The J100 Keychain Screwdrivers Research Project

[SilverDeck]

Just picked this one up today, Proto L.A.
backside says Ohio Battery & Ign.
Just noticed the Proto side is double stamped.

I found evidence of a company with this name in Canton, OH

That is REALLY interesting Dave! Thank you so much for sharing it!

 

[davethorik]

That is REALLY interesting Dave! Thank you so much for sharing it!

I tried to get a better photo of the stamping.

 

[SilverDeck]

Thanks, Dave. I really appreciate that!

Plomb/Proto’s quality control was pretty good so in most cases pieces like that would have been considered as “factory seconds” and would have been scrapped, although there is nothing wrong with the tool itself - just the stamping.

If you ever decide to part ways with it, let me know. I would be interested in it from a J100 production process point of view and that piece is a good example of what can happen.

 

[SilverDeck]

Anyone picked up any J100s (either recently or in the past) that you would be willing to share pics of?

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nothing here lately. I post em when I find em!

 

[Mintgrun]

There is one on FB marketplace that made me think of this thread.

(It is listed in Auburn, Wa. as "Antique keys" for $18).

 

[SilverDeck]

Thanks! What kills me is that tiny hammer. Either that or you have just found the world's largest J100!

 

[SilverDeck]

Picked this one up recently. Right below where it says "Proto Tool Division" , the words "Ingersoll-Rand Company" have been blacked out (redacted). So possibly this dates to around the time that Ingersoll-Rand (and their Proto tool brand) were sold to Stanley. The J100 taped to the card is a Stanley Proto variety so clearly it was made after the transition happened in about 1984. The print shop union label (referred to as a "bug") in the lower right corner indicates that the card was printed in Portland (Oregon) at shop number 6. I can't tell you yet what the name of that print shop was, but the location makes sense given that all of the J100s were being produced at Proto's plant in nearby Milwaukie, Oregon. Cool piece!

 

[Dshook]

 

[Dshook]

View attachment 1669763

 

[Dshook]

 

[SilverDeck]

Thank you for sharing these images! I really appreciate it. You've got an early to mid 1970s piece there.

 

[alinc100]

Plomb Tool Co,USA on Front ,Kelvinator on the back

 

[alexetling]

Here's my current J100 collection as contribution to the project! (Most are blank on the back. The oldest one says "MERIT PLB.SUP.Co K.C.Mo." on the reverse.)

Also, I'm interested in growing my collection, so if anyone is looking to sell their J100s (particularly the Plomb-era ones) I will likely be interested! Message me.

 

[SilverDeck]

Here's my current J100 collection as contribution to the project! (Most are blank on the back. The oldest one says "MERIT PLB.SUP.Co K.C.Mo." on the reverse.)

Also, I'm interested in growing my collection, so if anyone is looking to sell their J100s (particularly the Plomb-era ones) I will likely be interested! Message me.

I really appreciate your contribution, Alex. Thank you!

 

[55Savoy]

I picked this one up recently

 

[alexetling]

I picked this one up recently

Wow. That's incredible. Where'd you come across that? Best one I've seen.

 

[SilverDeck]

I picked this one up recently

Thank you for contributing that image. What a beauty!

 

[SilverDeck]

I wanted to provide a bit of an update to the J100 Research Project as I know that a number of you are actively watching this thread and eargerly anticipating the release of my J100 research as soon as I put the finishing touches on it.

It has been quite an effort over the past couple of years to try to identify all of the major types of J100s and put them into the correct chronology timeline. As of right now, we are currently sitting at a combined total of 61 major types across all of the brands (Plomb, Proto, Proto Canada, Proto Mexico, P&C, Ingersoll-Rand, Stanley-Proto, etc. etc.). It seems like just about the time I start to think that everything has been seen, a new type or two will surface. In the last month alone I have added three new types to the list. Millions of J100s were made over almost 100 years of production, so lots of them are out there, and likely there are still a few more new major types yet to be seen.

So I wanted to thank everyone for their continued patience. My goal is to make the project as complete as humanly possible when the information is released. In the meantime, please continue to post images of your J100s here or contact me via private message because you may very well have a type that hasn't been previously seen.

Thank you again to everyone who had contributed images and information, and an extra special thanks to everyone who has contributed pieces to the J100 Research Collection which is the physical foundation upon which this research is based.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I picked this one up recently

That's a beauty!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

As of right now, we are currently sitting at a combined total of 61 major types...[ ]... In the last month alone I have added three new types to the list.

SilverDeck,

Irrespective of marking differences, which I know from your explanation in post #3 is key (to use a pun) to your definition of "type" for this study, I'm curious how many types there are. In other words, how many types are there based on shape, and have you been able to create a timeline of those types, with the help of the markings? Is that on the order of three or four? Less than ten?

You don't have to answer now if it detracts from wanting to wait to final report.

 

[SilverDeck]

SilverDeck,

Irrespective of marking differences, which I know from your explanation in post #3 is key (to use a pun) to your definition of "type" for this study, I'm curious how many types there are. In other words, how many types are there based on shape, and have you been able to create a timeline of those types, with the help of the markings? Is that on the order of three or four? Less than ten?

You don't have to answer now if it detracts from wanting to wait to final report.

Private Lugnutz:

This is a great question, but a bit of a tougher one to answer. Prior to the use of die forging on J100s (which started in the late 1930s), the pieces were made using a power hammer (also called "trip hammer", of the type made popular by LIttle Giant and others), this resulted in irregulary-shaped J100 heads which were then hand-trimmed and ground to a general overall oval shape. Things became much more standardized around 1938 or 1939 when Plomb moved to drop forging the J100 in dies. This yielded consistently-shaped heads (first the narrow wedge followed by the wide wedge) that carried on until the end of traditional J100 prodcution in the 1990s. There was an attempt to revive the J100 in 2007 (and I managed to get a prototype example of this effort) using the wide wedge head shape, but when J100 production officially started back up in 2014 the new style was completely different.

So to anwer your question, the major types that I am assigning are a combination of overall shape as well as variations in the front stamp markings. As you know, there are a gazillion different back stamps (for various names and businesses), so I don't consider the back stamps to be major types. Instead I am focusing on the changes and chronology of the overall tool shape and the variation in the front stamps. Some of the changes in the front stamps are pretty obvious and others are much more subtle. This will all make much more sense when you see them all laid out and in order (as best I can ascertain). Dating the various types is challenging becuase the catalog cuts are of little help. Plomb and Proto continued to use the stamp catalog cuts for the J100 for years and so what is in the catalog for a given year doesn't necessarily reflect the shape or markings of the pieces in production at that time.

If we disregarding front stamp markings entirely and focus only on shapes, I would stay that generally there are about seven major shape changes over the history of J100 production (ca. 1925 through present).

This entire research project has been an excercise in patience and looking at lots and lots and lots and lots of examples!

Don't know if that answer helps or only muddies the water, but it's the best that I can offer at the moment.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Don't know if that answer helps or only muddies the water, but it's the best that I can offer at the moment.

It does! Especially this...

I would stay that generally there are about seven major shape changes over the history of J100 production (ca. 1925 through present).

Thanks, and I am looking forward to the final report.

 

[y'sguy]

This was on my Dad's keyring for as long as I can remember. He was a career pilot and aircraft mechanic. I now have it with the keys to the Blackhawk toolboxes he used. There's no stamping on the back.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I now have it with the keys to the Blackhawk toolboxes he used.

That's a nice combination.

 

[SilverDeck]

This was on my Dad's keyring for as long as I can remember. He was a career pilot and aircraft mechanic. I now have it with the keys to the Blackhawk toolboxes he used. There's no stamping on the back.

Thanks for contributing that photo. That one is from the 1950s based on the stamping.

 

[alexetling]

Added a few more J100s to my collection, so I figured I'd post an update.

(Also, I'm still interested in acquiring more, particularly the Plomb-era ones, so let me know if you're selling.)

 

[Private Lugnutz]

@SilverDeck,

Needless to say I thought of you and your thread as soon as I came upon this piece. If you're not aware, GJ'er @mritchie77 has acquired a trove of wartime Plomb Tool Co weekly newsletters from the daughter-in-law of Sherm Miller, Plomb's head of personnel, which he is graciously scanning to IA/ITCL, and also posting links in its own thread. You can't miss it hotter than a hot forge coal right now on page 1 of the Vintage Board.

 

[SilverDeck]

Terrific find, Lugz! “The Model 100 Goes To War”!

I will check out the newsletters also. Thank you!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

“The Model 100 Goes To War”!

HAHA! 'Zackly! As a complementary gift, take note, from the head of Personnel at Plomb to who I think might be the head of an association or perhaps union, and from him to his son - in Burma, where it was used on a famous "sub-marine" (sic) gun.

 

[thehorse13]

I'm sure this one will be boring to you but I decided to post it up anyway. I've had this on my keychain forever. It's certainly post 1949 and has no marks on it other than the Proto logo seen on one side.

 

[SilverDeck]

I'm sure this one will be boring to you but I decided to post it up anyway. I've had this on my keychain forever. It's certainly post 1949 and has no marks on it other than the Proto logo seen on one side.

Thank you for contibuting those photos of your J100. That style of the front stamp on that piece dates its production to the mid-to later 1960s.

 

[SilverDeck]

No name. No stamp. Same on both sides.

Four.cycle: I think I may have acquired a "sister" piece the unmarked version that you posted to this thread awhile back. Mine appears to have been made when there was a "Proto Mex" plant operating in Mexico. This later became the Urrea tool company that still exists today.

Well, that is an odd-ball. Unless it was custom-modified to that shape, I would have to say that piece is a definitely a keychain screwdriver, but doesn't appear to be a Plomb/Proto type J100. Still a cool piece, though, especially with the chrome.

Also, I guess I will have to retract my comment about it not being a Proto-related piece.

 

[SilverDeck]

The results of the J100 research project have been posted to new thread that can be found here:

J100 (Model 100) Keychain Screwdriver Project

Please post any additional J100 comments or images to that thread, and we will retire this thread from active use. Thank you.

 

[thehorse13]

Deleted. I just noticed the retirement notice in the previous post.

 

[jeep2k]

The J100 Keychain Screwdriver Research Project

Dear Garage Journal friends:

For several months now I have been conducting research into the history and varieties of what are generally referred to as the model J100 keychain screwdrivers (see example photos attached). These keychain screwdrivers were initially produced by the Plomb Tool Company as far back at the mid 1920s, and continuing more or less uninterrupted up until recent times. They were used for promotional and marketing purposes by tool company salesmen, employees, distributors, and others.

Others affiliated with Garage Journal (most notably Conductor562 and his blog post from 2014 on the "Tools in Action" website) have already laid the groundwork for this research, and I am attempting to build on what they started as a means to identify the major J100 keychain screwdriver varieties.

The followings is a list of companies who made J100 screwdrivers (or for whom J100s were made). This list may not be comprehensive at this time, but it is a good start:

Plomb Tool Company
Proto Tools
Pendleton Tool Industries Inc.
Pendelton Tool Industries, Intl. (International)
P&C Tool Company (Peterson & Carlborg)
Ingersoll-Rand
Stanley Proto Industrial Tools
Proto Canada
Challenger
Millers Falls

I have done a fair amount of information-gathering already, and still much more yet to do. Ebay auction listings, both past (through Worthpoint) and present, have provided an excellent source of information and images, but I wanted to appeal to the membership here at GJ for your assistance and help with this research.

If you own a J100 keychain screwdriver (or think you might) and would be willing to share images of your piece(s), please post them to this thread. Clear, focused images are most helpful, especially if you can zoom in on any markings on the front of back of the screwdriver. J100s that were marked for datable events (meetings, coventions, anniversaries, etc.) are particularly useful in helping date when different varities of J100s were being made.

I am also interested in images of materials peripherally connected with J100 production (die stamps and other tooling, unfinished or blank J100s, etc.). If you don't feel confortable sharing your information or images here on this thread, please send me a private mesage so that we can make other arrangements. Even if your J100 might appear to be similar to something that has already been posted, please post your pics anyway because you may have a subtle new variety that has not been previously seen (different lettering style or configuration, etc).

We have a great group of folks here at Garage Journal, and I want to thank you all in advance for your help with this work. I look forward to seeing what you choose to share from your collections as I continue this research and plan to share the results here on Garage Journal with a future thread dedicated to the history and varieites of the J100 keychain screwdriver.

I think this actually belongs to my girlfriend.

 

[tweva33]

Recently picked one up in a small lot of tools. Thought the name on the back was interesting and a google search led me here. Fantastic compilation of things going here. Anyways, here are a few pics of the one I have. I am going to re-home it via eBay 🥹

 

[SilverDeck]

Recently picked one up in a small lot of tools. Thought the name on the back was interesting and a google search led me here. Fantastic compilation of things going here. Anyways, here are a few pics of the one I have. I am going to re-home it via eBay 🥹

Very cool! What are you asking for that piece?

 

[tweva33]

Probably going to go for 14.99 plus 3.99 shipping. Stinking usps is getting more expensive everyday.

 

[RagTopTA]

I have several I will have to dig out and post in a group shot here. But here is my latest.