Post up your Thorsen tools!

[d42jeep]

While Thorsen tools are generally sturdy, and the open gear ratchets are particularly strong, I wouldn't say that Chrome plating was their strong suit. Some styles are worse than others.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ I've been pretty lucky with the few sets that I have, but considering most of the pieces are new NOS stuff one would assume the chrome would be perfect, instead of several pieces where the chrome is starting to peel.
I'd be bidding on this NOS set of "v-shank" DOEs if I had more confidence in the plating:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Thorsen-open-end-wrench-set-5-piece-Made-in-USA/332576058503

 

[bonneyman]

While Thorsen tools are generally sturdy, and the open gear ratchets are particularly strong, I wouldn't say that Chrome plating was their strong suit. Some styles are worse than others.
-Don

^^^ Gotta say I agree with this.

My roundhead 77's just won't die, and the open gears I have are like Abrams tanks! But I can't say the chrome is tough like that.

 

[ryan20021982]

Here's my V groove set so far all Thorsen, hoping someone can help me fill the spots, I have an extra 1-1/8 to trade

SAE 1/4" - 1-1/4" missing 1" & 1-1/16"
Metric 7mm - 22mm missing 24mm

View media item 81576

 

[ryan20021982]

Just noticed this also, according to the chart the 10 and 11mm should be 6 point but mine are 12, the 7,8,9 are 6 point.

 

[d42jeep]

I have an extra 1" Vee combo to trade if that will help. I picked up this wartime looking 1/2" drive speeder today.

-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

We don't have (and probably don't need) a dedicated Giller Tool Corp thread, and I don't think you guys will mind me posting this here, given the Thorsen connection. Found today at an early bird flea market, as first reported on the 2018 Garage Sale thread.

All the pieces are marked GILLER MFD USA, except the 1/4" 8-point socket, which was an ACTION.

80M spinner
18M hinge handle
42M sliding tee

6M, 3/16", 6-point
7M, 7/32", 6-point
8MSA, 1/4", 8-point ACTION
10MS, 5/16", 8-point
10T, 5/16", 12-point
11T, 11/32", 12-point
12T, 3/8", 12-point
14T, 7/16", 12-point

 

[bonneyman]

Here's my V groove set so far all Thorsen, hoping someone can help me fill the spots, I have an extra 1-1/8 to trade

SAE 1/4" - 1-1/4" missing 1" & 1-1/16"
Metric 7mm - 22mm missing 24mm

View media item 81576

Dang, that set looks great!

 

[four.cycle]

"...except the 1/4" 8-point socket, which was an ACTION."

if and when I ever get this mess here untangled remind me of this one.
I've got a Giller 1/4" "grab bag" of stuff here that I got in a bulk lot with some other stuff. looks like you need the 8M and 8MS and 9M, right?

nice set. the ratchets are hard to find in decent condition for some weird reason.

 

[d42jeep]

We don't have (and probably don't need) a dedicated Giller Tool Corp thread, and I don't think you guys will mind me posting this here, given the Thorsen connection. Found today at an early bird flea market, as first reported on the 2018 Garage Sale thread.

All the pieces are marked GILLER MFD USA, except the 1/4" 8-point socket, which was an ACTION.

80M spinner
18M hinge handle
42M sliding tee

6M, 3/16", 6-point
7M, 7/32", 6-point
8MSA, 1/4", 8-point ACTION
10MS, 5/16", 8-point
10T, 5/16", 12-point
11T, 11/32", 12-point
12T, 3/8", 12-point
14T, 7/16", 12-point

Lugz,
That’s a nice set. Both of my Giller sets are hinged on the side, I’ve never seen one hinged on the end like that. Cool pickup.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

looks like you need the 8M and 8MS and 9M, right?

Yes. While it would be nice to have the 8MS, it's entirely possible and makes for an interesting conversation piece (in the Thorsen/ACTION/Giller grand OEM scheme of things) that the ACTION 8MSA is original to the set. Thanks for the offer, and I will ping you if you forget. (But who's going to ping me when I forget?)

the ratchets are hard to find in decent condition for some weird reason.

I'll be casually on the lookout, although this is another one of those tics we have as collectors that doesn't always ring true. Not all midget sets were sold with ratchets. All mfgrs offered several configurations from minimal to moderate to maximum number of handles and extensions, and most of them came in the same standard box that was either stuffed to the hinges or had excess capacity. But it's true that we all tend to automatically think of a 1/4-inch drive set without a ratchet as incomplete. EDIT: Point of fact, though, late war US Army Ordnance Dept midget sets had no ratchet, and Giller was a huge (and perhaps exclusively) military contract supplier in the immediate post-war era, so it may not have come with one.

Lugz,
That’s a nice set. Both of my Giller sets are hinged on the side, I’ve never seen one hinged on the end like that. Cool pickup.
-Don

Thanks, Don. As you know, I'm not a big chrome collector, but I really like this set. I said it when I grabbed that 1/2-inch ACTION set, but I am impressed with the design features. The way the sliding tee works, to name only one example, with the stops on the tapered ends. And I am a sucker for industrial style boxes - no paint, no label, simple embossed branding.

 

[d42jeep]

Here is my 1/4" Giller set. Lugz, I checked and don't have any extras of the ones you've missing.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

While I was pulling Ryan's 1" combo out, I took a photo of all of my Thorsen and PowrKraft metric Vee wrenches. Most of the PowrKraft were a recent eBay purchase.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Here is my 1/4" Giller set. Lugz, I checked and don't have any extras of the ones you've missing.
-Don

Thanks for looking. Nice set.

 

[3baygarage]

Had to pick up this long skinny wrench.

1/4 x 5/16

 

[bonneyman]

Had to pick up this long skinny wrench.

1/4 x 5/16

I've got a Utica zero offset wrench like that. Really nice for getting into narrow spaces.

 

[d42jeep]

I received a much appreciated large contribution to the Thorsen collection from Colorado on Monday. The two extensions at the top of the picture have the same part number.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

We had good Thorsen pickups at two different estate sales today. The first sale had a good variety of individual pieces and the second sale had a nice 3/8" drive metric set.
-Don

 

[MR.X]

four.cycle,
ICYMI...

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.


Not 1/4", but here's a vintage Hinsdale 9/32.

 

[MR.X]

tool #'s

 

[MR.X]

Here's the Thorsen "1/4" Hex" set with normal and deep sockets.

 

[notlob]

That's a beautiful set - love the graphics.

Do all of the pieces have a blued finish?

 

[MR.X]

All the sockets.

 

[MR.X]

I agree with you about the graphics. Here's some examples from a California Tool / Thorsen square drive set. Too bad there was no logo on the box these came in.

 

[d42jeep]

You have some really cool early Thorsen tools. Thanks for posting them. These are what I consider my wartime looking Thorsen but yours are much older.
-Don

 

[MR.X]

That's good stuff you have there. It's not easy coming up with a pre chrome set.

 

[Garage&Beer]

Picked this 1/4" set today at the flea. Really just for the cornwell ratchet though. View media item 81976

 

[d42jeep]

The Cornwell ratchets are my favorite shortys but that set is pretty nice on its own. It looks kind of familiar.
-Don

 

[Garage&Beer]

Thanks Don. I see what im actually missing now.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Here's some examples from a California Tool / Thorsen square drive set.

The finish on those tools is spectacular.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

What do you guys make of this bar?

I picked it up at the flea market this morning. It's obviously missing it's sliding tee socket wrench head (and I can't imagine anything other than abuse, misuse or intention that would leave it in this state), but it was the construction that caught my eye.

All of the late 30's, 40's, into early 50's vintage sliding tee's I own or have seen are just straight bars with little button stops forged on the ends to retain the sliding socket wrench head. The exception is Thorsen ACTION and Giller, which have a design nearly identical to this. I say nearly because they aren't recessed in the middle. That's the only difference, though.

Do you guys concur? Is this the bar from a Thorsen/Giller sliding tee handle?

Or have I missed other Mfgrs that use a design like this?

 

[crankshaftdan II]

What do you guys make of this bar?

I picked it up at the flea market this morning. It's obviously missing it's sliding tee socket wrench head (and I can't imagine anything other than abuse, misuse or intention that would leave it in this state), but it was the construction that caught my eye.

All of the late 30's, 40's, into early 50's vintage sliding tee's I own or have seen are just straight bars with little button stops forged on the ends to retain the sliding socket wrench head. The exception is Thorsen ACTION and Giller, which have a design nearly identical to this. I say nearly because they aren't recessed in the middle. That's the only difference, though.

Do you guys concur? Is this the bar from a Thorsen/Giller sliding tee handle?

Or have I missed other Mfgrs that use a design like this?

Never have seen anything like that one!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Here are two more photos of it with my Giller 42M 1/4-inch sliding tee and my ACTION 42A sliding tee. The design/construction resemblance is unmistakable - except, again, for the shallow recess in the middle of the mystery handle. (I am on record with great praise and admiration for this unique design, which may have been why it caught my eye in the bottom of a messy toolbox of miscellaneous junk.) Based on it's size, I am guessing it was to a 3/8-inch drive sliding tee.

I wonder if Thorsen et al moved to this advanced design (with the recess for the socket drive head in the middle) later. Or perhaps it's earlier and they got rid of the recess later? I believe the Giller and ACTION sets I have are both 50's or 60's. So maybe 40's or 70's?

It's not terribly important, obviously, but these are the little mysteries that will bug me until a new mystery comes along.

 

[notlob]

It's not terribly important, obviously, but these are the little mysteries that will bug me until a new mystery comes along.

OCD + ADD = ?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

OCD + ADD = ?

Haha. That's it exactly!

 

[d42jeep]

I found a picture of my Thorsen 3/8” sliding T but like the others there is no recess in the center.
-Don

 

[davethorik]

This isn't mine, spotted it a while back on ebay. Action 32177 in 1/2 drive. The mechanism looks similar enough to newer Thorsen/Action round heads, but they usually had knurled handles. I can't recall seeing a flat one like this before, but my Thorsen knowledge is limited.

 

[d42jeep]

I spent some time today incorporating my recent finds into the Thorsen collection and took a couple of pictures. The first is the Thorsen metric tools. The second is the screwdrivers I’ve run across.
-Don

 

[mattdesmond]

Just grabbed this basically unused set at an estate sale. Anyone know how old it might be? I can't find pictures of a similar set anywhere. Made in Taiwan, but look nicely made. 3/8 metric set with spark plug socket.

 

[bonneyman]

Just grabbed this basically unused set at an estate sale. Anyone know how old it might be? I can't find pictures of a similar set anywhere. Made in Taiwan, but look nicely made. 3/8 metric set with spark plug socket.

That looks like when ALLIED owned them. Could be wrong.

Love the ratchet spinner disc included in the set. Those weren't all that common, and I grab them when I find them.