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Often overlooked but an absolutely necessary tool to anyone doing anything is the Clamp. When you just need someone to hold the other end, the clamp always does the job. Honestly, I've never gave clamps much thought, until I started collecting old tools. In particular I like antique clamps the...

Sometimes when researching antique tools you run across some wild twists & turns. Crazy lawsuits & weird nuances on how a tool made its way to the market. This Billings & Spencer story is nothing short of interesting. Stay with me on this story & learn how a popular B&S tool should have never...

One of my passions is collecting, restoring & researching antique ratchets. One of the earliest ratchet drills manufactured was patented by Henry H. Packer in 1858. I was never particularly interested in ratchet drills, but I have learned to appreciate them & the role they played in the...

Nothing draws more attention than a giant oversized tool. I've always been fascinated by them. These are the big oversized tools that helped build our country's industry. Whether it was bridges, subways, skyscrapers, industrial engine rooms or the Railroad....big tools were required to finish...

With the invention of the automobile in the late 1800's & early 1900's the tool industry would be changed forever. It brought on new ideas for tools & how they would be used. Ratchets & sockets as we know them today are because of the auto industry. In the early years manufacturers were coming...

Since I was a kid I've always been fascinated with locks. I run into them all the time when I'm out tool hunting in the wild. The craftsmanship on some of the really old antique locks are amazing. Unfortunately I don't know much about locks or their history. I'm sure the history on locks & lock...

Outside of Bemis & Call, Coes is one of my favorite wrenches to collect. They truly are built to last. Coes got their start all the way back in 1841. They always offered some of the best wrenches ever made. They even boasted in some ads that 80% of quality wrenches made in the US came from a...

I've noticed here on GJ that Bemis & Call tool information is scattered all over the place. Like B&C info, Railroad marked B&C tools, and other RR marked tools, are scattered across multiple threads. I've always been drawn to B&C tools. Their sturdy construction & overall quality I'm sure are a...

Not only am I fascinated with antique ratchets, I'm also curious to learn more about the history of sockets. Of course in the late 1800's they were referred to by a few different names like bits or reducers. Before broached we had pressed steel sockets like Contal & Mossberg in the early...

Since Camille Contal's Auto-Cle ratchet & socket set played such an important role in the history of ratchets & sockets, I thought it deserves its own thread. Contal's Auto-Cle ratchet was the very first to have a set of interchangeable sockets to fit the ratchet. Ratchets before this did not...

I recently acquired a nice antique pair of pipe tongs that inspired me to do some research. The early history of pipe tongs is quite interesting. In 1858 James Brown (while working for Walworth I believe) patented the first pipe tongs, although the tool is titled as a "wrench" on the patent. In...

Old electric hand drills from the '20's & '30's have always captured my attention. It was the golden age & beginning of portable electric hand drill manufacturing. The good old days of only one direction, motor brushes & brass badges. Black & Decker was the first to do it in 1917. I'm always...

For some reason I've always been fascinated with older model chucks, the Jacobs chucks in particular. Anytime I've seen a deal, I've picked them up even though I didn't need them. I'm curious to learn more about the history of Jacobs & the different styles they produced & their purpose. I know...

I collect a lot of ratchets, but I'm always fascinated with large 3/4" ratchets. So I'm wandering, who made it first? I know manufacturers like Mossberg & Lowell made really big ratchets, but who made the first in the era of modern day broached sockets? I know SK made theirs in the early 40's. I...

I thought this would make for interesting discussion. History tells us that J.J. Richardson’s ratchet was the first. Richardson’s patent #38,914 was granted on June 16, 1863. With that said, there is an interesting story about D.M. Moore’s ratchet patent #45,334 that was granted on December 6...

An argument can be made that the ratchet is one of the most important tool inventions of all time. The ability to put different size sockets on a single tool literally changed the tool & automobile industry. Garage Journal has countless threads, discussions & information on about any type of...

I found a Stanley 460 Mitre Box today. It's going to be a fun clean up project. After doing some research on this model, it looks like it originally came with a Disston back saw. The saw blade was marked Stanley Rule & Level Co & under that it said Henry Disston & Sons. The saw also obviously...

I recently acquired a nice Craftsman 3/4" Ratchet & socket set complete with all sockets, extensions & sliding T-Handle stamped =V=. I believe the ratchet to be from the 50's to early 60's. It is stamped =V= with pointed A's in the Craftsman name on the handle. This version is pre-quick release...

I ran across some old, I guess they would be considered, Linesman Pliers or button pliers. I bought them because they reminded me of an old pair of J.M. King pliers I have from the 1860's. They are marked H&S '57. I'm pretty sure they're not Hemingway & Smith because AA said they were...

I haven't seen a thread dedicated specifically to vintage Stanley Levels, so I thought I would show some love & start this one. If there already is one, I apologize for missing it. My Grandfather was a bricklayer, so from the time I could walk I was getting in trouble playing with his levels...