Dad's Old Husky Toolset

[duojet55]

Way back in 1965, my Father brought home a cool toolset he'd just bought from the Navy Exchange in Yokohama, Japan. It was the Husky 9227 21-piece 1/2" square drive set and it came in a cool red metal toolbox. These were the first tools I ever used. Along the way, some pieces disappeared (the ratchet was stolen from our shop years later) and I eventually became the proud owner/user of my own Craftsman tools. After Dad passed away two years ago, I found the old Husky toolbox and decided to try to replace the few missing pieces with period tools. As I searched eBay and other places for sockets, I ended up acquiring a couple of other Husky items and now it's taken on a life of it's own! Not only have I almost completed Dad's kit, I now have another mid '60s 1/2" drive set, a nice 3/8" drive set and a cute little 18 piece 3/8" and 1/4" drive set!

 

[duojet55]

Here is the wrench set Dad got when he bought the socket set. I've since repaired the edging on the tool roll and found one of the other wrenches.

 

[thegroundpounder99]

That's pretty cool. Love old tools.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[gtg082y]

Very cool. Was Husky actually a manufacturer back then, or were they rebranding?

 

[woody 73]

Way, Way cool set you have there. Mods anyway to move this post over to the vintage tool section so we can all drool some more.

 

[AceofSpad3s]

Very cool. Was Husky actually a manufacturer back then, or were they rebranding?

They were owned by New Britain.

 

[duojet55]

Yeah, New Britain Machine, of New Britain, Connecticut was making them back then. A mechanic friend of mine said Husky were aimed at the homeowner and weekender, but not what a pro who made his living with a wrench in his hand would use. I think the stuff really is of good quality though, and for a part-time mech and do-it-yourselfer like me they are pretty stout. Heck, they've lasted fifty years so far!

Btw, I didn't realize there was a Vintage Tool section here. If any moderator wants to move this thread there, please do.

 

[duojet55]

Here's a pic of the original with the duplicate and overflow set I started. Dad's set is complete now, so this is an old photo. I found the identical box on eBay.

 

[duojet55]

I just realized the Thorsen 77 ratchet is in the top box. This was the one we acquired to replace the CS43 that was swiped. It still has it's rattly gear cover intact. A lot of the Thorsens I've seen seem to have the cover removed.

 

[gtg082y]

Awesome. Thanks for the history lesson. I had my road box stolen when in high school, and with it went a great set of old (I always assumed 70s) USA-made Husky combo wrenches. I've never seen another set like them. Use your dad's tools with pride!

 

[Ponchoguy]

Yeah, New Britain Machine, of New Britain, Connecticut was making them back then. A mechanic friend of mine said Husky were aimed at the homeowner and weekender, but not what a pro who made his living with a wrench in his hand would use. I think the stuff really is of good quality though, and for a part-time mech and do-it-yourselfer like me they are pretty stout. Heck, they've lasted fifty years so far!

Btw, I didn't realize there was a Vintage Tool section here. If any moderator wants to move this thread there, please do.

And later on, Stanleyworks was making their tools (when they became a Home Depot house brand). Their toolboxes were made in Canada and very solid for the money.

 

[sonvolt]

I have a set of Husky combo wrenches from the mid 90s (made by Stanley and identical to Blackhawk) great wrenches. Also have a metric set of 3/8 sockets and ratchet from my Pop from the early 70s.

 

[duojet55]

For a while, Defense contractor Litton owned the Husky brand. Here's a Husky universal I found still packaged. Notice the Litton Industries logo to the left of "New Britain Machine".

 

[sha]

Cool

 

[bonneyman]

I just realized the Thorsen 77 ratchet in the top box. This was the one we acquired to replace the CS43 that was swiped. It still has it's rattly gear cover intact. A lot of the Thorsens I've seen seem to have the cover removed.

I just found an open gear Thorsen,77J4, with cover in very good condition. After dis-assembly and cleaning it looked even better!
Very tough ratchets!

 

[ZRX61]

A mechanic friend of mine said Husky were aimed at the homeowner and weekender, but not what a pro who made his living with a wrench in his hand would use.

I've been using an imported set of Husky wrenches & 1/4 drive sockets on multi-million $$ aircraft for years. None of them have fallen out of the sky yet...

 

[duojet55]

Bonneyman, those Thorsen ratchets are tough! I believe ours is from the '50s. Dad got it used (probably from a pawn shop) to replace the missing Husky and it kept a couple of Buicks and Ford trucks in good repair. I liberated it from my brother's tools a few months ago. He has several Craftsman ratchets, so won't miss it. I just thought it belonged with the Husky set.

ZRX61, that statement came from a Snap-on fan who also used to drive a Matco truck! I learned on that Husky set. The Navy Exchange always sold quality merchandise, so we knew they were reliable tools!

 

[duojet55]

Here's the 3/8" set I found on eBay. It's a mid '60s set and contains both standard and underlined Husky logos throughout the pieces. One of the original sockets from my 1/2" set had an underlined logo, as did all of the tappet wrenches. I had to replace the missing 3" extension and the 9/16" deep well socket is cracked, so I'll need to replace it. Overall, this is a cherry set!

 

[duojet55]

Here's the late '60s/early '70s 18 piece Husky 3/8"-1/4" set. It was so neat I just couldn't resist it! The spinner handle, 1/4" socket were missing as well as the 3" adapter, but they weren't hard to find. I still need to fabricate a closure as the original plastic had broken off.

 

[stihlntime]

Man this brings back memories. My mother got my late far a Husky set of tools in the late 60's. We ran a 180 head of momma cows then on about 320 acres. 1/2 drive is all we had both short and deep well sae sets and a set of Husky combo wrenches and SK hard handle green screwdrivers. We worked on many a implement ,tractor and trucks with that Husky set.We wore the 9/16 socket out. It would slip if you put too much pressure on it. Mom still has the set, hasn't been opened since Dad passed. Maybe one day myself or one of the boys will get them. The ratchet took living hell a cheater was on it many a time and it never failed.

 

[bonneyman]

Bonneyman, those Thorsen ratchets are tough! I believe ours is from the '50s. Dad got it used (probably from a pawn shop) to replace the missing Husky and it kept a couple of Buicks and Ford trucks in good repair. I liberated it from my brother's tools a few months ago. He has several Craftsman ratchets, so won't miss it. I just thought it belonged with the Husky set.

ZRX61, that statement came from a Snap-on fan who also used to drive a Matco truck! I learned on that Husky set. The Navy Exchange always sold quality merchandise, so we knew they were reliable tools!

Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but, in my younger days I couldn't stand those open gear rats. They looked so "weak" and cheap, like they couldn't even afford to cover the guts. (Most ones I've seen were missing the cover).
Then I got an education on the forums, and, well now I try and grab them when I can.

 

[bluebolt]

Nice you have some of your dad's tools. I looked in my Husky jug but didn't find any open ends you are missing with the underlined logo.

 

[duojet55]

Thanx, Bluebolt, I appreciate your looking! I'm sure some will turn up eventually. If anyone else by chance has any of the flat grip underlined Husky tappet wrenches, I still need a 1/4" & 5/16", 1/2" & 9/16" and a 15/16 & 1" like in the below picture. If you have any of these goodies, shoot me a price!

 

[johninct]

Here's the late '60s/early '70s 18 piece Husky 3/8"-1/4" set. It was so neat I just couldn't resist it! The spinner handle, 1/4" socket were missing as well as the 3" adapter, but they weren't hard to find. I still need to fabricate a closure as the original plastic had broken off.

I have that same set but my plastic case is a little different.

 

[MShaw]

I was employed by New Briyain Hand Tools in 1972 / 73.

Litton owned New Britain Machine and hence all of the hand tool brands including New Britain, Blackhawk, Husky, Sparta and Penncraft.

As to Husky being a home owner brand, The ratchets were the same for all brands other than the grip knurling and the stamping. All wrenches were made from the same materials on the same machines and heat treated in the same furnaces. The only differences were that the New Britain and Blackhawk tools were different from the other three visually

 

[jim]

daujet55, I also have the same set from my late father. The layout of the plastic box is a little different. Love it. All USA made. I think of my father every time I use his old tools and he had lots of them! Jim

 

[duojet55]

MShaw, that's so true with a lot of manufactured items. I think there tends to be a brand snobbery concerning tools sometimes. I love old Husky tools because besides the fact that they function like they're supposed to, they remind me of my Father. There's also that Connecticut connection (Mom's home state. I lived in South Windsor for a few years). I don't care if "real" mechanics think I'm a barefoot hillbilly with a pillowcase full of old wrenches just because I like/use Husky. ;-)

 

[duojet55]

Jim and John, does your set have this logo molded into the lid?

 

[jim]

Red plastic all textured front cover with a flat area in the lower left where a label could have been affixed some time ago but long gone now. Jim

 

[johninct]

Jim and John, does your set have this logo molded into the lid?

Mine may have said Husky on the top lower left corner. The plastic clasp broke in the 80's. I lost the 7/16 socket but replaced it with a used one . It seems like it doesn't fit exactly in the case slot, did Husky change the 7/16 socket?

 

[MShaw]

Hey Duojet, I lived in Glastonbury until 1976.

 

[duojet55]

Mom was from Manchester. We got to Talcottville in '66 right after Dad retired from the Navy, then moved to Wapping (So. Windsor) in '67. Dad worked for Pratt & Whitney until '70 when we left for Arkansas.

 

[duojet55]

John, your replacement 7/16" may be a different era than the original. My 3/8" drive 20 pc. set has the knurled sockets and the plastic case 18 pc. set has the smooth ones. I'll compare the two when I get down to the shop tomorrow.

 

[johninct]

Hey Duojet, I lived in Glastonbury until 1976.

I live in Colchester

 

[bonneyman]

I was employed by New Briyain Hand Tools in 1972 / 73.

Litton owned New Britain Machine and hence all of the hand tool brands including New Britain, Blackhawk, Husky, Sparta and Penncraft.

As to Husky being a home owner brand, The ratchets were the same for all brands other than the grip knurling and the stamping. All wrenches were made from the same materials on the same machines and heat treated in the same furnaces. The only differences were that the New Britain and Blackhawk tools were different from the other three visually

Appreciate the info. It's really great to be able to get first-hand knowledge about older tools years after the fact.

 

[duojet55]

John, my knurled CB1214 (12pt.) 7/16" is a little shorter than the smooth CB614 (6pt.) 7/16", but a little bit wider at the base. I have two CB1216 (12pt.) 1/2" knurled sockets that vary in diameter and length slightly. Both 1/2" sockets have slightly different roll printing on them, so my guess would be as I first stated, that they may be of different vintages.

 

[MShaw]

I have a set of 3/8" drive 6 point deep sockets I got from the company when I worked there in 1972 / 73 and they have a completely smooth outside diameter. I suspect that this is the later style as the socket ODs were finished in a centerless, thru feed belt polisher. In this process any raised area would be removed. The machines were made by Engleberg - Huller if you want to try to get a picture of them.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

I just realized the Thorsen 77 ratchet is in the top box. This was the one we acquired to replace the CS43 that was swiped. It still has it's rattly gear cover intact. A lot of the Thorsens I've seen seem to have the cover removed.

The Thorsen 77 makes an even worse hammer than the usual ratchet, if you know what I mean.

Western Forge made an almost identical ratchet as the Thorsen open gear ratchets, right after Thorsen switched to a more common type roundhead design. The WF ratchets were sold by Sears in kits under the Companion brand.

I have a strong suspicion that the Companion ratchets were made with the old Thorsen tooling, but I don't have any specific knowledge. I do have one of each of the ratchets. The Companion ratchet is machined more crudely than the Thorsen and it's pawl doesn't quite sit square with the drive. It also has alot more backdrag. But both ratchets feel strong and dependable.

 

[duojet55]

The Thorsen 77 makes an even worse hammer than the usual ratchet, if you know what I mean.

 

[duojet55]

Here are examples of the '60s knurled sockets. In my 1965 1/2" and 3/4" sets, both the plain and underlined Husky logos were included originally. I'm not sure which logo was older.