Chapman Midget Set No. CM-1400

[Outlawmws]

Have had my eye out for one of these for a while and got one this week!

Cody, is that the original Chapman case, or are you making your own case? (Something I'd do if I found a suitable case until/unless i can find an original)

 

[Chrome Vanadium Cody]

Cody, is that the original Chapman case, or are you making your own case? (Something I'd do if I found a suitable case until/unless i can find an original)

This one came with it, I got it on ebay so didn’t get to ask the prior owner and can’t be sure, the style and color do look similar to the one Lugz originally posted though. They actually started selling a new pocket case that reminds me of it recently: https://chapmanmfg.com/products/new-contoured-pocket-case-chapman-mfg

 

[Outlawmws]

Nice find! and U ****! I think you stole that auction!

 

[Outlawmws]

I finally got one if these - I had to revert to Eprey to do it though:

some difference between this one and the others posted. Outer cover for one:






Some content differnce's as well: No 9/32nd drive or 1/4" hex drive adapters, #1 and #2 Phillips instead? (I have no paperwork so tough to verify) I have 2 14 screwdriver tips as well, so a "spare".

One hex shank is MIA bu I can make that, and i'll add in a hex wrench the size needed for the tiny setscrews...

Ratchet has Chapman on this side:

Bridgeport on this?

But clearly the Chapman Midget Set No. CM-1400 "Eyeglass Kit"!!!

I saw it on Eprey badly identified as a "Yankee Offset Ratchet Tool Kit with 13 Bits and Case + JW Chapman Racthet..." (my search worked despite that) I made sure I saw the Chapman IDs sufficiently and bought it!

So apparently this is the "decorator" case; I've reviewed this thread, and this case is unique against the 7 other sets in the thread.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice snag.

 

[Outlawmws]

Thx Lugz

 

[Outlawmws]

Cleaned up and bits reordered - the smaller Allen bits need a "skinny bit" between them so this order seems to work the best.
I made the missing Allen bit (and a spare for one of the others by mistake - I may make a spare for each or a longer bit for access as needed, or both? ) and added the 3/64th Allen for the lock screw and made sure they were all tight( only one was) I do have a spare 1/4" flat bit.

On the #1 an #2 Phillips, I believe they are period correct for this kit - they are made with the Phillips patent on them. I'd need an ad, or a parts list to verify, (again I'm thinking this was at or near the end of the eyeglass case period, and the kits with the 9/32nds were likely military (who else used that size?) or mil surplus.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I have never seen one that wasn't blue or dark blue. Even the cases and bits they were supplying to Snap-on were in blue eyeglass cases. It's a handsome kit, Outlaw. Like you joked, the "designer" model! They're really sharp looking tools with the black finish and the heat treatment on the ratchets.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I'd say you could reach out to Tracy Camassar (nee Chapman) with questions, but I know they have no records on the eyeglass cases and their unofficial "historian" (an employee from 1966 to 1996!) passed away in 2020.

 

[Outlawmws]

I sent them an Email. We will see what their response is, I mentioned that Joel had post in thread.

 

[ChapmanMFG]

Hi everyone! Wow, what a cool old kit!

Unfortunately we don't have any info on that kit. It looks to be from the 40's or 50's which would have been even before Mary's (our former unofficial historian's) time. I can tell it's really old because some of the bits are held together with set screws, and the ratchet is flame treated. Fun fact, we have no idea why the ratchets were marked "Kensington" (which is a couple towns north of Durham, our current location) because as far as we know our tools were always made in Durham. The "Bridgeport" stamp is a real mystery, I've never seen that on a ratchet before. Maybe the bits were made in Durham and the ratchets were made in Kensington or Bridgeport?

None of us here recall seeing an eyeglass case like that. Maybe they used that case for a short time period or someone switched the bit insert from a broken eyeglass case to that one?

Sorry I don't have more info. The previous owners kept meticulous records of machines and kitchen appliances (like 4 copies of the instruction manual from a toaster they bought in 1974) but no product records.

Quick sidebar: The previous owners were obsessed with binders. They had probably 100 binders full of instruction manuals, warranty cards, misc records all copied in triplicate. My favorite binder was titled "Copies of Miscellaneous Documents," I have a picture of it somewhere.

Thanks so much for sharing the kit you bought and I wish I had more info for you!

Joel
Chapman MFG

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Fun fact, we have no idea why the ratchets were marked "Kensington" (which is a couple towns north of Durham, our current location) because as far as we know our tools were always made in Durham.

It's not just the ratchets, Joel! As you will recall, I mailed Tracy an eyeglass set I found at a flea market here in NJ back in 2015 (see post #1 - or walk to your front office "museum" case... ). The address on the label inside the lid also says, "Kensington." As you may recall, I found another one in 2019, and it has the exact same label. Since the "O.P.A." (Office of Price Administration) and the practice of price fixing was a wartime agency and policy, it strongly indicates he was operating out of Kensington as early as WWII.

If the labels aren't convincing enough, this should be...



Click here to see the original scanned document on Google Books.

The latest I can find John William Chapman advertising the manufacturing of midget sets with a Kensington address is 1962 - according to this edition of Hardware Age, anyway!



Did he live in Kensington? In my experience, all this information suggests that he was either making them in a shop on his premises, before the facility in Durham was established, or possibly making them in Durham but using his home as the business address.

If you guys need a new historian I will send my resume and salary demands under separate cover toot sweet!

The "Bridgeport" stamp is a real mystery, I've never seen that on a ratchet before.

That is the Bridgeport Hardware and Manufacturing logo, Joel. Almost assuredly made by Chapman for BHM.

(like 4 copies of the instruction manual from a toaster they bought in 1974)

You own me a new keyboard!