Post up your Thorsen tools!

[four.cycle]

Marked simply and only THORSEN 1/4

^ It was later assigned a part number of 33M, but the earliest catalog listing I find for it (in what I have here) is in a 1956 pamphlet - *.pdf format doubtless downloaded from ToolArchives.
In a 1930's catalog snippet, they don't show a 1/4" drive universal joint. Unfortunately there's no date on this one - in the frontispiece it's marked "Catalog 3334", if anything can be made of that.







* I'm a bit puzzled by the notation about "1/4" hex connection", because all of those part numbers on the sockets are the same as the later 1/4" square drive sockets.
* Note that part number 12M is assigned to both the breaker bar and the 3/8" 6-point socket. The 1/4" square drive breaker became an 18M.
* Extension 51M is a mystery. The 1/4" square drive 6-inch extension became a 53M
* "Spintite" handle 15M is a mystery. The 1/4" square drive spinner handle became an 80M

(* It would appear my posting this in the hopes of helping to answer your inquiry just raises more questions.)

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I looked through several late 30s and 40s cats from major mfgrs to make sure I wasn't crazy. Smallest uni was in the 3/8 drive. Pretty cool. And unusual! EDIT: It's plain steel.

 

[four.cycle]

enlarged:

 

[four.cycle]

You got me....

I cobbled together an early New Britain 1/4" square drive set, and dug around on Ebay until I found a universal joint, but then after referring to the early catalogs discovered that NB didn't show a 1/4" drive universal in the 1953 catalog.

I think I have a 1940 Indestro catalog here I can check, but I think you're right - 1/4" square drive universal joint is most likely a post-war thing, maybe?

 

[four.cycle]

Forgot to mention:
You were asking about chrome/satin finish on Thorsen-made stuff a few days ago.
I received yesterday a "grab bag" lot of 1/4" drive Thorsen and some "Bonney" 1/4" drive 12-point universal joint sockets.
All of them are brightly chrome plated and polished like mirrors.

I have other Thorsen 1/4' stuff that has a more "satin" finish. Maybe they made them both ways depending upon date of manufacture?

 

[MR.X]

cool old printing plate

 

[Jimthediyguy]

I’ve had my Thorsen sets at least 40-45 years and I only broke one 3/8 Drive 1/2 inch socket and that was my fault. I have the 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 ratchets as well as SAE and Metric wrenches.
Since Thorsen quit I’m relegated to stay and such for the older stuff.
I inherited my dad’s Craftsman set. It’s all USA made. It’s around 50-55 years old. Hard to find that stuff too that’s a reasonable price.
Anyway, thanks for showing them off.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[3baygarage]

cool old printing plate

Very cool.

 

[Rileysan]

cool old printing plate

Fantastic piece of history, Mr X. Do you know what years that would have been in use?

Brian

 

[twertsy]

Haven't made wall space yet.....

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

 

[bonneyman]

Cool beans, Todd!

I'm assuming 1/2" drive?

 

[twertsy]

Cool beans, Todd!

I'm assuming 1/2" drive?

Yes sir George.........still trying to make/find wall space.

 

[d42jeep]

I know somebody that could make wall space. Just kidding. I haven't even found a spot to hang my Barcalo board. Here is a listing for a Thorsen 1/4" set with a u-joint included and a picture of my Craftsman =V= 1/4" u-joint.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Here is a listing for a Thorsen 1/4" set with a u-joint included and a picture of my Craftsman =V= 1/4" u-joint.

What's the date of the Thorsen ad, Don?

 

[four.cycle]

^ that looks like the 1956 pamphlet - price of $13.36 is the same.
*.pdf format, so it's gotta be from TA, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[notlob]

Haven't made wall space yet.....

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

Post up your needs to fill the board - I've got triplicates and more of Thorsen sockets, etc.

 

[four.cycle]

Private Lugnutz -
re: the question about the 1/4" universal joint

To get a broader perspective:
It's a 1937 Indestro catalog that I have, not a 1940, and there is no 1/4" drive universal joint shown.
In Indestro's "Catalog #20", which I believe to be from 1953 or 1954, they show a model #2836 1/4" drive universal joint.
As I mentioned above, in attempting to complete that old New Britain 1/4" set I found, I referred to the early catalogs, and the 1953 NB catalog (which is, I believe, the approximate vintage of that particular set, based on the pieces in the set) did not show a 1/4" drive universal joint listed. (The 1959 NB catalog does list a 1/4" universal joint.)

As I speculated above, maybe the 1/4" universal joint was a post-war thing. It's quite possible that Thorsen 1/4" u-joint is an anomaly? Or possibly of more recent vintage?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The Thorsen could definitely be later and either not plated, or plated with a satin finish (as we have seen with other Thorsen family tools, post-war). I agree with your speculation, and I pretty much implied the same conclusion when I first posted the Thorsen 1/4 uni find on the Garage Sale thread. There are none in any wartime sets, which is why it struck me as so odd. I think it's post-war introduction is just one of those things nobody thinks about too much until it becomes a subject.

 

[four.cycle]

It's an interesting question, actually. They were making U-joints for both 1/2" and 3/8" in the pre-war era- there's no question about that.
I guess a guy would have to look through catalogs from various manufacturers to really get an accurate picture of when the 1/4" U-joint became a thing that was included in sets (or available separately.)

There's a dearth of Thorsen catalogs to refer to, which makes it difficult to really get an accurate picture of things.
For that matter, I rarely see any old Thorsen at all on Ebay - almost all of what i see there looks like 1960's - 1980's vintage, except for an occasional set in the earlier green winkle-finish box.

I'm puzzled by that board that twertsy posted above. Would I be correct to assume from that the model #16 1/2" drive 16-inch breaker was the only 1/2" breaker they made?

 

[MR.X]

Fantastic piece of history, Mr X. Do you know what years that would have been in use?

Brian

Hi, the arched "THORSEN TOOLS" appears in what appears to be in a early 30's catalog addition or pamphlet I'd guess was around 1932. If you look close at the pic you can just see where the plane and car have been almost completely lightened out, but it's clearly the same design.

 

[MR.X]

It's an interesting question, actually. They were making U-joints for both 1/2" and 3/8" in the pre-war era- there's no question about that.
I guess a guy would have to look through catalogs from various manufacturers to really get an accurate picture of when the 1/4" U-joint became a thing that was included in sets (or available separately.)QUOTE.

Hi, well Plomb and P&C had 1/4" drive universals by their pre war 1940 catalogs P&C 40-p and Plomb 18 A. I looked in my Thorsen 48 and they were carrying a duro-chrome 1/4"set with universal but i didn't even see a Thorsen 1/4" set at all so that doesn't help. There is a set but no Thorsen universal listed in their 38-39 cat. nor is there a ratchet.

 

[four.cycle]

^ Plomb and P&C are two brands I haven't even delved into - I'm kind of working in my own little vacuum here.

Where did you find a 38-39 Thorsen catalog?

==

I went and looked, and my #16 1/2" drive Thorsen breaker does not have a fat, round, knurled handle - it's just a plain smooth chromed shank all the way down. Causes me to wonder how old the thing is now.

 

[MR.X]

^

* I'm a bit puzzled by the notation about "1/4" hex connection", because all of those part numbers on the sockets are the same as the later 1/4" square drive sockets.
* Note that part number 12M is assigned to both the breaker bar and the 3/8" 6-point socket. The 1/4" square drive breaker became an 18M.
* Extension 51M is a mystery. The 1/4" square drive 6-inch extension became a 53M
* "Spintite" handle 15M is a mystery. The 1/4" square drive spinner handle became an 80M

Hi, I don't think Thorsen got too worked up about using the same tool numbers when they switched from hex drive to square drive. They used the same numbers for their deep and shallow 1/4" drive sockets too.
The 30's sets only came with the shorter extension from what I can tell so it makes sense that it would have a diff. tool no.

 

[notlob]

A bit of Thorsen trivia:

Prior to moving its production to Texas in the '70s, most Thorsen catalogs, flyers, and logos identify the company's location as Oakland, CA, address 5325 Horton Street.

However, that address is not in the City of Oakland. Instead, it is (and always was) in the very small town of Emeryville, located on the SF bay waterfront along the border between Oakland and Berkeley.

While there are likely other reasons (including the fact that few people at that time likely knew where Emeryville was), I suspect one reason Thorsen chose to state its location was in Oakland may be due to the following:

(from wikipedia)

"Emeryville used to be as well known for its gambling houses and bordellos as it was for its booming industrial sector; then Alameda County district attorney, later California governor and then Chief Justice of the United States Earl Warren once famously called it "the rottenest city on the Pacific Coast". During the Depression, Emeryville was jammed with speakeasies, racetracks and brothels and became known as a somewhat lawless center for entertainment."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emeryville,_California

Like most of the SF bay area, Emeryville has turned its back on its industrial past and is now filled with software and biotech firms. The HQ and campus for Pixar Studios is also located there.

One of these days soon I'll head down to Horton Street in Emeryville (it's very close to the eastern terminus of the SF Bay Bridge) and see if I can find any remnants of ol' Thorsen to photograph.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I guess a guy would have to look through catalogs from various manufacturers

four.cycle,
ICYMI...

I looked through several late 30s and 40s cats from major mfgrs to make sure I wasn't crazy. Smallest uni was in the 3/8 drive.

Prompted by Mr. X's assertion about Plomb, I just checked a few more, and re-checked the others I had checked the other day. I did find a mfgr other than Plomb (No. 4770) that offered a uni joint in 1/4-inch size: Duro-Chrome No. 4536. See Page 15, 1940 catalog. So, there goes that theory.

But, it does not appear to have been an industry-wide offering until post-war. Unless I am just missing it somehow, I couldn't find a 1/4-inch uni joint in the following: 1941 New Britain, 1940 Williams, 1941 Herbrand, 1941 Cornwell, 1942 Craftsman, 1943 SK, or 1941 Bonney.

Strangely enough, Snap-On only offered a midget uni joint (in the 9/32-inch drive size, No. MU-3) in the 1941 and 1942 catalog. By 1944, when they had switched to 1/4-inch drive, it was gone.

I did not look in the early 30's or the 50's.

 

[MR.X]

A bit of Thorsen trivia:



One of these days soon I'll head down to Horton Street in Emeryville (it's very close to the eastern terminus of the SF Bay Bridge) and see if I can find any remnants of ol' Thorsen to photograph.

The Bush St SF building is still there and as of a few years ago there was a unremarkable building on Horton that was a pretty close match to the address and partial pic I had seen of the original factory. The thing that had me thinking was how frickin inconvenient it must have been back in the pre Bay bridge days to get from the factory to the retail site in downtown San Francisco. That's like 11 miles with the bridge today, but, I'm assuming it was faster to boat / ferry then to drive all the way down to the Hayward - San Mateo? what a pain.

 

[four.cycle]

"...it does not appear to have been an industry-wide offering until post-war..."

I would say that's a reasonable conclusion.

Bear in mind that my focus is pretty narrow as far as brands, and I haven't delved into a LOT of the brands that a LOT of you guys are collecting: PLOMB, P&C, Snap-on, Bonney, and several others are just off my radar screen. Like I said above, I'm kind of working in my own little vacuum here.

I can try to know a lot about a little, but I just can't get my head wrapped around trying to know a little about a lot.

 

[shanny19]

^^ I gotta think you'll be drowning in P&C if you start looking for it. It's all over E. WA and N. ID.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I can try to know a lot about a little, but I just can't get my head wrapped around trying to know a little about a lot.

I hear you. But I'm mainly a time period (WWII) niche collector, not a brand (Indestro, or Plomb, or etc etc) niche collector. Although I do have my favorites. And I do get obsessed by rare (e.g., Onli-1) or uncommon (e.g., Bethlehem) stuff.

 

[Rileysan]

^ Plomb and P&C are two brands I haven't even delved into - I'm kind of working in my own little vacuum here.

Where did you find a 38-39 Thorsen catalog?

He owns it, of course. I'm sure there is much more to be seen from Mr X's collection, some of which hasn't been seen on GJ. Looking forward to it Mr. X!

Brian

 

[d42jeep]

As was surmised by BK it is my '56 Thorsen flyer. Here are pictures of it.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

He owns it, of course. I'm sure there is much more to be seen from Mr X's collection, some of which hasn't been seen on GJ.

Outstanding! Perhaps Mr. X could be cajoled into sending that 1939 Thorsen - and any other catalogs not yet found anywhere else in the public realm - to Twertsy for scanning into the Tool Archives public library. From experience I can attest to Todd returning catalogs tout suit and in the same condition they left.

As was surmised by BK it is my '56 Thorsen flyer. Here are pictures of it.

Thanks, Don.

 

[d42jeep]

The Bush St SF building is still there and as of a few years ago there was a unremarkable building on Horton that was a pretty close match to the address and partial pic I had seen of the original factory. The thing that had me thinking was how frickin inconvenient it must have been back in the pre Bay bridge days to get from the factory to the retail site in downtown San Francisco. That's like 11 miles with the bridge today, but, I'm assuming it was faster to boat / ferry then to drive all the way down to the Hayward - San Mateo? what a pain.

There was very regular ferry service between the East Bay and SF before the bridge was built. Not that I can remember! I did ride the Key System across the lower deck of the new Bay Bridge as a child.
-Don

 

[MR.X]

Well, let me throw this on the dying coals of this thread. You almost never see these OAK. CALIF. marked tools and especially not in a single offset style wrench.

 

[d42jeep]

Very nice! I've never seen one of those. I did find some early Thorsen sockets and a small extension on Friday.
-Don

 

[MR.X]

Nice! those are vintage.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I have made a bit of a search regarding the 1/4 universal and have only found 9/32 u joints. I have one from 1929 and another from 1940. I believe snap on offered one as early as 37 or 38, but have not come across one. Here is a pic of the two. The 29 is a bit longer. I would surmise the 1/4 version would resemble the shorter one.

 

[d42jeep]

I found a nice early Thorsen box and a decent assortment of early Thorsen sockets yesterday at an estate sale in Concord, CA.
-Don

 

[Rileysan]

I found a nice early Thorsen box and a decent assortment of early Thorsen sockets yesterday at an estate sale in Concord, CA.
-Don

That decal is near-mint. Nice find!

Brian

 

[bonneyman]

Well, let me throw this on the dying coals of this thread. You almost never see these OAK. CALIF. marked tools and especially not in a single offset style wrench.

Ooooh, that looks nice!

The 0 offset box end almost looks welded on. Very smooth connection area there.