Dating older Sidchrome tools

[Matt Irvine]

G'day guys. I'm Matt, 16, from Australia. Love playing with motors and whatnot, and operating heavy farm equipment. Haha. I understand most of the members of this site are American or otherwise, but hopefully somebody will be able to help me out.

I have a decent amount of Australian made Sidchrome gear, and some from around the same era with out where it was made stamped, hopefully somebody can inform me where these were made (open end spanners, some sockets/extensions, pliers), and a rough date for the lot of it. If close up pictures are needed, let me know, Ill get some at first chance. Sorry if these pictures don't work, uploading from my phone.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Welcome to the GJ Matt, enjoy! There are quite a number of Aussies on Forum that will be able to help you date the Sidchrome gear.
I am not a real expert but I would say looking at the ratchets that they may be 20-25 years old????
That a nice set of tools, look after them..

 

[Matt Irvine]

Welcome to the GJ Matt, enjoy! There are quite a number of Aussies on Forum that will be able to help you date the Sidchrome gear.
I am not a real expert but I would say looking at the ratchets that they may be 20-25 years old????
That a nice set of tools, look after them..

Cheers mate! All my tools are one of the very few things I own that I actually look after!

Also, I'm missing a 9/16, 11/16, 1 1/8 socket, if anybody has a Sidchrome one from this era around they'd be willing to pass on or sell me it would be very greatly appreciated!

 

[bathurst-racer]

Hi Matt I was doing my mechanics apprenticeship in the late 70's and I agree that your tools look to be from about that era.

 

[Matt Irvine]

I was thinking around that time, next question is does anybody know where the stuff not marked "Made in Australia" was made?

 

[racingtadpole]

You have a bit of a random mix of stuff there. The red handled pliers and cutters were made from the late 80's through to mid 2000's. The shifters are mid eighties, although one of the smaller ones is newer, mid 90's.

Sidchrome stuff that's not marked made in Australia is almost certainly from Taiwan. Although given the age of most of your stuff, it may have still been finished here. Sidchrome were still finishing Taiwanese made castings here for a bit in the 90's.

 

[Matt Irvine]

You have a bit of a random mix of stuff there. The red handled pliers and cutters were made from the late 80's through to mid 2000's. The shifters are mid eighties, although one of the smaller ones is newer, mid 90's.

Sidchrome stuff that's not marked made in Australia is almost certainly from Taiwan. Although given the age of most of your stuff, it may have still been finished here. Sidchrome were still finishing Taiwanese made castings here for a bit in the 90's.

Basically all the information I was after! Cheers mate!
What would you say the quality of most of these tools are?

 

[Elcam82]

I'm not sure of the dates, however the original sidchrome spanners were not chromed and had a ridge running along the length of the shaft with an embossed "Sidchrome" in the middle and the sizes stamped on the spanner end. There was no "Made in Australia" on the reverse.

The next era look like the 60's plus tools only they had the word Sidchrome embossed in a hollow on one side only, nothing on the reverse and the size stamped into the spanner end.

The next era, which I purchased late 60's and into the 80's had Sidchrome and the spanner sizes embossed in a hollow on one side of the shaft. Made in Australia is embossed on the reverse side of the shaft as is shown in Matt Irvine's pics.

Email me if you would like to see pics of these three examples.

Cheers, Elcam82

 

[3baygarage]

Nice set Matt. That double offset handle is pretty cool. Wouldn't mind hearing more about that one (drive sizes?) but I know this thread goes back a little ways.

 

[Matt Irvine]

Nice set Matt. That double offset handle is pretty cool. Wouldn't mind hearing more about that one (drive sizes?) but I know this thread goes back a little ways.

That double offset handle is 1/2", honestly, I've never used it, and looking at it I don't think anyone else has either. It's the only one I've ever seen, and I never saw another one one ebay either


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[jabberwoki]

Very nice collection as a 20 year xpat living in Seattle I jealous as hell as I only have 4 Sidchrome tools to fondle!!

Remember "Ya cana handa mana granda spanner"

 

[humber2]

First image shows the 2 piece ball type "c-v" type of universal joint which is shown in the 1979 catalogue alongside the link type spring covered predessessor.

Underneath the ratchets is a Z offset handle which is in the 1979 catalog but is a new one to me.

One of the ratchets looks relatively modern with text near the drive.


By the end of the 1970's I owned nearly every wrench and sockets Sidchrome made below 3/4 drive.

I later sold all at auction early 1987, and, after the sharemaket crash I was able to buy all the 3/4 drive stuff as a couple of failed merchants were asset stripped.

That is one great collection of 3/4 chrome in Metric, SAE and WW/BS I still have along with a re-established stash of most WW/BS wrenches and sockets.

Like ladies fashions there are a lot of subtle wrench versions I'd like to expand on at a later date.

 

[Matt Irvine]

I believe I have almost every size spanner they made in the rings and double opens, but I'm packing in the combinations, since this photo I have expanded my collection a considerable amount.


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[humber2]

Combos from the 79 Cat,

AF from 1/4 thru' 1 1/2 with the 4 largest sizes not available before Dec 1979

Metric 6 to 24 then 27, 30, 32, with 36 not available before Dec 1979

WW/BS 2BA, then 1/4 thru' 5/8

More sizes may have been added later. 1&3/16 not in AF list.