Walden Worcester Socket with intereting markings

Walden Worcester Socket with interesting markings

Okay, so as promised in the GS thread, a Walden 3/4 drive socket that’s marked on the bottom. Not exactly marked as I thought though.

I had this thing in vinegar over night, and may have taken it out just a little too soon.

This was found at an estate sale 10-15 years ago, covered in rust and barely recognizable other than WW’s faint marking and knurl band.

You can imagine what it looked like after sitting in my box behind other 3/4 drive all those years. A couple pics after the vinegar soak, before scrubbing.

It’s stamped Walden Worcester Made in USA





Hadn’t realized the markings around the socket didn’t include a standard 4 digit Walden part number from that era.

Instead, it’s marked MAS-123A. Not sure what that means.



Also, 41W2826 150. The long part number with a W immediately made me think Federal Stock Number, but they often begin with a 4, and it’s so faint it’s easy to miss.

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6 point, with a turned down outside near the top. Measures out to 1-5/8” opening, close as I can tell.

And finally, the bottom stamp. The whole reason I dug this out yesterday after reading about the Truth socket in the GS thread. Thought I remembered it being marked Walden on the bottom. Guess I was wrong, but hey it’s been a long time. Even more cool.

3Bay, that's an interesting socket, thanks for posting the good pics! The 4 at the beginning of the FSN is quite faint, thanks for pointing that out...but it's undoubtedly an FSN.

Lugz and d42, I have it for the FSN spreadsheet.

3baygarage said:

And finally, the bottom stamp...[ ]...Even more cool.

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It is. And more noteworthy for WWII collectors, too!

K.R. Wilson is a known WWII supplier of specialty automotive tools and services to the Ordnance Dept Tank-Automotive Center (TAC) in Detroit, in the same class as Kent-Moore, though smaller.

As for the MAS- part number, it could be almost anything, but there was another Detroit area outfit also in the same class as Kent-Moore and K.R. Wilson who also provided the ORD TAC special tools and services known as Master Engineering Services, located at 6525 Linwood Ave., Detroit, 8 Michiagn during WWII, whose official manufacturing part numbers all started with MAS-. (For context, Kent-Moore Organization was KMO, K.R. Wilson was WKR, Snap-on was SN, Plomb was PT, etc).

The socket clearly has all the typical features we look for in a Walden-Worcester wartime production socket, including the dark finish. But here's the real kicker... That FSN is early war. By 1945, all the 3/4-inch drive 6-point sockets were dropped, replaced with 12-point sockets with FSN's ranging from 41-W-3037-27 (15/16") to 41-W-3057-50 (2-3/8").

I suspect it was made by Walden for the ORD and K.R. Wilson got a hold of it secondarily as part of some services they were providing the ORD. If the MAS- number is indeed Master Engineering Services it wouldn't be the first time we've seen two of these specialty services companies marked on the same tool, either, with both "MAS" and "MTM" (Miller Tool & Mfg Co., also of Detroit) found on lifters, compressors, etc. that had been modified by them under contract with the ORD.

Who knows, either MAS or KR Wilson may have even been responsible for the chamfering 3Bay noted. That's exactly the kind of thing the ORD TAC would shop out en masse to these kinds of outfits. Although the MAS- number looks roll stamped when the other markings were originally applied. So maybe not. Maybe that's just some contract number. Either way, early war, with ORD provenance, and ORD extra services provenance.

Very interesting guys. I’m still surprised it was sitting under my nose all these years, while I’ve picked up many other KRW pieces.


Just a side note unrelated to this socket.. Walden was a manufacturer of early KRW Ford wrenches. As stated in the 1926 cat online:






Another few notes on KRW hand tools:

KRW branded socketry was mfd. by New Britain.
KRW branded wrenches (combos) were mfd. by Barcalo.
Williams socketry was sold as maintenance sets in a KRW tractor tool cat, but orobably not rebranded.