench

[Mike Morrow]

Mike wrote:

>Sorry, Mike.  Bristo is the name that Dwight Goodwin gave in his 1913 
>patent, though one of the manufacturers listed is the Bristol Company, 
>who obviously took umbrage with the spelling later on.  Apparently the 
>military didn't agree with Bristol. :-)
>
>http://www.datamp.org/patents/displayPatent.php?id=42304&pn=1,075,710

Thanks for the interesting link, Mike.

The only two manufacturers listed in the October 14, 1913 patent grant are
the Bristol Wrench Company, and Mr. Goodwin's Goodwin Hollow Set Screw Company.  

But...the November 1913 issue of "The Metal Industry" magazine, page 499, states:

"The Bristol Company, Waterbury, Conn., has taken over the business of the
Goodwin Hollow Set Screw Company and have made arrangements for the exclusive
manufacture of the Goodwin Patent Hollow Safety Set Screws with the dove-tailed
slots.  Better facilities for manufacturing these set screws will be provided
and shipments are already being made from the main factory of the Bristol company."

The December 1913 issue of "Steam" magazine, page 177, carries the following note:

"The Bristol Company, having taken over the Goodwin Hollow Set Screw Company,
is now the sole manufacturer of this device."

(A Google search for "Goodwin Hollow Set" will find the above references.)

The Bristol Company's current web site http://www.bristolwrench.com/ 
claims:

"Decades ago, Bristol engineers invented the Bristol Spline Drive
System for use in electro-mechanical instruments...

"Bristol wrenches have been in continuous production in the United
States since their original introduction..."

It appears to me that the weight of evidence for proper terminolgy
would properly assign credit to the Bristol Company, which had exclusive
rights after 1913.  It had held the rights for a quarter century before
many A.R.C. or Collins manuals had been drafted using the term "Bristo".

My vote goes to the "Bristol" terminology that has always been used by
the Bristol Wrench Company.  It deserves that, having produced these devices
for 97 years, or even after having just acquired the Goodwin company in 1913.
It is likely that none of us have EVER seen a real "Bristo" wrench, which
would have been manufactured before November 1913.

Mike / KK5F