Anyone collect vintage Taps and dies?

[AntiqueBen]

Here's another small Wiley & Russell set. I'm not sure which set this is? It's missing the tap wrench to hold the taps in the handle. Instead it has an extra die. Looks like it also has the small slot for the pin to adjust the screw on the handle like the no. 0 set. But is this a no. 0? I posted pics of my no. 0 up thread & it has less dies & a smaller box. So, I'm not sure what this one is?

 

[RTM]

Interesting that they have different configurations of the set no 0 in this ad.

The Blacksmith & Wheelwright

books.google.com

In a 1910 add they show a regular tap handle in the set.

American Blacksmith, Auto & Tractor Shop

books.google.com

 

[AntiqueBen]

Interesting that they have different configurations of the set no 0 in this ad.

The Blacksmith & Wheelwright

books.google.com

Looks like they had several options for no. 0 sets. Oddly enough, none of the examples in this ad is like either of my sets. I wouldn't have thought they would make so many versions of the same set. I get a couple versions, but 4 or more seems odd to me.

 

[four.cycle]

1895 Queen City Supply Co. catalog Lightning Wiley & Russell ad pp 213

1895 Queen City Supply Co. catalog Lightning Wiley & Russell ad pp 214

1895 Queen City Supply Co. catalog Lightning Wiley & Russell ad pp 215

1895 Queen City Supply Co. catalog Lightning Wiley & Russell ad pp 216

1895 Queen City Supply Co. catalog Lightning Wiley & Russell ad pp 217

1902 Witte Hardware Co. catalog Wiley & Russell pp 197

1902 Witte Hardware Co. catalog Wiley & Russell pp 198

 

[AntiqueBen]

1895 Queen City Supply Co. catalog Lightning Wiley & Russell ad pp 213

1895 Queen City Supply Co. catalog Lightning Wiley & Russell ad pp 214

1895 Queen City Supply Co. catalog Lightning Wiley & Russell ad pp 215

1895 Queen City Supply Co. catalog Lightning Wiley & Russell ad pp 216

1895 Queen City Supply Co. catalog Lightning Wiley & Russell ad pp 217

1902 Witte Hardware Co. catalog Wiley & Russell pp 197

1902 Witte Hardware Co. catalog Wiley & Russell pp 198

Wow! Thanks 4C. The 1895 listing shows 8 versions of the no. 0.
Who would have guessed....

 

[AntiqueBen]

Wow! Thanks 4C. The 1895 listing shows 8 versions of the no. 0.
Who would have guessed....

Make that 9 versions of the no. 0 set.

 

[four.cycle]

1902 Witte Hardware Co. catalog Wiley & Russell pp 195


1902 Witte Hardware Co. catalog Wiley & Russell pp 196

@AntiqueBen - the next series starts at 1912, in a Marshall-Wells catalog, but the part numbers are completely different.

As an aside: that fabulous die set on the previous page (displayed above the urinal in the mens room) came in a number of different "sets", with the advertising slogan on the box reading "A stock for every die".

 

[AntiqueBen]

My little 5 die No. 0 set showed up today. It's amazing to me after all this time most of the logo on the outside of the lid is still there. Even more amazing the complete label on the inside of the lid is also still there. It's cool that the handle has the 1873 patent on it. I noticed only the bottom of the box has cut outs for the pieces unlike the other sets. Also, the front of the box says "Assortment 0 Stock 6 inches long." I found a temporary pin in a toolbox that works for now until I can make a proper one.

 

[Beerhippie]

I picked up this Blue Point Rethreader Dies set today:



I believe it's identical to the set @Private Lugnutz posted in post #288 above.

Here's the rest of the box:





There's something on this side:



but it's illegible to my eyes--even after boosting the contrast in the photo.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Good find!

 

[Beerhippie]

Good find!

I'll trade you for your NC set!

I think there might be one or two things around the brewery with SAE NF threads....

 

[PSCo1867]

S W Card #4 tap handle:

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Found this baby handle this morning at the flea. Looks shop-made from bar stock, flattened in the middle, then tapped, and the size markings look shop-stamped.

 

[RTM]

Looks shop-made from bar stock, flattened in the middle, then tapped, and the size markings look shop-stamped.

Some of my threadplates look hand stamped also, this one might be wearing a brand name. Note the numbers aren't stamped evenly around the fraction bars.

The stray 3 gives some concern

 

[seagiant]

Hi,
Just bought a vintage Montgomery Ward tap and die set.

Wanted a good price but better than import.

Anyone know who made these?

 

[454ragtop]

Hi,
Just bought a vintage Montgomery Ward tap and die set.

Wanted a good price but better than import.

Anyone know who made these?

Show some pics of the actual tools, can't tell much just looking at the case.

 

[seagiant]

Hi,
Thanks, have to wait for it to arrive!

 

[four.cycle]

^ as a general rule of thumb:

Both Montgomery Ward and J.C. Penney were in direct competition with Sears and the Craftsman hand tool line.
In many cases, you will find the product from Penney or Wards to be superior to the equivalent Craftsman - depending upon who the OEM supplier was.
Wards didn't always go with the low bidder.

 

[seagiant]

^ as a general rule of thumb:

Both Montgomery Ward and J.C. Penney were in direct competition with Sears and the Craftsman hand tool line.
In many cases, you will find the product from Penney or Wards to be superior to the equivalent Craftsman - depending upon who the OEM supplier was.
Wards didn't always go with the low bidder.

Hi,
Thanks may never know, have seen "Vulcan" and Greenfield mentioned with Wards stuff, but?

Will look when I receive the set to see if I can see who actually made it.

Powr-Kraft OSG Japan, has also come up in searches?

 

[four.cycle]

^ Probably be stamped with one of Ward's many trade names, as were most all of their private-label tools - they outsourced from everybody: you can buy "Powr-Kraft" socket sets and ratchets made by Indestro, Thorsen, or Wright.
Again - and this was something I was not aware of until I joined here - Wards and Penneys were both trying to go toe-to-toe with Sears, so they HAD to offer a good product - cheap stuff wouldn't have sold. (And neither Wards OR Penneys offered those "low monthly payment" charge accounts - they needed an edge to stay competitive.)

 

[seagiant]

^ Probably be stamped with one of Ward's many trade names, as were most all of their private-label tools - they outsourced from everybody: you can buy "Powr-Kraft" socket sets and ratchets made by Indestro, Thorsen, or Wright.
Again - and this was something I was not aware of until I joined here - Wards and Penneys were both trying to go toe-to-toe with Sears, so they HAD to offer a good product - cheap stuff wouldn't have sold. (And neither Wards OR Penneys offered those "low monthly payment" charge accounts - they needed an edge to stay competitive.)

Hi,
Thanks, I have heard Penney's put out some good Tap and Dies, whoever made them.

I think my vintage Tap and Die set will work just fine, and be better than anything Chinese.

 

[seagiant]

Hi,
Saw this, never thought of Morse?

Still waiting on the set to arrive.

AI Overview
Learn more…

Morse manufactured taps and dies for Montgomery Ward. Morse is a leader in the production of taps and dies for professional craftsmen.

 

[d42jeep]

On Saturday we went to an Oakland estate sale and we found several DeWalt set boxes for almost give away prices. The previous owner had some items in each box and I went through the tap box and added some I had lying around in a drawer. At least they are a little more organized now.
-Don

 

[genog]

I will continue the drift of this thread into screw extractor territory.
Here are a couple of early Cleveland Twist Drill screw extractor sets.
Both sets are marked with the patent date of July 28, 1914.
Patent No. 1,105,535 issued to Julius Roberts of Salina KS with extractors manufactured by Cleveland.
The smaller set looks to have had a paper label, now missing, as the rest of the box is appropriately 'grungy'.
The larger one has faint markings indicating Cleveland as the maker.

EDIT: The marked extractors in the larger set are mis-marked July 23. The smaller set, and the original patent, have the date of July 28. Sometimes you just can't trust your lyin' eyes.

I have the same ole set of Cleveland Twist Drill extractors
They're soaking in Evapo-Rust....

 

[genog]

The extractors look much better now....
Just a quick dip in Evapo-rust.

 

[genog]

I bought a bunch of threading dies this past weekend
I need to get them organized.....

 

[pcrov]

Wells Bros. Company "Little Giant" from gramp's garage. Briggs std is apparently the precursor to NPT. Kinda neat.

 

[ararat]

Just got this big Wells Brothers New Little Giant Screw Plate. 1/2" to 1". It doesn't have a tap wrench or even a spot for one. Die stock is 26". Lots of leverage.

There's also a 5/16" die with a different logo ( probably younger).

Complete with cutting oil and metal chips. Maybe it got some use recently.

Patent Feb 3 1885

The directions say to get the guide off the back of the die to put flat stock in your vise and use it to hold the guide to screw it off.

 

[bonneyman]

On Saturday we went to an Oakland estate sale and we found several DeWalt set boxes for almost give away prices. The previous owner had some items in each box and I went through the tap box and added some I had lying around in a drawer. At least they are a little more organized now.

-Don

Oh, I love those yellow snap boxes! So great for holding all sorts of tiny parts - even drill bits!

 

[d42jeep]

I was unable to leave this Greenfield set behind when I spotted it at a sale last month.
-Don

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

Far from a collector and/ or a collector‘s piece. It’s what I use. It’s currently missing each, the corresponding M6 tap and die. And it holds an M10 tap that does not originally belong to this kit. Like I said, still in use when I need it.

The manufacturer was Pronto (founded in 1876 as far as I know) in Wuppertal, Germany. This was made before the 1989 merger with Meister Craft & Abraham Diedrichs. ( https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/meister-schlingensiepen-old-german-tool-company.503432/ )






Kind regards,
Olli

 

[RTM]

was unable to leave this behind when I spotted it at a sale last month.

Wow, is that lots of different size and pitch taps, or just lots of duplicates? If the former, I bet lots of abandoned sizes in there, just the thing for old tool repair.

 

[Beerhippie]

Wow, is that lots of different size and pitch taps, or just lots of duplicates? If the former, I bet lots of abandoned sizes in there, just the thing for old tool repair.

Looks like taps and matching bits.

 

[RTM]

Here is a fun pickup from today's GS haul. A Wells Little Giant set, most dies are marked Patented Feb 3, 1885, and the set case appears t be marked A 2-1/2 on the front edge. Some of the Dies are size marked with an A1. No taps or handle included

Each die marked (unless noted)
Wells Brothers Company
Greenfield Mass
Cutting hole
Patented Feb 3, 1885
"Little Giant"



Moving across L - R, top then bottom row
7/64 - 56
A1 3/16 - 24
1/16 - 72
9/64 40
A1 1/8 - 40
3/32 56
A1 7-32-24
5-64 72
A1 5/32 32

Oddball
O.K. Jr
3/8 - 16 NC

The 1889 & '95 catalog lists sets 1-3, but not 2-1/2. =This should have had 10 dies, so bigger than the A3.

Price List of Tools and Machinery Manufactured by Wells Brothers & Co. : Wells Brothers & Co. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

124 p., illus., 14.2 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

With the 1885 patent, these should have been sold no later then 1903.

More later, gotta run and finish stuff before it gets dark.

 

[RTM]

Continuing on, in the 1915 catalog, I finally found the A2-1/2 set listed. I am missing the 1/4-20 nominal, but none of mine match the pitches, tho the OD is correct.



Proceeding to the next section, they list alternate pitch sizes available. Only 2 of mine are in the regular range, so my missing tap might be a 1/4", but probably a 24, 27, 28, or 32 TPI.

 

[SquirrelsTools]

Got this guy and restored it recently (it was rough).

Hercules, Set No. 1

USS and SAE Sizes. I can't find a damn thing about it online. The only one ALMOST like it is a set labeled "Peracles". No dies, only screw plates that fit in one of two directions in the handle depending on size. Opens with a face spanner (included) and adjusts with four screws (driver included). For reference the handle is 14.5 inches end to end.

 

[SquirrelsTools]

A contribution so that I'm not just asking for something. MASSIVE Reed pipe threading handle. And a tiny S.W. Card (Watchmaker?) tap and die set with all but one original tap. Smallest size is 4-48.

 

[leg17]

A contribution so that I'm not just asking for something. MASSIVE Reed pipe threading handle. And a tiny S.W. Card (Watchmaker?) tap and die set with all but one original tap. Smallest size is 4-48.

Nice little set.
Great for delicate machine work.
Probably kinda big for watchmaker.

 

[SquirrelsTools]

Ya know, I actually thought about that after I said it. Like what watch has a 1/4 inch screw? I stand corrected.

 

[Beerhippie]

Ya know, I actually thought about that after I said it. Like what watch has a 1/4 inch screw? I stand corrected.

A gunsmith would use those smaller size screws and threads. So would a lot of other trades--typewriter and sewing machine repair, etc.