Rare Ridgid Wrench by A.B. Jardine & Co Hespeler ON

Andrew Bell Jardine, a native of Perthshire, Scotland, was christened on 28 Dec. 1823. He visited Hespeler, in what was then known as Canada West (now Ontario), in the early 1850s. He returned to Scotland, and in about 1854 brought his family to Canada, first to Montreal and then, in 1862, to Hespeler. Jardine's son, Andrew Bell Jardine, Jr., was born that same year, 1862. In 1870, Jardine Sr. founded A. B. Jardine Co. A. B. Jardine, Jr., joined the company at some point, and eventually took over operations. Jardine, Sr. died in 1903, and Jardine, Jr. died in the late 1930s. A. B. Jardine Co. primarily made blacksmiths' supplies, including post drills, drill presses, taps and dies, hub borers, forge blowers, "Canadian Giant" power hammers, tire upsetters, tongs, vises, and wrenches. They also made water pumps: the kind with the handle, used for pumping household water from a well. They also had considerable success with pipe cutting and threading tools, built on their own patented designs. More info at

• https://www.papawswrench.com/vboard/index.php?topic=7861.0
• http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=475
• https://progress-is-fine.blogspot.com/2012/03/we-used-to-make-things-in-this-country_25.html

The Ridgid Tool Company is an American manufacturing company that makes and distributes tools under the Ridgid brand name. The company was founded in 1923 in North Ridgeville, Ohio. In 1943, it relocated to its current location in Elyria, Ohio, and in 1966, it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Emerson Electric. Ridgid tools are targeted at the plumbing, pipe fitting, construction, and HVAC trades. The brand is best known for its distinctive red pipe wrenches, but the company manufactures over 300 different types of tools. The company also sells power tools, largely made by TTI, and wet/dry vacs, made by parent company Emerson. More Info at https://www.ridgid.com/ca/en