McKaig-Hatch, Inc.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Selected Tools
• References and Resources
• What's New (Last Updated June 14, 2009)
  Recent changes to this page:

  • 06/14/2009: Added a McKaig-Hatch 6 Inch Adjustable Wrench.
  • 03/31/2009: Added McKaig-Hatch "Ford" 6 Inch Combination Pliers.
  • 02/07/2009: Updated patent table, added link to advertisement.
  • 02/03/2009: Moved to separate page.
  • 09/02/2008: Added a McKaig-Hatch 1559 Combination Wrench.
  • 08/05/2008: Added McKaig-Hatch 438 Combination Pliers.
  • 05/15/2008: Added a McKaig-Hatch 1/2x9/16 Open-End Wrench.
  • 10/11/2007: Added a McKaig-Hatch Open-End Wrench
  • 07/08/2007: Added a McKaig-Hatch 301 Brake Spoon.
  • 03/30/2007: Added McKaig-Hatch Waterpump Pliers.
  • 03/27/2007: Added a McKaig-Hatch 12 Inch Adjustable Wrench.
  • 12/08/2006: Added a McKaig-Hatch Combination Wrench.
  • 10/18/2006: Added McKaig-Hatch Chain Pliers.
  • 10/02/2006: Added a McKaig-Hatch 4 Inch Adjustable Wrench.
  • 08/08/2006: Added McKaig-Hatch Slip-Joint Pliers.

Introduction

Company History

Currently we have very little information for McKaig-Hatch, but hope to fill in more details in the future.

The company is believed to have been founded in Buffalo, New York sometime before 1910, and at least one of the founders was likely Archibald McKaig, an inventor and former principal of the McKaig-Dorntge Drop Forging Company. A later advertisement lists the company address as 125 Skillen Street in Buffalo.

Much later in its history McKaig-Hatch began advertising in magazines such as Popular Mechanics. An ad for McKaig-Hatch, Inc. in the August 1950 issue of Popular Mechanics shows a selection of mechanic's tools, including an adjustable wrench, several styles of wrenches, pliers, and a hammer.

Patents

Trademarks

No trademarks have been found for McKaig-Hatch.

Selected Tools

McKaig-Hatch Chain Pliers

Fig. 1. McKaig-Hatch Chain Pliers, ca. 1923-1929.

Fig. 1 shows a pair of McKaig-Hatch specialty pliers, marked "McKaig-Hatch" and "Buffalo, N.Y." with a "Pat. Apld. For" notice.

The overall length is 9.4 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

These pliers were designed for repairing links in automobile tire chains.

The pending status refers to patent #1,698,474, issued to H.J. Friedl in 1929 and assigned to McKaig-Hatch.

McKaig-Hatch "Ford" 6 Inch Combination Pliers

Fig. 2. McKaig-Hatch "Ford" 6 Inch Combination Pliers, with Inset for Side View.

Fig. 2 shows a pair of McKaig-Hatch 6 inch combination pliers produced for Ford, marked with the Ford script logo forged into one handle, with the MH-Circle logo forged into the other.

The overall length is 6.6 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

McKaig-Hatch 6 Inch Combination Pliers

Fig. 3. McKaig-Hatch 6 Inch Combination Pliers, with Inset for Handle Pattern.

Fig. 3 shows a pair of McKaig-Hatch 6 inch combination pliers, marked with the MH-Circle logo forged into the handle.

McKaig-Hatch 438 8 Inch Combination Pliers

Fig. 4. McKaig-Hatch 438 8 Inch Combination Pliers, with Insets for Side View and Marking Detail.

Fig. 4 shows a pair of McKaig-Hatch 438 8 inch slip-joint combination pliers, stamped "McKaig-Hatch Inc." and "Buffalo, N.Y. U.S.A." in an outer circle with the MH-Circle logo in the center (see lower inset). The MH-Circle logo is also forged into each of the handles.

The overall length is 7.8 inches, and the finish is cadmium plating.

McKaig-Hatch 10 Inch Waterpump Pliers

Fig. 5. McKaig-Hatch 10 Inch Waterpump Pliers, with Inset for Marking Detail.

Fig. 5 shows a pair of McKaig-Hatch waterpump pliers, marked "McKaig-Hatch Inc." and "Buffalo, N.Y. U.S.A." with the MH-Circle logo.

The overall length is 10.0 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

McKaig-Hatch 5/16x11/32 Open-End Wrench

Fig. 6. McKaig-Hatch 5/16x11/32 Open-End Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail.

The overall length is 3.3 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

McKaig-Hatch 15/16x1 Open-End Wrench

Fig. 7. McKaig-Hatch 15/16x1 Open-End Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail.

McKaig-Hatch 1/2x9/16 Open-End Wrench

Fig. 8. McKaig-Hatch 15/16x1 Open-End Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail.

Fig. 8 shows a McKaig-Hatch 1/2x9/16 open-end wrench identified by the MH-Circle logo forged into the shank. The shank has forged-in markings "Drop Forged" with the fractional sizes on the front, with "Made in U.S.A." forged into the reverse.

The overall length is 5.6 inches, and the finish is cadmium plating.

A forged-in code "1045" can be seen on the reverse shank at the left. This is believed to indicate the use of AISI 1045 manganese steel, a medium-carbon alloy with good hardening properties.

McKaig-Hatch 1559 Combination Wrench

Fig. 9. McKaig-Hatch 1559 7/8 Combination Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

Fig. 9 shows a McKaig-Hatch 1559 combination wrench, marked with "Drop Forged" and the MH-Circle logo forged into the shank, with the model number and "Made in U.S.A." forged into the reverse.

The overall length is 11.4 inches, and the finish is cadmium plating.

The reverse shank is also marked with a forged-in code "1045" visible at the right. This is believed to indicate the use of AISI 1045 carbon-manganese steel, a medium-carbon tool steel with good hardening properties.

McKaig-Hatch 204 4 Inch Adjustable Wrench

Fig. 10. McKaig-Hatch 204 4 Inch Adjustable Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail.

Fig. 10 shows a McKaig-Hatch 204 4 inch adjustable wrench, marked with "McKaig-Hatch Inc." forged into the shank, with the model number and "Forged in U.S.A." on the reverse.

McKaig-Hatch 6 Inch Adjustable Wrench

Fig. 11. McKaig-Hatch 6 Inch Adjustable Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

Fig. 11 shows a McKaig-Hatch 6 inch adjustable wrench, marked with "Mfd. by McKaig-Hatch Inc." and "Buffalo, N.Y." forged into the shank, with "Forged Steel" and "Made in U.S.A." forged into the reverse.

The overall length is 6.3 inches and the maximum opening is 0.8 inches. The head thickness was measured at 0.40 inches.

The finish is plain steel with traces of cadmium plating.

McKaig-Hatch 12 Inch Adjustable Wrench

Fig. 12. McKaig-Hatch 12 Inch Adjustable Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

Fig. 12 shows a McKaig-Hatch 12 inch adjustable wrench, marked with "Mfd. by McKaig-Hatch Inc." and "Buffalo, N.Y." forged into the shank, with "Forged Steel" and "Made in U.S.A." forged into the reverse.

The overall length is 12.2 inches and the maximum opening is 1.4 inches. The maximum head thickness was measured at 0.71 inches.

The finish is cadmium plating.

McKaig-Hatch 9/16 Combination Wrench

Fig. 13. McKaig-Hatch 9/16 Combination Wrench, with Inset for Reverse Detail.

The overall length is 6.9 inches, and the finish is cadmium plating.

McKaig-Hatch 301 Brake Adjusting Spoon

Fig. 14. McKaig-Hatch 301 Brake Adjusting Spoon, with Insets for Side View and Reverse Detail.

The overall length is 7.8 inches, and the finish is chrome plating.

References and Resources

Photographs and observations of particular tools are based on items in the Alloy Artifacts collection.

Catalog Coverage

Currently we don't have any catalogs for McKaig-Hatch.

Patents and Trademarks

Patent and trademark information was obtained from the U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office (USPTO) web site at uspto.gov. Patent documents were obtained from sites offering free downloads, notably freepatentsonline.com.