COHARDITE (and other) Insulated Screwdrivers

[Private Lugnutz]

I was looking for a thread to post this screwdriver, but according to the search engine, the term "Cohardite" has never appeared anywhere on GJ before. Maybe this will spawn some follow-up posts by guys who also have tools bearing the name and didn't realize it, or who just didn't find them remarkable. And maybe it will die a fast death, banished to page 2 through infinity until some other schmoe searches on the term and finds this GJ thread.

What drew me to the handle in the first place was the material and the construction. The handle and ferrule are one molded piece of very hard composite. When I saw the name, I knew I had never seen it before.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Admittedly, my Google-fu is weak on this one.

I discovered that "Cohardite" is a trade name for a hard rubber made, by the Connecticut Hard Rubber Company, of polyvinyl plastic resins and HYCAR rubber. I couldn't find anything explicit on the name, but it appears to be an acronym from the company name (COnnecticut HARD Rubber) with an "-ITE" suffix to productize it.

I discovered that the Connecticut Hard Rubber Company was founded in 1921 on $10,000 capital.

I have not been able to find out when cohardite was patented or trademarked, exactly, but the earliest reference to the term seems to be 1936.

Its properties were extolled as primarily resisting high voltage, but also pounding, acids, oil, grease, and moisture in trade mags in electrical, engineering, and safety domains in the late 1930's and 1940's, but it really caught hold in the 1950's. H.K. Porter used it for all its wire cutter handles during that time, for example.

The only reference I could find to Insulated Tools Company, who made the screwdriver, were a set of nut drivers on Worthpoint, where the seller located them in Worcester, Mass.

 

[d42jeep]

I found a Cohardite brand nutdriver yesterday. I think it’s the first one I’ve seen.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice find. They have a cool look.

 

[gsryder]

I have a few of these....came with a bunch of old Bell systems (Phone Company) tools

 

[gsryder]

Well...I thought I had a few of them...not sure what happened to them now...

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

@Private Lugnutz Wow you have some of the coolest stuff.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I have a few of these....came with a bunch of old Bell systems (Phone Company) tools

Well...I thought I had a few of them...not sure what happened to them now...

Hey, even just one more specimen to mine and Don's now makes a few on GJ! I wish mine had that "full vinyl car wrap" look. That yours were found with BELL SYSTEM tools makes perfect sense. Thanks for posting. That's helpful.

Wow you have some of the coolest stuff.

Thanks, MtP. I don't know about coolest, but I am fortunate enough to run into some cool stuff, and definitely some odd stuff. There is no skill involved! All it takes is going to the flea market every week.

 

[four.cycle]

I was way down into this rabbit hole earlier this morning - before daylight - when the power went out. I don't remember where I was.
This is what I found while I was there:

1950 Electrical Engineering H.K. Porter Cohardite ad pp 16A

they made more than screwdrivers and nutdrivers:

Connecticut Hard Rubber Co. Cohardite tools (photo: ebay)

Connecticut Hard Rubber Co. Cohardite tools (photo: ebay)

Vulcanized Rubber, abbreviation: Ebonite, Hard Rubber

Commercial Brand Names:

ACE made by American Hard Rubber Co, USA
SUPER made by ACE – American Hard Rubber Co, USA
AMCOSITE made by Siemens Bros & Co, UK
BULWARK made by Redfern’s Rubber Works, UK
COHARDITE made by Connecticut Hard Rubber Co, USA
DEXONITE made by Dexine Ltd, UK

Here is list (partial to be sure) of some of the different kinds of vulcanite/ebonite materials that have been used for mouthpieces:

Ace – American Hard Rubber Co., USA
Super-Ace – American Hard Rubber Co., USA
Amcosite – Siemens Bros. & Co., UK
Bulwark – Redfern’s Rubber Works, UK
Cohardite – Connecticut Hard Rubber Co., USA
Dexonite – Dexine Ltd., UK
Endurance American Hard Rubber Co., USA
Gallia-Rubber – French ebonite
Keramot – Siemens Bros. & Co., UK
Level Chuck – American Hard Rubber Co., USA
Luzerne – Luzerne Rubber, USA
Mercury – American Hard Rubber Co., USA
Navy – American Hard Rubber Co., USA
Onazote – Expanded Rubber Co., UK
Permcol – British Hard Rubber Co., UK
Resiston – American Hard Rubber Co., USA
Rub-Erok – Richardson Co., USA
Rub-Tex – Richardson Co., USA
Solid Rubber – used by some English makers in 1914-1918 years

Some remarks on dealing with damaged stems of smoking pipes by Jacek A. Rochacki

Blog by Jacek A. Rochacki This is Jacek’s second article on pipe repairs. I appreciate the slant that Jacek brings to the work of pipe refurbishing. His art restoration background lends itsel…

rebornpipes.com

==

Further reading: 1946 Doctorate Thesis available on the web:

"Some studies on tertiary hexadecyl percatptan as a modifer in butadiene-styrene copolymerizations" - MacLean 1946

gets a bit thick when he gets to the math equations, but interesting stuff none the less.

(that's right about where I was when the power went out.)

I have been stumped by a few "composite handled" "insulated" screwdrivers for several years, which is why this one piqued my curiosity, but unfortunately I found no answers to my questions.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

According to the Search Engine, there are no references to "THE MILLER RUBBER CO." (marking 1), located "IN AKRON, O. U.S.A." (marking 2) or "RA-DRIVE" (marking 3) on GJ, but rather than start yet another thread for an obscure insulated rubberoid screwdriver, I am putting this here and modifying/expanding the title. Found it this morning at the flea market. This one, as you can see, is insulated all the way down the handle, ferrule and shank with one uniform casting or molding. Cabinet tip.

Have not yet researched it.

 

[four.cycle]

I was curious because I still have images of as-yet unidentified "insulated" screwdrivers, but was only able to find:
Miller / Miller Rubber Products Co., Akron, OH / est. 1898 /
no mention of screwdrivers, however.

 

[LesserSon]

I found a Cohardite brand nutdriver yesterday. I think it’s the first one I’ve seen.
-Don

Me too, which led me to this thread.
No size marked, but I think 3/8”.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice find, LS.

 

[Leviton]

Does this little one look familiar to anyone? If it ever had markings they are gone. Has a hard rubber type hex-shaped handle. I assume it once had screw-holding pincers. It is 3.8 inches long. Trying to figure out who might have made it?