Why Allen is called that?

Gary Jacobson said:

How did the name "Allen" get to the name of an Allen bolt.
Is that a capitalized allen?

Allen is (was) a trademark, from the Allen
Manufacturing Company.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA bike.terrymorse.combike.terrymorse.comOpen ↗

Gary Jacobson said:

How did the name "Allen" get to the name of an Allen bolt.
Is that a capitalized allen?

That's an interesting question, and it's a long and fairly
involved story, but worth the time, if only to see how the
slightest twists of fate can have the most unexpected
results...

In late 1969, a man called Richard Allan (a self-taught
radio repair man and electrical engineer) took delivery of
one of the first stereo music systems that was available. It
was manufactured by "Bush Audio" who were a spin-off company
of the then massive TV manufacturers who were simply called
"Bush". They had created a wholly owned subsidiary for
stereo music systems, because as everyone knew, stereo music
was a passing fad, but they wanted to be seen as cutting
edge without endangering the group as a whole.

Mr Allan was impressed by the potential of the system he
owned rather than by its actual performance - he was
particularly disappointed by the speakers that were supplied
- they had a single driver that was inneffectual in
reproducing the high frequencies that really bring stereo
reproduction into it's own. One evening, he was recounting
his misgivings to his father who in typically blunt
Yorkshire fashion told him that if he thought he could do
better then what was stopping him?

This was an epiphany for Richard - he couldn't be the only
one who was disgusted with the generally poor quality of
stereo (hi-fi was not yet in common usage at the time)
speakers that were being offered, and there must be a strong
market for superior replacements.

He set about looking into the science and engineering of
loudspeaker design, and fortunately, he read a paper by
A.N. Thiele & Richard H. Small, who in 1970 devised a
parametric method to describe the mechanical and electrical
impedances in loudspeaker cones, which greatly simplified
Richard's task.

Richard went into his shed and with his first design
produced a medium size studio monitor which confounded the
particular and fussy engineers at the BBC studios with its
accuracy, neutrality and power handling. They wanted to
buy 40 pairs!

He was faced with the problem of moving from prototype
development to mass production virtually overnight.
Fortunately there was no shortage of semi-skilled labour and
manufacturing space in the locality, as traditional industry
was already in decline by then. In the latter half of 1971
each week, he was delivering several pairs of speakers to
the BBC, recording studios, and audiophiles who had contacts
in the business. Production was running smoothly, or so he
thought...

As the production rate ramped up, the returns and QA
failures started to dig into his business. Up to 30% of his
production run were being rejected. The problem was always
the same: The elegant teak veneer on the front face of the
speaker was being fowled by slipped screwdrivers as the
cones were being mounted. Even though he was using Phillips
screws with a recessed, slotted head, slip-ups were
occurring at a rate which would destroy his profit margin.

The natural engineer in Richard came to the fore, and he
immediately started considering alternatives: What about
using a bolt? No, the spanner or socket head may still foul
the speaker cabinet. If not a bolt, then why not use the
INVERSE of a bolt? A hexagonal depression would be simple to
place a matching tool into, and because there is no taper to
the depression, there is no force pushing the tool out, even
under the highest torque.

Richard obtained a sample run of these "recessed-head"
bolts from a Sheffield manufacturer. At the time, the bolts
were forged in small batches, and so were very expensive,
but the canny Yorkshire businessman reckoned that the
savings in waste and rework on his speakers, and the
eventual benefits of mass production of his bolts, would
save him money in the long run.

He introduced the bolts into his speaker manufacture, and
saw waste and returns due to cabinet damage fall from 30% to
less than 5%. The "Allan bolt" was born!

Meanwhile, the Sheffield component manufacturers who
produced the first run of these unique bolts hadn't been
standing still. Other customers might benefit from their
ease of use and so their salesmen were distributing samples
far and wide. The customers asked what they were called, and
were told "They're Allan bolts". Of course, because they had
only received verbal descriptions, they didn't know any
better when they wrote out purchase notes for repeat orders
of the fasteners, they asked for "allen bolts"

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Richard Allan never patented, trademarked or sought
copyright for the bolt design, and although this might not
be the best result for him financially or personally,
industry as a whole is better off for the cheap availability
of these useful fastenings.

Richard Allan still produces high-quality and innovative
speakers, and you can view his wares at
:loudspeakersonline.comloudspeakersonline.comOpen ↗

Best,

E.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Eldred
On Sun, 04 Apr 2004 22:53:59 GMT, "Gary Jacobson"

Quoted message said:

How did the name "Allen" get to the name of an Allen bolt.
Is that a capitalized allen?

That's an interesting question, and it's a long and fairly
involved story, but worth the time, if only to see how the
slightest twists of fate can have the most unexpected
results...

In late 1969, a man called Richard Allan (a self-taught
radio repair man and electrical engineer) took delivery of
one of the first stereo music systems that was available. It
was manufactured by "Bush Audio" who were a spin-off company
of the then massive TV manufacturers who were simply called
"Bush". They had created a wholly owned subsidiary for
stereo music systems, because as everyone knew, stereo music
was a passing fad, but they wanted to be seen as cutting
edge without endangering the group as a whole.

Mr Allan was impressed by the potential of the system he
owned rather than by its actual performance - he was
particularly disappointed by the speakers that were supplied
- they had a single driver that was inneffectual in
reproducing the high frequencies that really bring stereo
reproduction into it's own. One evening, he was recounting
his misgivings to his father who in typically blunt
Yorkshire fashion told him that if he thought he could do
better then what was stopping him?

This was an epiphany for Richard - he couldn't be the only
one who was disgusted with the generally poor quality of
stereo (hi-fi was not yet in common usage at the time)
speakers that were being offered, and there must be a strong
market for superior replacements.

He set about looking into the science and engineering of
loudspeaker design, and fortunately, he read a paper by
A.N. Thiele & Richard H. Small, who in 1970 devised a
parametric method to describe the mechanical and electrical
impedances in loudspeaker cones, which greatly simplified
Richard's task.

Richard went into his shed and with his first design
produced a medium size studio monitor which confounded the
particular and fussy engineers at the BBC studios with its
accuracy, neutrality and power handling. They wanted to
buy 40 pairs!

He was faced with the problem of moving from prototype
development to mass production virtually overnight.
Fortunately there was no shortage of semi-skilled labour and
manufacturing space in the locality, as traditional industry
was already in decline by then. In the latter half of 1971
each week, he was delivering several pairs of speakers to
the BBC, recording studios, and audiophiles who had contacts
in the business. Production was running smoothly, or so he
thought...

As the production rate ramped up, the returns and QA
failures started to dig into his business. Up to 30% of his
production run were being rejected. The problem was always
the same: The elegant teak veneer on the front face of the
speaker was being fowled by slipped screwdrivers as the
cones were being mounted. Even though he was using Phillips
screws with a recessed, slotted head, slip-ups were
occurring at a rate which would destroy his profit margin.

The natural engineer in Richard came to the fore, and he
immediately started considering alternatives: What about
using a bolt? No, the spanner or socket head may still foul
the speaker cabinet. If not a bolt, then why not use the
INVERSE of a bolt? A hexagonal depression would be simple to
place a matching tool into, and because there is no taper to
the depression, there is no force pushing the tool out, even
under the highest torque.

Richard obtained a sample run of these "recessed-head"
bolts from a Sheffield manufacturer. At the time, the bolts
were forged in small batches, and so were very expensive,
but the canny Yorkshire businessman reckoned that the
savings in waste and rework on his speakers, and the
eventual benefits of mass production of his bolts, would
save him money in the long run.

He introduced the bolts into his speaker manufacture, and
saw waste and returns due to cabinet damage fall from 30% to
less than 5%. The "Allan bolt" was born!

Meanwhile, the Sheffield component manufacturers who
produced the first run of these unique bolts hadn't been
standing still. Other customers might benefit from their
ease of use and so their salesmen were distributing samples
far and wide. The customers asked what they were called, and
were told "They're Allan bolts". Of course, because they had
only received verbal descriptions, they didn't know any
better when they wrote out purchase notes for repeat orders
of the fasteners, they asked for "allen bolts"

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Richard Allan never patented, trademarked or sought
copyright for the bolt design, and although this might not
be the best result for him financially or personally,
industry as a whole is better off for the cheap availability
of these useful fastenings.

Richard Allan still produces high-quality and innovative
speakers, and you can view his wares at
:loudspeakersonline.comloudspeakersonline.comOpen ↗

Best,

E.

Dear Eldred,

Regrettably, you seem to be mistaken.

"Allen wrench" was originally a trademark of
Allen Manufacturing Company in Hartford,
Connecticut in 1943.

http://www.tutorgig.com/encyclopedia/getdefn.jsp?keywords=Allen_wrench

or

http://tinyurl.com/32822

People may have later asked for it as you describe,
some words having more than one origin.

Carl Fogel

"Eldred" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Sun, 04 Apr 2004 22:53:59 GMT, "Gary Jacobson" <gjacobson-remove-this-bit-

@hvc.rr.com said:

How did the name "Allen" get to the name of an Allen
bolt. Is that a capitalized allen?

That's an interesting question, and it's a long and fairly
involved story, but worth the time, if only to see how the
slightest twists of fate can have the most unexpected
results...

In late 1969, a man called Richard Allan (a self-taught
radio repair man and electrical engineer) took delivery
of one of the first stereo music systems that was
available. It was manufactured by "Bush Audio" who were a
spin-off company of the then massive TV manufacturers who
were simply called "Bush". They had created a wholly
owned subsidiary for stereo music systems, because as
everyone knew, stereo music was a passing fad, but they
wanted to be seen as cutting edge without endangering the
group as a whole.

Mr Allan was impressed by the potential of the system he
owned rather than by its actual performance - he was
particularly disappointed by the speakers that were
supplied - they had a single driver that was inneffectual
in reproducing the high frequencies that really bring
stereo reproduction into it's own. One evening, he was
recounting his misgivings to his father who in typically
blunt Yorkshire fashion told him that if he thought he
could do better then what was stopping him?

This was an epiphany for Richard - he couldn't be the only
one who was disgusted with the generally poor quality of
stereo (hi-fi was not yet in common usage at the time)
speakers that were being offered, and there must be a
strong market for superior replacements.

He set about looking into the science and engineering of
loudspeaker design, and fortunately, he read a paper by
A.N. Thiele & Richard H. Small, who in 1970 devised a
parametric method to describe the mechanical and
electrical impedances in loudspeaker cones, which greatly
simplified Richard's task.

Richard went into his shed and with his first design
produced a medium size studio monitor which confounded the
particular and fussy engineers at the BBC studios with its
accuracy, neutrality and power handling. They wanted to
buy 40 pairs!

He was faced with the problem of moving from prototype
development to mass production virtually overnight.
Fortunately there was no shortage of semi-skilled labour
and manufacturing space in the locality, as traditional
industry was already in decline by then. In the latter
half of 1971 each week, he was delivering several pairs of
speakers to the BBC, recording studios, and audiophiles
who had contacts in the business. Production was running
smoothly, or so he thought...

As the production rate ramped up, the returns and QA
failures started to dig into his business. Up to 30% of
his production run were being rejected. The problem was
always the same: The elegant teak veneer on the front
face of the speaker was being fowled by slipped
screwdrivers as the cones were being mounted. Even though
he was using Phillips screws with a recessed, slotted
head, slip-ups were occurring at a rate which would
destroy his profit margin.

The natural engineer in Richard came to the fore, and he
immediately started considering alternatives: What about
using a bolt? No, the spanner or socket head may still
foul the speaker cabinet. If not a bolt, then why not use
the INVERSE of a bolt? A hexagonal depression would be
simple to place a matching tool into, and because there is
no taper to the depression, there is no force pushing the
tool out, even under the highest torque.

Richard obtained a sample run of these "recessed-head"
bolts from a Sheffield manufacturer. At the time, the
bolts were forged in small batches, and so were very
expensive, but the canny Yorkshire businessman reckoned
that the savings in waste and rework on his speakers, and
the eventual benefits of mass production of his bolts,
would save him money in the long run.

He introduced the bolts into his speaker manufacture, and
saw waste and returns due to cabinet damage fall from 30%
to less than 5%. The "Allan bolt" was born!

Meanwhile, the Sheffield component manufacturers who
produced the first run of these unique bolts hadn't been
standing still. Other customers might benefit from their
ease of use and so their salesmen were distributing
samples far and wide. The customers asked what they were
called, and were told "They're Allan bolts". Of course,
because they had only received verbal descriptions, they
didn't know any better when they wrote out purchase
notes for repeat orders of the fasteners, they asked for
"allen bolts"

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Richard Allan never patented, trademarked or sought
copyright for the bolt design, and although this might not
be the best result for him financially or personally,
industry as a whole is better off for the cheap
availability of these useful fastenings.

Richard Allan still produces high-quality and innovative
speakers, and you can view his wares at
:loudspeakersonline.comloudspeakersonline.comOpen ↗

Wow... if this is true, it's a great story and good
explanation.

If it was made-up, then I'm even more impressed!

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Gary Jacobson said:

How did the name "Allen" get to the name of an Allen bolt.
Is that a capitalized allen?

From dictionary.com: Etymology: Allen Manufacturing Co.,
Hartford, Conn.

--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1
April, 1971

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Gary Jacobson
How did the name "Allen" get to the name of an Allen bolt.
Is that a capitalized allen?

Gary Jacobson Rosendale, NY

Dear Gary,

As others have noted, the Allen wrench came
from the Allen Manufacturing Company of
Connecticut.

Further searching suggests a date of 1930.

Senility has left no trace of what I read, so
tomorrow I plan to peek at this book again,
just in case it covers the question:

One good turn : a natural history of the
screwdriver and the screw by Rybczynski, Witold.

Edgar Allan Poe

"Gary Jacobson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

How did the name "Allen" get to the name of an Allen bolt.
Is that a capitalized allen?

Gary Jacobson Rosendale, NY

It's from Allen brand wrenches. From Sheldon's glossary:
sheldonbrown.comgloss a.htmlOpen ↗

"Allen Wrench "A solid hexagonal bar, usually "L" shaped for
leverage, that fits into the hollow hexagonal hole of an
Allen bolt head. This tool is sometimes confusingly called a
"hex wrench," "Allen key" or "hex key."

"The terms involving "hex" can be confusing, because normal
cap screws also commonly have (male) hexagonal heads, and
hexagonal box or socket wrenches fit them.

"I prefer not to use the term "key" for such a tool.
Many languages use the same word for "wrench" and "key",
but I believe that it is one of the richnesses of the
American English language that it makes this
distinction. Since "wrench" is not used in this context
in British usage, "Allen key" is acceptable if the
appropriate accent is used."

"One of the nice things about Allen wrenches is that they
can be sharpened very easily, just grind the worn part off
with a bench grinder, and an old tired Allen wrench becomes
as good as new, so long as you don't let it get too hot
while you are grinding it."

04 Apr 2004 22:53:59 GMT 'Gary Jacobson said:

How did the name "Allen" get to the name of an Allen bolt.
Is that a capitalized allen?

Yes, it's Allen, the name of the company.

-
-----------------------------------------------
Jim Adney [email hidden] Madison, WI 53711 USA
-----------------------------------------------

Nice story, and it may be partially true, but let me assure
you that the allen screw/bolt has been around for a lot
longer than the story suggests. I was using them in the
middle 1950's. The factory where my dad worked (Hartford
Machine Screw Co.) made millions of them back then. They
were expensive and used for what were then high tech
applications.

Ernie

Eldred said:

On Sun, 04 Apr 2004 22:53:59 GMT, "Gary Jacobson" <gjacobson-remove-this-bit-

@hvc.rr.com said:

How did the name "Allen" get to the name of an Allen
bolt. Is that a capitalized allen?

That's an interesting question, and it's a long and fairly
involved story, but worth the time, if only to see how the
slightest twists of fate can have the most unexpected
results...

In late 1969, a man called Richard Allan (a self-taught
radio repair man and electrical engineer) took delivery
of one of the first stereo music systems that was
available. It was manufactured by "Bush Audio" who were a
spin-off company of the then massive TV manufacturers who
were simply called "Bush". They had created a wholly
owned subsidiary for stereo music systems, because as
everyone knew, stereo music was a passing fad, but they
wanted to be seen as cutting edge without endangering the
group as a whole.

Mr Allan was impressed by the potential of the system he
owned rather than by its actual performance - he was
particularly disappointed by the speakers that were
supplied - they had a single driver that was inneffectual
in reproducing the high frequencies that really bring
stereo reproduction into it's own. One evening, he was
recounting his misgivings to his father who in typically
blunt Yorkshire fashion told him that if he thought he
could do better then what was stopping him?

This was an epiphany for Richard - he couldn't be the only
one who was disgusted with the generally poor quality of
stereo (hi-fi was not yet in common usage at the time)
speakers that were being offered, and there must be a
strong market for superior replacements.

He set about looking into the science and engineering of
loudspeaker design, and fortunately, he read a paper by
A.N. Thiele & Richard H. Small, who in 1970 devised a
parametric method to describe the mechanical and
electrical impedances in loudspeaker cones, which greatly
simplified Richard's task.

Richard went into his shed and with his first design
produced a medium size studio monitor which confounded the
particular and fussy engineers at the BBC studios with its
accuracy, neutrality and power handling. They wanted to
buy 40 pairs!

He was faced with the problem of moving from prototype
development to mass production virtually overnight.
Fortunately there was no shortage of semi-skilled labour
and manufacturing space in the locality, as traditional
industry was already in decline by then. In the latter
half of 1971 each week, he was delivering several pairs of
speakers to the BBC, recording studios, and audiophiles
who had contacts in the business. Production was running
smoothly, or so he thought...

As the production rate ramped up, the returns and QA
failures started to dig into his business. Up to 30% of
his production run were being rejected. The problem was
always the same: The elegant teak veneer on the front
face of the speaker was being fowled by slipped
screwdrivers as the cones were being mounted. Even though
he was using Phillips screws with a recessed, slotted
head, slip-ups were occurring at a rate which would
destroy his profit margin.

The natural engineer in Richard came to the fore, and he
immediately started considering alternatives: What about
using a bolt? No, the spanner or socket head may still
foul the speaker cabinet. If not a bolt, then why not use
the INVERSE of a bolt? A hexagonal depression would be
simple to place a matching tool into, and because there is
no taper to the depression, there is no force pushing the
tool out, even under the highest torque.

Richard obtained a sample run of these "recessed-head"
bolts from a Sheffield manufacturer. At the time, the
bolts were forged in small batches, and so were very
expensive, but the canny Yorkshire businessman reckoned
that the savings in waste and rework on his speakers, and
the eventual benefits of mass production of his bolts,
would save him money in the long run.

He introduced the bolts into his speaker manufacture, and
saw waste and returns due to cabinet damage fall from 30%
to less than 5%. The "Allan bolt" was born!

Meanwhile, the Sheffield component manufacturers who
produced the first run of these unique bolts hadn't been
standing still. Other customers might benefit from their
ease of use and so their salesmen were distributing
samples far and wide. The customers asked what they were
called, and were told "They're Allan bolts". Of course,
because they had only received verbal descriptions, they
didn't know any better when they wrote out purchase
notes for repeat orders of the fasteners, they asked for
"allen bolts"

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Richard Allan never patented, trademarked or sought
copyright for the bolt design, and although this might not
be the best result for him financially or personally,
industry as a whole is better off for the cheap
availability of these useful fastenings.

Richard Allan still produces high-quality and innovative
speakers, and you can view his wares at
:loudspeakersonline.comloudspeakersonline.comOpen ↗

Best,

E.

"carlfogel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Eldred said:

On Sun, 04 Apr 2004 22:53:59 GMT, "Gary Jacobson"

<gjacobson-remove-this-bit-

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

@hvc.rr.com said:

How did the name "Allen" get to the name of an Allen
bolt. Is that a capitalized allen?

That's an interesting question, and it's a long and
fairly involved story,

Quoted message said:

Dear Eldred,

Regrettably, you seem to be mistaken.

"Allen wrench" was originally a trademark of Allen
Manufacturing Company in Hartford, Connecticut in 1943.

tutorgig.comgetdefn.jspOpen ↗
=Allen_wrench

or

tinyurl.com32822Open ↗

The stereo/Hi-Fi part of the story is a fiction, too, as
anyone involved in that stuff back then can tell you.

Eldred <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

In late 1969, a man called Richard Allan (a self-taught
radio repair man and electrical engineer) took delivery of
one of the first stereo music systems that was available.
It was manufactured by "Bush Audio" who were a spin-off
company of the then massive TV manufacturers who were
simply called "Bush".

<snip>

Did you hear this somewhere or make it up yourself?
Richard Allan has been making loudspeakers since 1947.
Here is a link

vintage-vintage-Open ↗
technology.info/Pages/Domestic/richalmix51.htm

or makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.comOpen ↗

to a 1951 advertisement for Richard Allan products.

--
Dave...

(Dave Kahn) said:

Eldred <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

In late 1969, a man called Richard Allan (a self-taught
radio repair man and electrical engineer) took delivery
of one of the first stereo music systems that was
available. It was manufactured by "Bush Audio" who were a
spin-off company of the then massive TV manufacturers who
were simply called "Bush".

<snip>

Did you hear this somewhere or make it up yourself?
Richard Allan has been making loudspeakers since 1947.
Here is a link

vintage-vintage-Open ↗
technology.info/Pages/Domestic/richalmix51.htm

or makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.comOpen ↗

to a 1951 advertisement for Richard Allan products.

Made it up.

Nice story though isn't it?

E.

ZeeExSixAre said:

[snip fairy tale]

Quoted message said:

Wow... if this is true, it's a great story and good
explanation.

If it was made-up, then I'm even more impressed!

It is made up, but I wouldn't be too impressed.

As others have pointed out RA has been in the music
reproduction biz since the 'forties.

If I'd been on the ball, I would have transferred the
development of the "Allan bolt" to Richard Allan's fictional
son Ebeneezer Allan...

E.

So Eldred <[email hidden]> says:

Quoted message said:

It is made up, but I wouldn't be too impressed.

As others have pointed out RA has been in the music
reproduction biz since the 'forties.

If I'd been on the ball, I would have transferred the
development of the "Allan bolt" to Richard Allan's
fictional son Ebeneezer Allan...

E.

The truth is our most precious resource, let us conserve it
at all costs. -Mark Twain

On Mon, 05 Apr 2004 02:00:48 +0100, Eldred <[email hidden]> may

have said:

On Sun, 04 Apr 2004 22:53:59 GMT, "Gary Jacobson" <gjacobson-remove-this-bit-

@hvc.rr.com said:

How did the name "Allen" get to the name of an Allen bolt.
Is that a capitalized allen?

That's an interesting question, and it's a long and fairly
involved story, but worth the time, if only to see how the
slightest twists of fate can have the most unexpected
results...

In late 1969, a man called Richard Allan (a self-taught
radio repair man and electrical engineer) took delivery of
one of the first stereo music systems that was available.
[mondo snippo]

Umm, no.

Stereo dates back prior to 1969, for one thing. Expensive
in the early '60s, but not uncommon by any means. (Good
grief, there were stereo 8-track tape players in *cars*
already by 1965.)

Richard Allan, the speaker manufacturer, goes back to the
1950s at least. That's "Allan", not "Allen".

The Allen bolt derives from the Allen Manufacturing Co. of
Hartford, Conn, and the trademark was registered in 1943.
Note: Allen with an "e".

I find no mention of the hex-recess screws in material from
the 1930s in my possession. I believe they probably
originated for use in the aviation industry, perhaps as war
development. The hex-recess screw could be positioned closer
to a structural member without making it impossible to get a
wrench on to the bolt, permitting a narrower flange on the
part than would otherwise be possible. This allowed for
lighter components, a critical concern in aircraft.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

carlfogel <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Gary Jacobson said:

How did the name "Allen" get to the name of an Allen
bolt. Is that a capitalized allen? Gary Jacobson
Rosendale, NY

Dear Gary,

As others have noted, the Allen wrench came from the Allen
Manufacturing Company of Connecticut.

Further searching suggests a date of 1930.

Senility has left no trace of what I read, so tomorrow I
plan to peek at this book again, just in case it covers
the question:

One good turn : a natural history of the screwdriver and
the screw by Rybczynski, Witold.

Edgar Allan Poe

Alas, Witold Rybczynski addresses Robertson and
Philips screws, with a passing mention of Whitworth
sizes, but remains silent about Allen screws, bolts,
keys, and wrenches.

C.F.