Fastener Manufacterers

[Healey]

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum but not new to British fasteners.

I am currently researching a series of articles on British fasteners for a marque specific British car club magazine. As some of you may know that there were over 30 manufacturers of fasteners in the 50's and 60's at the height of the British car industry. However today I believe that only Regis Screw & Bolt which marks their bolt heads with RSB is the only manufacturer left (They may also be marking their bolts with the ATLAS name.)

What I need any information on the history on any of the defunct manufacturers, and/or the full name of the company indicated by the lettering on the bolt heads. For example:

RSB - Regis Screw & Bolt
RO - Rubery Owen
GKN - Guest, Keen & Nettleford
BAX - ?
CL - ?
CRF - ?
CRS - ?
CSG - ?
FB - ?
FCF - ?
GSF - ?
JF - ?
SA - ?
SN-JH - ?
SN-MW - ?
TWL - ?
WF - ?
WI - ?

Other common vendor names are:

Auto, Bees, Cranes, Linread, Marwin, Newall, Newton, Richards, Sparts, Torrington, Unbrako, Wiley, Woden.

Any information or history on these vendors would be appreciated.

Thanks

Curt
'55 Austin Healey 100 BN1, '60 Sprite AN5 :{) '72 RWA Midget

[sreeja]

I am also new to this forum.I am also ne wto the british fastening systems.when working on a piece of British hardware, have i fussed and cussed over these crazy thread systems, wrenches that don’t fit and busted knuckles.The threads are now a thing of the past, which is really too bad, because this fastening system has a lot to offer.

[BTF]

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum but not new to British fasteners.

I am currently researching a series of articles on British fasteners for a marque specific British car club magazine. As some of you may know that there were over 30 manufacturers of fasteners in the 50's and 60's at the height of the British car industry. However today I believe that only Regis Screw & Bolt which marks their bolt heads with RSB is the only manufacturer left (They may also be marking their bolts with the ATLAS name.)

What I need any information on the history on any of the defunct manufacturers, and/or the full name of the company indicated by the lettering on the bolt heads. For example:

RSB - Regis Screw & Bolt
RO - Rubery Owen
GKN - Guest, Keen & Nettleford
BAX - ?
CL - ?
CRF - ?
CRS - ?
CSG - ?
FB - ?
FCF - ?
GSF - ?
JF - ?
SA - ?
SN-JH - ?
SN-MW - ?
TWL - ?
WF - ?
WI - ?

Other common vendor names are:

Auto, Bees, Cranes, Linread, Marwin, Newall, Newton, Richards, Sparts, Torrington, Unbrako, Wiley, Woden.

Any information or history on these vendors would be appreciated.

Thanks

Curt
'55 Austin Healey 100 BN1, '60 Sprite AN5 :{) '72 RWA Midget

IMO - this is the best post on this forum so far but geez, talk about some hard info to obtain. I have contacted almost a dozen British hardware suppliers (not mfg's) with no results so far. It seems someone with a firsthand knowledge and a little older/wiser than myself may have bought from one of these places once up a time. Otherwise, this info is going to be hard to find.

The only info I could obtain so far is regarding the top threee names which obviously, we already know about!

Anyone else?

[BTF]

However today I believe that only Regis Screw & Bolt which marks their bolt heads with RSB is the only manufacturer left (They may also be marking their bolts with the ATLAS name.)



Actually, I buy new GKN hardware all the time as well as RSB and to the best of my knowledge there are between 3 and 5 places making some of this stuff in the UK. Maybe some in China? Not that I would recommend hardware from there.

Also, Unbrako is a mfg of socket cap screws still in BSW/BSF sizes and I get them fairly regularly.

[BTF]

I have to yet to hear ONE name from any of my UK sources...???????

[hwcf]

Hi all,

Does anyone have a website address for these manufacturers, or for someone who sells their products? I'm having trouble locating them online.

Regards,

Sam

RSB - Regis Screw & Bolt
RO - Rubery Owen
GKN - Guest, Keen & Nettleford

[BTF]

Hi all,

Does anyone have a website address for these manufacturers, or for someone who sells their products? I'm having trouble locating them online.

Regards,

Sam

RSB - Regis Screw & Bolt
RO - Rubery Owen
GKN - Guest, Keen & Nettleford

You will find that many old Brit companies dont have websites, email and in some cases still use typewriters and carrier pigeons... LOL

[shamu]

Hi all.
With regard to the marking on bolt heads. 'JF' could be Jackson Fasteners. situated in the foothills of the Pennines in north Derbyshire they started out manufacturing conveyor belt fasteners and diversified into bolts & screws around the 1950's I think. bolt production ended in the early 1980's and they survived on the belt fasteners till 2000 when they were bought by the US firm FlexCo. FlexCo closed them down about five years later.
I worked there in the 1980's.

Hope this helps.

[BTF]

Terrific! Thanks for your insight, even if you're not 100% sure about it.

I did manage to find a phone number for "Jackson fasteners" in Derbyshire but I doubt its the same company as the earlier one. When I get a min, I will try them and see.

[shamu]

Terrific! Thanks for your insight, even if you're not 100% sure about it.

I did manage to find a phone number for "Jackson fasteners" in Derbyshire but I doubt its the same company as the earlier one. When I get a min, I will try them and see.

I would imagine that any phone N°s would now be owned by Flex Co. Jackson Fasteners set up an Aircraft Fastener manufacturing operation in 1982 called Ravenstone, they manufactured higher spec fasteners purly for the aircraft industry. Ravenstone was bought by Lentern Aircraft in 1999 and moved to new premises with a new name of AF Fasteners in 2000 . Lentern went bust in 2004 and AF still survives under private ownership to this day. Ravenstone had a letter 'J' as their head mark because of the Jackson connection, it is still registered with AF Fasteners because of the historical connection.

The Jackson Fasteners story is a really sad one. The conveyor fasteners they made were renowned and sold the world over, even to places like China where competitors sold their product for a fraction of the price. The firm employed 60-70 people many from the same family but the owners wanted to retire and sold out to Flex Co. Unfortunately Flex Co probably only bought it to take out a competitor and closed Jacksons a few years after buying it.
Regards.

[XK120DHC]

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum but not new to British fasteners.

I am currently researching a series of articles on British fasteners for a marque specific British car club magazine. As some of you may know that there were over 30 manufacturers of fasteners in the 50's and 60's at the height of the British car industry. However today I believe that only Regis Screw & Bolt which marks their bolt heads with RSB is the only manufacturer left (They may also be marking their bolts with the ATLAS name.)

What I need any information on the history on any of the defunct manufacturers, and/or the full name of the company indicated by the lettering on the bolt heads. For example:

RSB - Regis Screw & Bolt
RO - Rubery Owen
GKN - Guest, Keen & Nettleford
BAX - ?
CL - ?
CRF - ?
CRS - ?
CSG - ?
FB - ?
FCF - ?
GSF - ?
JF - ?
SA - ?
SN-JH - ?
SN-MW - ?
TWL - ?
WF - ?
WI - ?

Other common vendor names are:

Auto, Bees, Cranes, Linread, Marwin, Newall, Newton, Richards, Sparts, Torrington, Unbrako, Wiley, Woden.

Any information or history on these vendors would be appreciated.

Thanks

Curt
'55 Austin Healey 100 BN1, '60 Sprite AN5 :{) '72 RWA Midget

Curt;
Just haapened to be searching for some 1/4" BSF "BEES" bolts (no luck) and found some postwar advertising that touted that "Action" (Manufacturing?) made the BEES Fasteners for aircraft.. I knew my Jag was fast.. Now I know why ;-}
Charles.

XK120DHC.

[BTF]

You wont find any...unless you know someone who has originals.

The letters BEES just tells us about the mfg's name and info and we DO get LOTS of requests for BEES bolts.

The company that made these products is no longer with us unfortunately. I would love to see the postwar ad you are talking about though!!! Is there a link to it or could you email us a photo or scan of it?

[XK120DHC]

(1) You wont find any...unless you know someone who has originals.

(2) The letters BEES just tells us about the mfg's name and info and we DO get LOTS of requests for BEES bolts.

(3) The company that made these products is no longer with us unfortunately. I would love to see the postwar ad you are talking about though!!!

(4)Is there a link to it or could you email us a photo or scan of it?

To reply to your comments.
(1). Yes, I know.. thus the search..
(2). Correct again.. "Healey" wrote that he was researching Brit Bolts. "BEES" was in his "other common vendor names".. I learned, via the advert, that "Action" was the parent company and, apparently, made fasteners for aircraft in pre-war England. I was attempting to pass this "manufacturer name" and information on to "Healey", thinking it might aid in his research.
(3). I've known that for forty+ years.
(4). I did another Google Search for it (which is how I found the advert to begin with), no luck.

[BTF]

You may know this but many others do not.