Post up your vintage Champion deArment/Channellock tools

[AreBeeBee]

Fluid Film's useful stuff. For smaller hand tools, I keep a rag well spritzed with FF in an old glass peanut butter jar. When I have wiped a number of items with the rag, I respray it in the jar and put the lid back on.

 

[d42jeep]

I saw a pair of these posted elsewhere on the GJ and thought I should have some for my collection. They are both early patent but the handle patterns are different.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I saw a pair of these posted elsewhere on the GJ...

There's also pair on this thread (post #30).

 

[jeffmoss26]

I think I have a few

 

[scoob511]

I’m a newbie with this stuff, but figured I’d share. I picked this 18” Stillson today at the Habitat ReStore and found this thread while researching it. Lots of cool stuff here! AA seems to indicate this is a number 34. The screw nut doesn’t want to go all the way to release the top jaw, so I’ll have to mess around with it a bit more before I can clean it up and post better pics. If there’s a trick to it, though, please let me know!

 

[d42jeep]

Normally the dynamic jaw can be removed easily. I suspect that the threads on the end of the jaw may have been damaged or deformed. You should check it and possibly dress up any visible problem with a file so it can come apart for cleaning.
That is a nice one with the early anvil marking. Those aren’t all that common.
-Don

 

[GarageHobbyist]

Pliers were my Grandpas, found the hammer at a thrift store last week for $2. It needs a handle, but I like it.

 

[scoob511]

Normally the dynamic jaw can be removed easily. I suspect that the threads on the end of the jaw may have been damaged or deformed. You should check it and possibly dress up any visible problem with a file so it can come apart for cleaning.
That is a nice one with the early anvil marking. Those aren’t all that common.
-Don

Neat, thanks for the tip!

Edit—the bottom threads on mine are indeed a bit messy. Thank you for the comparison pic. I’ll use a file to try to open up the damaged thread enough to free it.

 

[MisterEd]

Channellock HEATSORB CLAMP, 46
Weight: 5/8 Ounce
“A specially designed ‘heat sink’ that prevents heat damage to electronic components during soldering. Also a handy, self-gripping ‘third hand’ that holds and retrieves small parts in close work.”

Appears in “Tools by Channellock: Catalogs No. 68 and No. 73C”

 

[d42jeep]

I can’t seem to leave these behind. Found this rusty example at a tool sale yesterday.
As found.
A little less rust.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Although it is newer than I prefer, I couldn’t leave this big #460 behind. I did some cleaning on the handles and dipped the exposed metal in evaporust. Here are before and after pictures.
-Don

 

[B Halverson]

My father was a small dealer of Channellock brand tools 50-some years ago and had a blue peg-board in the back of his work van with the selection of pliers etc. hanging on it which he sold to fellow construction electricians while working on jobs. Electricians always had a few pairs each of the Channellock pliers and their sidecutters were very popular too. We lived close to the Meadville plant and both my father and I talked to the DeArment family members. My father would go to the plant and drop off broken tools customers gave him and they would give him the new ones. The blue pegboard is still hanging in the garage although the former channellock dealer has passed away recently. I will take a look at the pegboard and try to get a photo of it.

 

[d42jeep]

I found these #430 Channellocks at yesterday’s estate sale. I thought that they might be early but they had the 1953 Canadian patent marking. I checked Champion de Arment and Channellock catalogs on the Archive and the first year I could find the #430s listed was 1967. They are only 1/2” longer than #420s and I’m not sure why they bothered.
-Don

 

[jeffmoss26]

Found this on eBay and it arrived today. I’ve seen many lapel pins but never a tie clip!

 

[Outlawmws]

Awesome find Jeff!

 

[four.cycle]

^ you're going to have to start wearing a tie.

 

[Outlawmws]

 

[d42jeep]

One of the items in a large tool trade with Fred Knox was this 3lb Champion deArment marked ball pein hammer head. There wasn’t much left of the handle so I drilled it until it came loose.
Ready for a new handle
I went through the box of handles and found one that isn’t a bad starting point
Next will be sanding and installation when I can spare the time


When it’s complete it will join the other Channellock and Champion deArment marked hammers.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Installed the handle today.
Added BLO.

-Don

 

[Eric Brown]

Here are my two Champion Dearment No 307 battery pliers. Design patent 94156 (Dec 25, 1934), these have the early pattern on the handles. These two are almost identical. Exceptions being the name stamp on the top pair is not as deep and is closer to the pivot. Another stamping is on the inside of the handles towards the end. The top on is stamped A40 and the bottom one B42.

 

[Eric Brown]

Found this on eBay and it arrived today. I’ve seen many lapel pins but never a tie clip!

Not Channellock, but it is a tie clip.

 

[d42jeep]

I have a problem with leaving Channellocks behind, especially large ones. The evaporust had to work on these #460 in stages.
Halfway done.
Ready for plenty of Fluid Film.
-Don

 

[Outlawmws]

I have a problem with leaving Channellocks behind,

I'm getting better about it, but I'l still go for the older marked CL's

 

[Provincial]

I have my eye out for a pair of 480's. I've found up to 460's, but the big one evades me.

 

[AntiqueBen]

I generally can't pass up Channellocks & Vice Grips (locking pliers) when I run into them. Here is a few of my early Channellocks. One is stamped patent applied for & the other two have a couple different versions of the 1933 stamping.

 

[Outlawmws]

I have my eye out for a pair of 480's. I've found up to 460's, but the big one evades me.

Same here, I have a couple of 460's, plus A similar pair with red grips. 480's are scarce.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Same here, I have a couple of 460's, plus A similar pair with red grips. 480's are scarce.

Here's my 460 & a mystery red handled pair. I use the red one all the time. Very heavy & well made. I'd like to know who manufactured it?

 

[AntiqueBen]

Several years ago I was happy to find a pair of 420's stamped with the 1933 patent date. I don't see to many of these around here anyways. I mostly find them stamped with the 1953 patent.

 

[d42jeep]

I’ve found quite a few of the early patent ones. I’ve learned to spot that recessed jaw as opposed to the even jaws on the ‘53 patent ones.
Today I found these #347 lineman’s pliers with the handle pattern at an estate sale.

-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I haven’t found many Channellocks lately. I found these blue handled 430s with a nut a couple of weeks ago. The evaporust made some improvement but they had quite a bit of rust pitting.
I liked these little 426 pliers I found last Saturday. No evaporust necessary.
-Don

 

[jeffmoss26]

My recent finds

 

[DetailSeeker]

Snagged a No. 410 (Heavy Duty General Utility) this morning. It's a little fugly. I'm going to have to clean it up more aggressively, and then re-arrange my Lugzsonian display. I currently have a No. 420 hanging over the 1942 catalog cover, where the No. 410 belongs. And while I am at it, find a place for a ball-pein hammer, too.

Alright, have to ask: the washer goes between the two pieces of plier, right? I took apart a 410 to clean it for the library, and it didn't have a washer, so I'm guessing it's not the first time it's been disassembled. (It's already been put back together, and I am not fighting with the nut and bolt again, but it'd be good to know for next time.)

I picked this cool box up from Roy that originally held a half dozen 410 Channellocks. Now I have to dig some out to fill it up. Here are pictures of the box and some 410 pictures and information.
-Don

The close-up of the box that actually shows "TRADE MARK REG. U.S. PAT. OFFICE" actually clued me in that the little "REG. U.S. PAT. OFF." on the handle could have been referring to a trademark, not a patent. (Yes, I know this is probably clear to many of you. I'm tired and if I knew this, I forgot it. Yes, I realize it's also on the 1953 catalog page. What can I say, the red ink on the blue box stands out more.)

This 410 has no patent date anywhere, which I was guessing meant it was made between March 6, 1951 (when the 1933 patent expired) and April 15, 1952 (when the new one was issued). That feels like a ridiculously specific timeframe, and I am sceptical about being able to narrow it down so much.

That said, when I poked the USPTO, the oldest Channellock trademark I could find was registered in October 1949. Is it possible that once the trademark registration was received, DeArment just started stamping "REG. U.S. PAT. OFF." on the handle, intending to cover both the patent and the trademark? Or am I overthinking again?

- Frances

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Alright, have to ask: the washer goes between the two pieces of plier, right? I took apart a 410 to clean it for the library, and it didn't have a washer, so I'm guessing it's not the first time it's been disassembled. (It's already been put back together, and I am not fighting with the nut and bolt again, but it'd be good to know for next time.)

Hmm. Well, if I have to answer: this washer was under the cap head bolt. But, now that you ask, I don't recall seeing any washers anywhere on any pliers in my Champion DeArment collection. I'm not going to take them all apart, but a cursory visual inspection doesn't show any. Either a PO put the washer there - and if so, selected a perfect size, or all of my others are missing their washers.

Is it possible that once the trademark registration was received, DeArment just started stamping "REG. U.S. PAT. OFF." on the handle, intending to cover both the patent and the trademark?

I have several pliers with patent number markings and the "[CHAN][NEL][LOCK] REG. U.S. PAT OFF." logo, which would lead me to suspect that what you are suggesting as a possibility was not a universal policy or procedure.

 

[d42jeep]

I don’t recall seeing washers as well.
-Don

 

[RTM]

I don’t recall seeing washers as well.

Me either

Can’t see the T&G working well with a washer in there.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

^ Works just fine. It doesn't change the functional geometry at all. The nut controls that. With or without a washer, you can make any model Channellock as loose or as tight as you want with the nut. If it's too tight, it won't turn and the jaws won't open, and if it's too loose, the excess play in the handles makes them dysfunctional. Obviously, if a washer under the cap head bolt were so thick that there weren't enough threads showing for the nut to grab hold, the internals would not mesh at all, either. But the play in these 410's is fine. In fact, the OP may have felt it was an improvement. I just found it funny that not only did I not think about the washer being an oddity when I posted it, nobody else did either. Frances really does live up to her username!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The last non-duplicate Channellock I saw in the wild was last August with the No. 307 battery pliers. Happy to break the drought with these No. 3017-1/2 long needle-nose pliers, no wire cutters, found in a tackle type toolbox this morning at the flea. Arrow flight grip. This makes fifteen (15) unique models in the collection, if I am counting right. I really have to update the board one of these days.

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a pair of rebar tying pliers I found yesterday. My others have the blue plastic handles.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

A couple of recent finds. The nut on this pair was over tight and adjustment was impossible. I was unable to get the nut loose with any wrench and finally had to clamp it in my vise to get it to move. It’s working fine now. I didn’t find any dating information on them.
I pulled these rusty #460 Channellocks out of the evaporust today. These were made right before the transition from nut and bolt to rivets.
Before.
After.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Here are some formerly rusty Channellock dykes I found at yesterday’s estate sale.
As found.
After de-rusting.
Mystery number.
-Don