Vintage Xcelite or other Nut Driver Sets

[INSP380]

Whoa, whoa, whoa there. It's not time for the "next" set until you finish this one, lol. You have the normal run, but there are way more to be had if you really want to go nuts. The HS Series runs 6-24, skipping only 21 and 23 (I don't think those sizes were made, but who knows). Then there's the magnetics, stubbies and longs too. Oh, and metrics!

Here's what my SAE Xcelite set looks like (pardon the one non-Xcelite on the top-right:

Guess I should have specified “Normal Run” I’m after the whole kit & kaboodle of Xcelite drivers. Thinking stubbies next… BTW, those in between sizes are the fun ones to hunt!!

Killer collection!!

Steve

 

[CoogarXR]

Guess I should have specified “Normal Run” I’m after the whole kit & kaboodle of Xcelite drivers. Thinking stubbies next… BTW, those in between sizes are the fun ones to hunt!!

Killer collection!!

Steve

Thank you. I've been on the lookout for oddballs for quite a while now, lol.

Here's the post when I finished the stubby run:

Vintage Xcelite or other Nut Driver Sets

Thanks for the info. Found this decent stubby #1 Phillips at an estate sale today. -Don

www.garagejournal.com

 

[3baygarage]

I received a link from Lugz to this thread, pointing out a couple The States Co. nut driver handles he found a few years ago. Apparently he has 3/4 of the set!

From the company's website:


Here is the 1/2" nut driver handle I picked up yesterday. It says Dallas, TX rather than Hartford, CT like the others Lugz posted.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Apparently he has 3/4 of the set!

Thanks! That's good to know. My research on what I am assuming is the original, older, Hartford based variants did not reveal any ads or trade mag material that provided information about a set. This is exciting.

It says Dallas, TX rather than Hartford, CT like the others Lugz posted.

I was wondering if they relocated (sequential production) or had a second plant (parallel production), but I'm assuming the little "by Megger" text on that excerpt indicates that Megger acquired States, moved production to Dallas, and used the trademarked "States" name as a brand. I will do some Google Booksing to verify that.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

^ Have not dug out an exact date yet, but Meggers Group, a British Company, with a Dallas facility, definitely acquired the States Company, and the TM, probably around the time they were expanding through other acquisitions here in the states.

 

[3baygarage]

^ Have not dug out an exact date yet, but Meggers Group, a British Company, with a Dallas facility, definitely acquired the States Company, and the TM, probably around the time they were expanding through other acquisitions here in the states.

That's what I found too. Dallas headquarters.

 

[MisterEd]

Walden Spintite, 3411, 11/32

 

[d42jeep]

Some recent Xcelite finds and a mystery nutdriver made by Xcelite. Found these on Friday.
The 1/4” nutdriver with most of the logo missing.
This screwdriver had a bent tip that broke off when I tried to straighten it so I had to redo the tip with my vertical sander.
-Don

 

[59Sled]

This 1/4 nut driver was made in the mid to late 1970's. Not sure who made it as the only markings on it are those of our company. unless our company made them in the manufacturing department.

Here's the back story to them.

The company is Panavision. We make motion picture cameras and lenses. Company was founded in 1954. And we only rent our equipment. Never sell anything. This nut driver was made so you can remove the motor cover off of one of the Panaflex 35mm film cameras and access the spare electronic boards to replace them if the camera had issues. As you can see, you insert this driver through 2 holes on the movement side of the camera. Then you flip the tabs up on the motor cover to remove it. These were sent out with the clients that rented this particular film camera. The camera is the Panavision Panaflex G (short for gold) 35mm film camera. This camera was made all in house in Los Angeles in the Mid to late 70's. There are some college new film maker programs that we grant this camera to today. The word Panaflex on it is engraved for our camera that it went with. I think the part number is our manufacturing number for it.
Either way its old. We still have a handful of them in a drawer here at the shop. And you could only imagine what blockbuster TV and movies these have been on.

 

[four.cycle]

^ Fascinating. Offhand, I'd think they most likely farmed that out to a screwdriver manufacturer - it's the handle part of the screwdriver that makes it a somewhat "specialized" manufacturing process. I don't recognize the handle shape so I can't even make a wild guess.... although the flutes look a bit Vaco-ish.

 

[d42jeep]

The handle shape indicates manufacture by Xcelite, who made nutdrivers for many manufacturers and companies.
-Do

 

[CoogarXR]

That's an Xcelite handle for sure. They made tools for other OEMs and would brand them however you want.

It looks like a standard 1/4 long-reach nut driver, like an L8.

Very cool history though! Thanks for sharing.

 

[d42jeep]

Coogar, can you decipher the markings on the nutdriver I posted above? Here it is again.
-Don

 

[59Sled]

The handle shape indicates manufacture by Xcelite, who made nutdrivers for many manufacturers and companies.
-Do

That's an Xcelite handle for sure. They made tools for other OEMs and would brand them however you want.

It looks like a standard 1/4 long-reach nut driver, like an L8.

Very cool history though! Thanks for sharing.

That's what I assumed too. Our company does supply us camera techs with Xcelite yellow handle Allen drivers for us to use on the cameras.

 

[CoogarXR]

Coogar, can you decipher the markings on the nutdriver I posted above? Here it is again.
-Don

Yep, it's a Jensen (also Xcelite-sourced) model 3B167.

Jensen was a tool-kit bundler, sometimes they used Vaco handles, sometimes Xcelite. Yours is Xcelite.

 

[d42jeep]

Thanks. I thought if anyone would know, it would be you.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

I should not have speculated on that one, obviously.
I don't know Xcelite at all - I only had one tiny set and sent it to some guy in California.

Jensen outsourced ALL of their product - they just had it re-branded with their name on it.

 

[bmwrd0]

I picked this up over the weekend


a full box of 1/8" hex drivers.

 

[d42jeep]

Nice find, I like the graphics on the box.
I did a bit of cleaning and made a couple of additions to the set I received from you on Friday.

I was able to remove most of the black spots and added a #9 from my spares. I replaced the #6 with one with a bit less rust.
It has been added to the nutdriver area of the basement.
Thanks again!
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I found these at a recent estate sale. The larger handle 5/16“ nutdriver replaced the one in my user box.
-Don

 

[LesserSon]

Don, do you know the opening of the Cohardite nutdriver you posted (2023) on Lugz’s thread?They don’t seem to have been marked with size.
I picked up one up yesterday that looks 3/8”.

 

[d42jeep]

I can’t check it at the moment. It’s at my summer home. I’ll make a note to check when I get there.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I picked up this little Phillips screwdriver at yesterday’s estate sale.
-Don

 

[LesserSon]

Picked these up today. They sport pocket clips but are not marked with fractional sizes, just P3, P4, P5. Fortunately, earlier posts on this thread let me know the sizes are 3/32, 1/8, 5/32.
But I thought I had picked up a total of six, so hopefully a second P5 is rolling around in the hatch of MrsLS’s vehicle.

 

[LesserSon]

And I plugged a 3/8” gap in my Bonney-branded collection with the flea market purchase of a CH12.
Seems 7/16” Bonney nutdrivers have been the most common in my area.

 

[LesserSon]

Picked up a Bridgeport 3/16” and a Braunsdorf-Mueller 1/4” today. The Bridgeport will join 3/8, 11/32, 5/16, 1/4 Bridgeports, but the BMCo is alone in my collection. I think that Lugz has four(?).

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Picked up a...Braunsdorf-Mueller 1/4” today... alone in my collection.

Nice find!

I think that Lugz has four(?).

Yes.

Boxed partial set of Braunsdorf-Mueller woodies: Nos. 30 (1/4"), 32 (5/16"), 33 (11/32"), and 34 (3/8")

I wish I could tell you how many they made and what sizes, but there aren't any BMCo catalogs in the public domain and a surfeit of trade mag ads, too. I cobbled together a number of catalogs or 'production lists' (things they made), as it were, across time, from references in directories such as McRae's, etc, posted on the BMCo thread, but there are no details, obviously. A 3/16" seems likely. As you can see, it's an odd numbering scheme (in which the No. 31 would be 9/32"), and the 3/16" would be No. 28. The 7/16", 1/2" and 9/16", if they made them, would be Nos. 36, 38, and 40.

 

[Mintgrun]

bmwrd0 shared images of two similar [STEVENS] SPINTITE radio-spinners in post #490 and mentioned needing to find the third, so I'm guessing that means I have a full set. #5R, #6R, #7R and a #5-5/16" six-point nut-driver. The radio spinners are marked PAT. APLD. FOR.






This is a BULL DOG 5/16" six-point spinner that someone plierized. It was satisfying filing the sharp snaggy-bits off of the ferrule and shank. It looks like they even grabbed the wooden handle!



I assume it was made by the BULL DOG WRENCH CO. in Benton Harbor, Michigan.

Tom

 

[59Sled]

Not going to pass up free.

 

[59Sled]

I've had this set forever sitting in a drawer.
Missing the P5 and P10

 

[d42jeep]

bmwrd0 shared images of two similar [STEVENS] SPINTITE radio-spinners in post #490 and mentioned needing to find the third, so I'm guessing that means I have a full set. #5R, #6R, #7R and a #5-5/16" six-point nut-driver. The radio spinners are marked PAT. APLD. FOR.






This is a BULL DOG 5/16" six-point spinner that someone plierized. It was satisfying filing the sharp snaggy-bits off of the ferrule and shank. It looks like they even grabbed the wooden handle!



I assume it was made by the BULL DOG WRENCH CO. in Benton Harbor, Michigan.

Tom

Here are my Stevens Spintites. The top two are #5R. The bottom one is a Walden look-alike.
-Don

 

[LesserSon]

I had my hands on a flat-sided XceLite HS18 today, but the handle was split and a crater was missing toward the ****.

 

[bmwrd0]

I picked up this Nut Driver bench rack yesterday

Right now it is filled with my user Proto (Xcelite made) drivers, but I will start looking for the correct Orchard Park handled ones

 

[d42jeep]

Nice stand! I found these Orchard Park ones yesterday in need of cleaning. I should have some spares if you need any.
-Don

 

[bmwrd0]

Sounds good, Don. And I have a USN marked chisel for you.

 

[Mr. Tool]

I just went through this entire thread on vintage nut drivers, read every post, etc. and it's great!

I have a few nut driver sets but reluctant to post any pictures due to fact that they really are not vintage.....more like modern.

Keep them post coming fellas!

 

[d42jeep]

I enjoyed checking out your nutdriver thread in the general tool forum. My little Xcelite find yesterday had a hard life. I didn’t want to clean it aggressively for fear of possible cad plating so it’s in the evaporust.
-Don

 

[yatg]

Archer (Radio Shack) Torque Multiplier. For the mini-nut-drivers.

 

[59Sled]

Forgot I had these Proto’s.
Found in a cabinet I haven’t opened in a while.
Not terribly old.
From what I can research. Made the 80’s into the 90’s.

 

[ecotec]

Forgot I had these Proto’s.
Found in a cabinet I haven’t opened in a while.
Not terribly old.
From what I can research. Made the 80’s into the 90’s.

Beautiful.