ca. 1930's DASCO Socket Wrench Set

[Private Lugnutz]

As I first reported on the 2019 Garage Sale thread, I found this DASCO 1/2-inch hex drive socket set at the flea market today.

DASCO, which started life as Damascus Steel Products Corporation, in Rockford, Illinois, in 1922, is still in business today (now DASCO PRO and owned by Vaughan), and is still best known for its heavy duty striking tools (chisels, star drills, pry bars, etc), which has always been its bread and butter.

While an occasional vintage DASCO tool shows up now and again on the Garage Sale threads, if you search on "DASCO" on the Vintage Discussion forum, only four (4) threads show up: one is 4.c's US Mfgrs list, the second is a crow bar, the third is a caulking iron, and the fourth is DOE wrench found by Mintgrun, linked here. I would consider any DASCO wrench rare, and his is actually an example of their “Double Beveled" jaw DOE wrenches, the kind Blackhawk made for themselves and others (e.g., Snap-on), known as "Wedg-Heads“, much later.

But I didn't even know that DASCO ever produced conventional hex drive socket wrenches. This is the first ratchet I have ever seen with the DASCO name on it. No socket drive tools are shown in the 1925 catalog, only DOE wrenches, so I am guessing this dates to the 1930's at the earliest.

Contents include a ratchet, a removable drive-plug, a screwdriver bit, an L-handle, fourteen (14) sockets with hex service openings - 5/16", 11/32", 3/8", 7/16", 1/2", 9/16", 19/32", 5/8", 11/16", 3/4", 25/32" and 7/8" - as well as four (4) sockets with square service openings - 1/4", 516", 11/32", and 5/8". Everything is 1/2-inch hex drive.

Only the ratchet is branded.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The set comes in a nifty oblong-shaped galvanized steel case with a flange-edged sliding lid. (Except for the oblong shape, it reminds me of early Army bacon cans.)

There's not much left of the label, but there's enough to identify it.

It reads:

DASCO
TRADEMARK
DASMASCUS STEEL PRODUCTS CORP
ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS

And here's some period context for the history buffs...

 

[Cruzan80]

Lugz, that reminds me of some of the Duro-Indestro stuff from then. If you look at an old catalog, it even shows the same kind of holder, and I know they made hex-broach sockets. While the numbers are shown on a slant, the markings to each side of the socket and the knurling also remind me of them (Duro with the trapezoidal D, and Indestro with the Star). Not sure if multiple factories were making to the same kind of specification, or DASCO outsourced these?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Outsourcing is a very good possibility, Cruzer, I just haven't focused on it yet. I thought about it as soon as I saw the rocker rat, which is a kind that DI, Hinsdale, and others made, but I don't think we've seen us track the patent(s) down conclusively yet.

 

[Cruzan80]

Looking at an Indestro catalog 1935, it looks like a combination of the 1216 and 1220 set. Yours has an extra square socket (lists as only 5/16, 11/32 and 3/8), but missing the 11/16 The 1220 has the 15/16 instead of the 7/8 yours has, but the 1216 has the LT handle, and doesn't include the screwdriver adapter. Not sure what they are calling an "Alemite socket" (not pictured).

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks. I appreciate the tips. I have a lot of old ads from four.cycle I was going to look through later. I've got the 11/16" socket. It skittered away without me knowing it when I took the photos of the sockets out of the box. It's the fourth largest socket in the set-in-the-box shot. EDIT: Actually, the only photo it's missing from is the one showing the size markings.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

This is probably the same catalog page you're talking about, Cruzer. I can buy that it's some kind of 1216/1220 hybrid made by Indestro for DASCO. But perhaps between Oct 1928 (when the patent for the rocker ratchet in my set was filed: McNaught, 1,798,481, granted 1931) and 1935, when they were using the press-steel ratchets shown in the catalog.

 

[Cruzan80]

Either that, or later than 1935, when they added another square socket to the set. Yes, that is the page I mentioned. Do you have any access to catalogs past 1935? Any idea what the "Alemite" socket mentioned is?

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Any idea what the "Alemite" socket mentioned is?

Yes. It is not shown in that ad, or possibly obscured by the T-handle. It looks similar to a wingnut socket for the same reason. Early (1920's, pre-Zerk) Alemite fittings had a cross-pin. An early Alemite socket had slots in the top. You would slip the slots over the pin on either side of the fitting and use the pins to turn it out or in. Later the fitting had a hex nut on the neck below the pin, so you could turn them with a wrench. Later still, Zerk fittings. I'll see if I can find one in one of my old sets or orphan drawers.

EDIT: I just remembered that some guy had one in a recent Hinsdale set find. Photo of his linked here. It's the one on the far left.

And here is one I have that is handiest to get to right now...

 

[Cruzan80]

Thanks. Turns out I have a CM BE 8pt that someone modified to do that. Always wondered why, and now I have an answer!

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Seems like king, newton and bog all had kind of similar sets in terms of labeling. That box looks like duro and Hinsdale stuff. Seems unlikely dasco was making their own stuff.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I don't see the resemblance to King/Newton decals, Otg, but I do see the resemblance to Bog. As far as an OEM goes, agreed, as Cruzan80 and I were discussing in posts #4 though 7 above.

 

[MR.X]

nothing to add to the socket set conversation but gonna drop this here. Apparently, judging by the owner's mark it belonged to me in the first place

 

[bonneyman]

You know, I think I've seen sockets just like those in my pawn shop journeys. I mistook them for Duro/Indestro, and just passed them by. Though I don't recall ever seeing DASCO on any tool.

The socket box does have a "military" look to it.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

nothing to add to the socket set conversation but gonna drop this here. Apparently, judging by the owner's mark it belonged to me in the first place

Haha. Thanks for posting. That's the first DASCO DOE I have seen. Looks like Billings to me.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Spotted this dasco set on eBay and shot him an offer. A bit rusty but pretty complete.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Welcome to the club! That will clean right up.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Found another kit, identical to the first (see post #1), but missing the rocker rat. I was skeptical I could save the decal, but it turned out alright. Speculation on OEM has centered on Indestro and Hinsdale, mainly because of the oblong tin, but the L handle in this one is NB. Doesn't mean it's original. I'd have to compare Indestro, Hinsdale, and NB early hex drive stuff before being more conclusive.

 

[terminus766]

I'm a bit late to the party, but these 2 open ended Dasco wrenches piggy-backed their way into my garage in a vintage wrench lot I just purchased off of ebay. This thread is pretty much all I can find on them.
1 is 3/8 - 7/16 with 1723 on reverse
1 is 3/8 - 1/2 with 1723-A on reverse

Both have "chrome molybdenum steel" on reverse.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Those are very cool. Late 30s.

 

[terminus766]

Those are very cool. Late 30s.

Thanks!

They must be worth millions!

Geeezzzz.. I'm not sure the pics I uploaded are blurry enough..
I'll try harder!

 

[burnin53]

Those socket sets are definitely made by SK similar to the ones they made for Hinsdale.
Few and far between,too.

 

[four.cycle]

"Speculation on OEM has centered on Indestro and Hinsdale, mainly because of the oblong tin..."

Weren't Indestro and Duro-Chrome boxes with sliding tops more "trapezoidal" than "rectangular"?
I'm having difficulty seeing that "trapezoidal" thing in any of the photos above.

Interesting that the mark on either side of the size stamp is a -
(as opposed to a dot or a star or nothing.)

Whose cross-hatch pattern does the DASCO most closely match?

@burnin53 - I'd consider Sherman-Klove a possible candidate for OEM except for the box.... and .... I don't think they ever made a ratchet like that.

Dasco / Dasco Pro Inc., 340 Blackhawk Park Ave., Rockford, IL 61104 / http://www.dascopro.com / Damascus Steel Products Corp. / acquired by Vaughan & Bushnell May 2018 / http://trowelcollector.blogspot.com/2014/12/history-of-dasco-damascus-steel.html / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/c-1930s-dasco-socket-wrench-set.427609/ /

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I'm having difficulty seeing that "trapezoidal" thing in any of the photos above.

It's the photo angle. Trust me, it's not rectangular.

I don't think they ever made a ratchet like that

It's a dead ringer for Hinsdale.

 

[four.cycle]

^ yes. photo angles are throwing me off. if that's the case I'd lean more to Hinsdale, like you said, because of the ratchet. That's not a D/I made ratchet.

 

[four.cycle]

1924 Hardware Buyers Catalog Damascus Dasco ad pp 371

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I have to admit when I think of screwdrivers, I don't think of DASCO, so I was surprised to see that name on the ferrule of this well-made wood-handled jobbie I found at the flea market this morning. It's an interesting construction. The shank, as you can see is square and round, and the square part, fitted into a square receptacle in the ferrule, is checkered. Uniquely, I would hazard to say. I have certainly never seen that before. Model #883, which I found in the 1925 DASCO catalog on IA/ITCL.

 

[four.cycle]

"Steel extends through the handle but is made in two pieces."