Cornwell ratchets with odd handle.

[ganymede]

Anyone ever see a Cornwell pear head with a knurled handle? I bought this one used and thought it was thrown together by the original owner. I like knurling but this knurling sucked and looked cheap too so I 'plasti-dipped' it and didn't give it much thought after. Today I saw one on eBay and thought that maybe mine is original after all.
Interestingly the eBay model is jrf30 and mine has no model number.
Knurling on the eBay one looks a little better too but I can't tell.

 

[I van putski]

Yes. They made them with knurled handles.

 

[ganymede]

I can understand why the regular ones are more popular and I like knurling .
Do you know around when they sold these ?

 

[wafrederick]

I say in the 1960s and 1970s.

 

[ganymede]

Cool. I didn't think it was that old.

 

[Thumper]

I have one...mine was from the 70's. I also have a 3/8th's breaker bar with a knurled handle.

 

[ganymede]

I have one...mine was from the 70's. I also have a 3/8th's breaker bar with a knurled handle.

I guess not everyone likes the stereotype Cornwell handle.
Does your ratchet have a model number ?

 

[Thumper]

Nope..no number..just Cornwell USA.

 

[ganymede]

Thanks Thumper.

 

[ganymede]

I think that auction is over and I won't link it anyway. Here's a pic of it.

 

[Zrexxer]

Nope..no number..just Cornwell USA.

Cornwell puts the model number on a little metal sticker that's glued in the center of the head, and the first thing that happens is it falls off.

 

[ganymede]

Yep. I hardly ever see used ones with that intact. One of the things that makes figuring out how old they are difficult.

 

[Thumper]

Heres a picture of mine..

 

[d.mcfarland]

They have changed whether or not the model number is stamped in the head throughout the years. I know more recently they went with a letter series like Craftsman to determine manufacturing date, however, with the older ones there are no markings.

I would guess that older ones have the model number stamped in the head and the newer ones have the model number on the center of the head in the circle.

 

[ganymede]

Thank you. Cant say for sure but i think ours were made after the one in the auction.
One thing I notice that may help determine the age is the size of the recess for the circlips. The smaller one on the right is older and the larger one is how they are still made today. The one in the auction is even smaller.
(This thread inspired me to remove the plasti dip)

 

[ganymede]

McFarland you posted while I was waiting for my pic to load.

I agree and I wonder if the small numbers on the top of the heads of some are date codes or just steel batch / forge numbers

 

[ganymede]

Zrexxer you changed the pic in your reply. I like both but the new one could be wallpaper.

 

[d.mcfarland]

Cornwell's chrome is amazing. Done by hand as well (at least the last anyone had heard).

 

[srmofo]

I think that auction is over and I won't link it anyway. Here's a pic of it.

I have an old cornwell 3/8 breaker bar and the handle looks identical to this ratchet's handle

 

[Zrexxer]

Zrexxer you changed the pic in your reply. I like both but the new one could be wallpaper.

I kind of hotlinked someone else's photo when I first posted my reply, which I don't really like doing... So when I got home and had some time I hunted down the photo I have posted now, which I took myself. Thanks for the compliment!