Prest-O-Light. Wrench for Squares.

[Old Folder]

I've seen a few (very few) "Prest-O-Light" postings and want ads recently here on aapk.
If you have one, or some, please share some pictures.
I thought I would share an interesting and informative article written by: "Dennis Ellingsen" that was published in "Knife World" in January 1993.
Within some of my older knife and reference books, many authors have pictures of knives from many years ago with the little "Square Holes" within the blades and they state that they are "Skate Keys" well....the article below, from Mr. Ellingsen should correct any misconceptions.
I think that the vast majority of today's knife collectors know what that little square hole was for.
Prest-O-Lite knives are pretty rare. I do not own even one (yet). But I keep looking. They rarely come up on the Bay, but when they do, they are at times incorrectly described and a bit expensive.
However I do have 11 cap-lifters and 1 very old ignition key containing the Prest-O-Light square that I have picked up over the years. Both sides have been posted.
If any one knows more about the "Ignition Key" below, please educate me. This is the only one I have ever seen.
I have researched (Googled) all the advertiser names on the cap-lifters and all were around and active during the early 1900s.
Fallstaff Beer / Lemon Cola / Gay Ola / Maier Beer / Schusters Root Beer.
The automobile cap-lifter has a Pat. Date of Nov. 7 1911.
Many of our favorite American Knife makers produced these Prest-O-Light bladed knives:
Camillus, Schrade, Union Cutlery, Ka-Bar, Napanoch, Empire, Keen Kutter, Stiletto, Ulster, Maher & Grosh, Riverside, Case.
Mr. Ellingsen states that Camillus made a 6 blade "PEARL" handled utility knife containing a Prest-O-Lite wrench.
I"ll be on the look-out for that one. But I think I'll see pigs fly first.

[gsmith7158]

Old Folder,this is a very interesting subject to me. For those who don't know Prest-O-Lite head lamps for automobiles spanned the gap between oil lamps and electric head lights. A very short period roughly 1907-1914. It was a system that used a small cannister of acetylene gas to produce light and had to be turned on and adjusted with the prest-o-lite wrench. Here is a website where you can read about it.
http://www.firstsuperspeedway.com/articles/prest-o-lite
There are still applications in use today for these small tanks that require the wrench.

[mrwatch]

I have a Prest-o-light acetylene torch tank and regulator. The wrench of course is turn open and close the gas to the regulator. Besides roller skates and steam heat radiators that do not have knob to adjust the heat can use a a square wrench. the snow and wind of up to 40 mph gusts makes it kind of hard to get too the barn for a picture of it. right now the copper country in the U. P. is under a blizzard. hope they keep it up there. Bob

[Mumbleypeg]

I have an old Crown Cutlery scout with Prest-o-Lite key.

Ken

[knife7knut]

Here is one that is not a Prest-O-Lite key but looks like it. No tang stamp but the handle is stamped," S.A.P. Peintures" which I believe is French for "paint". The tool is actually made for carpenters. The 1/4" square tool on the back and the 1/4" square hole in the frame is for turning and holding the shaft of an old style door knob.The protrusion on the end is not a screwdriver blade(it is curved on one side)but is used for opening paint cans. The sheepfoot blade is useful for scoring wood or trimming openings.

[Berryb]

I've been collecting openers longer than I have been an active knife collector. When I saw a prest-o-lite key on a pocket knife on aapk I immediately thought "gotta get me one".
Here are a couple of my better openers; the top one may be the rarest. The style is common, but the brewery was in a very small town in S.E. Washington that disappeared because of prohibition. The "Fancy Powder Horn" is a much rarer style but appears nationally. This one is stamped on the other side. It's a Gilt Top brewery from Spokane.
Bruce

[gsmith7158]

I think it's somewhat ironic that most of these opener wrench combos came from beermakers. You could pop 6 or 8 beers then using the same tool, turn your headlights on and roar off into the night.

[Old Folder]

I've been collecting openers longer than I have been an active knife collector. When I saw a prest-o-lite key on a pocket knife on aapk I immediately thought "gotta get me one".
Here are a couple of my better openers; the top one may be the rarest. The style is common, but the brewery was in a very small town in S.E. Washington that disappeared because of prohibition. The "Fancy Powder Horn" is a much rarer style but appears nationally. This one is stamped on the other side. It's a Gilt Top brewery from Spokane.
Bruce

Like your "Powder Horn" Bruce.
Did you notice the Pat. Date of 4/26/1914?

[Old Folder]

I think it's somewhat ironic that most of these opener wrench combos came from beermakers. You could pop 6 or 8 beers then using the same tool, turn your headlights on and roar off into the night.

That same thought has often whizzed through my mind Greg.
Haven't seen one yet that says "Don't drink and drive" (Not that it would matter)

[Another Knife Collector]

Well you've probably all seen it before, but here's this one again...

[Berryb]

Another irony; Boy scout knives with beer openers and prest-o-light keys.
I did see the patent date. Those bottle opener companies kept making the openers with the square hole quite a while after the gas headlights were a thing of the past. With the double whammy of prohibition and later the depression they didn't need the expense of re-tooling all their stamping machines.
Bruce

[knife7knut]

Another irony; Boy scout knives with beer openers and prest-o-light keys.
I did see the patent date. Those bottle opener companies kept making the openers with the square hole quite a while after the gas headlights were a thing of the past. With the double whammy of prohibition and later the depression they didn't need the expense of re-tooling all their stamping machines.
Bruce

Not really ironic when you consider that these knives were billed primarily as,"utility" knives. Besides beer there were many liquid products that came in a bottle that required such an opening method. As for the Pres-To-Lite key;it can also be used as stated before by a carpenter fitting a door knob assembly. I think it is also the same size as the shaft on a garden hose shutoff valve. To carry it a bit further; you don't see too many instances of Boy Scouts repairing harnesses for a horse either.
I will concede that the majority of them were carryovers from earlier knives to use up stock. JMHO

[Miller Bro's]

I thought I would share an interesting and informative article written by: "Dennis Ellingsen" that was published in "Knife World" in January 1993.
Within some of my older knife and reference books, many authors have pictures of knives from many years ago with the little "Square Holes" within the blades and they state that they are "Skate Keys" well....the article below, from Mr. Ellingsen should correct any misconceptions.

I think he is creating misconceptions instead of correcting them.

The Miller Bro's utility knife he shows in the article with a so called "wrench" is in fact a tack puller. I have several of them and some are broken off at the tip from someone using it as a wrench. The diameter is the same so it will slip on to the valve but it does not go in far enough to be an effective tool.

[Tsar Bomba]

Queen refers to this as a "Skate Key Barlow"...

[Old Folder]

I thought I would share an interesting and informative article written by: "Dennis Ellingsen" that was published in "Knife World" in January 1993.
Within some of my older knife and reference books, many authors have pictures of knives from many years ago with the little "Square Holes" within the blades and they state that they are "Skate Keys" well....the article below, from Mr. Ellingsen should correct any misconceptions.

I think he is creating misconceptions instead of correcting them.

The Miller Bro's utility knife he shows in the article with a so called "wrench" is in fact a tack puller. I have several of them and some are broken off at the tip from someone using it as a wrench. The diameter is the same so it will slip on to the valve but it does not go in far enough to be an effective tool.

I've also often wondered why some (Very few) wrench knives have the "Curved" notch rather than a "Square" hole, possibly because it was easier to tool. Though Mr. Ellingsen's Miller Bros. utility knife pictured above with a curved hole would be sufficient to turn on and off a Pres-o-Light valve without breaking.
Being that most Prest-O-Light cap-lifter advertising keys are only 5 to 6 MM thick and I have never seen a broken or even bent one yet, and I have many.
Most older and current cap-lifter/screw-driver-blades on a knife (And older ones that also contained Prest-O-Light squares) are much thicker: 8 to 10MM thick, and would easily do the job without breaking. They will not break if used by turning a Acetylene tank valve on or off.

I would not consider Mr. Ellingsen's knife a "Tack Puller" It is too big and thick for "tacks". If you have one that is broken, it is most definitely because it was miss-used and was probably used as a claw hammer to extract nails.
The term "Pres-O-Light Wrench" means it is a "wrench" for Prest-O-Light valves only, and not a "Wrench" to open paint, remove 10d nails or torque a lawn mower engine head with, it's going to break.
The definition of a "Tack" is: "A SMALL sharp-pointed nail usually having a broad head"
You can see the difference below from a "Tack-Puller" and a "Prest-O-Light" wrench.

[1967redrider]

How about a Marble's Pocket Screwdriver?

[JAMESC41001]

NY knife co.

[gsmith7158]

Amazing James! 3 tools on one blade. Great knife!

[JAMESC41001]

Thanks Greg, love too see more of these type of knives.

[Old Folder]

WOW
Such great "Prest-O-Light's" showing up.
Never seen one on a Screw Driver or Can-Opener/Cap Lifter before.
Quite an education.

[1967redrider]

Anyone have a picture of the light (or whatever) these tools were used on? Thanks!

[gsmith7158]

Here's a pic of the tank and light. If you look at the front of the tank you can see the square regulator that you adjusted with the wrench to get the proper amount of acetylene to operate the lights. And a website where you can read about the system.

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50 ... 1442789099

[knife7knut]

What is really strange is the positioning of that tank. When acetylene is used in welding applications the tank is ALWAYS stored in a vertical position; NEVER laid horizontally. A Pres-To-Lite lamps are fired by acetylene gas(mixing calcium carbide with water) I've always wondered why they did this on automobiles.

EDIT: I beleive the reason for that is laying them down horizontally can damage the honeycomb center of the tank.

[JAMESC41001]

Very cool thread. Over due I think. functions like this are why pocket knives were mandatory for many people to carry. Part of what men used to build our country. Now I can't get on a plane with one, carry an auto, or a decent blade to a construction site. The NY knife show has to be held in NJ. Hard to believe.

[1967redrider]

Thanks Greg, pretty interesting.

-John