The Ratchet Collection Thread

[Catfishdan]

I can't really find much info on it. It's got 45 teeth and smooth as silk.

 

[d42jeep]

I bought this 1/4" drive Indestro shorty ratchet to keep company with my 3/8" drive examples. As BK has noted in the past, the ratchet handles are identical.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

As first reported in the 2018 Garage Sale thread, I found a cool oldie (1886!) today at the flea market.

It's 1/2-inch drive, 11 inches long, very robust, and reversible. That thumbnut at the end of the handle turns a long shaft that turns a plate with pins switching from one pawl to the other, or, if kept in the middle, neutralizing both of the pawls, so the wrench can be used as a fixed 1/2-inch wrench. Lube hole at the top. It's marked Lowell Wrench Co. and Worcester, Mass. around the model number, No. 1, and PAT'D SEP. 14, 86 underneath that on the face plate.

Owner's marks: C.H. STATEN

That 1886 patent (349,007) was improved on in 1902 (743,942), so this beauty is at least as old as 1901 and no older than 1886.

See DATAMP for further reading here.

 

[Bockscar]

Picked up this 1/4 Craftsman BE yesterday with the 3/8 plug as well

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[d42jeep]

I have a couple of different styles of BE 1/4" drive ratchets.
-Don

 

[Rileysan]

As first reported in the 2018 Garage Sale thread, I found a cool oldie (1886!) today at the flea market.

It's 1/2-inch drive, 11 inches long, very robust, and reversible. That thumbnut at the end of the handle turns a long shaft that turns a plate with pins switching from one pawl to the other, or, if kept in the middle, neutralizing both of the pawls, so the wrench can be used as a fixed 1/2-inch wrench. Lube hole at the top. It's marked Lowell Wrench Co. and Worcester, Mass. around the model number, No. 1, and PAT'D SEP. 14, 86 underneath that on the face plate.

Owner's marks: C.H. STATEN

That 1886 patent (349,007) was improved on in 1902 (743,942), so this beauty is at least as old as 1901 and no older than 1886.

See DATAMP for further reading here.

Nice find, but are you certain it's 1/2" drive? I found one last year and it was 5/8" drive.

Brian

 

[Rileysan]

This is a first for me - a BillingsC-147 3/8" drive ratchet.

Brian

 

[Mintgrun]

I found this OTC H-163 1/2" ratchet yesterday, for a dollar.





When I was a kid, we drove through Owatonna Minnesota each summer, on our way to my grandparent's cabin...

I am curious about how old it might be, but I looked on AA and did not find a lot of information about them.

 

[SKI1019]

Here's a shot of just some of my S-K 1/2" drive ratchets laying in a drawer. And, as this indicates, I do have more. I probably have 60-70 S-K ratchets and around 150 if you throw all brands together. Steve
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=745583&stc=1&d=1520826791

 

[RubiconJK]

Here's a shot of just some of my S-K 1/2" drive ratchets laying in a drawer. And, as this indicates, I do have more. I probably have 60-70 S-K ratchets and around 150 if you throw all brands together. Steve
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=745583&stc=1&d=1520826791

Found a nice little SK 1/4 drive at the flea market this weekend. Really in good shape.

 

[SKI1019]

Found a nice little SK 1/4 drive at the flea market this weekend. Really in good shape.

Love the diamond logo! That looks like a really nice unit. Congrats, Steve

 

[3baygarage]

Nice stuff guys.

Mintgrun- you ****! That one has been eluding me for the longest.


Rileysan- Cool. I forgot that Billings came in that format too.

Picked up the Herbrand in cursive script, in that same style as your Billings today at the flea. Here with it’s twin in, ironically from the same vendor a couple months back.

Both 1/2”.

 

[kb1982]

The Bonney that I use at work is another variation I believe.

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[3baygarage]

The Bonney that I use at work is another variation I believe.

Nice. Now we have a collection. I believe Bonney was the maker, and this model also came in Bon E Con, Dayton (shown in post 406) and Vi-Chrome (post 428).

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice find, but are you certain it's 1/2" drive? I found one last year and it was 5/8" drive.

If you mic'd yours, I am sure it's 5/8-inch drive then. I fitted the male drive end of a modern 1/2-inch drive extension into mine while standing there at the flea market. Didn't seem like any play, but I was thinking 1/2-inch was a little odd for turn of the century.

EDIT: It's an amazing piece of work for 1886. I can't get over the direction switch. So unique! I'm not an antique ratchet hunter, per se, but I am very glad to own this one. By the way, I didn't find yours in a search or I would've referenced it. I was wondering if I had the only one so far.

 

[RagTopTA]

If you mic'd yours, I am sure it's 5/8-inch drive then. I fitted the male drive end of a modern 1/2-inch drive extension into mine while standing there at the flea market. Didn't seem like any play, but I was thinking 1/2-inch was a little odd for turn of the century.

EDIT: It's an amazing piece of work for 1886. I can't get over the direction switch. So unique! I'm not an antique ratchet hunter, per se, but I am very glad to own this one. By the way, I didn't find yours in a search or I would've referenced it. I was wondering if I had the only one so far.

I found one as well a couple of months back at the flea for a few bucks... I think I posted it but ill have to look and see. Mine is a number 1 Lowel as well with a twist mechanism at the bottom.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I found one as well a couple of months back at the flea for a few bucks... I think I posted it but ill have to look and see. Mine is a number 1 Lowel as well with a twist mechanism at the bottom.

That makes three of us musketeers. I am so impressed with it I can't put it down. Actually took it to work to show some friends. I've never seen a smoother finish on a natural steel tool. And it works! At the ripe old age of 132 years! Easily the coolest, most unique ratchet I now own.

The opening does mic out at 5/8" as Rileysan suggested. I wonder, though, what a 5/8-inch female drive ratchet was turning back in 1886? Or even in 1902? That precedes the earliest pressed steel or cast iron sockets, in any drive size, by a good ten or so years. And I've never seen or heard of a Lowell socket set. The earliest 5/8-inch drive tools I have seen were Charles Miller in 1907. Cast iron ratchet with a female drive opening and cast iron sockets with a male drive tang. Syracuse followed that design pattern and material in the teens - and I have a set. Starrett (believe it or not) also had a true 5/8-drive pressed steel socket set, also with a female ratchet, and pressed steel sockets with male drive tangs. But that was in 1915. Same year Chicago Mfg Co came out with their cast iron ratchets and sockets. I have two of those sets. But again, didn't even know Lowell was in the game - let alone earlier. Very intriguing.

 

[RagTopTA]

If you mic'd yours, I am sure it's 5/8-inch drive then. I fitted the male drive end of a modern 1/2-inch drive extension into mine while standing there at the flea market. Didn't seem like any play, but I was thinking 1/2-inch was a little odd for turn of the century.

EDIT: It's an amazing piece of work for 1886. I can't get over the direction switch. So unique! I'm not an antique ratchet hunter, per se, but I am very glad to own this one. By the way, I didn't find yours in a search or I would've referenced it. I was wondering if I had the only one so far.

heres the one i found.. 2017 GS thread!

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6840899&postcount=6136

 

[Private Lugnutz]

heres the one i found.. 2017 GS thread!

You got buried in the run of X-Rated Drive-In Theater jokes!

(1) I'm glad to see I didn't miss it in a search of this thread, because I normally like to give credit where credit is due, and (2) the next time you find a ratchet made in 1886 (or thereabouts, more on that in a sec...), you need to crow louder!

I'm curious what the "B-1" might mean. They look the same to me, in shape, style and construction, but yours and mine aren't marked the same, and I have a feeling yours might be a little newer. My patent info is stamped differently (with the month and day) and yours has some other numbers to the right. Would you please transcribe those verbatim? I can't make them out.

Rileysan: Would you please post photos of yours, including a close-up of the faceplate?

 

[RagTopTA]

You got buried in the run of X-Rated Drive-In Theater jokes!

(1) I'm glad to see I didn't miss it in a search of this thread, because I normally like to give credit where credit is due, and (2) the next time you find a ratchet made in 1886 (or thereabouts, more on that in a sec...), you need to crow louder!

I'm curious what the "B-1" might mean. They look the same to me, in shape, style and construction, but yours and mine aren't marked the same, and I have a feeling yours might be a little newer. My patent info is stamped differently (with the month and day) and yours has some other numbers to the right. Would you please transcribe those verbatim? I can't make them out.

Rileysan: Would you please post photos of yours, including a close-up of the faceplate?

yes sir
I'll get it out later tonight after work and take some better close up pics. hah I saw the handle sticking up in a bin of various junk and grabbed it and pulled it out... its got a T shaped knob at the end of the handle to change directions.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

its got a T shaped knob at the end of the handle to change directions.

Mine has a round and knurled knob for changing directions. (see thumbnail 6 in my photos last page.) What a design! At first I thought, 'that's a little crazy, all the way at the end of the handle...,' but upon further thought, it dawned on me that it doesn't cause an obstruction there! The face and frame of the ratchet are completely smooth.

Did you play with it yet? If you turn the knob all the way to the right, the drive turns to the left. (16 teeth by the way! Not too coarse at all for that era!) If you turn it all the way to the left, the drive turns to the right. But if you turn just a half turn, it's neutral, with neither pawl catching, and the ratchet can be used as regular 5/8-inch wrench.

 

[RagTopTA]

Mine has a round and knurled knob for changing directions. (see thumbnail 6 in my photos last page.) What a design! At first I thought, 'that's a little crazy, all the way at the end of the handle...,' but upon further thought, it dawned on me that it doesn't cause an obstruction there! The face and frame of the ratchet are completely smooth.

Did you play with it yet? If you turn the knob all the way to the right, the drive turns to the left. (16 teeth by the way! Not too coarse at all for that era!) If you turn it all the way to the left, the drive turns to the right. But if you turn just a half turn, it's neutral, with neither pawl catching, and the ratchet can be used as regular 5/8-inch wrench.

Didnt mess with it a lot. I took it all apart and cleaned and lubed it up then in the drawer it wen. I shall mess wit it m ore tonight though. I have the next couple of days off!

 

[twertsy]

That makes three of us musketeers. I am so impressed with it I can't put it down. Actually took it to work to show some friends. I've never seen a smoother finish on a natural steel tool. And it works! At the ripe old age of 132 years! Easily the coolest, most unique ratchet I now own.

The opening does mic out at 5/8" as Rileysan suggested. I wonder, though, what a 5/8-inch female drive ratchet was turning back in 1886? Or even in 1902? That precedes the earliest pressed steel or cast iron sockets, in any drive size, by a good ten or so years. And I've never seen or heard of a Lowell socket set. The earliest 5/8-inch drive tools I have seen were Charles Miller in 1907. Cast iron ratchet with a female drive opening and cast iron sockets with a male drive tang. Syracuse followed that design pattern and material in the teens - and I have a set. Starrett (believe it or not) also had a true 5/8-drive pressed steel socket set, also with a female ratchet, and pressed steel sockets with male drive tangs. But that was in 1915. Same year Chicago Mfg Co came out with their cast iron ratchets and sockets. I have two of those sets. But again, didn't even know Lowell was in the game - let alone earlier. Very intriguing.

They'd be turning ratchet drills, braces, and possibly straps. A ratchet drill you had to put serious weight on would be my bet for the reason the shifter was designed into the handle.

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[Rileysan]

You got buried in the run of X-Rated Drive-In Theater jokes!

(1) I'm glad to see I didn't miss it in a search of this thread, because I normally like to give credit where credit is due, and (2) the next time you find a ratchet made in 1886 (or thereabouts, more on that in a sec...), you need to crow louder!

I'm curious what the "B-1" might mean. They look the same to me, in shape, style and construction, but yours and mine aren't marked the same, and I have a feeling yours might be a little newer. My patent info is stamped differently (with the month and day) and yours has some other numbers to the right. Would you please transcribe those verbatim? I can't make them out.

Rileysan: Would you please post photos of yours, including a close-up of the faceplate?

It will be a couple days before I can get it posted. In the mean time, I recall a dedicated Lowell thread started by another member that included patent information and one ratchet disassembled. I posted my find there last year.

Brian

 

[Private Lugnutz]

They'd be turning ratchet drills, braces, and possibly straps.

Very likely, Todd. Even later Lowell didn't make socket drive tools. They made ratchet wrenches in all kinds of sizes for bridge and railroad and other heavy construction work, turning bolts and through-rods and such directly. The US Army bought huge ratchet wrenches from them during WWII.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It will be a couple days before I can get it posted. In the mean time, I recall a dedicated Lowell thread started by another member that included patent information and one ratchet disassembled. I posted my find there last year.

Thanks. I'll see if I can find it.

EDIT: Too funny. Not only did I find it, I immediately remembered that I had posted in the thread! (***** getting old.) Linked here. Several different variants, with different model numbers and different patents, some with a traditional selector switch and some like ours. I might have to put this on the list of things to deep dive on.

 

[RagTopTA]

Heres my Lowel I found at the Flea Market here. I think I gave 5 dollars for it. Has three positions on the selector at the bottom. On/Off/Stationary wont move just as Lugs told me. Mine has a small brass plate attached to it.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

That plate looks brazed in or something. Very bizarre. I wonder if it's a patch? I'm going to comment more on the Lowell thread. Thanks for posting.

 

[d42jeep]

I picked up a Stanley Workmaster 1/2" drive ratchet yesterday with a unique reversing control. I haven't checked out the patent number yet. It came with a matching spark plug socket.
-Don
Edit. Looks like the patent was granted in 1981

 

[bbrins]

Here is most of what I consider my SK collection.

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[twertsy]

Here is most of what I consider my SK collection.

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Nice batch there brins!

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[XJSuperman]

Here is most of what I consider my SK collection.

I had one I sold recently that looked similar to the ratchets in the middle of the leftside. It had Sabina, OH stamped on it. Knowing nothing about SK ratchets, do any of yours have that stamping?

 

[twertsy]

I had one I sold recently that looked similar to the ratchets in the middle of the leftside. It had Sabina, OH stamped on it. Knowing nothing about SK ratchets, do any of yours have that stamping?

Yours would have been made by SK for MAC.

 

[XJSuperman]

Yours would have been made by SK for MAC.

Thanks. The Ohio stamping caught my eye, but not enough to hold onto it I guess.

 

[bbrins]

I had one I sold recently that looked similar to the ratchets in the middle of the leftside. It had Sabina, OH stamped on it. Knowing nothing about SK ratchets, do any of yours have that stamping?

Yep. The Mac V5R(1/2" drive) and the X3R(3/8") were made by SK for Mac, and were marked "Sabina, OH". I was just looking at Mac catalogs on Twertsy's website yesterday, looks like Mac offered those around the early 1950's.

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[XJSuperman]

Thanks! I had a v5r then. Guess it was older than I thought.

 

[3baygarage]

A pair of Vi-Chrome ratchets, 3/8 and 1/2. Took a long time to cross them off the list.

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bbrins- Awesome SK collection.

 

[Mr. Tool]

Just added these quick release 3 pc. ratchets from Proto. After inspection, feel, etc. they appear to be well made and durable. So far so good!

 

[3baygarage]

Very nice set Mr. Tool , though a bit new for the vintage section.

A pair of Vi-Chrome ratchets, 3/8 and 1/2. Took a long time to cross them off the list.

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View media item 82142

View media item 82232
View media item 82233
Well, the thread hasn’t moved much and somehow another 3/8 Vi-Chrome turned up! It’s in great shape. Probably been sitting long as it took a bit of persuasion to get the plunger going inside.

 

[Mr. Tool]

Very nice set Mr. Tool , though a bit new for the vintage section.

Oh really?!....you want vintage?!


(Here is the original post about them:https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=387950 )