The J100 Keychain Screwdrivers Research Project

[SilverDeck]

The J100 Keychain Screwdriver Research Project

Dear Garage Journal friends:

For several months now I have been conducting research into the history and varieties of what are generally referred to as the model J100 keychain screwdrivers (see example photos attached). These keychain screwdrivers were initially produced by the Plomb Tool Company as far back at the mid 1920s, and continuing more or less uninterrupted up until recent times. They were used for promotional and marketing purposes by tool company salesmen, employees, distributors, and others.

Others affiliated with Garage Journal (most notably Conductor562 and his blog post from 2014 on the "Tools in Action" website) have already laid the groundwork for this research, and I am attempting to build on what they started as a means to identify the major J100 keychain screwdriver varieties.

The followings is a list of companies who made J100 screwdrivers (or for whom J100s were made). This list may not be comprehensive at this time, but it is a good start:

Plomb Tool Company
Proto Tools
Pendleton Tool Industries Inc.
Pendelton Tool Industries, Intl. (International)
P&C Tool Company (Peterson & Carlborg)
Ingersoll-Rand
Stanley Proto Industrial Tools
Proto Canada
Challenger
Millers Falls

I have done a fair amount of information-gathering already, and still much more yet to do. Ebay auction listings, both past (through Worthpoint) and present, have provided an excellent source of information and images, but I wanted to appeal to the membership here at GJ for your assistance and help with this research.

If you own a J100 keychain screwdriver (or think you might) and would be willing to share images of your piece(s), please post them to this thread. Clear, focused images are most helpful, especially if you can zoom in on any markings on the front of back of the screwdriver. J100s that were marked for datable events (meetings, coventions, anniversaries, etc.) are particularly useful in helping date when different varities of J100s were being made.

I am also interested in images of materials peripherally connected with J100 production (die stamps and other tooling, unfinished or blank J100s, etc.). If you don't feel confortable sharing your information or images here on this thread, please send me a private mesage so that we can make other arrangements. Even if your J100 might appear to be similar to something that has already been posted, please post your pics anyway because you may have a subtle new variety that has not been previously seen (different lettering style or configuration, etc).

We have a great group of folks here at Garage Journal, and I want to thank you all in advance for your help with this work. I look forward to seeing what you choose to share from your collections as I continue this research and plan to share the results here on Garage Journal with a future thread dedicated to the history and varieites of the J100 keychain screwdriver.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I don't have any, SilverDeck, but I admire your intent and approach. I wonder if it could, due to its size and purpose, possibly be the single only "tool" that was made by every 'version' (ownership, name, etc) of the company that started out as Plomb?

This should be fun.

 

[SilverDeck]

I don't have any, SilverDeck, but I admire your intent and approach. I wonder if it could, due to its size and purpose, possibly be the single only "tool" that was made by every 'version' (ownership, name, etc) of the company that started out as Plomb?

This should be fun.

We have some very passionate and committed tool collectors here on GJ so I'm hopeful that some things will surface that haven't been seen before.

As a bit of a "spoiler alert", I am just shy of 50 separate major types across all of the the brands that J100s were made for (35 of those are just from the Plomb/Proto/Stanley-Proto markings) and more types are occasionally turning up. For what it's worth, I consider a "type" to be a specimen where something on front-side markings (which is typically the tool brand) differs in some way from other types. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different back-side markings (people's names, company names, events, logos etc.). I don't consider the back markings to be "types", but they are still interesting. And back markings that are dateable are particularly valuable in helping date the front-side markings

J100s, as a general rule, are not uncommon. Millions were made over nearly 100 years. As you might imagine, some types are scarcer than others. I'm trying to do this project justice and have been able to talk with former plant supervisors and managers who actually made J100s in order to document the multi-step process that went into producing these keyring screwdrivers. I've made connections with some great people in the process and am sure there are more to come.

 

[SilverDeck]

Here are some examples of the tooling. These are all back-side stamps (each approx 3/4" x 3/4" x 1 1/4") that were used to mark J100s. Haven't been able to lay hands on a front-side stamp yet but I'm sure they are out there.

 

[d42jeep]

Here are a couple of pictures of my Plomb version.
-Don

 

[SilverDeck]

Thanks, d42jeep! Does that piece appear to be chrome-plated or is it just shiny bare steel?

 

[Straightgrain]

Here are most of mine. I was hoping you'd have one with a stamping of your avatar, I've only seen one come up on e-Bay and it didn't go cheaply.

 

[SilverDeck]

Thanks, Straightgrain! Could you post close-up photos of the front and back of each of those?

The pics I posted were just a handful of examples to give people an idea of what a J100 looks like.

I do own a “blacksmith logo” Plomb J100. Definitely one of the harder types to find. Here it is (see attached).

 

[mustangSR70]

I've got 14 Plomb screwdriver keychains, one of them is stamped Morris B. Pendleton on the backside. I'll get them all together and get some pics.

 

[SilverDeck]

Sounds great mustangSR70! Close-up pics (front and back) of each are appreciated.

 

[Straightgrain]

Nice one SilverDeck.

 

[SilverDeck]

Here are most of mine. I was hoping you'd have one with a stamping of your avatar, I've only seen one come up on e-Bay and it didn't go cheaply.

Straightgrain: You may be interested to know that your Plomb J100 on the far left (Plomb Hand Forged Tools Los Angeles with the “Los” and “Angeles” on the same line) isn’t the earliest type (chronologically) but it is probably the second oldest type. It dates to the later 1920s.


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[j.t.d.]

I had a Plomb one on my keychain for years, sadly it broke.

 

[SilverDeck]

I had a Plomb one on my keychain for years, sadly it broke.

How did that happen? Did it wear through at the hanging hole, or did you snap the blade?


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[d42jeep]

Thanks, d42jeep! Does that piece appear to be chrome-plated or is it just shiny bare steel?

It doesn’t look chrome but it doesn’t rust. Maybe Nickel plated?
-Don

 

[SilverDeck]

It doesn’t look chrome but it doesn’t rust. Maybe Nickel plated?

-Don

Could very well be. Later on the only finishes available on J100s were black oxide or chrome. A small number were gold plated for special occasions or special people.


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[Straightgrain]

According to https://toolsinaction.com/revival-of-the-proto-j100/ the one with a round "O" and "Los Angeles" is pre 1934 and the earliest listed on his page, what reference are you citing that shows an earlier one?

 

[j.t.d.]

How did that happen? Did it wear through at the hanging hole, or did you snap the blade?


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Snapped the blade off.

 

[SilverDeck]

According to https://toolsinaction.com/revival-of-the-proto-j100/ the one with a round "O" and "Los Angeles" is pre 1934 and the earliest listed on his page, what reference are you citing that shows an earlier one?

Believe it or not, there is an even earlier J100 type that Travis was not aware of at the time he posted the “Revival of the Proto J100” blog on Tools in Action. It is definitely earlier and I have confirmed this based on Plomb tools (wrenches) with the similar markings. It is from the early 1920s, and so far I have seen three examples of it in old EBay results.


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[davethorik]

I only have one, a black oxide Plomb that has no stamps on the reverse. It is NOS with some shelf wear.

Shown with a Proto Professional I gave my dad as a gift. It is also black oxide, no reverse stamp.

I thought I had better pics, my apologies.

 

[SilverDeck]

I only have one, a black oxide Plomb that has no stamps on the reverse. It is NOS with some shelf wear.



Shown with a Proto Professional I gave my dad as a gift. It is also black oxide, no reverse stamp.



I thought I had better pics, my apologies.

Thank you, Dave!

I am still working out details on the production time frames of the different types (a very challenging task), but right now I would say that your Plomb J100 falls into the 1941-1949 time period and the Proto Professional J100 is from the Ingersoll-Rand era of Proto )1964-1984.



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[Draftpick1]

Here is my J100 I got a couple years ago, it’s different than than the old ones and I use it often at work. Any idea when mine was made?

 

[SilverDeck]

Here is my J100 I got a couple years ago, it’s different than than the old ones and I use it often at work. Any idea when mine was made?

Yes. In 2014 Proto re-introduced the J100 with a “new style” of J100 made from completely new forging dies. The strange thing is that the new style J100s don’t seem to have remained in production very long and are a little hard to find today.


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[RubiconJK]

Here are a few.

 

[SilverDeck]

Here are a few.

Thank you RubiconJK! Those are great!


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[RTM]

My minor contribution for science. Found these, and a few extras, at a hoarder's estate sale back in 2009. The guy was torn between wanting everything gone, and trying to get his best price. I spent the better part of our time there grabbing smalls, the things that wouldn't gather a glance from a flipper, but would be great for completing tool sets.



Looks like I had 10-12 originally. Gave them to friends and coworkers.

Here are the few that are remaining. Same order, both pictures. I have a larger Bechtel wrench somewhere too, but not relevant here.

 

[SilverDeck]

My minor contribution for science. Found these, and a few extras, at a hoarder's estate sale back in 2009. The guy was torn between wanting everything gone, and trying to get his best price. I spent the better part of our time there grabbing smalls, the things that wouldn't gather a glance from a flipper, but would be great for completing tool sets.

Looks like I had 10-12 originally. Gave them to friends and coworkers.

Here are the few that are remaining. Same order, both pictures. I have a larger Bechtel wrench somewhere too, but not relevant here.]

Thank you RTM! Those are wonderful. The four on the left are from the period of Ingersoll-Rand ownership of Proto (1964-1984) and the one on the far right pre-dates them by just a little bit (probably early 1960s). Cool that you found a large group like that all together. I hadn't seen the Bechtel backmark before. Very neat!

 

[SilverDeck]

I know that this thread isn't about J100 backmarks, but there are some really neat ones out there. This is one of my favorites. The Automotive Inc. was an automotive parts warehouse (primarily located in the south).

 

[mustangSR70]

Here's most of my Plomb 100s. I have another one, but I think it's in one of my toolmobiles.

 

[SilverDeck]

Here's most of my Plomb 100s. I have another one, but I think it's in one of my toolmobiles.

Nice group and these pics give a good comparison of how irregular the head shapes were on the early J100s.

Any chance you could post good close ups of both sides of the piece in the top row (second from left) that is backmarked Merit Plumbing Supply Co.? Although it is not the earliest variety of Plomb J100, it appears to be a REALLY early Type 02, and may have been stamped on a Type 01 blank, judging from the shape/grinds on the screwdriver blade. Wow!

 

[mustangSR70]

Nice group and these pics give a good comparison of how irregular the head shapes were on the early J100s.

Any chance you could post good close ups of both sides of the piece in the top row (second from left) that is backmarked Merit Plumbing Supply Co.? Although it is not the earliest variety of Plomb J100, it appears to be a REALLY early Type 02, and may have been stamped on a Type 01 blank, judging from the shape/grinds on the screwdriver blade. Wow!

Here you go. It's the most odd shaped one, looks more hand made than the others.

 

[SilverDeck]

Here you go. It's the most odd shaped one, looks more hand made than the others.

Thank you. Those are perfect of the head. Could you post similar sines of blade so I can take a look at the grinding? Nice early piece and I suspect these were made on a drop hammer. Can you measure the overall length of that J100?


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[mustangSR70]

Hope these help. The blade isn't parallel, I guess you could say, to the head, like others I have. The blade was ground with a bit of an angle. This one measures 2⅝" inches from one end to the other.

 

[SilverDeck]

Hope these help. The blade isn't parallel, I guess you could say, to the head, like others I have. The blade was ground with a bit of an angle. This one measures 2⅝" inches from one end to the other.

Those are great! The”quirky” grind that is not parallel to the head is something that is typical on the earliest (Type 01) J100s. It’s almost like Plomb ground the blades before they hammer-forged the heads. Yours has the second type of markings which makes me suspect that it is a very early Type 02. I’m not surprised to hear that the length is a little more than 2 1/4”. The overall sizes of J100s didn’t get highly standardized until later in the 1930s when Plomb started making them with dies that rough-forged the blade and head in one process.


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[SilverDeck]

If others have one or more of these J100 keychain screwdrivers, please post them up here. Thanks in advance.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Here are a few

 

[SilverDeck]

Here are a few

Thank you very much, Oldtuleguy!


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[Oldtuleguy]

Anytime. Great thread!

 

[SilverDeck]

Anytime. Great thread!

Thank you. And stay tuned. This is just the J100 information and image gathering thread. I will start a new thread here outlining the types and varieties of J100s once I have most of the information ready to go. I think I have the bulk of the major types already identified and in the correct order (as best we can tell for now). My eBay past item searches (for the past 3-4 years) and info gathering through Worthpoint have been pretty thorough so I feel pretty confident that seen have been about all of the major types that are out there.


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[Oldtuleguy]

Nice work!