"The Mole Grip" 1960s
Found clearing out my brother's flat. This mole wrench belonged to my father and still has marks visible from when he locked them on to a stubborn nut, then "wellied" the wrench with a hammer (no he didn't serve in REME!).
The first "self gripping wrench" was patented in 1924 by William Petersen, a Nebraska blacksmith and called the "vise grip". In 1955 the Scotsman Thomas Coughtrie, managing director of MK Mole and Son, developed the "mole grip", very similar in appearance to the vise grip. The factory was in Crindau to the left of the Brynglas Tunnels on the M4 Motorway in Newport, and for years had a giant mole proclaiming "Newport - Home of the Mole Grip".
"The Mole Grip" 1960s
Found clearing out my brother's flat. This mole wrench belonged to my father and still has marks visible from when he locked them on to a stubborn nut, then "wellied" the wrench with a hammer (no he didn't serve in REME!).
The first "self gripping wrench" was patented in 1924 by William Petersen, a Nebraska blacksmith and called the "vise grip". In 1955 the Scotsman Thomas Coughtrie, managing director of MK Mole and Son, developed the "mole grip", very similar in appearance to the vise grip. The factory was in Crindau to the left of the Brynglas Tunnels on the M4 Motorway in Newport, and for years had a giant mole proclaiming "Newport - Home of the Mole Grip".