Let's show our wood (screwdrivers)

[d42jeep]

With the black handle it could be Stevens before the merger with Walden. Might be from one of these sets.
-Don

 

[WilsonLR]

I just use my 6" bench grinder, coarse wheel; grind the tip square, then grind the faces to get the desired tip thickness. You don't want to overheat the steel and lose its temper, so I have a cup of water handy and frequently dip the tip to keep it cool. [same basic procedure to prepare old chisels and plane blades ready for final sharpening]

Worked great. The #90 fills a gap in my workbench set. Thanks all.

 

[four.cycle]

^ that's exactly what I was thinking of, Don. my set looks kind of like that 74R, but mine is MUCH newer than 1920s!

 

[LesserSon]

The steel of most USA screwdrivers isn’t overhardened, so I use a file to reshape the tips.

 

[Ton ton]

The steel of most USA screwdrivers isn’t overhardened, so I use a file to reshape the tips.

Thank you for the helpful idea.

 

[four.cycle]

I think this one may need some serious filing....

 

[Bill_Houghton]

I'll start with my two favorites:


and here are others:











and, wandering from the topic, some wooden handled nut drivers:

 

[d42jeep]

Cuz Bill,
Is that you?
-Don
Here is a recent eBay pickup. A #3 Vlchek Philips with the Flying V logo.

 

[Leviton]

This didn't stand out from the crowd, except that it said "Made In Sweden". I was surprised by how much it looked like US made screwdrivers.

The only difference I can see is that the front of the ferrule looks a bit atypical with a gap between the ferrule and the shaft.

 

[mvcorse]

Once upon a time these are made in France.

 

[Mintgrun]

BTW, if you follow him, PFSard, or you have a way to contact him, let him know that the patent is 1,192,177, granted July 25, 1916, to Fred C. Ehinger, of Palmyra, Michigan, and it's for the handle, specifically the ferrule and the way it is mounted on the handle. I would summarize it as the shape and composition of the spring steel squeezing itself into the handle. The marking is F.C. EHINGER.

I have one of those file handles and looking up patent information online brought me back here. Here's mine, along with a little screwdriver I put together yesterday.



The black handle was missing the ferrule and the wood was beat up at that end, so I cut it back shorter and drilled it to accept this little blade.

Speaking of small black wooden handled screwdrivers, I found a friend for this one. The ferrule is stamped MADE IN USA and NO. 177, but there's no branding that I can see.





Tom

EDIT, a little more searching turned up a nicer example of the STANLEY #177 screwdriver.

 

[Farmer J.]

Once upon a time these are made in France.

Ooh, nice ones!
Facom do still make ones quite similar to those, but they don't paint the handles red anymore. The new ones have a through tang and a leather cap on the end.

 

[mvcorse]

Ooh, nice ones!
Facom do still make ones quite similar to those, but they don't paint the handles red anymore. The new ones have a through tang and a leather cap on the end.

Thanks! I don't think they make wood handle screwdrivers in France anymore since no COO on it. However the leather cap equals to good quality

 

[Farmer J.]

Thanks! I don't think they make wood handle screwdrivers in France anymore since no COO on it. However the leather cap equals to good quality

Yes, I see they don't have the COO on them.. hmm.. so when i was awake for a while i did a bit of looking around and of course they won't actually admit who makes them, but i reckon they're made in Germany by Felo.
I'm mindful not to get too far off track whilst on the vintage thread, but Felo have been going for 140 years and make some truly lovely quality stuff.
Here's the link to their history:

History

www.felo.com

I love the way they make a wood handle with a through tang so as you can hit it to break loose stubborn fasteners and put those leather washers on it so as it doesn't become splintery in the hand.
Does anyone have any old vintage Felo screwdrivers?

 

[Ton ton]

How about King **** screwdrivers? I saw wooden handled King **** screwdrivers on Instagram.

 

[Farmer J.]

How about King **** screwdrivers? I saw wooden handled King **** screwdrivers on Instagram.

Ah, yes. I had forgotten about them. They're difficult to find and hidden in a different website as the 'Heritage Collection'. The blades look the same as Felo and have the same through tang but a different handle shape. Here's the link to the UK website:

Screwdrivers

 

[four.cycle]

wood handled screwdriver faintly stamped "GERMANY" - no other markings

 

[Nevadablue]

I just snagged this batch of toys from ebay. Thirteen bucks! (Pic from ebay)



Oh, does anyone know that that thing is… the 5th from the top, with the square part on the end.

That triggered me going out to the shop and finding my grandfather’s perfect handle copy screwdriver that I have been hauling around with me for decades. Time to restore the poor thing. It must have been stored in a dirt floor for a while.



It is marked IAB and 15. Looks like it is a 15” Irwin. I have read that Irwin didn’t make screwdrivers until 1935. I’m not sure how to date this one. Grandpa died in ’58.

 

[d42jeep]

Probably postwar. Irwin Auger Bit. Wartime examples have slotted rivet holes.
-Don

 

[Nevadablue]

Thanks Don.
Remind me to tell you about my 42 Ford (GPW)

 

[Nevadablue]

So, last year, with agreement of the house manager I spent one of the stimulus checks stimulating my tool collection. I decided to get a pile of all sorts of hand tools (vintage ones if possible) for my grandsons. The plan is to give this failing carcass something to do when I can’t do more. The time is nigh…
Among the assorted things is this bunch of screwdrivers. The restoration/cleanup must start soon.

 

[RTM]

Love the little chef hat one.

 

[Nevadablue]

I got the ebay wooden handled collection shown above finally. The post office was hiding it.
I cleaned up the little screwdriver to see if had a maker’s mark. Looks like an HP Tool. Neat little thing.



The maker’s mark was very faint, I almost missed it.

 

[cohocarl]

My grandfather came from Germany to the U.S. in 1926 and began working at Chris-Craft boat company in Marine City MI as a cabinet maker. (I have two additional coffee cans of brass screws not in the pic)
Found this Yankee screwdriver in his stash. Still operates like new.

 

[LesserSon]

…jealousy-inducing Winchester ferrules…
Marked only "MADE CHAMPION INC." Could it be Champion as in Spark Plug related?

Look at pp16-17 of the 1923 Winchester catalog. It refers to “Champion pattern” screwdivers, implying to me that “Champion” is a trademark.
IIRC, Winchester was looking to diversify following WWI, and expanded into tools lines. Now, it could not have been manufacturing so many different tools so rapidly and kept prices competitive. So it either bought up small manufacturers, or contracted like retailers to have W-branded tools manufactured. Or perhaps, a mix of both.
If your reading of the marks is right (not “MADE - CHAMPION - IN U.[S.A.]”?), then it does seem Champion was a manufacturer, but I don’t think that suggests the spark plug connection. “Champion” is a very common name for products and manufacturers.

EDIT - I just realized how old the post was I was responding to (I’m sure Lugz has considered all this), but since I don’t think it was directly addressed previously in this thread, I’ll leave it as is.

 

[LesserSon]

Beehive “Electric” update:
I’ve been slowly finding (often spattered with paint) and refinishing (shellac rubbed down with BLO) these.
I think I have a good run from 7” down to 2” shanks. (The little guy at bottom is a lookalike, imo, probably for sewing machines.)
The Disston catalog indicates I only have the three longest ones (12, 10, & 8”) left to find.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Look at pp16-17 of the 1923 Winchester catalog. It refers to “Champion pattern” screwdrivers, implying to me that “Champion” is a trademark.

Thanks, LS!

not “MADE - CHAMPION - IN U.[S.A.]”?)

Definitely is this. The "MADE" and what incompletely follows after "CHAMPION", which I was erroneously guessing as "INC.", are the same size font and much smaller than the branding. And there are many other examples in industry of the MADE BRAND IN U.S.A. format.

I don't know what prompted you to re-visit this two years later, but I'm awfully glad you did! Between the catalog pages, the correct reading of the marking, and it having the "lug-and-notch" construction, I think you n̶a̶i̶l̶e̶d̶ um, er, fastened this one down tightly, and I am going to now gleefully move this from the Miscellaneous screwdrivers drawer to the Winchester display in the Lugzsonian!

 

[bmwrd0]

Those beehives are very nice.

 

[RTM]

Hey gang, here is one to get you to put your thinking caps on. One of my favorite online rust mongers is selling a PH type screwdriver, made in Germany, with this stamp on it. Anyone recognize the SBCO in a triangle? I poked through @four.cycle 's list, and didn't see it, or any obvious leaps to who it might be. I'm assuming this is a US or English speaking company selling it, as Germany uses Kompanie for our word Company. I've seen this once before, and forgot to grab an image.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The Spiegel Brothers imported a lot of tools from Germany, maybe almost exclusively, at first, before and after they changed their name to Steelcraft, their most well known brand. Not saying that's what it is. But it does fit.

 

[RTM]

The Spiegel Brothers imported a lot of tools from Germany, maybe almost exclusively, at first, before and after they changed their name to Steelcraft, their most well known brand.

Nice Shooting

Spiegel Brothers : Steelcraft Products : Catalog No. 20 : Spiegel Brothers Corp. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

98 p., illus., 22.8 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

Right there in big letters on the cover, the SBCo in the triangle

Figure you'd like this page, top right.

The Spiegel Brothers Corp. : Steelcraft Products : Catalog No. 24 : Spiegel Brothers Corp. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

132 p., illus., 22.7 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

And hey lookit this, there are knife handled screwdrivers

The Spiegel Brothers Corp. : Steelcraft Products : Catalog No. 24 : Spiegel Brothers Corp. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

132 p., illus., 22.7 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

Thanks for the pointer. Solves one question

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Figure you'd like this page, top right

Hey, that's my new story for the Hinsdale box handle now!

BTW, 4.c has posted plenty of Spiegel Bros cat links and excerpts in the Steelcraft thread. See Sticky.

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a Stanley slotted screwdriver I picked up at a sale recently.
Although they aren’t screwdrivers, does anyone know when these Craftsman awls were made?
-Don

 

[Mintgrun]

Although they aren’t screwdrivers, does anyone know when these Craftsman awls were made?

I don't know when they were made, but are the shape of the C and the A are clues to some degree?



Yesterday, I found the little No. 21 Hurwood and it's quite similar to the Matchless I posted earlier in the thread. Just a little bit heavy-dutier.



It's a hefty little guy. It was originally black, based on a few tiny paint chips.

 

[d42jeep]

I found a couple of wood handled screwdrivers at a Stateline, NV garage sale today. First is a 11” Irwin perfect handle screwdriver that is postwar with Irwin stamped on the shaft. I cleaned off the white paint spatters.
Next is a Stanley Yankee marked slotted screwdriver in pretty good condition.

 

[RTM]

Like those with the knurl for fingertip control

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Not sure why @woody 73 posted this up on the General Discussion board, but a link to a very nice Moore & Wright his family found for him here.

 

[Farmer J.]

Just the shafts of these are vintage. I got sick of the stinking horrible slippery plastic handles and replaced them all with wood ones from a branch which fell off an ancient and well loved Crab Apple tree in the farm yard. Turned the handles on my 1930's Boxford lathe, and put a flat spot on them to stop them rolling off the bench and stabbing my foot. The wood is very hard and resistant to splitting so glued the shafts in without using ferrules. Finished with Linseed oil then 3 coats of varnish.

 

[Mintgrun]

That's a great way to make use of quality blades and fruit wood seems like a good choice.

I found this 16" long CHAMPION screwdriver yesterday. At first, I thought I saw the keyed-ferrule detail, but it doesn't have that feature. The dark stain/paint/(?) over light wood does not age good.







This little octagonal handled tool is a mystery to me. I'm not sure it drives screws, but don't know what you would use it for.

 

[LesserSon]

Farmer J -
Those are elegant, bespoke drivers! Surely, treasured family heirlooms-to-be.
Did you use heat on the shanks to remove the plastic handles?