Square shank sockets

[Oldtuleguy]

Picked up this weird square shank socket set. Could not stop myself. Looks like all plomb stuff from 20s? Was any one else doing this or was it just a plomb thing?

 

[3baygarage]

Very nice. Don’t see that every day. Is the box original?

I think Plomb may be the only one who did it quite like that. Stamped steel socket sets, I wouldn’t consider them the same as that. A few mfrs. had some square shank extensions early on.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I should probably move this to plomb thread. Supposedly box was original to set.

 

[thehorse13]

No doubt that the box is from the same period but it looks hand made by someone. Super cool either way. Nice grab.

 

[droach77]

I have a Billings & Spencer socket set that is square drive, much like the early Plomb.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I think he said the owner had the box made for it

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I have a Billings & Spencer socket set that is square drive, much like the early Plomb.

If you have a pic I would be interested to so see them. Seems like an interesting set up, although apparently not to popular.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Maybe I misunderstood you when you posted this set in the Plomb thread. By "Square shank sockets" are you saying the sockets have 1/2-inch square male drive tangs? Or are you referring to the short and long extensions that you are showing in pic 1?

Are any of the pieces marked? If so, what are all the model numbers?

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Yes the sockets are all marked plomb and are 9/16 male square drive(vs the typical female square drive)

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Dang. Very interesting. I don't recall seeing them before, and they're not shown in any catalog in the public domain. The 1925 No. 6 catalog has a similar set, 1/2-inch sq drive, with a similar ratchet, with a drive plug, typical sockets, and two extensions that have square shanks. One end for a male drive connection and the other has a socket with a female drive opening, but it's press-fit onto the shank, like Mossberg, Walden, and other early makers did it. The 1928 and 1929 catalogs have the same set. In 1930, two types of extensions are offered. Round shank with forged male and female ends, and the old press-fit square shanks. These are the early sets that had phonetic model numbers. I didn't know Plomb had an earlier design. At least I suspect your set is earlier. It would have to be, right?

That was a sweet acquisition.

By the way, according to catalog No. 6, that Ford main bearing wrench with the square opening was used as the handle for the stud puller!

 

[elidas]

Like this?

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I like it. Here is a close up of one, a y18 1 1/8 with a 7 date code so 1927 I would assume.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Very cool. Definitely a blind spot for me wrt Plomb. If you haven't seen it yet, AA has a small section on the Plomb 9/16-sq male drive tools. They also experimented with 9/16-inch male hex drive. They date it to 1924, and they date the first standard 1/2-inch sq drive tools to 1927, but those are guesses - because the earliest catalog in the AA resource library is No. 10B (1930). Tool Archives has several 1920's catalogs, and as I said, the 1/2-inch sq drive tools are included in the No. 6 catalog (1925), and referred to as "new." The male drive stuff is not shown. I can't see Plomb going back to it, can you?

The only male drive socket set I have that was truly solid and forged (as opposed to Mossberg hollow pressed steel or Chicago or Syracuse hollow cast iron) is Eastern Machine Screw, which was hex drive.

The only mfgr of forged male square drive that I was aware of besides B&S (nice set elidas!!) was Herbrand. Pretty small club.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

It is an interesting sidebar in tool development, superceded for obvious reasons. I like that billings and Spencer set! I wonder if there are some other examples.