Lowell Wrench Co. Worcester Mass #1

[Private Lugnutz]

Seeing too much red will do that to you!

 

[AntiqueBen]

My Lowell collection is slowly growing. I'm still trying to free up my 4ft Red Ratchet, that's why the face plate is off. The socket & pawls are still frozen. My two early 1964 marked Lowell's are two of my favorite ratchets. I'm always on the look out for another 1964 marked "flat handle" ratchet. It matches the original D.M. Moore patent pic. I think shortly after they went to the round handle, so I'm not sure how long they made the flat handle? They're extremely difficult to find. Mine is the only one I've ever seen. If anyone has one please post pics. Would like to see another one for comparison.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

X-linking a couple of early Moore pattern (1864-1881) Lowell Wrench Co. ratchets that have been discussed past few weeks on the 'Antique Ratchets' thread, starting here. One has the name of a Lowell Wrench Co. machinist and "MAN'F'R" stamped in the face plate instead of the usual stamping. The second looks like a ratchet head, interestingly enough, with the same model number ("EE-1") as the ratchet head in the OP's post #1 of this thread, but instead of taking a male handle, it appears to want a female handle.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Drive plug is marked A. D. & T. Co.

A very belated reply to your kickstart post, Sam, but the recent deep dive on the ratchets I mentioned in the post just above this one revitalized interest in your Lowell detachable ratchet head!

Given your location (Northeast PA), I think there's some credence for the "A.D. & T. Co." stamping on the drive plug/gear to potentially signify American Die and Tool Company. They were located at 2nd and Buttonwood in Reading, PA for decades. The earliest record I can find for them is 1914 and the ratchet is older than that, but the gear may not be original; it may have been made as a replacement part for a PO years later.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I was able to track American Die and Tool Company, and using "A.D & T. Co." as their trade name, as far back as 1908 in this issue of The Iron Age directory. I still think the drive plug was a replacement they made. Obsolete parts was one of their advertised specialties.

 

[four.cycle]

@AntiqueBen -

American / American Die and Tool Co., 2nd & Buttonwood, Reading, PA / est. (?) inc. 1900 / expressed on tool as "A.D. & T. Co." / manufacturers of "Acme" mower, taps, dies, drills, reamers, automotive parts / patent 2121366 Jun 21 1938 Herbert M. Robinson & 2388508 Nov 6 1945 Lewis G. Morris Timpson & 2696764 Dec 14 1954 James Hervey Sternbergh Sr / * not to be confused with American Tool & Die Co., Swansea, SC * /

Founder Herbert M. Sternbergh was involved with the SGV Automobile, Acme Automobile, and Charles Duryea and the Duryea Motor Wagon Co., among his many other ventures.

The company manufactured a wide variety of products, many of them for the automotive industry.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Hey Lowell collectors! The modern incarnation of the Lowell Wrench Company has uploaded to their website a downloadable PDF scan of a catalog that @AntiqueBen has sent to them, linked here. I question whether it's actually their "first" but it's certainly old, with tools patented and introduced in 1903 and 1908. The last page has excellent illustrations of the hand and pin vises!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

@AntiqueBen just posted some excerpts from a Lowell No. 30 catalog (appropriated from an online marketplace sale) on a thread linked here.

Given that a "Discount Sheet" that is paperclipped to the catalog (very commonly done with Price Lists and Price Changes, etc) is dated 1931, I would suspect Lowell was using a very common annual numbering scheme and the catalog would probably date to 1930. We have seen this over and over again across industry.

 

[Bulldog13]

Being a Masshole ..this thread is awesome…I love the tool history