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

[honza.vosalik]

Here's a 1/4" Craftsman socket set I found earlier this year.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Looks like a nice set. Always thought it was interesting how they stuck those decals any which way.

 

[bmwrd0]

I am sure most here have seen this already, but it does need to go in this thread


Still has much of the original packing oil on it. That is what gives it the yellowish tint.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Never get tired of seeing that beautiful set

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Wards riverside set

 

[d42jeep]

Here are a couple of wartime S-K sets I’m working on. The gaps show where the missing sockets should go. The wartime finish 7/32” sockets are hard to find.
-Don

 

[JoCoSawdust]

This set came to me missing a few parts. I went with a butterfly rat due to the embossed logo on the case. I consider those to be a bridge between Heritage and Crown logos. The 14" extension proved surprisingly hard to find for me.

 

[bmwrd0]

I don't know if I ever put this up:


Still missing a couple sockets, but really, who isn't?

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Most of us are not playing with a full socket set

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I snagged all these midget spinners at a used tool store on Friday.

 

[Username already in use]

Nice grouping of spinners! The BluePoint is sweet! And the Craftsman with the handle in tact... NICE!

 

[d42jeep]

Speaking of cool spinners, I may have overpaid (a little) to get this Walden partial set that arrived today. I very rarely see these that are pictured in the 1944 catalog. The sockets were dark, knurled and like new with only two missing. The box was early as well with fewer hinge elements.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice grouping of spinners! The BluePoint is sweet! And the Craftsman with the handle in tact... NICE!

Thanks. I may try to "smooth out" the unfortunate gouges in the NB NM-62. The Blue-Point is an M-40 9/32-inch drive and a real head scratcher. I discussed further on the Snap-on thread.

 

[lardy1]

I've posted this one before. But, thanks to RaiderHillbilly, it now has all the standard sized sockets. The deeps remain elusive.

I know......I know.....SK Wayne? You'll hate me if we get a 1/2" drive thread going and I post my SK Dresser set.

 

[four.cycle]

According to the label, the box is as tough as buffalo hyde, and guaranteed for 76 years!

I have that exact same set, although not nearly in the pristine condition yours appears to be. Unfortunately the lid on the box is warped, and will not close securely. Would you happen to have an address where I can contact Fleet and inquire about the warranty on the box?

"...another set of mystery sockets today..."

I seem to recall picking up one of those 1/4" drive Riverside sets some months ago. Box and decal inside the lid were in pretty good condition. The breaker is unmistakably Duro-Indesto made (compare 4550 Duro or 2850 Indestro.) Curiously, as in your set, none of the sockets are marked with any brand or maker's mark - only the fractional size is stamped on the sockets.

"...the box to be finished in crinkle red instead of green..."

First time I've seen anything like that - every Thorsen box I've seen thus far was green or black or that "Pontiac blue" color they used for a time. As to the "X" suffix stamped on the sockets, I have no clue.

"...Seems wards had a few suppliers..."

As with J.C. Penney in their "Penncraft" and "Penneys" brands, Wards was outsourcing from several different suppliers. I have seen sets listed on Ebay with mixed content, in which some pieces were made by Thorsen, and some by Wright (or other makers) in the same set, and had to wonder if they were packaged that way from the factory, or if the previous owner replaced a missing piece with whatever brand Penney's (or Ward's) was selling that week.

"...Speedmaster stuff seems to be plomb sourced..."

As with all things Wards and Penney's, "Speedmaster" was outsourced from various manufacturers, evidenced in subsequent posts.

"...Here is my only cool 1/4" set..."

Mr. jamesly, that is not only an extremely cool "Sylvania" set (originally made by Meteor Manufacturing of Buffalo, New York) but it appears to be all original, complete, and the (very fragile) plastic box appears to be intact. When you get tired of owning it, please be sure to let me know.

"...This one is technically 3/8 and 1/4 drive..."

The PM21 was not all that uncommon, if the numbers of them appearing on Ebay are any indicator. I think I own at least three or four of them now. Looks like you're missing the 11/32" socket and the 5/16" hex key. Photo image shows what the kit originally contained.
I believe there's a 1/4" drive 11/32" chrome socket currently available on Ebay, but it's not of the same vintage as yours.
The subsequent posts immediately following delve into discussions about other Walden sets and contents. I have at least one of the Walden 1/2" sets from the same period, the sockets ranging from 7/16" to 1-1/16". Unfortunately my notes don't mention a model number for the set, as is noted in Private_Lugnutz's' post (in a separate thread.)
As to the ratchet included in the PM21 set, as I recall, most of mine have the "standard" 4051 ratchet with the squared-off handle end, not the pointy "George Jetson" model. (see OldTuleGuy's examples in post #782)

"...Never saw one with a label before...."

Neither have I, and I own two of those Mustang sets, one of which is in cherry condition, but lacking the label on the silver hammertone box. Very nice.

"...another firestone set..."

You too, huh? I have two of those, one of which looks exactly like yours, even down to the wear pattern on the decal inside the lid. Unfortunately, the last one I acquired has a wonky (Plomb-made) ratchet that needs repair or replacing. Very nice set there.

"...has anyone ever seen midget sockets marked with the names of ignition systems (e.g., Remy, Eisemann, etc), like early ignition wrenches?..."

Never, and early ignition wrenches are within the scope of my collection, in particular those made by Gilfillan Bros. of Los Angeles. Curiously, from the contents of the multitude of those early sets I've looked at, it would appear that "Delco" and "Remy" were two separate entities at some point.

"...Litton Pocket Socket..."

Very nice and unique little set. How unfortunate that so many sellers find is necessary to emblazon photo images they've lifted out of old magazines with their "marks", hoping that people like me aren't going to figure out a way to go around them and get pristine images without their stupid markings.
Here's a copy of that ad without the clutter. If you'd like a copy, P/M me your email address and I'll be happy to send one to you.

"...Good Tools make the hands stronger..."

Unfortunately, the photo images have been removed from the post.

"... unmarked hex drive set..."

Looks oddly familiar. I don't believe I bid on that one. The driver handle (spinner) looks suspiciously like the one included in my VIM 9/32" square drive kit (manufactured by Milwaukee Forge, as noted in post #905 by Private Lugnutz.)

"...even has the cross bar and just needs the correct 1/2” socket..."

The Thorsen 1411 set didn't contain either the cross bar or the 14M 1/2" socket.

"...here is an old Husky set from 1918. Interested to see if Home Depot will warranty one of the cracked sockets..."

Actually, the 1918 date refers to Reginald F. Sedgley's patent 1289558 (issued Dec. 31, 1918), which applies to the "ell" handle with the detent ball. There appears to have been a period in the early 1920s when New Britain Machine (and other makers) were manufacturing hex drive socket sets under license from Sedgley, who held the patent rights on the "ell" handle with the detent ball. You might find another date of 1922 stamped on the bottom of the tray - or maybe not - which refers to New Britain's (H.H. Chase) patent 1438900, which is on the holder itself. The socket set could have been manufactured anywhere between 1924 and the late 1930s.
I notice that Private Lugnutz has already articulated most of that in post #932. (see also Sedgley thread here: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=378656 )
I see quite frequently on Ebay sellers confused by the patent dates (of both 1918 and 1922), assuming that those are the dates the sets were manufactured. New Britain manufactured hex drive sets using the 1922 patent clear up into the 1950s, as near as I have been able to determine from early catalog listings.
Nice little set. I believe the one I have here has a red-painted holder.
Let us know how that warrantly adjustment works out for you at Home Depot.

"...Don't know much about these but thought it looked cool...."

Neither do I, and the reason I did not bid on that one was because I wasn't sure if it was complete. Fabulous set. As with the set mentioned below, glad to see it was acquired by a member.

"... 1930ish thorsen hex drive set..."

I wasn't fast enough on that one, unfortunately. The Art Deco graphics on the box are awesome. I am glad to see that it was acquired by a GJ member.

[quote="OldTuleGuy, regarding the Wards Riverside set in post #1006]"...Wards riverside set..."[/quote]

Interestingly, the label touts the same slogan as the OE manufacturer Indestro: "Tools for Service"

===

CRTDI, what happened to all of your photos?

===

Fabulous sets, gentlemen. When I started this thread months ago, I had no idea it would take off like this, or that we'd be seeing so many truly fabulous examples of early 1/4" drive sets (as well as other drive sizes, both square and hex, in that general size range.)
My absence as of late has been primarily due to some major life changes, which are still in process. Consequently, I am not able to invest as much time here as I would like.
I hope that we continue to see more examples of more sets (complete or otherwise), and that at some point I will be successful at out-bidding OldTuleGuy.

I have not even begun to sort things out here, but that will happen in the near future. I know that in all these boxes piled up here in the house and in the garage, I have an over-abundance of oddball pieces which do not belong in any of the sets I intend to complete. (Catfishdan's Williams ignition wrenches come to mind.) When I get those sorted out, I will be posting a list of them here somewhere in the hope that it will help some of you to complete sets.

===

Private Lugnutz, I still have a Walden-Worcester 39120-20 9/32" square drive SAE set here in a box with your name on it, but I'll be damned if I can find the other one. It's buried here somewhere. I had hoped to get both of them to you sooner. I believe what you'll be shy are the spinner handle and an extension.

===

twertsy, that Blackhawk 11-N set is in a box in my kitchen if you're still interested.

===

Again: fabulous, gentlemen. Fabulous.

Carry on.

BK

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice to hear from you! Great thread and happy holidays

 

[Smokeshow69]

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

Got this craftsman 1/4 drive set cleaned up. This set is not common because of the ratchet in the set. They were only made from 67-69 and never appeared in the catalogs. It is called a long lever because the lever sticks out much higher and farther than the predecessor Flying V selector and the following, more modern quick release ratchet. The selector was prone to breaking as it was made of Pot metal and most didn’t survive the years and use before they were turned in for warranty exchange. I scored this off the bay at the last moment as I knew what it was but didn’t know how nice it was until I got it. No engravings or owner marks and the plastic tray is not broken. I was able to carefully remove the foam that was glued to the lid and got most of the glue off the paint. I was able to get the missing short extension, tommy bar and t handle from forum member roleson06. The tommy bar is marked =v= with a part number which is not. Common. I did use some leftover cork to support the bottom of the tray and also made a liner for the lid so the paint wouldn’t get damaged from the tools.








Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Smokeshow69]

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






Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[four.cycle]

^ That appears to be in exceptionally good condition!

I don't believe I've ever seen a tommy bar marked with either the =V= or the
Craftsman name.

 

[d42jeep]

Beautiful set! Great idea to support the socket section because the plastic normally is fragile and cracked like this. I’ve only seen one marked crossbar.
-Don

 

[Smokeshow69]

Beautiful set! Great idea to support the socket section because the plastic normally is fragile and cracked like this. I’ve only seen one marked crossbar.
-Don

Thanks for all the compliments ! The nice tray was the main reason why I bought it. Not easy to find a non cracked one!


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[r_olson_06]

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

Got this craftsman 1/4 drive set cleaned up. This set is not common because of the ratchet in the set. They were only made from 67-69 and never appeared in the catalogs. It is called a long lever because the lever sticks out much higher and farther than the predecessor Flying V selector and the following, more modern quick release ratchet. The selector was prone to breaking as it was made of Pot metal and most didn’t survive the years and use before they were turned in for warranty exchange. I scored this off the bay at the last moment as I knew what it was but didn’t know how nice it was until I got it. No engravings or owner marks and the plastic tray is not broken. I was able to carefully remove the foam that was glued to the lid and got most of the glue off the paint. I was able to get the missing short extension, tommy bar and t handle from forum member roleson06. The tommy bar is marked =v= with a part number which is not. Common. I did use some leftover cork to support the bottom of the tray and also made a liner for the lid so the paint wouldn’t get damaged from the tools.








Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

Looks goods all back together. Well done.

Looking for the following Plomb Pebbles Wrench 3061

 

[Smokeshow69]

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

Looks goods all back together. Well done.

Looking for the following Plomb Pebbles Wrench 3061

Thank you sir !


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[d42jeep]

^ That appears to be in exceptionally good condition!

I don't believe I've ever seen a tommy bar marked with either the =V= or the
Craftsman name.

I dug out the marked crossbar from my 3/8” drive set. These have got to be pretty rare. It’s unusual to see a =v= tool with a part number.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Typically we're either posting complete sets here or rare individual pieces, and this isn't going to be either, so my apologies, but I was inspired by the backstory.

I found a bunch of WWII dated training manuals and notes and handouts from a soldier who went through the Ordnance School's master mechanics course at APG, MD in 1943, along with some WWII wrenches, a WWII jerry can spout, and these midget "sets" (see Pic 1), all from the same estate.

As you can see, the NB box and pieces are caked in cosmolene (see Pics 2, 3, & 4) and I am going to leave it that way.

The SW box had a mix of wartime and postwar Walden, postwar Bonney, wartime Duro, and a Plomb extra deep (see Pics 5 and 6). Probably only the black ox Walden (See Pic 7) belongs in the box.

The guy had great taste!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice haul lugz. Here is a Wright set I picked up. It's interesting the 10 point sockets are actually 8 point..

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Wizard stuff

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Chromex set. Sockets marked only chromium vanadium.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Blackhawk 16nd set circa 1940

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Some indestro

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Blackhawk 16nd set circa 1940

That's an interesting set, Otg. I see the decal on the lid of the box, but the contents don’t match a No. 16-ND set.

The sockets appears to be correct. Should be eight (8) – six (6) 6-pointers from 3/16” to 11/32” and two (2) 12-pointers, a 3/8” and a 7/16”, right? But a No. 16-ND set had six (6) DOE electrical wrenches, H10-H18, 7/32” through 11/32” in the 30’s, and six (6) combo (“half and half”) wrenches, 7/32” through 3/8” in the 40’s.

But the most curious thing for me are the handles. As far as I know from catalogs, the No. 16-ND set did not have a 24991 ratchet or a 24999 flex-head. It only included a 24994 obstruction/offset, a 24995 Grip, and a 24996 5" extension with a tommy bar.

Also, is that universal joint a Blackhawk piece? Didn't have one of those either as far as the catalogs list.

Cool set though. Put together by a PO like that maybe? The wrenches may be hard to find, or not. Either way, very cool to have the extra ratchet and flex head as a bonus.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

It has some extras I'm sure. Stamping on universal is hard to read. I can make out a B, and 1502, that's about it.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Stamping on universal is hard to read. I can make out a B, and 1502, that's about it.

Interesting. They listed a 1/4-inch universal (24993) in the general sections in 1937 and 1939, but not in any sets, and it was dropped by 1948.

I'll keep an eye out for the ignition wrenches, but in the hundreds of orphans I have found, none of them are Blackhawk.

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Picked up this Herbrand partial set as a "hey do you want this too" while looking at something else. I obviously have some missing pieces to find.

 

[CRTDI]

Otg,

Some really nice and interesting additions to your ever growing collection...

I've never come across a Chromex set in 1/4" drv. Without the other supporting tools or an identifying decal, I'm thinking this one would be tough to spot.

The Blackhawk 16ND set as you probably know, is a late 30s to early 40s transitional set before the 1/4" drive series officially be came know as "Nuggies". The gripline styled offset breaker, drive end extension and swivel pieces are all fairly hard to come by.

Well done sir...

 

[four.cycle]

Amazing Chrome-X set there, OldTuleGuy!

 

[CRTDI]

Picked up this Herbrand partial set as a "hey do you want this too" while looking at something else. I obviously have some missing pieces to find.

Nice looking set.. Very hard to find in any condition.

Sometimes the box for this set will have a medallion on the exterior lid.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Otg,

Some really nice and interesting additions to your ever growing collection...

I've never come across a Chromex set in 1/4" drv. Without the other supporting tools or an identifying decal, I'm thinking this one would be tough to spot.

The Blackhawk 16ND set as you probably know, is a late 30s to early 40s transitional set before the 1/4" drive series officially be came know as "Nuggies". The gripline styled offset breaker, drive end extension and swivel pieces are all fairly hard to come by.

Well done sir...

Came with the chromex master set I got from lnkmk8, otherwise very tough to spot. Set even came with original parts list.

 

[bmwrd0]

Picked up this Herbrand partial set as a "hey do you want this too" while looking at something else. I obviously have some missing pieces to find.

Did someone say Herbrand?



I have been working on this one for a while now, and I have the feeling that it is going to take a looooong time. But, I might be willing to trade the full knurled handle ratchet.

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Very nice BMW. Are those all variations of the M5 rat? I'm pretty clueless on Herbrand.