Show Off Your Antique Sockets & Braces

[AntiqueBen]

Not only am I fascinated with antique ratchets, I'm also curious to learn more about the history of sockets. Of course in the late 1800's they were referred to by a few different names like bits or reducers. Before broached we had pressed steel sockets like Contal & Mossberg in the early 1900's. It's the sockets from the 1800's that interest me. I recently acquired a G.W. Smith ratchet patented 1883 that came with some sockets that are heavy cast with tapered tangs on top of them. These are more than likely released around 1890 when the ratchet was released. Very interesting indeed, but I wander, were there sockets before this? If so, who made them & what did they look like?

This brings me to my latest find (pics below). It's a set of socket bits that fit into a brace. I have a few braces, but I've never researched specifics on braces so brace history is new to me. I've always thought of just putting drill bits into braces, not sockets. The bits or socket bits is what caught my eye. In this case, the brace acts as the ratchet in a sense, and the interchangeable sockets for the tool are these "socket bits." All of the bits are marked with a "B" in a triangle. Could this be Billings & Spencer Co? AA says Billings used this logo as far back as 1870. I would like to figure out when they were made as well as the braces I picked up. They are not ratcheting & their construction suggests to me that they are antique.

So, post up any antique, odd, or unique sockets so we can see what's out there. Also, post any brace information you have. When researching sockets in the 1800's, braces are definitely going to come into play.

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

Not only am I fascinated with antique ratchets, I'm also curious to learn more about the history of sockets. Of course in the late 1800's they were referred to by a few different names like bits or reducers. Before broached we had pressed steel sockets like Contal & Mossberg in the early 1900's. It's the sockets from the 1800's that interest me. I recently acquired a G.W. Smith ratchet patented 1883 that came with some sockets that are heavy cast with tapered tangs on top of them. These are more than likely released around 1890 when the ratchet was released. Very interesting indeed, but I wander, were there sockets before this? If so, who made them & what did they look like?

This brings me to my latest find (pics below). It's a set of socket bits that fit into a brace. I have a few braces, but I've never researched specifics on braces so brace history is new to me. I've always thought of just putting drill bits into braces, not sockets. The bits or socket bits is what caught my eye. In this case, the brace acts as the ratchet in a sense, and the interchangeable sockets for the tool are these "socket bits." All of the bits are marked with a "B" in a triangle. Could this be Billings & Spencer Co? AA says Billings used this logo as far back as 1870. I would like to figure out when they were made as well as the braces I picked up. They are not ratcheting & their construction suggests to me that they are antique.

So, post up any antique, odd, or unique sockets so we can see what's out there. Also, post any brace information you have. When researching sockets in the 1800's, braces are definitely going to come into play.

Those are fantastic. I also am fascinated with Ratchets and Sockets and Braces. And the transitions of all tools. I grew up in the 60s using those braces tapping sugar trees for maple syrup in much rougher shape. The sockets for the braces are something very rare. Never seen before. Good find. You are Antique Ben. lol.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Those are fantastic. I also am fascinated with Ratchets and Sockets and Braces. And the transitions of all tools. I grew up in the 60s using those braces tapping sugar trees for maple syrup in much rougher shape. The sockets for the braces are something very rare. Never seen before. Good find. You are Antique Ben. lol.

Thanks Mike. I enjoy the history on this stuff. I had never seen brace bits that were sockets either. So, socket history stretches back into the brace era before the perfection of the ratchet designs we all know.
I could taste the maple syrup as I read your post

 

[RTM]

Your braces in the first picture are called ball braces, penny braces, or gentlemen's braces. They are not real heavy duty so I would be cautious using them with your sockets. They are usually used with bits that have a notch in the tang, to mate with the capture screw. I forget the correct term.

There is a good brace page here. Lots of specific details on chucks and other details, as well as the brace itself.

sydnassloot.com

There are several makers of sockets for braces. Drawing a blank right now, will add more later.

Nice eBay get on that batch.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Those are definitely Billings. I don't know when they started making them, but I have seen yours in the 1926 catalog. Brace bit socket wrenches were common for turning bolts on carriage work, and I think that extended into very early wooden automobile body work. Lowentraut and Braunsdorf-Muller definitely made them. Here are a couple of mine, both BMCo, and very early.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Note that the concept of brace bit socket wrenches is not all that exclusive to the antique era. They were standard issue for linemen and other Ma Bell techs well up into the 50's and maybe later, for example. Here is one of mine.

 

[four.cycle]

"brace socket" is a term that was used. there were a number of companies that made them.
You could also find brace-driven taps.

 

[four.cycle]

One of the more odd contrivances was Jacob Switzer's brace screwdriver.

(* Download my LIST here. Open in Windows notepad. Use the "search" function to look for "brace". There's a mess of them in there. )

 

[AntiqueBen]

Your braces in the first picture are called ball braces, penny braces, or gentlemen's braces. They are not real heavy duty so I would be cautious using them with your sockets. They are usually used with bits that have a notch in the tang, to mate with the capture screw. I forget the correct term.

There is a good brace page here. Lots of specific details on chucks and other details, as well as the brace itself.

sydnassloot.com

There are several makers of sockets for braces. Drawing a blank right now, will add more later.

Nice eBay get on that batch.

Thanks for that brace info RTM. I'm anxious to get them so I can learn more about them. When I saw these I had to have them. Something you don't see to often.

 

[AntiqueBen]

"brace socket" is a term that was used. there were a number of companies that made them.
You could also find brace-driven taps.

As always, nice ads 4C. Good information.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Those are definitely Billings. I don't know when they started making them, but I have seen yours in the 1926 catalog. Brace bit socket wrenches were common for turning bolts on carriage work, and I think that extended into very early wooden automobile body work. Lowentraut and Braunsdorf-Muller definitely made them. Here are a couple of mine, both BMCo, and very early.

Nice tools Lugz. I suppose my next step is figuring out if it's possible to date the Billings & Spencer bits. Maybe how to tell the difference between early ones vs later ones.
Down another rabbit hole I go...

 

[four.cycle]

^ The "sydnasloot" link that RTM posted is one of the best "brace" sites. There are others. "Brace" is a really curious collector market niche - there are some very serious hard-core brace collectors.

 

[AntiqueBen]

One of the more odd contrivances was Jacob Switzer's brace screwdriver.

(* Download my LIST here. Open in Windows notepad. Use the "search" function to look for "brace". There's a mess of them in there. )

Now that's something you don't see every day. Very unique.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

You could also find brace-driven taps.

And nut wrenches, by the same tap & die maker crowd. Wiley & Russel made a square and hex nut wrench version of the Lightning you posted above. The Wells Bros had their own version.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I suppose my next step is figuring out if it's possible to date the Billings & Spencer bits.

Well, the first thing I recommend is comparing yours to the illustration in the 1926 catalog on IA/ITCL. They're spittin' images. That's the earliest Billings catalog on IA/ITCL, unfortunately. Next, I would go to Google Books and search on some combination such as 'Billings Brace Bit Socket Wrench,' which is the nomenclature they used for them in the 1926 catalog, to see if you can find any ads in trade mags. I just did that and the earliest references I can find are a couple of 1914 journals where F.C. Billings hisself was disguising an ad as a tutorial on wrenches. There's a figure with illustration of various wrenches and one of them is of a brace bit socket wrench. It's not a Billings, per se, and it's not part of the text, but it's something.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Wiley & Russel made a square and hex nut wrench version of the Lightning you posted above.

This is from an 1890 Motley wholesalers' catalog.

The Wells Bros had their own version.

This is from 1909.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

That's the earliest Billings catalog on IA/ITCL, unfortunately.

Correction. That is the best view of them. But there is a B&S section from a 1915 Gibson Supply Co catalog and a B&S section from a 1924 Stowe Supply Co catalog. Both include the bit brace wrenches, one of them shows the set in a pouch, both show them coming with a two-handle tap wrench to turn them, not a brace. And after re-looking at the 1924, it, too, shows the tap like handle. It has openings on either end, like an offset configuration, and in the middle, like a tap handle configuration.

 

[AntiqueBen]

This is from an 1890 Motley wholesalers' catalog.




This is from 1909.

Good info Lugz. This is very interesting to research because there are several types of these by different manufacturers. Question is, how far back do these socket bits go? Like Billings & Spencer for example. Without seeing pics of other examples, it may be difficult to understand the differences on how they are marked. The black & white catalog pics don't really help in this regard.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Here are the only other braces I have. One is a John Fray no. 312 brace that is a little over 15" long. I can't find any info on a 312 model. I'm not sure yet what the other one is. Looks like a "S&W" on the logo.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

That's a Pexto.

I haven't found any reference to the wrench brace bits earlier than 1890 among the tap and die makers. For B&S, in particular, the earliest I have found is that 1914 reference I mentioned, which is consistent with the 1914 catalog on IA/ITCL. That exhausts my degree of interest. The only reason I have any examples is I never leave Braunsdorf-Mueller or Bell System behind.

 

[AntiqueBen]

I haven't found any reference to them earlier than 1890 among the tap and die makers. For B&S, in particular, the earliest I have found is that 1914 reference I mentioned, which is consistent with the 1914 catalog on IA/ITCL. That exhausts my degree of interest. The only reason I have any of the tools is I never leave Braunsdorf-Mueller or Bell System behind.

I appreciate the help. I'll have to dig out my Bell System tool box one day & post some pics. It has the coolest wooden tray inside it.

 

[four.cycle]

I did some more digging and came up with a few more. Note the Mossberg page with the Mossberg brace and "rim wrenches" - wheels were one of the first things one needed to put a wrench or socket onto (wagon or automobile.)

 

[kwigly]

From 1888 Walter's catalog, an early adjustable socket wrench for use in a brace. (Backus patent #216776 of June 24 1879)

 

[kwigly]

Some braces, some with fixed socket ends, and some of my brace sockets.

 

[WisJim]

I sort of collect bit braces, breast drills, and related boring tools. I might have a couple of hundred bit braces. I am always looking for odd or unusual chucks or ratcheting mechanisms, corner or joist braces, and other oddities. I'm slowing getting rid of duplicates or examples that aren't too interesting because I just don't have the room for a lot of them.

 

[AntiqueBen]

I sort of collect bit braces, breast drills, and related boring tools. I might have a couple of hundred bit braces. I am always looking for odd or unusual chucks or ratcheting mechanisms, corner or joist braces, and other oddities. I'm slowing getting rid of duplicates or examples that aren't too interesting because I just don't have the room for a lot of them.

I'd say that's more than "sort of" collect braces! Wow, awesome collection. Looks like you have some really nice examples. You might be able to help me out since I don't know much about braces. I have a John S. Fray no. 312 brace. It's 15" long. I can't find any info on this model, so I don't know when it was made. Oddly enough, it is also stamped "damaged." Would you know anything about this brace or why it's stamped damaged?

 

[AntiqueBen]

From 1888 Walter's catalog, an early adjustable socket wrench for use in a brace. (Backus patent #216776 of June 24 1879)

Now that is cool. An adjustable bit socket. Probably very difficult to find.

 

[AntiqueBen]

I found 3 more socket wrenches. I'm wandering, are all these type of socket bits have the same size stud on the top?? If so, I'm considering building a collection to go with my G.W. Smith ratchet set.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Found a pic online of the Backus adjustable ratcheting socket wrench bit. Probably the holy grail of antique era socket wrench bits.

 

[RTM]

I can't find any info on this model, so I don't know when it was made.

Fray's Bit Braces, Breast and Hand Drills : Catalogue No. 26 : John S. Fray Co. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

44 p., illus., 21.0 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

 

[four.cycle]

excellent collection there, @WisJim !

@AntiqueBen - I would assume they were all designed to fit into the most common brace styles of the day, so it should follow that they would all be relatively the same size on the drive end.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

...and some of my brace sockets.

Nice. And thanks for reminding me I had a couple of these arched types in a different box, and I had forgotten that one of them was also a Braunsdorf-Mueller, so it has now been reunited with the other two.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I am always looking for...[ ]...oddities.

Here's one for you, Jim! Shown with the two I just pulled out for size context. I'll let you ruminate a while before I paulharvey you.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Here's one for you, Jim! Shown with the two I just pulled out for size context. I'll let you ruminate a while before I paulharvey you.

To cut a circle??

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

To cut a circle??

In Cheese.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

To cut a circle??

In Cheese.

It resembles a gasket cutter, and that's what I thought it was until I saw the other two blades, which would bore.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I am trying to imagine the size of the arms that would be required to turn a brace with that beast and bore through an oak plank. I'm guessing it would not be a speedy operation.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I am trying to imagine the size of the arms that would be required to turn a brace with that beast and bore through an oak plank.

That's exactly what I was thinking when I snagged it at the flea. Early hole saw? It just didn't make sense to me with a manual brace. I was waiting for Jim to be my straight man, but you will do!

The markings on the tube were very faint, but between those and the markings cast into the brass fixture (love the "B'K'N" for Brooklyn!), I was able to figure it out.

It's for plaster! For running wires, conduit, and hoses of any kind in building construction. Patented in 1915 and made by the American Plaster Drill Company.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Missing the nifty bowl to catch the mess. It was quite a complex set of pieces to clean.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Missing the nifty bowl to catch the mess. It was quite a complex set of pieces to clean.

That's a neat tool for sure. Much easier through plaster than wood. To go through wood you better eat your spinach, unless you've already got those Popeye forearms