Pony 50 Pipe Clamp, Fixture for 3/4-Inch Black Pipe

Product Information

A pair of H-style or pipe clamps offer the ability to secure projects of various sizes, since the clamps themselves fit onto a metal pipe of your choosing. If you need to clamp a large tabletop, long shelves, or other similar projects, simply choose a pipe that is long enough for your purpose, and then slide the pair of H-style clamps onto opposing ends of the pipe. These BESSEY H-style pipe clamps fit any 3/4-inch pipe. So, since Pony Tools had yet to fold when I started my research, I reached out to them in 2015 with one basic request—I wanted to know more about the Adjustable Clamp Company’s fearless founder. I figured, with the Holman family still in charge and proud of its legacy, there would be plenty of marvelous anecdotes and photos of “Great-Great Grandma Adele” forthcoming, thus crafting an intimate portrait of a great industrial revolutionary—an important Chicagoan long overdue for her proper recognition. Clamps come in a wide range of sizes, allowing you to choose which best suits the size of the material you are clamping. There are a few numbers to consider when it comes to size:

Another look at the longtime Adjustable Clamp factory at 417-433 N. Ashland Avenue in West Town, circa 1990s. The factory shut down in 2016.] Part II: Finding Adele I am writing to inform you that on May 19, 2016, Adjustable Clamp Company d/b/a Pony Tools Inc. informed its Chicago employees that it was suspending operations in Chicago effective immediately.” Corner Clamp: This is a specialty clamp that’s designed to hold pieces together at a 90-degree angle. It’s a very useful clamp if you are building picture frames, drawers, or similar items. Great story. Just bought 2 sets of varying sizes of these clamps at a local thrift store and they are in near-new condition somebody obviously liked them very much glad to have bought them and I am Chicago native myself from Oak Lawn.”— Howard Corbett, 2018courier service for the return, so please use the most economical or appropriate method for returning the item(s). Iconic American Tool Brands Pony, Jorgensen & Goldblatt To Be Relaunched to the North American Market Under the Leadership of Arrow Fastener”– Press Release, May 10, 2018

Manufacturing and Wholesale Industries of Chicago assessed it this way: “Special interest attaches to the [Adjustable Clamp Company] by reason of the fact that its executive head, Mrs. Adele V. Holman, has proved fully the resourcefulness and administrative ability which woman may bring to bear in the broad domain of industrial and commercial enterprise. Mrs. Holman is president of the company and virtually the sole owner of the business which is being most ably and progressively conducted under her personal administration.” Freeing the pony cylinder can be done easily, by pushing the 'sliding-bolt' mechanism with one hand and removing the pony cylinder with the other hand. The bolt action is positive, which aids a 'user release' and evades an 'accidental release'. The praise continued. And remember, this is 1918, still two years before Adele or any other American woman had the right to vote. Some of the other early Adjustable Clamp Co. creations—like the metal Pony and Jorgensen “C” Clamps (patented by Adele’s son Harry V. Holman) were also left mostly unaltered after their 1920s/30s introductions. In the ‘50s and ‘60s, third-generation owner D.V. Holman helped usher in another line of successful clamps, and his son, Daniel, expanded to bench vises and miter saws under the same Pony, Jorgensen, and Adjustable brand names. The arsenal was established, and only the world around the Holmans was ever gonna change.

Part II: Finding Adele

So what inspired a talented singer to give up clefs for clamps? Did she find a rhythm and harmony within the utilitarian tools of her new trade? Would she sometimes walk the factory floors, cooing a melody to inspire her workers? Clearly, any information you may be able to provide would be most appreciated. I am primarily interested in determining the manufacturer, which I suspect is either the Adjustable Clamp Co. or Chicago Tools. That synopsis, poorly written as it might be, could just as easily have come from the 2015 Adjustable Clamp catalog, or the 1915 edition, for that matter. Sure, an expert might recognize subtle changes to the Jorgensen design over the decades, but for the most part, if you bought one of these things brand new from a hardware store a few years ago, it probably looks and functions almost identically to the ones in our collection (which are likely mid-century) or the ones Adele “Someone Like You” Holman was rolling off the assembly line a century ago. I became curious about the Adjustable Clamp Company after using my “Pony” band clamp a lot this week after sitting in various tool chests for the past 30 years. Made in USA, the box said in a style, color scheme, and lettering that looked like it hadn’t been changed since 1954. My gosh this stuff was honestly made.”— Jon F., 2019