Ah, the Mason Jars full of old fasteners, there's a real challenge! Sure you will get to it sometime, and I look forward to see the results. Thanks for taking my comment in good heart as it was intended and not taking offence. Always enjoy your posts and your discerning collection.
More than one way to do that old fastener thing. Last pic was 222#, all in, boxes, bottles and fasteners. Threw out a few jars, slowly weeding thru them, moving them into organized storage. Found several weird sized screws in one bottle, salvaged a buffing motor, a spokeshave, and something that’s escaping me right now.
I need those bins bad. I still have my dad's and as time goes, they dry up and fall apart. Good luck. If he needs a bunch to complete the project. I am sure to have them.More than one way to do that old fastener thing. Last pic was 222#, all in, boxes, bottles and fasteners. Threw out a few jars, slowly weeding thru them, moving them into organized storage. Found several weird sized screws in one bottle, salvaged a buffing motor, a spokeshave, and something that’s escaping me right now.
currently up to three Akro bin boxes full I suppose, just need a few hours to spread every out, and get it in order
One of these is full, 2 or 3 sizes to a drawer, one is stashed on a shelf waiting for machine screws, the next will get mixed with the currently full one, and the electrical crimps etc will move to a smaller one.
Thanks FarmerJ. I enjoy your posts as well. Life's too short to get worked up over the small stuff. Yeah, I've got over 30 large mason jars full of old fasteners. Probably worth a small fortune in today's hardware prices
I'm sure I can find what I need in there.Thanks 4C!! Awesome info & pics. I like seeing other pics for comparison. Right away I can see several construction differences between mine & the one in the pics & Walworth ad. The head of my ratchet is made completely different, especially around the opening. Mine is 10" long & the name & patent is on the head vs. on the handle like the others. I'm gonna guess & say mine is an older design based on how the head of my ratchet is compared to the Walworth ad. Look how the opening on the later ones appear to spin within the protruded part, where as my entire protruded part spins with the opening. Pics below for comparison.
I also found this ad from The Railway Review from 1893. Pretty interesting. It describes how the Smith ratchet works & all the different options it offers. I like how this ad says the Smith ratchet is a "departure from the old time ratchet drill."
Don't forget Cornwell. Here's my gearless 3/4" ratchet (pic below). Probably from the early 1930's. It's difficult to pin down an exact year because Cornwell is known for always saying "Pat Applied For" & having no patent at all. Interesting thought Lugz. It would be cool to try & put together a collection of all the gearless cam-roller rats, but I'm sure there may be some we're forgetting about.
Cornwell is still in business today (over 100 yrs) and they only have 2 patents. One for a soldering iron & one for a universal coupling. They have made many tools for over 100 yrs and don't have even one tool patent? How is this? Even if they're working off of another patent, you would think they would have to cite that patent number somewhere on a tool, an ad or something. I could be wrong but I've never seen a Cornwell tool that cites another patent.
Help me understand something. The "Pat Applied For" reference would imply you have applied for a patent. So, was Cornwell's patent application not approved or rejected for some reason??
Help me understand something. The "Pat Applied For" reference would imply you have applied for a patent. So, was Cornwell's patent application not approved or rejected for some reason?? "Applied For" to me means you have filled out the necessary paperwork & submitted it for approval?
Private Lugnutz said:
Yes, that is the most plausible way to interpret it, as I stated above. And the most plausible reason, also stated above, is that it had insufficient novelty, according to the USPTO inspectors, in comparison to a ratchet with a current utility patent. That doesn't mean Cornwell was prevented from producing them. It does mean they probably would've been subject to infringement if taken to court. If it was Blackhawk's freewheeler that gummed Cornwell up with the USPTO, perhaps Blackhawk didn't care or bother. Or perhaps Cornwell was paying Blackhawk a licensing fee. Or perhaps it was none of the above. All we know for sure is they applied and it was almost assuredly not granted.
Looks fantastic
Thanks Patrick. It was fun to make.
Thanks for that link. I hadn't seen that thread yet.
Just went through the Bethlehem thread. Very interesting discussion. Also some cool mysteries related to Bethlehem tools. I like a good mystery.
Yes.
I think your right. It just hit me if the spring wasn't there, the selector may be free to slide back & forth. Just seems odd that what helps keep the selector in place is on the outside of the ratchet.
You might see a partial set missing its ratchet some day. Stranger things have happened in this hobby. I have one, for example. I've been waiting to run into a ratchet and a sliding L/T bar that are missing from a "Set G" I found at the flea a couple years ago. If it was a partial "Set D" I would not hesitate to offer it to you right here and now, because I already have one. But the "G" sets were a little later, when Bethlehem was partnered with Splitdorf, and even though they came in the same orange box, same cool double latch, with a very similar looking decal, the layout was different and some of the contents, including a unique wingnut socket, a drain plug socket, four 4-point sockets, an adaptor, and two drag link bits. If you scrolled through the whole thread you may have seen it with its vacant ratchet spot here. When one of us runs out of patience, sooner or later, we should probably put them together, one way or another. Something to jot down in your little black book anyway.
There is a cool post in there where lessorson actually made a nice reproduction box. It's a pretty good thread
I have a love for ratchets, so I'm guilty of picking up lone ratchets all the time. I like having complete sets, but I'm often satisfied with just the ratchet. I do have some sockets on my watch list though, like Contal & any late 1800's versions. I'm always looking for Craftsman circle K (SK) 3/4" sockets & the late 20's Blackhawk 3/4" sockets too.
Oh, I have a pretty overloaded orphan ratchet drawer myself. I think the same goes for many, many, many guys here. But collecting ratchets, collecting sets, collecting partial sets, collecting other handles and pieces onesy-twosy, and sometimes putting them together are not mutually exclusive activities.
I know what you mean. This stack is stuffed full of ratchets & my sets are in another spot. I guess it's a sickness, but one I enjoy
They were indeed an early adopter of 3/4 drive
Wow! That's a really nice set! Those sockets are difficult to find, or at least around here anyway.
Nice find Lugz. That is a cool ratchet. Very unique design.
