The Uwanta Wrench Company operated in Meadville, PA during the early 1900s. Officers were T F Charlton, W W Kincaid, J S Charlton, and S L Hart. Directors included B L Singley, J A Speitler, E C Smith, W S McGunnegle, and George D Trawin. Smith held patent number 722,920, issued March 17, 1903, for a quick adjust wrench. The company also sold wood handled monkey wrenches in four sizes and a combination pipe/nut wrench in two sizes.
Advertising was heavy for their steel-handled railroad wrench. The selling point was the large hex adjusting nut. Using another wrench to tighten the nut clamped their tool to a worn part for removal. Brands included Mechanics Favorite, Railroad Special, and Combination.
The company was successful. They reorganized in 1906 with a significant increase in capital. The G R Lang Company was added in 1912. Lang manufactured tool holders for lathes and boring mills. Pennsylvania tax records show the company operated from 1906 to 1916. Smith acquired patent number 1,313,345 on August 19, 1919. The patent was assigned to the Meadville Wrench Company with the same street address as Uwanta. There was a disastrous fire in 1919 followed by the death of President Charles H Barrett in 1921. The last directory listing found was 1922.
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