Chapman Midget Set No. CM-1400

[Private Lugnutz]

I picked up this complete late 1930's or 1940's vintage "Chapman Midget Units" ratchet and bit set at the early bird today.









As you can see, it came in a handy, steel, vinyl-clad, snap-tight case (5” long), and the contents are pasted on the inside of the lid (not so differently than the modern versions!). Every piece is marked with a part number, and the ratchet is also marked with the brand name.

As you can see on the contents list, the set includes the ratchet (3-1/2” long), a 1/4-inch and 9/32-inch square drive adaptor, a 1/4-inch hex drive adaptor, a couple screwdriver adaptors, and a mess of different sized “Allen” adaptors.

I took some additional close-ups of the ratchet and the adaptors when I got the set home.









While it might not be as popular of a choice for a modern micro ratchet set as Wera, GW, Matco, or Sunex, Chapman is still in business…

http://www.mytoolstore.com/chapman/chalarge.html

...they have a rabid, cultish following, and amazingly, while the molded bright yellow plastic case the tool set now comes in is different, the design of the ratchet and the bits – first patented in 1936 (2,058,855) by the founder and namesake, has not changed that much at all!

I wonder if they have a museum in their Front Office?

I don't have a catalog, by the way. I'm dating it by the composition of the tools, and the label, which looks too crude for 1950’s to me.

Other thoughts, comments, etc, welcome.

I’ve never seen a vintage Chapman set displayed here before, so if I’ve gone on and on too excitedly about a common, hum drum find, someone please point me to the thread!

Thanks.

 

[pancho400cid]

Wow cool!

My dad had one of those ratchets floating around when I was a kid, but the bits were lost already for the most part I think. Glad to see they are still around.

 

[Joe B.]

Their website is worth checking out....
http://chapmanmfg.com/

I only realized you can still buy these a little while ago. There are still a lot of tiny tool companies in the USA if you look around.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I'm glad, too, Pancho!

Thanks for including that link, Joe B. That's actually the link I meant to use in my first post. Did you ses the '57 Apache pick-up they use as their company restoration project truck! (It's under the "About Us" section.) I really like these guys. I might have to contact them. I'm sure they have some old sets, but ya never know.

 

[SweetD]

Super cool set, of course someone has to ask (me) - what did you give for the set? This will determine suckage (or not)...

The competitor to Chapman (to this day) also located in CT is the "W.F.M.C. Inc. Co., Rockfall, CT" - which is Wadsworth Falls Mfg Co.

And here is their "deluxe set":

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000WTWZ2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Very high quality and I have found it very helpful in certain situations. Also I guess motorcycle enthusiasts find this set very useful for their road kits...

Dave

 

[Stuart in MN]

Looks like an old eyeglass case - did Chapman actually use them for the tool kit or did someone put the tools in there at some point.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Stuart,

Great question.

Follow along and see if you can help me figure that out...

It does look like an old eyeglass case, and snaps closed exactly like one, which is just one of the features of this set I found so unusual, and so intriguing. I've seen many different styles of 1930's and 40's vintage midget cases, mostly steel, but this is definitely a first.

However, I don't think it's long enough for eyeglasses, not even the antique kind, and way to thin.

Also, while I can see someone - and let's face it, especially a mechanic or a machinist (how many guys learned from their old man to keep old Band-Aid, snuff, and Sucrets tins around just for putting small bits in?) - putting an old eyeglass case to a secondary purpose, why would they also re-paste the label? But I will admit, the label looks let's just say less than professional.

All of those things had me wondering, too.

The thing that's hard to argue with though is the tray that holds the bits inside the case. Here are some photographs with the bits removed.





As you can see, if someone converted an eyeglass case, they went through a lot of tidy, professional trouble. There's no doubt that tray was built for these bits. It has exactly the right amount of holders, and the holders are tension clips, slightly narrower than the bits. It has three tiny rivets. And the backs of the rivets, on the back side of the case, are not poking through the vinyl (or whatever it is). The vinyl was applied over the rivet backs, after the tray was mounted through the steel; they've only made impressions in the vinyl that have worn and gotten dirty from being slightly raised.

Also, note that that lip on the bottom of the case also helps keep the bits in place.

Having said all that, I am open to debate, thoughts, etc.

I will admit that the "O.P.M. Full Retail Price $6 Per Set DO NOT DETACH" warning on the bottom of the label has me stumped. The Office of Personnel Management is a federal agency that was not established until 1972, so it's not that. And I'm not really sure what its point is or the significance of not detaching it.

I plan to call Chapman on Monday.

 

[bonneyman]

Nice set! And love the mod work on the eyeglass case. Back when Americans made their own stuff and fixed their own tools.

I've got a partial Chapman set. Great little tools! And Chapman is still around as has been said.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice set! And love the mod work on the eyeglass case. Back when Americans made their own stuff and fixed their own tools.

I'm starting to think Stuart and you might be correct. Since the tray fits the bits so well (in number, and function - tension clasping), I'm guessing it was salvaged out of the old case in this scenario. But why re-paste the label? And how the heck did he get it off the old case without ruining it? That's the one thing that is tripping me up.

 

[Craptain]

Go to their website and watch the video on the about us page. She talks about and shows the original kits in eyeglass cases. Just like yours.

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Just like yours.

Holy ****, Craptain! I can't thank you enough. That video looked like it was going to be boring, so I skipped it. Bad idea! Again, many thanks.

Mystery solved. It is a mod, of sorts, as Stuart and bonneyman speculated, but done by the factory, which answers my suspicions about the complexity and professionalism of the work, and the original label. For their first generation sets, they bought eyeglass cases and converted them into midget set cases by installing the tension clip tray. That was freaking clever, to say the least!

The case she holds up in the video, same exact color, is in way better condition than mine, with the outer vinyl covering and the soft blue flocking on the inside looking near-mint. But I noted that hers didn't have the label. I'm going to contact the tomorrow to see if they want this set.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Go to their website and watch the video on the about us page. She talks about and shows the original kits in eyeglass cases. Just like yours.

There you go. Nice to see a company that recognizes their history.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Sure is. I am super impressed, and really glad I picked this set up. Didn't know much about them before.

 

[bonneyman]

Shoot! I'm gonna be on the lookout now for an old metal eyeglass case, and convert it to hold my set of Chapman's.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Shoot! I'm gonna be on the lookout now for an old metal eyeglass case, and convert it to hold my set of Chapman's.

Funny you should say that, bonneyman - and you just might want to hold off on that quest for a year...

I just had a very pleasant and informative exchange with Tracy Camassar (the woman in the "About Us" video), the owner and general manager at Chapman. They are actively looking for an American manufacturer of retro style eyeglass cases for - you guys are going to love this - an "80th Anniversary Special Retro Kit" that they plan to sell next year.

About my set and case, it's very rare. In fact, they've never seen one with that label. They see a lot of the red leatherette cases that followed the eyeglass cases in the 1950's.

BTW, together, we solved the strange warning on the bottom of the label.

With a little careful cleaning, and closer inspection, I discovered that it doesn't read "O.P.M." It reads "O.P.A." for Office of Price Administration. The OPA was part of the Office of Emergency Management before the war, and part of the War Production Board during the war. They set prices to prevent inflation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Price_Administration
"The Office of Price Administration (OPA) was established within the Office for Emergency Management of the United States government by Executive Order 8875 on August 28, 1941. The functions of the OPA were originally to control money (price controls) and rents after the outbreak of World War II."

 

[bonneyman]

Funny you should say that, bonneyman - and you just might want to hold off on that quest for a year...

I just had a very pleasant and informative exchange with Tracy Camassar (the woman in the "About Us" video), the owner and general manager at Chapman. They are actively looking for an American manufacturer of retro style eyeglass cases for - you guys are going to love this - an "80th Anniversary Special Retro Kit" that they plan to sell next year.

About my set and case, it's very rare. In fact, they've never seen one with that label. They see a lot of the red leatherette cases that followed the eyeglass cases in the 1950's.

BTW, together, we solved the strange warning on the bottom of the label.

With a little careful cleaning, and closer inspection, I discovered that it doesn't read "O.P.M." It reads "O.P.A." for Office of Price Administration. The OPA was part of the Office of Emergency Management before the war, and part of the War Production Board during the war. They set prices to prevent inflation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Price_Administration
"The Office of Price Administration (OPA) was established within the Office for Emergency Management of the United States government by Executive Order 8875 on August 28, 1941. The functions of the OPA were originally to control money (price controls) and rents after the outbreak of World War II."

Cool! If they'll sell a case separate, it would save me some mod time.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The company seniors are very approachable, bonneyman. I am guessing they would. Like Wilde, Enderes, and so many other small US tool companies, they don't seem to have ever lost touch with their roots. They are as down to earth as it comes.

Just a quick addendum today...

Did anyone notice that the biggest hex bits are solid and the smallest hex bits are two pieces? See that collar? It has a tiny set screw in it securing the hex fastener-engaging part of the bit to the drive stud part of the bit. I don't know when they dropped that but the modern bits are all solid.

 

[bonneyman]

The company seniors are very approachable, bonneyman. I am guessing they would. Like Wilde, Enderes, and so many other small US tool companies, they don't seem to have ever lost touch with their roots. They are as down to earth as it comes.

Just a quick addendum today...

Did anyone notice that the biggest hex bits are solid and the smallest hex bits are two pieces? See that collar? It has a tiny set screw in it securing the hex fastener-engaging part of the bit to the drive stud part of the bit. I don't know when they dropped that but the modern bits are all solid.

It appears that the bits below a certain size don't have the little tabs forged in to stop the bit from pushing thru the ratchet. Maybe there wasn't enough "metal" on the smaller size bits to forge those retention tabs, so, they added the collar? Can't tell from the pics. Maybe you could remove the set screw and collar and confirm my suspicion?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It appears that the bits below a certain size don't have the little tabs forged in to stop the bit from pushing thru the ratchet. Maybe there wasn't enough "metal" on the smaller size bits to forge those retention tabs, so, they added the collar?

Hmm. I was thinking that perhaps they were concerned about the fragility of a solid bit at the inside "corner" if it had to step drastically down from the diameter of the drive. All the larger solid hex bits are either at the same or only a slightly slimmer diameter than the drive diameter. But I like your theory better than mine.

Maybe you could remove the set screw and collar and confirm my suspicion?

No can do, unfortunately. You may think I'm crazy (and believe me, the selfish collector in me went back and forth on this with the magnanimous curator in me...), but I sent the set to Chapman. They had never seen one before, and didn't have one in their collection, and it just seemed more appropriate for it to be sitting somewhere among their other historical artifacts than on some brag shelf in my house.

 

[DuroChrome]

You're a good dude.

 

[hangfirew8]

That's great that you shared your find. You'll notice the older ratchets have case hardening colors. Modern chrome is more practical but you can't beat the workmanship and beauty of the old ones.

Chapman sets are popular with gunsmiths and shooters. I have a bunch going back to my Dad's set, but couldn't resist getting myself on the list and getting a first issue Master set a few years ago. That's my bench set and the middle size goes with me to the range.

-HF

 

[Squashfest81]

Nice save getting that back to Chapman.
I had picked up a set for a few bucks. I knew, and still don't, know anything about Chapman, but grabbed it because of the cool red leatherette case and it was marked stainless and USA.
Are they all stainless? Have they always been?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks, Duro!

That's great that you shared your find. You'll notice the older ratchets have case hardening colors. Modern chrome is more practical but you can't beat the workmanship and beauty of the old ones.

Thanks, hangfire. The finish is what initially drew me to the set. As a WWII collector, I essentially avoid chrome like the plague. It makes flea markets and garage sales a helluva lot easier! I only look for anything that looks plain, enameled, chemical (e.g., black oxide, phosphate, cad, etc), or heat (like the Chapman ratchet) treated.

 

[bonneyman]

Real nice of you to send them back to Chapman. You're a better man than I am!

Hopefully they'll return the favor and send you a low number 80th anniversary set as compensation.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice save getting that back to Chapman.

Thanks, Squashfest.

Are they all stainless? Have they always been?

I don't know about always, but today the ratchet is made of stainless steel. The bits are finished with a black oxide treatment, which they call stainless, but I would assume they are an alloy composition. I don't know about prior to wartime, but the ratchet couldn't have been made of a truly AISI quality stainless steel composition from 1942 to 1945, as it would require extremely high chromium content, and extremely low carbon content. The one in this set looked alloy with a flame and polished finish. The bits were probably carbon or alloy with a black oxide finish. I would assume they went to the stainless steel ratchet as soon as the restrictions were lifted.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Hopefully they'll return the favor and send you a low number 80th anniversary set as compensation.

I was happy just earning some 'good karma' points, but I like your idea even more!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I got a nice note from Chapman saying they put a story up on their blog about the set.
http://chapmanmfg.com/blogs/news

 

[Craptain]

That is wonderful. I see they thanked you personally.

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

 

[SweetD]

I got a nice note from Chapman saying they put a story up on their blog about the set.
http://chapmanmfg.com/blogs/news

That is freaking awesome, good for you!

Karma coming your way, in a positive way, I'm sure!



Dave

 

[Private Lugnutz]

They're good people up there, Craptain.
Hope so, Sweet D.

 

[nynexit]

Real nice of you to send them back to Chapman. You're a better man than I am!



Hopefully they'll return the favor and send you a low number 80th anniversary set as compensation.

Do you have t link to this set ? I didn't see it.

 

[sha]

cool story

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks, sha.

Do you have t link to this set ? I didn't see it.

If you mean the 80th anniversary set in the retro eyeglass case, no. It's not available yet. It will be released next year. The CEO told me about it on the phone, and said they were still looking for an American source for the cases, without much luck.

 

[454ragtop]

Cool thread, I have both the Chapman and Wadsworth Falls sets, although newer versions in plastic cases. I think I like the Wadsworth a little better, found a cool use for it yesterday removing vise jaw inserts. They had a Phillips head, so before disassembling the vise I put the ratchet and bit in the screw, then backed it up with a piece of composite decking I had hanging around. By closing the vise I was able to keep the bit from camming out, slowly releasing the vise as the screw came out. Worked slick.
Jim

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It's Deja-Vu all over again!

Some of you may remember this old thread. If not, and you don't want to read the whole thing, the short story is I found a wartime Chapman set at a flea market in 2015, and in doing some research on it, spoke with the CEO and President of Chapman, which is still family-owned, who told me that nobody there had ever seen a set that old (WWII) with the label intact. (The "O.P.A." reference and the whole concept of price-fixing was a WWII policy.) So I sent it to them for a little museum they have in the office. They also did a little piece on it in their Blog.

While I was happy to do it, and had no regrets, I did miss not having it for my own collection from time to time.

Four years later - problem solved!

 

[FlaGman]

That’s good karma coming back to you, that set is in much better shape than the first one you found.

 

[Stillgottimefor1]

Very clean and nice!


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[bonneyman]

Cool! Glad you found a replacement for your donation.

 

[jeffmoss26]

way cool!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks, Guys! You are right, FlaGman. If I was going to have two and give one away, this is the keeper! So cool that the company is still in business and the first version of their midget set came in eyeglass cases!