Refrigeration

[bmwrd0]

Many moons ago, I attended trade school for Stationary Engineering and Commercial HVAC/R. I only worked in the field for a short time before moving over to the phone company, but I liked it well enough that I collect many of the specialized tools for the industry. So, here they are.

They aren't really used anymore, but special sockets were once common in the industry for packing gland nuts and turning square valves of various sizes. Many general tool makers had such a set, and here are my two:

The first is a Hinsdale, and while the ratchet is 1/4" female (as are all refrigeration ratchets) the sockets are 9/32" drive. So, there are two adaptors, on 1/4-932 and one 1/4-3/8 as the set also has that drive size sockets. And at least two DBE, although without a catalog it is hard to tell. I do know I am missing the 3/8" socket.


And the Bonney. This is a jumble of possible pieces as it is a put together set that I am still sorting out. Most of it shows in the '46 catalog so that is what I am working from, but I might change out the ratchet to better reflect the wartime parts.


Another needed set was tubing flaring and cutting. Here are two of mine.
Proto:


Imperial:


I will post more stuff latter, but if you have any show us!

 

[bmwrd0]

One of the specialty tools that are quite handy are flare nut wrenches. Here is my Proto set:

I only need a couple more, 11/16" and 7/16", but I have no idea what the roll is originally from. I also have some Plombs, but nowhere near as many.

One of the rarer items I have are these:


TAC, or Tubing Appliance Corporation, is part of the Proto empire. These are ratcheting flare wrenches. I have some others in sizes up to 2-1/4"

 

[bmwrd0]

Here are some of my refrigeration ratchets.

From the left: Snap-on, Imperial Eastman, Duro/Industro, Kelvinator, Williams, and Proto. The Snap-on has a 1/4 to 1/4 drive stud, while the Williams and Proto have 1/4 to 3/8 studs. All refrigeration ratchets have 1/4" female ratchet along with various square openings and usually a 9/16 hex (or 12 point)opening for various valves. I have half-a-dozen or so more, but they are either repeats of these or other I-E rebranded models.

 

[Rileysan]

Very nice presentation. I would love to know how some of the specialty sockets are used, as I have a few misc Hinsdale sockets that have stumped me.

Brian

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Great fridge stuff! Thanks for posting.

 

[d42jeep]

Great collection. I’m surprised that you don’t have a Walden ratchet since they are the most common refrigeration ratchet I see.
-Don

 

[joel63]

Here are some of my refrigeration ratchets.

From the left: Snap-on, Imperial Eastman, Duro/Industro, Kelvinator, Williams, and Proto. The Snap-on has a 1/4 to 1/4 drive stud, while the Williams and Proto have 1/4 to 3/8 studs. All refrigeration ratchets have 1/4" female ratchet along with various square openings and usually a 9/16 hex (or 12 point)opening for various valves. I have half-a-dozen or so more, but they are either repeats of these or other I-E rebranded models.

Very nice collection of refrigeration tools.

I need to gather up the ones I have; they are mostly newer. From the '70's.

 

[bmwrd0]

Oh, I have a Walden, it just didn't make the cut for that set of pics. Believe me, there is more to come. Nice set by the way!

Rileysan, put up pics of that Hinsdale!

 

[gungatim]

just curious, why are all refrigeration ratchets 1/4" female?

I've got probably half a dozen of them, some are too nice to toss but completely useless for me except as an occasional tap handle....

 

[bonneyman]

just curious, why are all refrigeration ratchets 1/4" female?

I've got probably half a dozen of them, some are too nice to toss but completely useless for me except as an occasional tap handle....

Many of the old valves used in the refrig industry are 1/4" square shafts, so a 1/4" female ratchet would be perfect for that.

Nice collection, bmwrd0!
I don't have any of the gland nut sockets, as when I got started in the industry in the 1980's things had been converting over to sealed valves and non-serviceable parts. We didn't adjust many expansion valves - if we came across one that was not metering right we just R & R'd it.

 

[bmwrd0]

1/4 is used for the various bottles that are used to store refrigerant.

 

[bmwrd0]

Yeah B-man, we learned to use them in trade school but were told even then the chances of using them were almost nil. That said, I know a few ice factories that are over 100 years old that still use them as they run ammonia and are grandfathered in.

 

[bonneyman]

Yeah B-man, we learned to use them in trade school but were told even then the chances of using them were almost nil. That said, I know a few ice factories that are over 100 years old that still use them as they run ammonia and are grandfathered in.

Ammonia? What a dinosaur system that must be! That'd be a factory tour I'd love to take.

I have several reefer wrenches that I've "cross-trained" for other uses. One was my welding tank wrench for some time. The female 1/4" square ratchet with a home-made adaptor gets some use with regular sockets, and the one end has a 9/16" 6 point box end that's perfect of brass fittings on evaps. I was always looking for ways to make more of my tools do multiple jobs to try and keep the weight down in my carry tools as the thing was just so heavy.
I haven't had the heart to cut off a flat of one of those box ends and make a compact flare wrench - but I've thought about it!

 

[bmwrd0]

One of the things about commercial HVAC was that so much of the equipment was up on rooftops, many without great access. So everything had to go up a ladder with you. I also tried to keep what I took to a minimum because what goes up must come down (mostly). But I saw mechanics carry up 75-100 pounds of tools with them every time they did a job, no matter what. I also knew a guy who only used a 4" adjustable and a leatherman...

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I have a few various sets. Lots of weird sockets in them. Here is a bonney.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Some snap on

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Very nice presentation.

I will have some contributions to make, sticking to your categories, Beemer. For now I just wanted to say I was subscribed, and that I have made a note to add this thread to the next Sticky update.

 

[joel63]

Some snap on

Wow!!! Wish I had that set.

 

[TRWham]

Ammonia? What a dinosaur system that must be! That'd be a factory tour I'd love to take.

Plenty of ammonia (aka NH3 or R717) systems still used in industrial. It has zero ODP and GWP so it isn't going away anytime soon as a working fluid, but there may be efforts made to reduce total system charge. Natural refrigerants (NH3, CO2 and hydrocarbons) are the future, at least for commercial and industrial.

 

[bmwrd0]

Ammonia isn't azeotropic either, and it supposedly works very linearly. But, I went over to the HVAC side and so I never worked with it.

 

[bmwrd0]

So here is my collection of Duro refer sockets:

You can see the different openings and whatnot, each sized for a different valve or packing gland. The three on the bottom left are newer and have a normal female drive opening.

Here is a selection of random refer tools I have picked up:

From top left; Cam-Lok wrench, Bonney T-handle 1/4 drive female, brace bit gland socket, Imperial ratcheting flare wrench, flare nut crows foot, two crows foot Imperial ratcheting flare wrenches, Imperial tubing bender, and three tubing expanders.

Gauges are a very important tool, with many uses I won't go into here:

I have never seen another set of these Yellow Jacket gauges, having a nice and handy way to keep them all wrapped up.


These aren't really collectible or old, but they are one of the handiest things I have used, De Minimus gauges. If you don't know, willingly letting refrigerant out into the environment carries a $25,000 fine, but amounts that have no way to be avoided (de minimus) are exempt. So if you use a manifold set, you have to evacuate it before disconnecting from the system. Which means bringing a very heavy vacuum pump up on a rooftop. These, having no way to be evacuated, escape that law.

Here are the rest of my refer ratchets:

A Bonney, Imperial Eastman, newer Snap-on, two Waldens, a Duro and a Williams. Notice the similarities between the Bonney and one Walden, and the Imperial and the other Walden.

I don't have pictures of my handline or my brazing set, as they and many other tools are used universally. But, if someone is interested, I will get some pics.

 

[Davefr]

So where's your Imperial Charging and Purging valve kit. Kind of hard to work on coil tops without one.

 

[bmwrd0]

Nice!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Neat stuff. Nice to hear from you guys that have used this stuff. Here is some duro. I have been picking it up for a while now and have a couple sets at least

 

[bonneyman]

Plenty of ammonia (aka NH3 or R717) systems still used in industrial. It has zero ODP and GWP so it isn't going away anytime soon as a working fluid, but there may be efforts made to reduce total system charge. Natural refrigerants (NH3, CO2 and hydrocarbons) are the future, at least for commercial and industrial.

I worked for a guy who did refrigeration in the Navy while at Pearl Harbor in the 1950's. Apparently they have building sized freezer units running off ammonia that supplies food for the pacific Fleet. So, they got big units! At least they did.

What sticks in my mind was the chrome -plated stainless steel manifold set he had for use with ammonia, as it would corrode normal brass manifolds.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

...two crows foot Imperial ratcheting flare wrenches...

Green with envy!

Notice the similarities between the Bonney and one Walden, and the Imperial and the other Walden.

We've talked about that before with respect to the OEM for Imperial Eastman ratchets. Unaiu and Don may be able to provide more data or conclusions. I forget the outcome of the discussion, if there was one.

 

[bonneyman]

Gauges are a very important tool, with many uses I won't go into here:

I have never seen another set of these Yellow Jacket gauges, having a nice and handy way to keep them all wrapped up.


These aren't really collectible or old, but they are one of the handiest things I have used, De Minimus gauges. If you don't know, willingly letting refrigerant out into the environment carries a $25,000 fine, but amounts that have no way to be avoided (de minimus) are exempt. So if you use a manifold set, you have to evacuate it before disconnecting from the system. Which means bringing a very heavy vacuum pump up on a rooftop. These, having no way to be evacuated, escape that law.

Love the compact horizontal gauge set!

And I fabbed a De Minimus gauge, just to save me weight. I typically would only check low side during 4 times a year checks, and having a single gauge with a short hose kept freon loss to a minimum. If I found an issue, I'd go get the full set of gauges. Saved lots of weight on the ole arm I tell ya! And I avoided venting unnecessarily by using anti-vent couplers. I got tired of burning my fingers.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009AXH0EC/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[bonneyman]

A few of my specialty A/C tools.

Oil injector
Fuse base insert remover
CFC core remover
Fan blade pitch gauge
propane powered halide leak detector
HFC core remover

 

[bmwrd0]

I always meant to pickup a Schrader core tool, just too handy have.

Most, but not all, of my work was indirectly for the PUC, and for it, they required digital gauges. I hated having to carry that stuff up on rooftops. They aren't any more accurate than a good set of manual ones, plus dead batteries.

 

[bonneyman]

I always meant to pickup a Schrader core tool, just too handy have.

Most, but not all, of my work was indirectly for the PUC, and for it, they required digital gauges. I hated having to carry that stuff up on rooftops. They aren't any more accurate than a good set of manual ones, plus dead batteries.

Yeah, I never got hogwild into digital gauges. Meters and thermometers - sure. But over the past 5-6 years I've migrated back to analog tools mostly. I find that they're easier to see - especially in bright sunlight.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Beemer,

I don't know refrigeration from nuclear reactors, but there is some tools crossover with fuel and brake line work (flaring, swaging, bending and cutting...), so I will cheat-and-post like I know what I'm talking about!

Here is a set of hand benders, No.8, No.6, and No.4, all from Parker Appliance.

Here are some flaring kits. (I may have a small problem....) The six screw types, on the left, top to bottom, are a Proto, a Superior, and a =CRAFTSMAN=, and on the right, top to bottom, two Walden and an Imperial Brass. The hammer type is my favorite - a Parker Appliance.

And some cutters, both RIDGID.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Imperial ratcheting flare wrench

I think you've seen these before...

Also have a set of these Triangle-era Herbrand military snap-over types...

tubing expanders

I don't think I've posted these before.

Duro reefer sockets

You've probably seen this set (similar, but not the same as the one Otg posted upthread) before. It's complete. But I don't think I've zoomed in on the sockets before. Packing gland, oval packing gland, and several square/double-square. No valve stem type sockets or tools came in this set, which I don't understand. Wouldn't that limit the types of equipment you could use the set for? (This is really the only legit reefer stuff I have - and I bought it because of the decal! )

 

[Flathead Youngin']

Very nice and unique collection. Thanks for taking the time to share, here. I have a similar story with HVAC/R, too. I really like all the tools. As a matter of fact, there was a fella that was in it all his life and I bought out most of his stuff this past summer...sort of sad. I say "most" because there were certain must-have tools that were just missing. His children said there wasn't anything else or a different location....maybe he only did service calls. A lot of his stuff was old but not as far back as you are going. I still haven't gone through it all. As I do, I'll try to remember you.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I might change out the ratchet to better reflect the wartime parts.

Here are the rest of my refer ratchets:
A Bonney,

So I see you have another, earlier Bonney and it's probably the one you would swap the later one in the set out for, but if it's not wartime, or you're not happy with it for any reason, this is available. (Perhaps we could do some horsetradin'. What size is that Imperial Brass ratcheting wrench? )

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Some hinsdale stuff

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Proto TAC set

 

[bonneyman]

Some hinsdale stuff

Rockin'

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Snapon r7408 and an early William's f50A 1/4 fridge ratchets.

 

[bonneyman]

I refuse to pay the outlandish prices the warehouses charge these days for just plain old analog manifold sets. So I buy em used off of ebay (or what I find at pawn shops) and fix them up. Some before and after shots, along with my analog thermometers. (And I'm not even showing my 14" long Celsius mercury bulb scientific thermometer)!
Hoses I do buy new - I don't want to risk an old hose ruptuting and turning into an angry snake!

 

[bonneyman]

And my assortment of schrader valve core removers. When I was a starving tech I handmade or modified core tools just to get by. But once I was able to buy some actual good tools I just couldn't toss my DIY ones.
I gotta say the black Snap-On pocket clip tool is my favorite. It retails for $18.50 - I paid 50 cents.

I've added a few new ones since these pic was taken. (It's a disease, you know!)