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

[Private Lugnutz]

You are tempting me... I will check some stuff and PM you

Roger that.

 

[d42jeep]

I added a socket to my Chrome Alloy set this morning and took a picture of my Wartime S-K sets while I had them out. Still needing some wartime 7/32” sockets.
-Don

 

[CRTDI]

The Chrome Alloy set is coming along nicely..

Here's a Gambles Artisan SK set:

 

[CRTDI]

I believe this is an earlier Gambles Tiger SK set.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice stuff guys!

 

[CRTDI]

An incomplete Hinsdale 17M set with some vintage ignition wrenches.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Sweet set!

 

[CRTDI]

Another Hinsdale set with barely a decal remnant, this one is 9/32" drive.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Wow that is incredible! Those are hard to find

 

[CRTDI]

I think the Hinsdale sets are all 30s vintage. I'm also thinking that the small drive sizes weren't as popular as say 1/2" drive in this era and that makes finding these a bit tougher.

 

[four.cycle]

pretty amazing finds there!

hey, CRTDI, what happened to all your photos in the front end of this thread?

 

[David Jackson]

wow! What a neat collection! Not so small it seems to me.

 

[CRTDI]

hey, CRTDI, what happened to all your photos in the front end of this thread?

Appears to be an issue with the hosting site. Sometimes the pics show, mostly they don't...

 

[stormking]

Nice Artisan set CRTDI, hard to find set, is yours all marked S&K except the rat & box?
I haven't added a 1/4" set for sometime but found one I couldn't pass up at an estate sale this weekend. Truly NOS blow mold Crafty set with added pieces still with the price stickers. Wish we could still buy tools like this for cheap prices like back then. Oh wait, we still can if you know where to look
Blomold by https://www.flickr.com/photos/119819727@N06/, on Flickr
Blomold by https://www.flickr.com/photos/119819727@N06/, on Flickr

 

[j6o6h6n]

are you interested in industro and other vintage tools?

 

[CRTDI]

Nice Artisan set CRTDI, hard to find set, is yours all marked S&K except the rat & box?
I haven't added a 1/4" set for sometime but found one I couldn't pass up at an estate sale this weekend. Truly NOS blow mold Crafty set with added pieces still with the price stickers. Wish we could still buy tools like this for cheap prices like back then. Oh wait, we still can if you know where to look

Thanks! The sockets have the usual S-K markings for the period. As typical for S-K, the breaker and cross bar do not have markings.

Super nice Craftsman set.. Since I'm not a fan of the space wasting blow mold cases, I forget that sometimes you can indeed find some worthy vintage goodness within them.

 

[CRTDI]

are you interested in industro and other vintage tools?

1/4" drive sets? Yes....please show us what you got.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I am not a collector of that era craftsman, but I would have grabbed it. That is like new!

 

[Smokeshow69]

Nice Artisan set CRTDI, hard to find set, is yours all marked S&K except the rat & box?

I haven't added a 1/4" set for sometime but found one I couldn't pass up at an estate sale this weekend. Truly NOS blow mold Crafty set with added pieces still with the price stickers. Wish we could still buy tools like this for cheap prices like back then. Oh wait, we still can if you know where to look

Blomold by https://www.flickr.com/photos/119819727@N06/, on Flickr

Blomold by https://www.flickr.com/photos/119819727@N06/, on Flickr

That craftsman set is nice! Blow molded or not, it is a keeper! Is the cylinder shaped thing on the left a ratcheting adaptor?


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[Private Lugnutz]

I was happy to pick up this Mustang set recently.

Hinge handle is Husky, but still 'all in the family'...

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Close-ups...

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Wow. Great packaging. I may have a Mustang hinge handle for that. I'm on the road now but I'll look when I get home mid next week.

 

[y'sguy]

SUweet! Never heard of that brand before. Nice score, Lugz!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

SUweet! Never heard of that brand before. Nice score, Lugz!

Thanks. It was a New Britain brand in the late 40's and 50's. Supposedly an economy line, but as you can see, serious and well-made tools bearing significant likeness to the Mothership offerings, with a cool name. I like that it's all 6- or 8-points.

I may have a Mustang hinge handle for that.

Thanks, JoCo. I'm not sweating it, and figured I'd wait one out from the wild, but if you have one I'd definitely be up for a trade.

Great packaging.

More on this topic later. A few guys have these sliding-lid boxes, including 4.c, CRTDI, and twertsy. Twertsy's has a different decal.

 

[bmwrd0]

I have one, but it is sans label. It is also missing the 3/8 (I think) socket but I only find chome plated ones.

 

[Smokeshow69]

SUweet! Never heard of that brand before. Nice score, Lugz!

It is made by New Britain . Note the close resemblance to husky and long c craftsman . Here is a picture, posted before of my craftsman long c set... mostly made by new Britain ( there are a few hinsdale made pieces in here).



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[Oldtuleguy]

Nice mustang set! Never find one with the decal.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I have one, but it is sans label.

Nice mustang set! Never find one with the decal.

Okay, now I will come clean and Paul Harvey the rest of the story...

Todd's is the only MUSTANG midget set that I have ever seen with a decal. I have always admired it, not only because it was the only one I had ever seen, but because it was friggin' cool looking. So, when I acquired this near-complete MUSTANG midget set - without a decal, I decided I was going to make a decal for it myself, and I fully intended to copy Todd's.

But, in searching for a complete version of Todd's (it looks like it's cut off to me...), I couldn't find it. While he thinks I'm nuts, I'm not 100% convinced his decal came like that from New Britain factory. The horse looks like the Ford logo pony from the 1970’s to me, as does the font of the MUSTANG. Link to a Ford Mustang logo timeline here. (As a Mustang guy with a nice one up on his lift, he may not be too disappointed in that if true! ) And remember, it's the only one anyone has ever seen, which is a little suspicious.

So I went searching for original New Britain Mustang Tools Trademark information at USPTO. That's where I found the logo I used on my set - and instantly fell in love with the upside down horseshoes M! And, it's the only trademark logo I can find, registered in 1954. Note, though, that I couldn't find that logo in any New Britain period advertising for Mustang tools, either.

Bottom line - it's a reproduction decal for a trademark New Britain MUSTANG hand Tools logo that may not have been used, distressed in my preferred style to look "preserved".

I told Todd I was going to do this, because I wanted to use you guys as my test audience without skewing your opinions by telling you about it up front.

 

[bmwrd0]

In much the same way I created a Plomb 3/8's set that didn't include a speeder, I applaud your creativity.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Looks pretty good! I would not have guessed it was a reproduction. Here is an indestro set I picked off ebay. There was a minor bidding war so sorry if anyone here was after it.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I applaud your creativity.

Looks pretty good! I would not have guessed it was a reproduction.

Thanks, guys. I may use the same method with some other decal-less boxes.

Otg,
That looks late 40's, early 50's. Both the tools and the use of the fed specs, which peaked after WWII heading into KW. Odd, though, that they could use the "Lock-On" term when Blackhawk trademarked it.

 

[3baygarage]

The decal on Twertsy's set was applied by the seller as stated in the Ebay listing. Not trying to be a party pooper, but that's what the listing said. It was a seller out of Indiana I believe, who had refurbished numerous boxes.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I think that seller must have gotten it from a Ford Mustang marketing slick. Still cool, though!

If anyone wants the image I used, PM me.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

that one looked good too

 

[JoCoSawdust]

You fooled me Lugz. Looks great. Sometimes you don't if things are real or not till you get your hands on them.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

You fooled me Lugz. Looks great. Sometimes you don't if things are real or not till you get your hands on them.

Thanks, and that's true. That guy on eBay does great work with sticker decals, and I have a good source for repro water transfer decals, but they are both costly and they come out looking mint when the boxes and tools rarely look mint. My preference is the used look. I am very happy with this in person, too, and it's basically just printing, distressing, and polyurethane.

 

[CRTDI]

Looks pretty good! I would not have guessed it was a reproduction. Here is an indestro set I picked off ebay. There was a minor bidding war so sorry if anyone here was after it.

Super nice Indestro set..

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Thanks crtdi. I always thought the old duro indestro stuff was stylish!

 

[d42jeep]

Looks pretty good! I would not have guessed it was a reproduction. Here is an indestro set I picked off ebay. There was a minor bidding war so sorry if anyone here was after it.

Nice set. I have most of the sockets and the ratchet, and maybe the spinner. Now I just need the correct box.
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice set. I will look around for an extra box.