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Let's see your Herbrand!

nz44tool

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Late to this party by a few years, but..here's a J-13 breaker bar I just acquired. I'm thinking 1940s; anyone have a better take?
 

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Private Lugnutz

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I was unable to determine the maker of this ratchet I found on Saturday until it came out of the evaporust yesterday.
Another good testimonial for the Magic of E, but that slider is a pretty good tell (the only other ratchet I have or have seen with that style is a MAC, and that was made by Herbrand), and the AISI "New Emergency" steel number is a dead giveaway. With the combination of the wartime steel number and the older script branding (as you know they eventually went to simple block lettering), I would say very early war. Nice find.
 

nz44tool

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Here's a recent find that seems to have a Herbrand connection. As referred to in an earlier post, Alloy Artifacts has a section on tools with this "CFT" logo. CFT were the initials of the son of Herbrand's founder, Creighton Fuller Thompson, who would eventually become president of the company.
AA dates these CFT tools from the late 1910s to the mid '20s, but this one suggests a much longer time period, since automatic transmissions with "bands" didn't appear until the late '30s, AFAIK.
The "band" end of the wrench is 3/4"; the "gasoline line" end is 5/8".
Anyone else have a later CFT tool like this?
 

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Private Lugnutz

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Nice find. There are a couple CFT pliers on the thread, including mine and @leg17 's, but I have always thought of them as early. I think early manual transmissions with early planetary gearsets for a few forward speeds, neutral and reverse also had “brake bands”. I don't know if they needed adjusting. Someone who has worked on a Ford Model T will be along to confirm or not. I could be very wrong.
 

nz44tool

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Nice find. There are a couple CFT pliers on the thread, including mine and @leg17 's, but I have always thought of them as early. I think early manual transmissions with early planetary gearsets for a few forward speeds, neutral and reverse also had “brake bands”. I don't know if they needed adjusting. Someone who has worked on a Ford Model T will be along to confirm or not. I could be very wrong.
Thanks for the reply - I'm also wondering why the gas line needed the attention of a dedicated wrench!
 

Private Lugnutz

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Google Books search on "Ford transmission band" produces dozens of hits in trade mags as early as 1917 and into the 1920's. Ostensibly, the wrench would be for removing it to reline (they were cork or cotton etc). Link here.
 

nz44tool

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Google Books search on "Ford transmission band" produces dozens of hits in trade mags as early as 1917 and into the 1920's. Ostensibly, the wrench would be for removing it to reline (they were cork or cotton etc). Link here.
Fine detective work! I didn't think those early manual transmissions were that sophisticated. So this wrench might well be from the years mentioned by AA.
It also appears the "gas line" end could have used on either the gasoline line or the acetylene gas line for the lights! (Although it does say "gasoline line.)
 
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Private Lugnutz

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...a pretty complete set of combination wrenches.
The script logo and 'VAN CHROME' branding are deceptive, harkening back to the early days, but that style combo wrench with the hex gullet and full polish finish are from the 1960's. Apparently made during the transition from Kelsey-Hayes to Triangle ownership. You can see a small triangle symbol on a few of them.
 

JeffreyG

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The script logo and 'VAN CHROME' branding are deceptive, harkening back to the early days, but that style combo wrench with the hex gullet and full polish finish are from the 1960's. Apparently made during the transition from Kelsey-Hayes to Triangle ownership. You can see a small triangle symbol on a few of them.
Makes sense. The toolboxes they came in were from 67 and 72 I believe, so most of the tools are probably about that vintage. Thanks.
 
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JeffreyG

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I was unable to determine the maker of this ratchet I found on Saturday until it came out of the evaporust yesterday. IMG_4095.jpegIMG_4096.jpegIMG_4110.jpegIMG_4109.jpegIMG_8471.jpeg
-Don
I would have guessed a bath in water/evaporust would not be a good idea for a ratchet that can’t be neutralized and dried off inside. Is this considered safe?
 
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JeffreyG

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Oct 13, 2025
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Here’s my only 3/4” ratchet that I have had for many years thinking it was unmarked, except for the obvious ON OFF on the head with the removable drive piece. Looks old as hell, but as my only 3/4” drive ratchet, it is put to very occasional use. Very surprised when I noticed today it is marked, “HERBRAND MADE IN U.S.A. VAN-CHROME No. H-10” about half way around the handle. Anyone know the date on this one?IMG_1364.jpegIMG_1365.jpegIMG_1366.jpegIMG_1369.jpeg
 

nz44tool

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Here's a nice Herbrand double offset box I picked up a while ago.
 

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Private Lugnutz

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Love how plush the felt lining is. The pouch is unusual. The pouches in all the catalogs I checked between 1933 and 1952 have the branding on the inside, over the pockets, with the little triangular corner tab on the flap, as in this excerpt below. (I like yours on the outside flap better, even though, as on some of my wrench sets, it's wearing.)

1763306692185.png
 

MR.X

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Seller who is not a tool guy but always has interesting estate sale type stuff threw in the early, almost mint double box wrench for free "here take this too, nobody is gonna buy it".:) Also, seems to have been an all Ohio pick as the tire repair tool is Goodrich (Akron) and the chisel is early Cornwell ( Mogadore, hell, maybe Cuyahoga Falls).
 
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Private Lugnutz

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I found another "Obstructo" today at the flea market. An 1825 (1/2").

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My last "Obstructo" (an 1831) was found in 2021. If only to demonstrate the agonizing life of the collector who prefers hunting in the wild and snagging them onesy-twosy at a time, this one is a dupe. :) On the positive side, it's in much, much better condition that the other one. It's also wartime, with wartime branding (plain jane blocky font die) and a wartime New Emergency steel (AISI "8642") number on the flip side shank.

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...whereas the other one is a "VAN CHROME" with prewar markings. In a partial motley set of prewar and wartime examples, that gives me some options for matching as I continue to try to complete this set in the future.

Earlier post with catalog cut and more details here...
 

nz44tool

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Good day at the flea mkt today.
Herbrand No. 272 Steeldraulic pliers, first one I've seen live.
(...also a pair of Winchester lineman's pliers - no model # visible.)
 

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four.cycle

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^ I think from @LesserSon's comments earlier today in the other thread that the jury's out on this one. I have/had a pair similar to those and we never did really determine who made them. Harrold? Herbrand? :headscrat
 

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Steven 33

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Starting to wonder if there's a husky connection
 

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