Gordon tools, Sheffield England

[winchman]

I have just bought this very nice Gordon Tools set we think its 1960's?.
We often see lots of Gordon and Bedford tools at Flea markets and Boot sales, they look to be good quality but just not as popular as other brands.
Any one know any history?
Any one have a catalogue scan?

 

[rjasrq]

Can't recall where my dad used to buy Gordon or Bedford spanners and sockets. Probably Halfords or small independent motor factors. I have plenty of both makes. Mainly odd sizes, or ones that could be ground down, to fit an odd application. Mine appear to have thinner chrome than King **** or Britool. This leads me to think they were a less expensive, almost disposable brand. I'll go through my odds and sods tool box to see if they had any special features, I don't recall at this time. I'll keep you posted.


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[madmanc]

ive had a few bedford vandilum spanners they were great but now lost in fact lost the last one somewhere at work only this week .
they were good Quality and very hard wearing but a lesser finnish than king **** or britool but just as good a tool

 

[winchman]

You often see Bedford spanners at car boot sales very cheap to buy

 

[Dave455]

Yes, very good quality.

The only downside is that most of it was made in Whitworth or A/F sizes, but little in metric. If you’re looking for tools in those sizes you’re much better buying older Gordon (or Bedford, or Garrington, or whatever) than newer Taiwanese.

Most Gordon was sold through ordinary tool shops, which every town had in the 60’s and 70’s. I can remember seeing it in such places myself!

There probably were Gordon catalogues, but I can’t ever remember seeing one. Most shops usually had a catalogue for all the major brands they had.

I have bought new Gordon tools as late as the mid 80’s - was using my Gordon 3/8 ‘heavy duty’ screwdriver today as a matter of fact!

 

[2oolhound]

Nice score! I've always liked Gordon tools.

This set of 1/2 drive is mixed sae and whitworth -

Here is some close ups with a non chrome socket of a different vintage on the right -

I have a 3/8 drive whitworth set with ratchet also but no photos of it yet.

 

[winchman]

I have a 1963/64 catalogue quite shocked at how much stuff they made

 

[dutchgray]

Gordon was great stuff, I pick up all I find of the old good British makes at the boot sales as long as the price is right, unfortunately I dont find that much and Gordon stuff is pretty rare, lots of cheap foreign stuff though.

 

[WagonHo!]

Very cool chest. I’ve never seen a tool caddy occupy that large a section of the top tray. No date stampings anywhere?

 

[winchman]

Very cool chest. I’ve never seen a tool caddy occupy that large a section of the top tray. No date stampings anywhere?

From looking at the catalogue its about 1964-65, I dont think they date stamped any boxes

 

[Clive the jive]

I have just bought this very nice Gordon Tools set we think its 1960's?.
We often see lots of Gordon and Bedford tools at Flea markets and Boot sales, they look to be good quality but just not as popular as other brands.
Any one know any history?
Any one have a catalogue scan?

Hi do you still have this tool box ?

 

[winchman]

Hi do you still have this tool box ?

Yes I still have it, I recently saw another at Newark Autojumble ( Swapmeet) but it was empty

 

[winchman]

Will try to find a current photo

 

[Clive the jive]

This is mine... im trying to find screwdrivers for it .

 

[Clive the jive]

This is how I picked it up .... but I've picked up some original spanners this in their cardboard boxes

 

[Clive the jive]

I also found an original advert for Gordon tool boxes

 

[Clive the jive]

I believe the advert is from 1952.

 

[winchman]

I have managed to find a few screwdrivers, some of the 50's ones the plastic degrades and the handles shrink and end up misshaped.

 

[winchman]

I have Gordon catalogue if I can find it I was shocked at how much stuff they made, they even mad Motor bike and scooter specific tool kits. I have seen plenty of openended spanners but not as much other stuff considering how much they have made

 

[Farmer J.]

Nice sets. I only have a couple of Gordon spanners, they have a slightly better finish and chrome than Britool and that seems to fit the reputation.
Are those boxes basically the same as the Brotool and the Blackhawk ones, apart from the dividers?

 

[Dave455]

Nice sets. I only have a couple of Gordon spanners, they have a slightly better finish and chrome than Britool and that seems to fit the reputation.
Are those boxes basically the same as the Brotool and the Blackhawk ones, apart from the dividers?

I think you are spot on with regard to the boxes.

I believe they were all made by Langenau in Cleveland, U.S.A.

As you correctly observe, the bigger Britool boxes (for their “Tractor Service Sets” and “Universal Service Sets”) are identical (apart from the paint) to Blackhawk ones.

The Gordon box shown is almost identical to the box supplied by Blackhawk with some (not all) of their Caterpillar Service sets. I’d need to see them side by side, but it might even be the same paint colour!

Interestingly, King **** seemed to offer Langenau boxes at one stage too, but I’ve never seen one of these for real. I have the same box shown below, but in red, and by Blackhawk!

 

[winchman]

The Britool service kit boxes we had are different to the Gordon ones
The Gordon ones look like a draw is missing but its just how they are.
Some of our old ones very different to My Current Gordon box

 

[Dave455]

The Britool service kit boxes we had are different to the Gordon ones
The Gordon ones look like a draw is missing but its just how they are.
Some of our old ones very different to My Current Gordon box

Yes, there are about 3 or 4 different patterns of box, all apparently from Langenau, which were supplied to different tool manufacturers. For each pattern, there are variations in paint, handle style, and the internal trays, but they are otherwise the same boxes.

I’m very familiar with the Blackhawk and Britool boxes and can confirm they are identical, apart from these details. No doubt.

The box with the 3 small drawers, as supplied by Gordon, seems to be basically the same box supplied by Blackhawk, shown below.

Comparing these pictures closely, I do notice some subtle differences. Whether these are a result of changes over time (these boxes were supplied for decades) or whether the Gordon boxes were a copy of the Langenau, I couldn’t say without a close inspection.

Edit - the more I look at the Gordon box, the more I’m thinking it’s a copy of the Langenau box. The basic construction is different, and the overall quality isn’t quite as good. I would be interested to find out for sure!

 

[jayne]

I have just bought this very nice Gordon Tools set we think its 1960's?.
We often see lots of Gordon and Bedford tools at Flea markets and Boot sales, they look to be good quality but just not as popular as other brands.
Any one know any history?
Any one have a catalogue scan?

My dad used to work at Gordon Tools in Sheffield wen I was a kid he used to make sockets

 

[Targa68]

- Gordon Tools. One side 7/16SAE - 3/8SAE, other side 5/8 A/F - 9/16 A/F. No idea on the vintage...?

 

[Stubby1743]

This set of long off-set ring spanners was bought new (from Halfords I think) by me in the early 1970's to work on my 1973 Hillman Imp. All my subsequent cars were European makes and therefore had metric fasteners.

I have a few Gordon metric sockets somewhere.

Rightly or wrongly, I considered Gordon and Bedford spanners/sockets as slightly lower quality than King **** and Britool, but they were still perfectly good for amateur use.

 

[Farmer J.]

This set of long off-set ring spanners was bought new (from Halfords I think) by me in the early 1970's to work on my 1973 Hillman Imp. All my subsequent cars were European makes and therefore had metric fasteners.

I have a few Gordon metric sockets somewhere.

Rightly or wrongly, I considered Gordon and Bedford spanners/sockets as slightly lower quality than King **** and Britool, but they were still perfectly good for amateur use.

That's a nice looking set, shame nothing made today like that. Not many Hillman Imps around either! My auntie had one, she loved that car, it was her favourite light blue colour.. She never sold it. After it eventually rotted and became unroadworthy she used to just sit in it and and read her newspaper and enjoy the sunshine and the memories.
I think the Gordon and Bedford tools are just as good if not better than Britool and KD, and they have a higher quality of polish and finish.

 

[Clive the jive]

This set of long off-set ring spanners was bought new (from Halfords I think) by me in the early 1970's to work on my 1973 Hillman Imp. All my subsequent cars were European makes and therefore had metric fasteners.

I have a few Gordon metric sockets somewhere.

Rightly or wrongly, I considered Gordon and Bedford spanners/sockets as slightly lower quality than King **** and Britool, but they were still perfectly good for amateur use.

In my opinion Gordon tools are better quality than King **** tools and on a par with Britool tools at the time they was manufacturing Gordon tools. I was issued with Britool tools and they kept failing BSI standards on inspection every year due the chrome peeling off , in the 80s and 90s up to until 2007 when I left the company.
I still have the Gordon tools from 1952 in excellent condition. Ok the odd one is showing its age but still usable.
Not long picked up a nice set of metric sockets in its original steel box that have never been used and still wrapped in tissue paper.

 

[Clive the jive]

Unused ⅜ metric socket set

 

[Clive the jive]

I'm having difficulty uploading photos... any ideas why

 

[Stubby1743]

The 1/2" ratchet was bought new by me in the early 1970's and has been used by me (non-professionally) on cars and boats ever since. It's pretty basic with only a 24T ratchet and a simple lubrication hole in the head. Some chrome came off the end of the handle quire early in its life. I'm quite attached to it, despite having 'better' ones, as it's the first ratchet that I bought.

The DOE is 1/2 x 9/16. The 13mm combi has some chrome flaked off around the open end.

The chrome on the 10, 20 &22mm sockets seems less durable than that on King **** sockets of the same age.

 

[Stubby1743]

Nobody has posted a picture of a Gordon torque wrench yet and so here is mine.

Bought new by me sometime in the 1970's from Halfords I think.

 

[Loga_3]

1968/69 Catalogue:

Gordon Engineers' Hand Tools : 1968/69 Catalogue : Gordon Tools Ltd. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

80 p., illus., 26.0 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

 

[Stubby1743]

I've found another Gordon in my odd spanner pile.

Six point 5.5x7mm off-set DBE in black finish.

 

[Stubby1743]

Picked up these Gordon Whitworth DOE spanners at my car boot sale yesterday for next to nothing.

 

[Clive the jive]

I came across a 3/8 socket set with a few bits missing
ive been trying to upload photos on here but it keeps say something as gone wrong or Parsing Response Failed as anyone else had this ?

 

[Clive the jive]

Sorry for the delay in adding photos,,, I’ve been have problems uploading photos to this site ... all sorted now
Here is a 3/8 metric Gordon socket set I picked up with a few bits missing ... but I’ve also got a mint one never been used still in its original tissue paper with no bits missing … the thing I find strange is that both sets have one 0BA socket in the sets … looking in the Gordon Tools 1968-69 Catalogue Page 43 , I see all sets came with this one 0BA socket as standard . anyone have any ideas why ?

 

[Clive the jive]

Here is the mint 3/8 metric set never been used still in its original tissue paper with no bits missing with one 0BA socket in the set. it just as a few age related marks on the case.

 

[humber2]

0BA is commonly used on Electrical substation instruments.

These have rear brass studs to connect with nut and washers.

 

[Clive the jive]

Thanks for that info ... I just can't understand why Gordon tool put one 0BA socket in every socket set regardless of being a AF/ Whitworth or metric.