Help identifying socket.

[acer66]

Hi there,

Trying to figure out what I got here.

View media item 104325View media item 104324View media item 104323View media item 104326
Thank you.

 

[hermetic]

It is for square heads like on brake adjusters, I have a few of them!

 

[930dreamer]

Snap On also.

 

[acer66]

Cool, that was fast so is that a car specific socket?

 

[4xdog]

For square-headed bolts, as hermetic notes, for things like brake adjusters. Not car-specific at all. In fact, not only for cars.

I have a set a bit newer than that socket which gets regular use around here.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Made in the 1930's.

 

[Arne73]

Square drain plugs, square nuts too.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[acer66]

These pictures are all of the same socket so, to me,
, its a 1/2” some sort of star socket.

 

[2oolhound]

It fits all the old square head bolts, nuts, lag bolts etc. (think farm machinery, old lathes etc.) The 8point allows you to position the handle at 45' instead of 90' that a 4 point would restrict you to. I keep a set on hand and run into square head fasteners fairly often.

 

[d42jeep]

Many differential covers and transmission fillers and drains used pipe thread plugs with square heads. 8 point sockets are not uncommon. Here are a couple of WW2 vintage D-I 8 point sockets.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

These pictures are all of the same socket so, to me,
, its a 1/2” some sort of star socket.

I'm sure everyone realized it was the same socket. Square drive with a star, 8 point, or double square service opening. Same as a 4 point or square socket. Only 4 of the points are engaged with a fastener (as others have said, drain plugs, or any square head bolt, etc) at one time. As 2oolhound explained, you can slip the grip a quarter turn.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

They first made them 4 point (single square). It was later changed to 8 point (double square) much like you have 6 point and 12 point sockets.

 

[acer66]

I'm sure everyone realized it was the same socket. Square drive with a star, 8 point, or double square service opening. Same as a 4 point or square socket. Only 4 of the points are engaged with a fastener (as others have said, drain plugs, or any square head bolt, etc) at one time. As 2oolhound explained, you can slip the grip a quarter turn.

Oh, sorry now I understand, cool, thank you.

 

[acer66]

Many differential covers and transmission fillers and drains used pipe thread plugs with square heads. 8 point sockets are not uncommon. Here are a couple of WW2 vintage D-I 8 point sockets.
-Don

Thank you, I have a very basic understanding of these type of things, obviously.

 

[lis2323]

I have a set of eight point sockets but buy used ones for making speed handles etc.

I use them on farm equipment and period correct replacement bolts on resto projects as well as drain plugs.

 

[Bill vonSteuben]

Others have addressed the use. I believe I remember seeing here that the vertical lines around the socket in the OP's photo ID the maker as New Britain. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

 

[mustangSR70]

Others have addressed the use. I believe I remember seeing here that the vertical lines around the socket in the OP's photo ID the maker as New Britain. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

Hard to see, but take a close look at the last photo, you can see that it is Snap On, these just weren't deeply stamped back then.

 

[MShaw]

In the early 1960s I worked for a Massey Ferguson tractor dealer. Part of my job was assembling new implements. After struggling with open ends, adjustables, and ill fitting 12 point sockets I bought the set of 1/2" drive eight point snap on sockets and the 1/4" drive snap on for block drain plugs on older vehicles. The williams 3/8" drive wewe added much later.

 

[2oolhound]

^^^ NICE ^^^

I forced my buddy who builds old grain wagons to buy about 6 large S-O 8 points at a swap meet for $5 each. Now I wish I'd have bought them.

As lis 2323 pointed out a lot of my set ends up living on the end of some machine tool somewhere like this tube roller that has an 8 point drive screw.

 

[bmwrd0]

I have a bunch of them, and use them all the time on old pre-WWII machinery.

 

[lis2323]

I try to keep a small selection of square head fasteners on hand for period correct machinery restorations.






The eight point sockets come in handy.

 

[acer66]

For some strange reason I thought on a square head you would use a square socket but I guess this gives you more flexibility like a 12 point vs 6point.

Thanks again.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

Heavy timber bolts until recently used square headed bolts.

 

[JR 42]

In my poking around, I find a lot of 8- point sockets. I'm working on building a set or two of common sizes. I honestly don't think I've ever seen a 4- point socket.

 

[bryanrj]

Possibly 1946 if what I am looking at is a year code and not a scratch. Third pic of original posted pictures. http://www.collectingsnapon.com/index.php?page=Data_Chart/Date Chart

 

[d42jeep]

Looks like 1946 to me.
-Don

 

[MShaw]

" I honestly don't think I've ever seen a 4- point socket"
In my Williams 3/8" drive set the one that fits a 1/4" pipe plug is 4 point. These were purchased about 10 years ago.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Most mid-1920s detachable socket wrench sets had at least a few of them. The larger sets from the major brands (e.g., Hinsdale) usually included several. My Packer Auto "Ray" set included eight square sockets, from 3/8" to 15/16". The OEMs were merely mimicking what Mossberg and Walden and a few others were doing with forged, pinned or welded fixed end offset socket wrenches, before they were detachable. Those came with hex andcsquare service openings.

Link to my "RAY" set here.

 

[JR 42]

" I honestly don't think I've ever seen a 4- point socket"
In my Williams 3/8" drive set the one that fits a 1/4" pipe plug is 4 point. These were purchased about 10 years ago.

That's interesting. The current catalog shows a 3/8 drive 9/32" 4-point socket with a slightly different part number, and everything else is 8-point.

I phrased that earlier post poorly- I've never found a modern- type 4 point socket around here in the flesh, but I've seen pictures of the older stuff, Lugz's set, formed sheet metal oldies, etc.

It seems like manufacturers decided decades ago that 8 points worked fine and there was no need to offer 4 points as well. Attached find a crummy pic of a Proto LA 7/16" 5414-S 7/16" 8- point.

 

[Provincial]

I think that the 1/8" pipe plug (9/32" square) is so small that the socket needs as much bearing surface as possible, especially on softer material plugs like brass and aluminum. This is also why people don't just use a 5/16" square or 8-point. 1/32" is a pretty big step at those sizes, like more than 1/8 of the distance across the flats.

I bought a Snap-On socket for the 1/8" pipe plugs 45 years ago, when I was working on aircraft, and haven't been sorry. I just used it the other day.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

various companies still make pipe plug sockets that are 4 point. the 8 point variant to me make sense as you just have more positions available on the socket.

 

[JR 42]

I think that the 1/8" pipe plug (9/32" square) is so small that the socket needs as much bearing surface as possible, especially on softer material plugs like brass and aluminum. This is also why people don't just use a 5/16" square or 8-point. 1/32" is a pretty big step at those sizes, like more than 1/8 of the distance across the flats.

I bought a Snap-On socket for the 1/8" pipe plugs 45 years ago, when I was working on aircraft, and haven't been sorry. I just used it the other day.

I could see that, but the weird thing is the smaller 1/4" socket is 8 point. (It's also slightly weird that the 8 point graphic in the upper right is an octagon and not a double square, but that's just bad editing).

As eye bleach/ penance for the blurry modern catalog page, I've attached lousy pics of the the newest- looking hex drive socket I've ever come across. The only markings are " 1/4SQ. MADE IN U.S.A. " It's 1/4 hex drive, 1/4" 8 point.

 

[d42jeep]

Why not have both? I wandered out and took a couple pictures of my mix of Snap-on and Mac 4 and 8 point sockets in 3/8” drive. I imagine that I bought them off of their respective trucks sometime between ‘76 and ‘82. I also have the 4 point 9/32” socket for use on 1/8” pipe plugs.
-Don

 

[acer66]

Most mid-1920s detachable socket wrench sets had at least a few of them. The larger sets from the major brands (e.g., Hinsdale) usually included several. My Packer Auto "Ray" set included eight square sockets, from 3/8" to 15/16". The OEMs were merely mimicking what Mossberg and Walden and a few others were doing with forged, pinned or welded fixed end offset socket wrenches, before they were detachable. Those came with hex andcsquare service openings.

Link to my "RAY" set here.

Thanks for sharing and that looks very cool.

Thanks also to everyone for chiming in and making this an interesting learning experience.