Bay State Autokit socket set
- Thread starter coolford
- Start date
lbgradwell
Well-known member
That's an awesome set! 
StillTooManyHobbies
Well-known member
Very neat set. I like the universal joint. It's cool.
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
That is a terrific find!
Me too! An open chain swivel! Talk about primitive but effective.
twertsy
Well-known member
The search function here actually worked, so I'll revive this thread with some research this morning. I hit the shop at 4am to get a day of straightening up accomplished, and doing some more digging on the Bethlehem Steel thread.
While on the ladder browsing some socket sets, I grabbed a wooden box that was hiding in the corner of my shelf. I opened it up just to see if it might be another BSM kit and found a Bay State kit instead. These are cool old sets but this one has a couple anomalies that I thought worthy of posting. I'm switching to my phone to post pictures, questions and quandaries.
While on the ladder browsing some socket sets, I grabbed a wooden box that was hiding in the corner of my shelf. I opened it up just to see if it might be another BSM kit and found a Bay State kit instead. These are cool old sets but this one has a couple anomalies that I thought worthy of posting. I'm switching to my phone to post pictures, questions and quandaries.
twertsy
Well-known member
Here is the small set #19, by Allen Manufacturing Co of Hartford.
Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk
Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk
twertsy
Well-known member
These are 7/16" drive. The sockets are marked with either a slash, or simply the numerator over the denominator with no separating line. There is a very slight taper near the drive end bottom third of all sockets. The L handle and extensions have no markings.
Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk
Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk
twertsy
Well-known member
The first interesting component in this lot is this ratcheting adapter. It bears a patent date of 3/15/1921. It also has a through hole to enable use as a ratcheting T handle. The patent is #1,371,350 by Solomon A Campbell, and assigned to Sarah W. Campbell.
Mr. Campbell revised this tool in 1924 with patent #1,489,696 - Socket Wrench, assigned to Allen Manufacturing Co.
He also filed this patent in Canada #217,059 and assigned it to Sarah W. Campbell and Joseph W. Bowman.
Mr. Campbell also patented a ratchet in 1907, Patent #870,014, and assigned 1/2 to Edward T. Kimball.
Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk
Mr. Campbell revised this tool in 1924 with patent #1,489,696 - Socket Wrench, assigned to Allen Manufacturing Co.
He also filed this patent in Canada #217,059 and assigned it to Sarah W. Campbell and Joseph W. Bowman.
Mr. Campbell also patented a ratchet in 1907, Patent #870,014, and assigned 1/2 to Edward T. Kimball.
Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk
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twertsy
Well-known member
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
I’m reviving this thread to post a strange and possibly FOAK partial Bay State set. This one, from the ‘Pump Company’ era, was found at my flea market on Friday in an old Bayuk “Phillies” tobacco tin, mingled in with a bunch of grimy nuts, bolts, and steel tube spark plug sockets, now removed.
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Originally, it probably would’ve come in a wooden box with additional sockets and a few extensions.
If you don’t know what I mean by ‘the Pump Company era’, this mfgr, known for its bizarre “Cat Car” logo (see lid of box in the Autokit No. 1 set shown in OP's first post), had several incarnations.
The Bay State Tool Company was founded by a guy named Tudor in 1900.
Oddly, it was acquired by Tudor Mfg Co (another company the same inventor owned) in 1906, which sold tools, including various socket sets known as Autokits (which they also supplied to Sears & Roebuck, their first) with a distinctive and probably earliest known roto-ratchet and Mossberg-made pressed-steel sockets, using “Bay State” as a sort of brand name.
In 1917 (AA says 1918, but I found an earlier reference, linked here), they changed their name to the Bay State Pump Company, making and selling the same tools and sets. All of these companies were located in various places in Boston.
You can read much more particulars about Bay State at the Tool Archives and on Alloy Artifacts.
Here’s more on the partial kit I found.
I can’t find another Autokit Wrench No. 35 anywhere on-line. AA has an Auokit Wrench No. 12, which is reversible.
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Incidentally, whenever four.cycle returns, he can update his List of U.S. Manufacturers thread, the post in the B’s linked here, which faithfully lists “B. St. Pump Co.”, verbatim, without an expansion on the abbreviation, probably because his source was an eBay sale description from a seller who did not know what it stood for.
The chain-link style universal joint and the screwdriver bit, which are 1/2-inch drive, are the same as the pieces found in the original Autokit No. 1 set, which can be seen in the OP’s first post upthread.
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All of the sockets are 1/2-inch internal square drive, 11/16-inch external square drive, and marked with the Mossberg diamond-M brand.
View media item 83869
As an aside here, note that I disagree with AA’s postulation about the prevalence of Mossberg pressed-steel sockets commonly found in early pressed-steel socket sets like this one. Throughout the site, AA theorizes that they are replacements. I think they’re found far too often in other mfgr's sets and in far too many numbers to be replacements. I think Mossberg was all too happy to provide sockets to other socket set mfgrs horning in on their game with some new improvement or unique twist on a ratchet or a handle to turn them.
Two (2) square sockets: 17/32” and 21/32”
One (1) oval socket, no size. (Yes, this is a real, intentional thing, not a bent-out-of-shape square socket.)
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Six (6) hex sockets: 17/32”, 19/32”, 23/32”, 3/4”, 27/32” and 29/32”.
View media item 83864
View media item 83860
View media item 83862
View media item 83861
Originally, it probably would’ve come in a wooden box with additional sockets and a few extensions.
If you don’t know what I mean by ‘the Pump Company era’, this mfgr, known for its bizarre “Cat Car” logo (see lid of box in the Autokit No. 1 set shown in OP's first post), had several incarnations.
The Bay State Tool Company was founded by a guy named Tudor in 1900.
Oddly, it was acquired by Tudor Mfg Co (another company the same inventor owned) in 1906, which sold tools, including various socket sets known as Autokits (which they also supplied to Sears & Roebuck, their first) with a distinctive and probably earliest known roto-ratchet and Mossberg-made pressed-steel sockets, using “Bay State” as a sort of brand name.
In 1917 (AA says 1918, but I found an earlier reference, linked here), they changed their name to the Bay State Pump Company, making and selling the same tools and sets. All of these companies were located in various places in Boston.
You can read much more particulars about Bay State at the Tool Archives and on Alloy Artifacts.
Here’s more on the partial kit I found.
I can’t find another Autokit Wrench No. 35 anywhere on-line. AA has an Auokit Wrench No. 12, which is reversible.
View media item 83866
View media item 83867
Incidentally, whenever four.cycle returns, he can update his List of U.S. Manufacturers thread, the post in the B’s linked here, which faithfully lists “B. St. Pump Co.”, verbatim, without an expansion on the abbreviation, probably because his source was an eBay sale description from a seller who did not know what it stood for.
The chain-link style universal joint and the screwdriver bit, which are 1/2-inch drive, are the same as the pieces found in the original Autokit No. 1 set, which can be seen in the OP’s first post upthread.
View media item 83868
All of the sockets are 1/2-inch internal square drive, 11/16-inch external square drive, and marked with the Mossberg diamond-M brand.
View media item 83869
As an aside here, note that I disagree with AA’s postulation about the prevalence of Mossberg pressed-steel sockets commonly found in early pressed-steel socket sets like this one. Throughout the site, AA theorizes that they are replacements. I think they’re found far too often in other mfgr's sets and in far too many numbers to be replacements. I think Mossberg was all too happy to provide sockets to other socket set mfgrs horning in on their game with some new improvement or unique twist on a ratchet or a handle to turn them.
Two (2) square sockets: 17/32” and 21/32”
One (1) oval socket, no size. (Yes, this is a real, intentional thing, not a bent-out-of-shape square socket.)
View media item 83863
Six (6) hex sockets: 17/32”, 19/32”, 23/32”, 3/4”, 27/32” and 29/32”.
View media item 83864
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