It all started with the Tony the Tiger.
On that Christmas morning in 1966, basking in my father’s loving eyes as we smiled at each other in front of the tree in our pajamas, I laid eyes on the most glorious thing I had ever seen in my four years of life: a Tony the Tiger toy drum kit.
It was epic! I jumped up and down, frantic with joy.
I bashed the shit out of that kid, making hellish noises at an ungodly hour. Welcome to Christmas morning! Bang, boom, crash! That was the 1960’s and I was a four-year-old Kieth Moon.
Wrench set in Rejkavik, Iceland. Photo by Freysteinn G. Jonsson
Then more magic occured at the age of thirteen. One afternoon in 1977 I came home from the seventh grade one afternoon to find that a red sparkle drum set had found its way to my bedroom. The red sparkle drum set, the one I’d been bugging the shit out of my dad for months to buy me from Bronstein’s Music Store on Grand Avenue in San Francisco.
‘Always ready No. 2’ Alligator wrench, Whitman and Barnes Manufacturing Co.
Photographer unknown.
Oh the adventures me and red sparkle would have! We won a junior high school talent show. and eventually went on to play huge indoor concerts in the El Camino high school cafeteria with the famous rock band Sky. Everybody knows that band. Well, everyone in El Camino High School.
Red sparkle was made by the Kevin drum company and had Kevin badges on the individual drums. Sky covered Paul McCartney, the Beatles, the Cars, and Cheap Trick mainly. No doubt, those acts would have approved of our renditions, should they ever chance to hear them.
That set rocked the garage on Commercial street to a turntable blaring Lynyrd Skynyrd, Journey, Toto, and Queen albums. I played along on Sparkle until Mom told me to knock it off, or a neighbor called to say, “dude, enough is enough!” at 11pm.
A set of German armor-fastening tools in the Renaissance. The largest, far left, is
an armourer’s hand-made vise-and-lever wrench. Photographer unknown.
Collection of the Metropolitan Museum or Art, New York City.
When high school ended in ’81, I went to work to save money. The famous red sparkle set had served her time. Like all short-term recreational relationships, it was played out and, by 1986, it was time for a new relationship.
Spanners. Photo by Vladislav Klapin
Nineteen eighty seven arrived and I went to a small drum shop in San Francisco — Drum World on Geneva Avenue — with three grand in my pocket. I was rich! t was a tough decision between the two Steve’s. Both sets were beautiful and could easily play in any stadium
Allen key. Photo by Mika baumeister
Adjustable ‘monkey’ wrenches. Photo by Matt Artz
It was a tough choice: should I go for the Japanese-made Yamaha Recording Series and sound like Steve Gadd and Paul Simon; or the Sonor Lite set from Germany so I could sound like Journey’s Steve Smith? it was a tough decision between the two Steve’s. Both sets were beautiful and could easily play in any stadium.Looking back, I wish I had chosen the yellow Sonor Lite set from Germany so I could sound like Steve Smith from Journey.
Spanner wrenches. Photo by Matt Artz
But then came a real, modern breakthrough: the ratchet wrench. It was patented by J.J. Richardson on June 16, 1863, combining a handle with an enclosed gear-and-pawl system, along with a removable socket connection. This innovation built upon earlier designs, including a ratchet wrench patented by James Watt in 1775 for steam engines.
The pipe wrench was invented by Daniel Chapman Stillson in 1869. His design revolutionized plumbing by allowing for the easy gripping and turning of pipes, making it an essential tool for plumbers and pipefitters.
Photo by Loloboxe
Your own Ultimate Home Tool kit should include many of these. A crescent wrench is essential, as is a full set of Allen wrenches – both SAE (standard) and metric. A set of ratcheted box wrenches, along with an open-end set, will get you through any job as long as you have, at a minimum, the following sizes: 3/8”; 10mm; 5/16”; 7/16”; 1/2” and 9/16.”
Hand-held ratchet wrench. Photo by Zanelle Lofty-Eaton.
So, welcome back to the garage. We made it off the island at last. With the help of our Ultimate Home Tool Kits — which will continue to grow. We’ve done the blue collar, lunchpail main courses: hardworking hand tools like the chisel, the hammer, the screwdriver and now, the humble wrench.
After all this, I think we deserve a little dessert course. How about… some power tools?
Hell, yes! See you next month.
About the Author
Matt Coddington is an award-winning commercial locksmith. He currently works and writes in San Diego. He is a former paperboy; a former avid collector of baseball cards, and a former musician and Drum Corps International world champion. He is sixty-three, single, and has no children. His next chapter—whatever it may be—is set to commence soon.
About the Frontispiece
This is a composite image. It includes original elements of a
Kellog’s Frosted Flakes print which in turn is based on a 1955
episode of the Gary Moore Show on CBS Television.
Other elements were generated using ChatGPT and Gemini_AI.
