Hex driver sockets...what's the deal?

[betsy325e]

Was going through an old, old toolbox that I think belonged to a great, great uncle. Lot of neat old williams/snap on stuff in there...but I came across 12pt sockets broached with a hex instead of a 1/2" square end like these:

http://alloy-artifacts.org/Photos/t...it_sockets_6pt_x6_cropped_inset_w560_h265.jpg

I'm unclear of the manufacturer. I've got a bunch of them soaking in a bucket of vinegar.

I'm just curious if anyone knows anything about these -- were they just some proprietary novelty? Why hex drive? Were they produced by multiple companies? Wtf is the upside?

 

[Mohawk Dave]

The worker would have to use a bolt to turn them. But they did away with this design because the bolt threads hurt people's hands. Pretty inefficient.

 

[r_olson_06]

Hex drive was common before square drive usually seen 1920s and prior.

Sent from my XT1030 using Tapatalk

 

[betsy325e]

mohawk dave: charlie kelly. bird law.

 

[betsy325e]

was the idea that you'd use your fancy new (cuz it's fricking 1920) allen keys on these?

 

[finn]

I've got some of my grandfather's sockets like that. A large Allen wrench was in the same box as the sockets, so I assume the Allen wrench was part of the "kit" to apply the torque to the socket.

I don't know how old the sockets and wrench are, but my grandfather was born in about 1885.

 

[four.cycle]

if they are "BOG" sockets, we need photos of each one showing the stampings and broaching, as well as patent numbers.

most sockets were hex drive before square drive became the norm. the "allen key" was called an "Ell wrench".

 

[retDAC]

There were 'economy' hex drive socket sets made up into the '60s IIRC. The better sets' Allen/Ell wrenches provided as drivers usually included check balls on each end to keep sockets from falling off as well as small pinches/ears to keep sockets from sliding back too far.

Economy hex drive went away as square drive became more in demand and I suppose people became less frugal due to increasing income and especially as retail prices were effectively declining as manufacturing processes improved.

 

[gungatim]

next time you find an old larger rusty allen wrench and notice it has a little ball on the end like a ratchet, you'll know what it's for...after finding a set of those and looking for something to fit, that's exactly what I found in my can of old allen's....thought it was just rust but it had spring loaded ball and fit those sockets perfectly...

 

[betsy325e]

It's funny you both mentioned an allen wrench with a ball detent.

I do have a bunch of super rusty allens soaking...I'll have to see if I have what you describe.

I DID find what looked like an allen key with ball detents, and a lip to keep a socket from slipping down on the ends...but it wasn't hex -- it was round, and the ends were square drive.

 

[gungatim]

It's funny you both mentioned an allen wrench with a ball detent.

I do have a bunch of super rusty allens soaking...I'll have to see if I have what you describe.

I DID find what looked like an allen key with ball detents, and a lip to keep a socket from slipping down on the ends...but it wasn't hex -- it was round, and the ends were square drive.

the short ends tend to be a little shorter than a typical allen wrench would be for it's size, so you can spot them a bit easier that way. at least on the ones I identified...

 

[four.cycle]

^ square-drive "ell" handle. cheap way of making a breaker bar.

 

[betsy325e]

I don't see much by way of practical use for almost anything I found aside from a few snap on sockets/breaker bars and the like. Almost every "standardized" tool we have today is just so much more practical.

That said, I really like the idea of there being several hundred small American tool companies having a go at inventing a better mouse trap...particularly when all of that stuff is still serviceable today -- instead of handy-dandy-ten-tools-in-one-that-does-nothing-well sort of plasticy "this works in theory so long as you use it under ideal laboratory conditions and never, ever really yank on it" jiggerypokery going on today.

You know what else is great, aside from everything still working like it did 80 years ago? Everything is stamped really well. It's like ******** ancient **** and I can read everything on them no problem. I've got some sockets downstairs I've had for a few years that I can't read worth a ****. I didn't realize how important good stamping is until I really started using my tools regularly. Goddamn.

 

[dutchgray]

Britool had a hex drive standard of their own over here, with a ratchet.