My Small But Growing 1/4" drive Socket Set Collection

[four.cycle]

pft!

not a Thorsen set on the planet worth that kind of money

 

[bmwrd0]

Just because it is rare doesn't mean it is valuable.

 

[four.cycle]

actually... my statement above is not entirely correct... there was a Thorsen set that sold for over $100, but it wasn't sockets:

 

[Old Radar]

Here's one on ebay now

Pardon Our Interruption...

The revision list shows he's had it on ebay since before 7Nov23, with multiple price changes.
That tells me 4C isn't the only one that thinks "not a Thorsen set on the planet worth that kind of money."

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Here's a NOS 9/32 drive Deco and it's wrapper

 

[Private Lugnutz]

...and its wrapper

Wow! Nice acquisition - and very helpful.

The packaging would be a first for a Deco spinner on GJ as far as I know, even if it was commercial. That it's clearly military, clearly aviation ("Class 17-B" was the supply designation for US Army Air Forces Small Hand Tools, and later, for USAF Nonpowered Hand Tools), and clearly ordered as a separate item (as far as I know we have never seen them in sets with other Deco pieces), lends credence to much of the collective speculation about the users and use cases for these spinners.

The big surprise was the contract number.

In my experience with military boxes, packages, labels etc for hand tools and other items, there is overwhelming precedence for the practice of contracting agencies embedding dates in contract/order numbers. Given that practice, it sure looks to me like the "45" in Order No. (33-038) 45-3408-AF could signify 1945.

And, lo and behold, there is some evidence to suggest that it might.



While that exact contract number does not appear here, similar contracts with the Air Corps under the exact same parenthetical contract series ("33038"), used as a prefix - do. I would suspect the reason for the absence is either the contract starting later (11-45 or 12-45) or perhaps not large enough to merit the list, which had a minimum $50,000 total value cut off.

I don't know why I never looked up Deco in the Wartime Contracts books before. Probably because I never thought they were a wartime tool or supplier. I thought they were 1950's at the earliest.

One interesting oddity is seeing the "AF" by itself. In this case it would have to signify "Air Forces", short for US Army Air Forces, because the USAF was not established until 1947. We usually see it as "AAF" (or the "AC" for Air Corps, which the USAAF encapsulated as a higher HQ in 1943).

Or the "45" is an anomaly, the "AF" actually does refer to Air Force, and this particular tool and pgk are postwar.

I'm not sure. Either way, this goes a long way toward legitimizing Deco as a wartime aviation supplier and the tools as potentially wartime, making all those SWAGs about the "44" in the model number signifying a date suddenly seem not so wild after all.

Thanks for posting.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Thought that label might be interesting. Just another clue in the Deco brand mystery.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Just another clue in the Deco brand mystery.

If only to re-emphasize the significance of your acquisition, OTG, and its prompt to me to find Deco in the books, I would characterize it more like cracking the whole damn case than just another clue. Those matching numbers ("33038") - one instance on a period document, and another on an actual pkg label - are the kinds of substantive empirical evidence that are impossible to argue with. It definitively confirms Deco production for the Air Corps (US Army Air Forces) and, again, by association, lends much credence to all spinners that share the characteristics of the spinner in that pkg being potentially wartime.

 

[MR.X]

pft!

not a Thorsen set on the planet worth that kind of money

Without getting bogged down in the definition of “worth”…A set similar to the one pictured at lower left went well North of “that kind of money”.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

That's an oldie!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

If only to re-emphasize the significance of your acquisition, OTG, and its prompt to me to find Deco in the books, I would characterize it more like cracking the whole damn case than just another clue. Those matching numbers ("33038") - one instance on a period document, and another on an actual pkg label - are the kinds of substantive empirical evidence that are impossible to argue with. It definitively confirms Deco production for the Air Corps (US Army Air Forces) and, again, by association, lends much credence to all spinners that share the characteristics of the spinner in that pkg being potentially wartime.

I think I have a few deco marked sockets, look just like the cal air and plomb.

 

[MR.X]

I think I have a few deco marked sockets, look just like the cal air and plomb.

Yep...Would find them and the cal-air stuff mixed in with Plomb 9/32 set boxes. Thinking mine were always screwdriver bits as opposed to actual sockets but.....not sure. Couldn't even tell you where I put my spinners.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

^ Rgr/Ack. That's all good. It would be expansive, not discursive, on what that pkg label and War Supply Contracts show.

 

[Tom "Python" Aycock]

Found a new to me brand...Mechanicraft...stamped USA

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Found a new to me brand...Mechanicraft...stamped USA

I'll save you the GJ Search and reading time. Economy line tools, same tier as the better stuff from G.M. Co, Oxwall, and the like, with the name most commonly seen on admittedly cool little "Frankenstein" ratchets, so-called because of the exposed buttons on either side of the neck between the head and the handle to switch directions. I'm not sure if 4.c ever tracked them down in detail, if so, check his A-Z Mfgrs list for more, but I have seen the address as Bronx, NY in trade mags. Probably 60's or so.

 

[Tom "Python" Aycock]

And how about this 1/4 drive Blackhawk spinner!

 

[Tom "Python" Aycock]

And this 1/4 drive Walden flexible spinner (finally found one that wasn't made in Taiwan by some funky brand)!

 

[Tom "Python" Aycock]

And....this sweeeet Blue Point large 1/4 drive flex and rotational driver (extension?)!

 

[RTM]

.this sweeeet Blue Point large 1/4 drive flex and rotational driver (extension?)!

I have one with a bend in it, made as a carburetor adjustment tool. A Bonney one similar also

ETA the Bonney Pic



BluePoint TM64 (Top)

 

[four.cycle]

Found a new to me brand...Mechanicraft...stamped USA

Mechanicraft / Mechanicraft / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57039 / - not really a heck of a lot of information about this one.

1/4 drive Walden flexible spinner (finally found one that wasn't made in Taiwan by some funky brand)

^ Also available as a #2869 (6-inch) or #2870 (4-inch) Indestro. One of two tools I have managed to break in my life. I do not believe they were actually made by Indestro.

Blue Point large 1/4 drive flex and rotational driver

Manufactured by Aircraft Specialties Inc., Lapeer, MI (later Shaw Enterprises.) They made that gizmo for everybody.

I have one with a bend in it, made as a carburetor adjustment tool. A Bonney one similar also

Also made in Lapeer, Michigan by Aircraft Specialties. As well as the Bonney model.

 

[d42jeep]

And this 1/4 drive Walden flexible spinner (finally found one that wasn't made in Taiwan by some funky brand)!

That one might be 9/32” drive.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Here are comparison shots between my 9/32” drive flex extension and my 1/4” drive flex extension.
1/4” drive extension #3170
-Don

 

[LesserSon]

Has to be - same model number, unless it’s not a “4” hidden in shadow.

 

[Steven 33]

And how about this 1/4 drive Blackhawk spinner!

Those are sweet. Part of the nuggies set.

 

[Steven 33]

 

[d42jeep]

Here is my version of the brown box Monkey Wards set along with some others.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ I've got one of those "Riverside" boxes (the brown one at right) and a whole big mess of those "generic" Indestro-manufactured sockets (and breakers) to go into them. No cross bars. And I only have one box appropriate for Riverside stuff. (Did I send you that odd beige-colored box at top?)

@Steven 33's set appears to contain only 12-points and a couple 8-points.
@d42jeep's set(s) contain a mix of both 6 point and 12-point sockets.
So, Don - I have to ask: does the knurling pattern match on all those sockets? A single band of short vertical lines? And a single plain band below the size stamping?
2850 was the Indestro part number on the breaker.
I've got several of those breakers with NO part number stamped on them - we may be wanting to do some tradesies stuff on those in the future.*
All that stuff's in the Indestro pile, and I'm trying to get all the other stuff organized and up online before I go out there and tackle that mess.
BK

* After typing that all out, now I am wondering what other private-label account Indestro had that would have used a no-name/no part number 1/4" breaker other than Ward's "Riverside".

 

[Steven 33]

Here is my version of the brown box Monkey Wards set along with some others.
-Don

I need to add the rest of the pieces when I find them around here somewhere ha. I'm not super familiar with them. Mine came in this bigger set as well. They are chromium vanadium

 

[Steven 33]

^ I've got one of those "Riverside" boxes (the brown one at right) and a whole big mess of those "generic" Indestro-manufactured sockets (and breakers) to go into them. No cross bars. And I only have one box appropriate for Riverside stuff. (Did I send you that odd beige-colored box at top?)

@Steven 33's set appears to contain only 12-points and a couple 8-points.
@d42jeep's set(s) contain a mix of both 6 point and 12-point sockets.
So, Don - I have to ask: does the knurling pattern match on all those sockets? A single band of short vertical lines? And a single plain band below the size stamping?
2850 was the Indestro part number on the breaker.
I've got several of those breakers with NO part number stamped on them - we may be wanting to do some tradesies stuff on those in the future.*
All that stuff's in the Indestro pile, and I'm trying to get all the other stuff organized and up online before I go out there and tackle that mess.
BK

* After typing that all out, now I am wondering what other private-label account Indestro had that would have used a no-name/no part number 1/4" breaker other than Ward's "Riverside".

I have some extra cross bars and cases and sockets etc. I'd have to see exactly what I have but I only keep what I collect and none of this stuff meets that criteria

 

[Tom "Python" Aycock]

I have some extra cross bars and cases and sockets etc. I'd have to see exactly what I have but I only keep what I collect and none of this stuff meets that criteria

Cross bars...the golden unicorn of socket collectors...let us know what ya got cause im sure I'm missing a bunch

 

[d42jeep]

^ I've got one of those "Riverside" boxes (the brown one at right) and a whole big mess of those "generic" Indestro-manufactured sockets (and breakers) to go into them. No cross bars. And I only have one box appropriate for Riverside stuff. (Did I send you that odd beige-colored box at top?)

@Steven 33's set appears to contain only 12-points and a couple 8-points.
@d42jeep's set(s) contain a mix of both 6 point and 12-point sockets.
So, Don - I have to ask: does the knurling pattern match on all those sockets? A single band of short vertical lines? And a single plain band below the size stamping?
2850 was the Indestro part number on the breaker.
I've got several of those breakers with NO part number stamped on them - we may be wanting to do some tradesies stuff on those in the future.*
All that stuff's in the Indestro pile, and I'm trying to get all the other stuff organized and up online before I go out there and tackle that mess.
BK

* After typing that all out, now I am wondering what other private-label account Indestro had that would have used a no-name/no part number 1/4" breaker other than Ward's "Riverside".

Yeah, I had a bunch of those Indestro manufactured sockets that we used to consider “mystery” sockets. When I put together the Riverside set they all would have matched for sure.
-Don

 

[Etchase]

No need for a Tommy bar if you don’t have the flex handle. Not the cleanest.

 

[four.cycle]

^ It's looking like there are a few holes that need filling. off the top of my head, I'd bet there are enough orphans out in the living room to fill them. I'm only going to shoot for one "complete" set, as I only have one "Riverside" box.

Now that all of these are on display, what did the set contain (as we're never going to see this in a catalog)?
Looks like:
1/4, 9/32, 5/16, 11/32, 3/8, and 7/16 (6 point / 12 point)
1/4, 5/16, 3/8 (8-point)
flex handle (breaker)
cross bar

right?

(unless one of you comes up with a 7/32" or a 1/2", it looks like 9 sockets?)

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Here is a box full of riverside stuff

 

[four.cycle]

^ What markings, if any, are on the 1/4" drive flex handle (breaker)?

(and I have to assume that NINE is the full complement of sockets, as that's all that fits that inner tray on that end-hinged box.)

 

[Steven 33]

Cross bars...the golden unicorn of socket collectors...let us know what ya got cause im sure I'm missing a bunch

Here's a couple I just found laying around. I know I have some extras in some of my sets and others around here somewhere. I had a little stash at one point. Nothing too special. I believe the only marked ones are in sets. I have some extra cases as well. Trying to work my way through it faster than I accumulate stuff

 

[Snaparxon]

Did any manufacturer actually mark their crossbar's?

 

[d42jeep]

New Britain marked their 1/4” crossbar and Plomb marked a VERY few of theirs. There may have been others but those two immediately come to mind.


-Don

 

[Snaparxon]

New Britain marked their 1/4” crossbar and Plomb marked a VERY few of theirs. There may have been others but those two immediately come to mind.


-Don

Makes sense, 4766 is a part number on the Plomb crossbar and also on a Plomb 1/4" breaker bar.

 

[Tom "Python" Aycock]

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