Proto Tools (formally Stanley Proto) is an American industrial
hand tool company. Founded as Plomb, it is presently a division of
Stanley Black & Decker. The company is credited with creating the first
combination wrench in 1933.
History
Established by Alphonse Plomb, Jacob Weninger, and Charles Williams as the Plomb Tool Company, the company started in 1907 as a small
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
shop making
chisels in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. In 1933, Plomb released what is commonly credited as the first
combination wrench.
Plomb acquired a number of companies during the 1940s, including Cragin Tool of
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
in 1940, P&C Tool of Oregon in 1941, Penens Tool of
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
in 1942, and J.P. Danielson of
Jamestown, New York in 1947. Penens Tool would produce tools under the Fleet and Challenger brand names after its acquisition.
In 1946, Plomb was sued by another tool manufacturer—
Fayette R. Plumb, Inc., now a brand of
Apex Tool Group—for trademark infringement. The company began manufacturing its tools with the Proto name, a
portmanteau
In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together. of "professional" and "tools," in 1948. In 1957, the company began operating as Pendleton Tool Industries.
In 1964, Proto was acquired by
Ingersoll-Rand, and in 1984, it was acquired by Stanley and became Stanley Proto Industrial Tools.
Gallery
Image:1933 Plomb Combination Wrench.jpg, A 1933 5/8" Plomb combination wrench.
Image:Proto Big Dawg ratchet.jpg, A Proto "Big Dawg" ratchet.
Image:Western Forge Proto adjustable wrench.jpg, A Proto adjustable wrench.
See also
*
Blackhawk by Proto
References
External links
*
Plomb and Proto Tool Catalogs
{{Tool manufacturers
Industrial tool manufacturers
Tool manufacturing companies of the United States
Stanley Black & Decker brands
Manufacturing companies based in Connecticut
Manufacturing companies established in 1907
1964 mergers and acquisitions
1984 mergers and acquisitions