Keystone Mfg. Co., Buffalo, N.Y.

[four.cycle]

^ Not too bad if you're local. Shipping on it would be a killer.

 

[outofbounds]

^ Not too bad if you're local. Shipping on it would be a killer.

Priority Mail shouldn't have to be more than $15-18 as a "flat rate" I am likely going to let it marinate online for a week, and if it's still there, consider blazing a more wholesale type offer for it. Since the last set on this thread was had for $15 LOL

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I have a similar set. Only one I have found with a speeder.

 

[3baygarage]

OTG, I saw that set when it was for sale. The ratchet interesting to me because it’s different. I’ve handled a ton of Keystone ratchets, and it’s always the same old ones, square or hex. Is that one marked? I would say that particular one is extremely hard to find.

 

[twertsy]

I haven't seen that rat either. Nice one.

 

[outofbounds]

As a public service (I have no connection to this seller) he has dropped his price from $50 to $35. Maybe he'd consider even a lower offer, and consent to ship.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1085302225139849/?surface=product_details

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Another speeder set

 

[mikeswrenches]

I’m a little late on this. It’s an interesting thread. I wasn’t aware that Keystone made such a variety of wrenches. Here is my very small contribution. I think the open handle one is the earliest of the bunch. It has no part number, just the size.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Here is my very small contribution.

Holy ****, Mike - you have a No. 74! That's the smallest they made and very hard to find in the wild. It is missing from most collections. (Go back one page...) When they pop up on fleaBay or big public barn auctions for wrenchers, they can go for $100 or more. So, small in number, maybe. But that is gold right there.

 

[mikeswrenches]

Lugz, The only other one I’ve actually seen belonged to a friend of mine who wore it on a rawhide thong around his neck. I tried to buy it a couple times but he wouldn’t sell it. This one I got at an online auction with 5 or 6 other miniatures in a lot. I was the only bidder.

It is in close to unused condition.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The only other one I’ve actually seen belonged to a friend of mine who wore it on a rawhide thong around his neck.

Cool idea! That spot is already occupied by a Mauser 98 rear sight leaf and slide. With the slide in the 16 position, it makes a nifty crucifix.

This one I got at an online auction with 5 or 6 other miniatures in a lot. I was the only bidder.

I'd say lucky b_ _ _ _ _ _ d, but I know what it takes to sift through large lots of wrenches on fleaBay day in and day out. I gave that up after my eyes started bugging out and the CINCHOUSE put her foot down. Congrats.

 

[3baygarage]

Lugz, The only other one I’ve actually seen belonged to a friend of mine who wore it on a rawhide thong around his neck. I tried to buy it a couple times but he wouldn’t sell it. This one I got at an online auction with 5 or 6 other miniatures in a lot. I was the only bidder.

It is in close to unused condition.

Hi Mike. Nice little wrench. Call me a tool nut, but I asked to snap some photos of said wrench(es) when the opportunity presented itself. Hope the owner doesn't mind this!

Holy ****, Mike - you have a No. 74! That's the smallest they made and very hard to find in the wild. It is missing from most collections. (Go back one page...) When they pop up on fleaBay or big public barn auctions for wrenchers, they can go for $100 or more. So, small in number, maybe. But that is gold right there.

Close. Funny you should say that! I knew I took these pics for a reason.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Wait. WTF? Is that a No. 73?! I wasn't even aware that they made a No. 73, let alone one that was brass, or BeCu, or gold-plated! Also, now I have a bunch of questions. Such as, is that a second No. 74 or the same one? And, if these photos are of the same lot, does this mean Mike is also the 'Man with the Golden Westcott?'

 

[3baygarage]

Those belong to a fellow collector, and it's made of solid gold. I don't remember the entire story, but was told they were custom made in gold, silver, and bronze. 3 inch replicas. They changed hands at some point to the current owner via auction.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Last week I added a No. 80 to my Keystone "S" adjustable collection, found at a flea market. It was rust-frozen (and still is, but freed up a little more where I am getting a little movement in the dynamic jaw and worm screw...) and I had forgotten about it until this morning when I dropped something else in my Metal Rescue tub. The funny thing is, it's a Fordson, not a Westcott. No physical distinctions. So I am ignoring that.

Now I am only missing a No. 84 (14 incher) and, like everyone except for Mike and The Man with the Golden Keystone, apparently, the No. 74 (4 incher), of course.

 

[3baygarage]

Nice addition to your set. There was set of four Westcotts at the flea some months back, must have been 8 through 14. I looked at them briefly and then a guy walked up and bought the set moments later for $50. I wasn’t trying to buy them, but it was cool to see the group together. I ran into many curved adjustables over the years and wish I had put together some nice sets. I think the trick with the old curved wrenches are finding the ones with jaws that aren’t well worn. Yours look good.

Here’s a different kind of wrench. A 7” KEYCO. It reminds me of a Footprint England wrench, I’m not sure what’s going on there.

The pics are a bit dark but the markings can be readable.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I picked up this Keystone Manufacturing Company ratchet-drill, old No. 1, at the flea market this morning. It's 5/8-inch drive.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Missing the drill head, obviously. Also missing the direction switch, less obviously. The hollow handle kinda sorta reminded me of a Wells Brothers and a Lowell I have, which have pawls actuated on a shaft from the **** end. The patent date (May 21, 1895) refers to Emig 539,423. And sure enough, the patent shows and describes switching the pawl by turning a knob on the end of a shaft inside the hollow handle.

 

[b.well]

I picked this set up at an estate sell a few months ago for a few bucks. Was pretty rusty when I found it. Have just got a light cleaning on it but looks a lot better! I hadn't identified them yet. Thanks lugz for the identity and reference to this thread!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks lugz for the identity and reference to this thread!

You betcha.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Back in August I found a ratchet-drill frame, No. 1, stripped and missing its reversing switch, too, I surmised, due to the odd hollow handle with nothing in it, and owning several ratchets that have a long actuating switch from the end like that. Without seeing what it may have looked like, I had to turn to the patent. See Posts #57 and #58 on page 3.

Today I found another, smaller Keystone ratchet-drill, this one No. 400. This one is more complete, and it also has the direction switch in place. This design doesn't just turn, though, like Lowell ratchets that work the same way. You have to pull it out to turn it, and then lock in back in place in that notch.

 

[HeelSpur]

Had no idea there was an 8" Keystone till I saw this on ebay. A pleasant surprise.

152893636_3654505227979639_1125565566624491808_n by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF3617 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF3619 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr

 

[HeelSpur]

Picked this up, 10" closed handle with pipe jaws on the mechanical jaw.
DSCF3624 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF3625 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF3626 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr

 

[HeelSpur]

Got this 10" Wescott with pipe jaws and it has an insert to make it a regular wrench.

DSCF3628 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF3629 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF3630 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr

 

[Provincial]

Gee, I wonder if those adapters ever got lost?

 

[HeelSpur]

^^nah^^


Picked up this 8 incher. Westcott/early Keystone.

DSCF3658 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF3657 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr

 

[HeelSpur]

Got me a 12 incher with pipe jaws and with the mysterious "NS" on it. Here its with the regular parallel jawed wrench. If anyone comes up with what the "NS" is please let us know.

DSCF3738 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF3739 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice finds, HeelSpur. But I have to admit that every time I see this thread get bumped I race to open it half expecting it to be someone reporting a No. 74!

 

[HeelSpur]

Finally got a 6" with pipe jaws. Open handle with pipe jaws on the fixed end. Early Keystone.

DSCF3758 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF3759 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF3760 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr

 

[HeelSpur]

A couple from the steel forging era. They don't have the typical numbering system in which most have.

DSCF3780 by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF3781 by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF3782 by wvwheaties, on Flickr

Regular #80 on the right and steel forged on the left.

DSCF3785 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF3786 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr

 

[toolmiser]

Back in August I found a ratchet-drill frame, No. 1, stripped and missing its reversing switch, too, I surmised, due to the odd hollow handle with nothing in it, and owning several ratchets that have a long actuating switch from the end like that. Without seeing what it may have looked like, I had to turn to the patent. See Posts #57 and #58 on page 3.

Today I found another, smaller Keystone ratchet-drill, this one No. 400. This one is more complete, and it also has the direction switch in place. This design doesn't just turn, though, like Lowell ratchets that work the same way. You have to pull it out to turn it, and then lock in back in place in that notch.

I have something similar to this and had no idea what it was. Trouble is I still don't know much, please enlighten me.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I have something similar to this and had no idea what it was. Trouble is I still don't know much, please enlighten me.

I'm not sure what you have (post photos, it might help), or exactly what you're asking, toolmiser, but what I am referring to is the directional switch in the Keystone ratchet-drills. I found one (a No. 1) that had a hollow handle. The ratchet mechanism only turned in one direction. Because it looked similar to Lowell ratchets built the same way, I surmised that it may have had a direction switch inside the hollow handle that was missing. Sure enough, some time later I found another Keystone ratchet-drill (a No. 400) and it was complete, confirming my suspicions about the first one. If you look at post #57 and #58 on page 3 of this thread you'll see a patent drawing showing the shaft running through the handle up to the pawl inside the head. I also posted a photo of the ends of a few Lowell ratchets to show what the knurled end knob looks like. But if you go to the Lowell thread, linked here, and go to posts #12, 19, 37, and 38, you will see a few more. The cool thing about them is they have a neutral position in the middle. In the neutral position, the ratchet is disengaged and you can use it like a hex wrench.

 

[toolmiser]

What does a "Keystone ratchet-drill do. I have one, but have no idea what it is used for or how it works. It was included in a box of old tools and there was no clue what it's purpose was. To be honest until now I didn't realize that the ratcheting part could be reversed.

Thanks

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Ahhh, okay, I gotcha now.

Ratchet-drills (Lowell, Keystone, Armstrong, Williams, etc - all the oldtimers made them...), were used for drilling holes by hand, mainly in pipes, etc, in civil and industrial contexts from the late 1800's through 1940's etc. Instead of attaching a socket and using it to turn a nut or bolt, with ratcheting action, you attached a Morse or tapered brace or square shank type twist drill. Similar to a brace, then, or a breast drill, but no external gears like an egg beater and no hand crank and you are working offset from the twist drill. There were attachments to hold at the top of the ratchet or to connect it to a drill stand (often called an "old man").

 

[HeelSpur]

Here's another variant of the Keystone wrenches, #410 with steel forging, 10".

DSCF3792 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF3794 by wvwheaties, on Flickr

These are all different 10 inchers and I believe I'm still missing 3 of them.

DSCF3795 by wvwheaties, on Flickr

 

[RTM]

What does a "Keystone ratchet-drill do. I have one, but have no idea what it is used for or how it works.

In addition to what Lugz said, here is a nice catalog cut from a different company, showing many attachments. There is another catalog with even more, talking of jobs etc often done with them.

https://archive.org/details/PrattAndWhitneySmallToolDepartmentCatalogNo41907/page/n137/mode/2up

This one has a Keystone listed

https://archive.org/details/JosephWoodwell90thAnnivCatalog/page/n114/mode/1up?q=“Ratchet+drill”

 

[HeelSpur]

14 incher w/pipe jaws.

DSCF3808 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF3812 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr
DSCF3814 (2) by wvwheaties, on Flickr

 

[RTM]

Here is another So Close item from the weekend. While picking through a box of rusty tools at a moving sale, I noticed a hex drive ratchet, complete with removable drive stud. Looked at the wrench harder, saw the Keystone name, and grabbed it. While shuffling things around prior to purchase, I noticed the head seemed a bit odd, and the ratchet was frozen. I knew how to soak in ATF, wasn’t worried and brought it home. While lining it up for my obligatory post GS photo, I looked harder at the ratchet, and why it was frozen. soneone had apparently used a cheater, and twisted and warped the head, jamming the guts. I don’t think this one will work again, so I am keeping the stud for a NB I have without one. If the body is of interest, PM me.

keystone of Buffalo NY, M1555 ratchet. You can see the distortion of the body around the ratchet in the first pic.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Someone put some hurt on that

 

[Mintgrun]

I found a Keystone ratcheting drill today.



This one is marked 10 inch. It has a tapered 5/8" square opening for the drill.



I don't know what to make of the knurled top handle with four holes and that pointed pin on top.


The ratchet direction knob is kind of cool on this one.