Identify these sockets

[John T]

Someone at work gave me this tin box of old sockets.

They fit 1/2" drive

Some pretty odd sizes
23/32
29/32
27/32 etc.







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[John T]

I guess the box will go with the rest of the old antiques




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[gdocktor3]

Those are old shower valve sockets. Plumbers use them.
Atleast I think. I know I have similar looking ones, but newer and not all 1/2" drive.

 

[John T]

Cool.
Thanks.

Good to know.


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[LB-1911]

Have a look

Last week on the Garage Sale thread, I shared a pressed steel socket set I found at a swap meet:

First, ignore the 'ratchet'. My research uncovered that it's a Millers Falls ratchet drill; it takes tapered-shank drill bits.
The box isn't in great shape; part of the lid looks like it's been replaced and there are no remaining markings on or under the lid. There are, however, some fragile labels on the ends of the box:

Triumph
Wrench Set
No. P 9 (?)
Triumph Specialty Co.
230 W 56th Street New York City

AA has nothing on Triumph tools. I wasn't able to come up with anything for a "Triumph Specialty Company" from New York City on Google. (The car, motorcycle, bicycle, and aerospace companies that have also had this name don't make searching it very easy.) The address currently belongs to a building housing Random House Publishing and some super-luxury apartments. The Google Street view looks like the New York I see on TV.

So, I don't know anything about this company or what they did. Seeing as the set is probably nearly 100 years old, I know I can't count on the contents being original, but this is what was inside:

All the sockets except for the hex one on the upper left are 11/16" square drive. I happened to get a Mossberg ratchet of this drive size from a different vendor at the swap meet (along with a forged Mossberg Ell handle in 1/2" square male drive), and it fits them all. I notice that the box has a dowel for the ratchet like on the Mossberg sets at AA.

So what's actually in the set?
The sockets in the group on the left are unmarked, except for sizes.

 

[gdocktor3]

Guess I was wrong. That set is awesome. This is what I thought they were http://m.harborfreight.com/shower-v...322.html?utm_referrer=https://www.google.com/

 

[LB-1911]

Another example of pressed steel sockets @
http://alloy-artifacts.org/frank-mossberg-company.html
scroll down the page to
Mossberg "Auto-Cle" No. 1 Socket Set

 

[gungatim]

I've got a full set of water valve sockets and they are 3x longer than those and much larger, I don't think that's what they are, just vintage inexpensive sockets is my guess...

 

[John T]

pressed steel sockets...
Hmm...

The thing most interesting to me was the odd sizes.

even though they are not heavy duty... good to have in those oddball sizes.

 

[four.cycle]

well... actually they were not "inexpensive" when they were new (and certainly aren't today if the sets are complete and in good condition.)

these are some "RAY" sets currently listed on Ebay.
Mossberg also made the same style sockets, as well as some other manufacturers.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ray-Packer-...518968?hash=item35fcaddb38:g:310AAOSw-vlVj~~t
=
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ray...836193?hash=item25b8009661:g:OtkAAOSwAuNW3nK8
==
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Ray...297926?hash=item1c620ff7c6:g:sJUAAOSwWnFV-sjK
==
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-THE-RAY...808033?hash=item1c6160a561:g:sjcAAOSwJkJWlmbx

1919 Literary Digest Mossberg ad pp 55 by four.cycle, on Flickr

1922 Geo. Worthington Co. catalog Mossberg socket wrench ad pp 2037 by four.cycle, on Flickr

1926 Hibbard Spencer Bartlett & Co. catalog Mossberg ad pp 2406 by four.cycle, on Flickr

 

[four.cycle]

Walden-Worcester also made them:

1922 Bostwick-Braun Co. Walden-Worcester ad pp 107 by four.cycle, on Flickr

pretty common before everybody went to broached/machined sockets.

 

[four.cycle]

The thing most interesting to me was the odd sizes.

there's a very interesting piece about that on Alloy-Artifacts.org on those socket sizes in 32nds.
they weren't actually manufacturing fasteners in those screwball sizes (i.e., 19/32, 21/32, 23/32, 31/32), but they made the sockets in those sizes to allow for variances in the actual size of the fastener heads.