The Weird Old Ratchet Contest...Show Me What You Got!

[bonneyman]

Thanks for the info, Fourcycle!

 

[twertsy]

@FrankLee
^ speaking of which, there is a Radian push-through 1/4" drive PALM RATCHET on ebay right now crazy cheap that I would have already snagged but I'm trying to minimize my tool purchases until I get stuff sorted out here.

@RTM - I just remembered why I remembered this one - look at that patent number - not at DATAMP.org and I can't get a copy of the patent from USPTO - what's up with this one?

(* these are the images from the ebay listing so this doesn't get lost. *)

Isn't it this one? https://patents.google.com/patent/US4603606

 

[Farmer J.]

Surprised nobody posted the Auto-Cle / Mossberg ratchet yet, so here it is:
Pics are of Lug's ratchet and of my set.
Link to thread: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/my-favorite-ratchet-wrench-mossberg-auto-cle.320336/

 

[Oldtuleguy]

That's an oddball!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Surprised nobody posted the Auto-Cle / Mossberg ratchet yet, so here it is:

I was saving that one for you, J.!

That's an oddball!

Totally tubular, man! Clutch action, with six (6) whole teeth!

For those who aren't familiar and don't follow Farmer J.'s link, that hex-shaped collar is the switch. There are six teeth that slip the opposite direction underneath it. You just slide it up or down.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

This p&c is different, though more of a weird t handle than a ratchet

 

[Farmer J.]

I was saving that one for you, J.!

Thanks Lugz, very kind of you not to 'steal my thunder' but you had to wait ages for it to rumble! I had to check your post with all those weird ratchets first just to make sure it wasn't among them..
My set has now joined the Shuttleworth Collection, where it fits very well with the Edwardian vehicles. It seemed a shame for it to just gather dust on my shelf.

The Shuttleworth Collection

Museums have curators, we have engineers. Explore our unique world-class Collection of some of the oldest airworthy historic aircraft in the world, as well as our veteran vehicle fleet, heritage steam exhibits and more.

www.shuttleworth.org

 

[twertsy]

I know you're asking Frank about his Radian, but this is NOT the case with the Allen gearless "Friction" ratchet, which I posted above, or the Blackhawk Freewheeler I have, which uses a series of rollers, and which I have not posted, not considering it terribly old or weird. They grab immediately, release just as quickly, but rotate very smoothly on backswing in my experience. If you're curious, follow the link I posted for the Allen thread above where I posted closeups of the guts.

Yes, most "gearless' ratchets have close to zero backswing. And, I completely agree and don't understand why they don't copy some of these old designs for gearless ratchets! I have a modern one, which I love, but can't remember the brand......Husky maybe? Pretty sure I grabbed it at either HD or Lowe's.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Good to see you here again, brotha!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

My set has now joined the Shuttleworth Collection, where it fits very well with the Edwardian vehicles.

That's very magnanimous and admirable of you, J.! Cheers!

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a Cornwell non reversing ratchet that I’ve had for a while. The ratchet action is very fine.
-Don

 

[twertsy]

Here is a Cornwell non reversing ratchet that I’ve had for a while. The ratchet action is very fine.
-Don

Looks like they outsourced that forging.........Guess Eugene was done blacksmithing by then.......

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Do you recognize that forge mark?

 

[twertsy]

Do you recognize that forge mark?

Yes but I can't remember what it was. I had a list of forgers for Cornwell on my site but it appears to be gone........ It was upper midwest...Minnesota I think...

 

[twertsy]

Do you recognize that forge mark?

Perhaps this one: https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/jumpto?f=doc&state=4801:ygw3a0.2.1145

Don't have much time these days but the link is a good lead............

 

[four.cycle]

^ I am getting an error message at that URL.

Check Alloy-Artifacts.org's list of "trademarks and logos" - he recently reworked that page. He may have been able to ID this one:


unknown
hammer
@Bryan Burns

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Thanks for tip Todd! Cleveland hardware forge

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Cool. Mystery solved! They cast malleable iron sockets and ratchets for Chicago Mfg & Distributing, vise bodies for Wilton, and lots of other things.

 

[four.cycle]

 

[ez-duzit]

 

[JohnDeere]

Do you lock your garage?

 

[craftsman creep]

Now weird but vintage.@S-K tool fanatic! Has posted a picture of this one. He is my cousin.

 

[twertsy]

Ha! I still got it................

 

[Oldtuleguy]

 

[d42jeep]

Now weird but vintage.@S-K tool fanatic! Has posted a picture of this one. He is my cousin.

Those ratchets are very popular at my house. I have one each in my WW2 keeper sets and one in my New Britain set.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Some people think the Kraeuter ratchet handles look uncomfortable but I like them.
Here are a couple of Wright made Powr-Kraft ratchets with the big control knob. The Tootsie roll one is 3/8” drive, the other one is 1/2” drive. It arrived today.

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

Does the first one have S-K connections?
-Tommy

 

[JohnDeere]

Wright invented the soft handle ratchet IIRC, a lot of companies used that style handle.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

The kreuter was made by sk

 

[d42jeep]

The kreuter was made by sk

Here is my recently completed (with help from Username) Kraeuter socket set made by S-K.
-Don

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

That is awesome!

 

[joel_400]

Wizard adjustable ratcheting tool. Patented May 21 07. Definitely the strangest I've seen in a bit!

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

Wizard adjustable ratcheting tool. Patented May 21 07. Definitely the strangest I've seen in a bit!

That has to be one of the toughest looking ratchet out there.

 

[bonneyman]

Looks like an old husband alignment tool. lol

 

[driftpin]

I enjoyed going thru the pages, lots of ways to turn a socket. I'm not a collector, so I don't have anything like these. My oldest is a (I'm told) a WW II Snap On ratchet I bought because it was old, it had some non-ferrous metal pieces, and it was cheap in $. Hey, maybe I am a collector!

 

[driftpin]

Wizard adjustable ratcheting tool. Patented May 21 07. Definitely the strangest I've seen in a bit!

That has to be one of the toughest looking ratchet out there.

It looks like King Kong's blackhead removal 'spoon.'

 

[four.cycle]

^ Believe it or not, the Richards "Wizard" concept has recently been brought back onto the market in various forms, this being but one example. (Google search string: "adjustable universal ratchet")

History repeats itself. Even in the case of weird old ratchets, or so it would appear.

 

[WisJim]

I only have two ratchets that I consider "weird", a Richard's Wizard as Joel mentioned above, and a Pokorney single size missing a couple of letters on the company name on the handle.

 

[joel_400]

^ Believe it or not, the Richards "Wizard" concept has recently been brought back onto the market in various forms, this being but one example. (Google search string: "adjustable universal ratchet")

History repeats itself. Even in the case of weird old ratchets, or so it would appear.

Ahh, but that one is metric...totally different tool! Haha
Joel

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Pokorney single size missing a couple of letters on the company name on the handle.

Cool find. I don't know much about Pokorney, but I would bet my next paycheck that was made for them by Chicago Manufacturing and Distributing.