My Small But Growing 1/4" drive Socket Set Collection

[MisterEd]

It was impossible to walk away from so many fine discoveries despite the 90+ degrees.

 

[MisterEd]

There are a few MUSTANG sets in this thread, too, including mine. If you search the thread, you'll find them.

Yep, saw them.

Appreciate identification of the unmarked. Yer a font of information.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

No prob. Anyone who has the Phila Mfg pieces would recognize them instantly by their unique, machined, oversized robustness and construction. You mating the 3/16" socket to the extension was very hunchy of you. And same goes for the DI pieces. It's just seeing them often.

BTW, MUSTANG is not common in my neck of the woods, and midget MUSTANG even less so. In fact, the only piece I ever found before I got the set was a stowaway in a Precision-Bilt set, another one of those stellar NB brands that doesn't get enough attention. So, nice find.

 

[d42jeep]

Nice! I haven’t seen those New Britain versions before.
I received an early Christmas gift from Wales. Two sockets and an extension for my rare NAF Philadelphia Manufacturing Company 1/4” drive set. The sockets are quite unique in appearance if anyone has any lying around. At my current rate, I should be able to complete this set by 2030.
-Don

That 3/16” socket would be a welcome addition to my Philadelphia set.
-Don

 

[MisterEd]

MUSTANG is not common in my neck of the woods

Not a lot of information available about Mustang outside Garage Journal. How long was the brand manufactured?

And is it true that it's a violation of the Shade Tree Mechanics' Code of Ethics to use Mustang tools on a Camaro? Or it just a guideline?

 

[MisterEd]

That 3/16” socket would be a welcome addition to my Philadelphia set.
-Don

You talkin' to me about the Socket?

 

[d42jeep]

Yep. I have plenty of vintage tools to trade if you’re interested.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

And is it true that it's a violation of the Shade Tree Mechanics' Code of Ethics to use Mustang tools on a Camaro?

Snerk.

 

[MisterEd]

Yep.

Send your address in a PM and it'll be on its way in a few days.

 

[d42jeep]

I received a rare NAF Philadelphia socket generously sent to me by Mister Ed. Progress is slowly being made towards completing this set. Thanks, Ed!
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Those are scarce!

 

[MisterEd]

You're welcome, Don. We'll add them to our list of look-fors.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Not that I needed one, but picked up another circle u set, mixed with a few circle h items.

 

[Smokeshow69]

Not that I needed one, but picked up another circle u set

Oh nice! Looks like it has most of the blo protectant on the tools.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

While I was at it picked up another speedmaster set

 

[Smokeshow69]

While I was at it picked up another speedmaster set

Absolutely! Can’t pass on those if they are reasonably priced. You need to hit that with some wrinkle blue

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I think someone may have painted it

 

[Smokeshow69]

I think someone may have painted it

Yeah that’s not the factory blue for sure.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

My other two 1/4 sets are a dark green, my 1/2 set is blue. Who knows how this one started. Wards was not super consistent on colors.

 

[d42jeep]

Are there any traces of the original color under the repaint or was it stripped?
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nothing. It's a lighter green than other two. Could be original but I've never seen any wards stuff this color.

 

[RTM]

. I used the insert with an undamaged box and added =V= tools.

Not that I needed one, but picked up another circle u set, mixed with a few circle h items.

I have both of those boxes, both scored empty. Now I know what goes inside them. The red insert will be hard to replace.

Thanks both

 

[Smokeshow69]

My other two 1/4 sets are a dark green, my 1/2 set is blue. Who knows how this one started. Wards was not super consistent on colors.

Both my pennens made sets are dark blue. The green is earlier I believe but those sets are made by other vendors.

Nothing. It's a lighter green than other two. Could be original but I've never seen any wards stuff this color.

I haven’t either. I think it was probably just whatever that person had on hand

 

[d42jeep]

My pleasure. The red inserts are rather brittle and fragile. I have a few broken ones.
Here is a 1/4” drive S-K set from around 1958 with a spinner added. I’m always looking for amber handle S-K spinners, either wartime or postwar.
-Don

 

[bmwrd0]

On those red inserts for Craftsman boxes, you can place a bit of cardboard underneath the raised portion that the sockets fit in to help support it. And, if the plastic is cracked but complete, this will help with that!

Hat tip to Smokeshow for this.

 

[Smokeshow69]

On those red inserts for Craftsman boxes, you can place a bit of cardboard underneath the raised portion that the sockets fit in to help support it. And, if the plastic is cracked but complete, this will help with that!

Hat tip to Smokeshow for this.

Yup, I figured that one out a while ago to help with supporting the weight of the tools.

 

[bmwrd0]

I picked this up yesterday:


Of course, it was filled with miscellaneous bits and bobs. Well, a quick posting of it on the garage sale thread found out what it probably is, as there is nothing marked with a manufacturer.

Clearly, it was made by Walden, but I don't think that is the end of the tail. Since there are zero markings on the tools or the box, I believe this one was sold by Billings, as Walden apparently supplied them to that ancient company. In any case, here it is with most of the correct tools, much of which I had in my stash. Also, another 5/16 hex driver I had. I do need to figure out something with the spinner attachment, as the part that mounts to the handle is broken clean off.

Also, note that the one socket is 12pt, but every other marking on it is the same.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice. This one is I think close to complete, missing one socket. At the time of the stevens merger, there was only a decal and the tools were unmarked, so your set is probably early, mid to late 20s.

 

[bmwrd0]

Nice. Are the sockets on your set marked in any way? Nothing was marked on mine.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

No nothing is marked on the early ones. Great find!

 

[four.cycle]

no marks at all as I recall... let me take another look...

so that's a model 68 set, eh? interesting...

 

[bryanrj]

I have several of the -D- sockets in 1/4" drive. Haven't figured out what they are yet. Probably war production.

 

[bryanrj]

I received a rare NAF Philadelphia socket generously sent to me by Mister Ed. Progress is slowly being made towards completing this set. Thanks, Ed!
-Don

Any markings around the driver handle to indicate manufacturer as Philadelphia?

 

[d42jeep]

I have several of the -D- sockets in 1/4" drive. Haven't figured out what they are yet. Probably war production.

WW2 collectors call them D-I sockets, made by Duro/Indestro during WW2. Some of my 1/4” drive D-I sets are pictured below.

Any markings around the driver handle to indicate manufacturer as Philadelphia?

I don’t believe that Philadelphia is marked on any of the tools, just the label on the box. Lugz can probably verify that as I am currently away from my partial set.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I don’t believe that Philadelphia is marked on any of the tools, just the label on the box. Lugz can probably verify that as I am currently away from my partial set.

You are correct. No brand markings of any kinds on any of the Phila Mfg Co tools. The sockets have size markings. That's it.

If your question, @bryanrj, is prompted by an interest in identifying them for possible collecting, trust me when I say that the pieces will stand out to you right away in an old toolbox or bin at an estate sale or flea market due to their unusual size! They are HUGE compared to everything else in that era. Go ahead an ogle them in Pic 1 surrounded by some other sets I just grabbed randomly and let your eye go back and forth from other sets to the Phila set. Then spool through the other Pics and you will immediately see what I mean about them looking like the tools on 'roids in the lineup!

It's because of how they were made. Expediently! We don't know much about Phila Mfg except that they popped up during the war and disappeared afterwards. That they popped up in Philly is no surprise. The Navy's Supply Office was HQ'd there and the area has always been chock full of machine shops.

The sockets were machined out of cold rolled steel, then cold broached. They all look the same size because they only used two maybe three blanks for the bodies and they machined only the business end down from there. See Pics 2, 3, & 4. And it was a big blank! See Pic 5. Those are all sockets with 7/16" openings!

Now compare the shank of the sliding tee, the extension, and the spinner to some other brands. They used 3/8" rods for all of them and just machined the drive stud out of that. See Pics 6-9.

I've gone about this before, because it's so unusual, and why I find them so appealing (one of my favorite sets!), but your question prompted another run at it.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Here's a little walden set I thought was interesting

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Later than I like to collect, but I really dig the see-through lid.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Found it in the 62 catalog, looks like a meteor ratchet

 

[Mintgrun]

While this isn't part of a set (anymore), I'm curious whether anyone recognizes this little ratchet. It's kind of a neat design, but not marked in any way, other than a little "I" and "O" on the button, for in and out, I assume. I'm guessing it may be an import and maybe not very old.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Import Frankenstein ratchet