Forgotten Collectable ....... AIR TOOLS!

[PSCo1867]

Missed that but still found it interesting

He hasn't been online in almost 4 years. Maybe he will get an email notification?

This is my fault. I'm still trying to get the hang of things here, and thought it may be better to latch on to an existing thread instead of make a new one. Turns out that this thread is really old, and maybe that wasn't the right thing to do? I hope Oldjacks gets to see my drill, because his and mine are some of the very few piston air-drills I've ever seen. If anyone can help me find any info on this Cleveland air-drill, I'd appreciate it.

This is a 4 cyl piston Cleveland Pneumatic air drill. It was buried under a work-bench at work when I dug it out maybe 10 years ago. I found a rod-cap had come loose, so I gather the thing crapped out God knows how many decades ago and they didn't bother to see what was wrong.

I wish I had taken a pic of it the way I found it. It was a crusty mess. The crank is still locked up in it, and I'm still trying to figure how to remove it. This thing is as much a work of art as it (I guess) was functional. Sadly, the chuck is missing, but I will make something work. I can find absolutely zero information on this drill.

 

[Dave455]

I still have an old Desoutter impact wrench kicking about that my Dad gave me when I was an Apprentice.

Never really gave it much thought but I guess it must be French built??

Well it turns out they are British/French and have an interesting
Backstory (like most old tool companies)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desoutter_Tools

Despite the name (I believe the family had French origins) Desoutter was a British firm through and through.

The firm had been founded by the Desoutter Brothers. They were into all things aeronautical and made aircraft parts in the First World War. After one of the brothers lost a leg and had been provided with an artificial one, they thought they could do better and started making lightweight, fully jointed aluminium limbs. I believe Douglas Baders legs were Desoutter.

They were pioneers of air tools, and those they made at their Hendon factory were probably the best ever built. They were standard in the British aviation industry (still are) and if you look at a picture of any post war British airliner being built you will usually see Desoutter tools in use!

Marcel Desoutter went on to manufacture complete aircraft, at Croydon, and at least one of the Brothers flew with my Great Uncles in the London Aero Club.

If the air tool you have is an older one it will be British made, new ones seem to be Hungarian, but still better than the cheapo Taiwanese. I have yet to see a French one.

I have probably 15 or so Desoutter tools, all British made. Many drills, screwdrivers, saw, sander, and several grinders. All were acquired used, all have been great, and any spares needed (generally to repair abused tools) have been supplied.

The first Desoutter tools in my side of the family were bought by my late father when Handley Page closed. I still have them and they still work!

The firm bought Georges Renault some years back, and as usual the tail was allowed to wag the dog, and the firm is now based in France. Add this to a very long list of British manufacturing firms from Avon to Massey Ferguson that have suffered a similar fate...!

My Fathers cousin knew the Desoutters well, still lives in the area, and can probably contribute more from first hand experience if anyone is interested?

 

[richfinn]

Despite the name (I believe the family had French origins) Desoutter was a British firm through and through.

The firm had been founded by the Desoutter Brothers. They were into all things aeronautical and made aircraft parts in the First World War. After one of the brothers lost a leg and had been provided with an artificial one, they thought they could do better and started making lightweight, fully jointed aluminium limbs. I believe Douglas Baders legs were Desoutter.

They were pioneers of air tools, and those they made at their Hendon factory were probably the best ever built. They were standard in the British aviation industry (still are) and if you look at a picture of any post war British airliner being built you will usually see Desoutter tools in use!

Marcel Desoutter went on to manufacture complete aircraft, at Croydon, and at least one of the Brothers flew with my Great Uncles in the London Aero Club.

If the air tool you have is an older one it will be British made, new ones seem to be Hungarian, but still better than the cheapo Taiwanese. I have yet to see a French one.

I have probably 15 or so Desoutter tools, all British made. Many drills, screwdrivers, saw, sander, and several grinders. All were acquired used, all have been great, and any spares needed (generally to repair abused tools) have been supplied.

The first Desoutter tools in my side of the family were bought by my late father when Handley Page closed. I still have them and they still work!

The firm bought Georges Renault some years back, and as usual the tail was allowed to wag the dog, and the firm is now based in France. Add this to a very long list of British manufacturing firms from Avon to Massey Ferguson that have suffered a similar fate...!

My Fathers cousin knew the Desoutters well, still lives in the area, and can probably contribute more from first hand experience if anyone is interested?

Dave, that's awesome. It was always a good tool It may be from the late 70s/early 80s

My dad always had good stuff and if he passed something down it was to be looked after properly

It always amazes me when industrious people turn a personal tragedy into a positive outcome to benefit others!!!

 

[Dave455]

Dave, that's awesome. It was always a good tool It may be from the late 70s/early 80s

My dad always had good stuff and if he passed something down it was to be looked after properly

It always amazes me when industrious people turn a personal tragedy into a positive outcome to benefit others!!!

Almost certainly a British made tool. They originally had a plate with the model, serial no. and the Hendon address, but many are missing.

Air tools were quite an investment back then, but they really were made to last! I’ve seen Desoutter tools that have obviously been used daily on production lines, and they still work.

Apparently the Desoutter family were all very nice people. I must ask if any of them are still in the area.

I think that Marcel Desoutter was a real “go for it” kind of guy. He was an instructor with the Royal Aero Club when my Great Uncle was learning to fly, before the First World War!

Although his aircraft manufacturing company failed (a casualty of the depression) it didn’t stop him. His next venture was to develop a little grass strip that served a racecourse, into a major airport. We know it as Gatwick!

The medical side of the firm is a separate company now. They moved a little way out of London but are still a major player in that field I believe.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

This is my fault. I'm still trying to get the hang of things here, and thought it may be better to latch on to an existing thread instead of make a new one. Turns out that this thread is really old, and maybe that wasn't the right thing to do? I hope Oldjacks gets to see my drill, because his and mine are some of the very few piston air-drills I've ever seen. If anyone can help me find any info on this Cleveland air-drill, I'd appreciate it.

This is not a problem. Many of us here would have never seen the thread otherwise.
It is the same for items that have been previously chatted about and a new thread if started. Sometimes you will get more current takes on the topic. At the very least the rest of us might get to view a thread we have again, never seen before.

 

[trippyhippy14420@gmai]

I have done a little research here and there and I don't see that there is much interest in vintage air tools. I don't really understand this as air tools are both useful and durable and often can be bought for a song at swapmeets. Most vintage air tools were built to withstand the rigors of daily use and often survive into this century still very serviceable.

Also most vintage tools are American Made and built, at least in my mind, to last a lifetime. Technology has not advanced so far that a 1940's air hammer or drill is not just as efficient working as any new production items.The only exception to this is with impact wrenches which have undergone a revolution in improvement in recent times. Ingersoll Rand, Rockwell, Buckeye, Chicago Pneumatic, Cleveland Pneumatic (Cleco), Dotco, Thor and multiple other names represent the some of the quality manufacturers of the past and some still even until today.

Air tools have been made in almost every imaginable configuration to do specific and more common jobs. They are compact in size for their designated job and also very powerful in relation to their equivalent electric tools. They only downside to them in this day in age in the fact that they are tethered to an air hose. With many of today's tools being battery powered I suppose this could be considered a handicap.

Not for me I will continue to use and collect them as they become available, as not having batteries to recharge or replace and cheap plastic construction, lends them to the status of durable classic collectible. Do you think that any portable battery powered tool will ever become a collectible?

I am going to be posting images as time permits of some of the more unusual tools that I have collected but for now I am posting just this one.




Above is a very early at least teens or twenties Ingersoll Rand "Little David" Air Drill. This drill runs on three pistons rather than using rotary vanes. It has a very unique sound when it runs rather like a car engine than an air tool. Most early air tools were air hammers and drills were rather uncommon.

If anyone else has a vintage air tool please post it to this thread so I can enjoy also what you have.

Hi, I've a small collection of old air tools that are misprints and I'm looking to get rid of them. Where would I go about posting them on the site? Also, any help getting a estimate on the value would be greatly appreciated.