Merkava_4
Banned
An open ended question for you tool historians. 
Tool Historians: Who designed the first socket?
- Thread starter Merkava_4
- Start date
krooser
Well-known member
Snap-On I believe... at least REMOVEABLE sockets.
krooser
Well-known member
I heard Rosie O'Donnel uses Snap-On tools....
Diesel-Mech
Well-known member
MAD
Well-known member
It could be Walden. They certainly were among the first to market them.
J.J Richardson in 1863. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_wrench This is a well worn path that we have been down many times here on the GJ. Why does everyone always try to give Snap-On credit for inventing the great innovations in tools such as the ratchet, socket and combination wrench? I have even seen Snap-On literature that says they "pioneered" the use of the ratchet and interchangeable socket. What hogwash!
V/8
V/8
peter_x
Well-known member
I read hex fasteners were fist used in the Middle Ages, although that doesn't necessarily mean they used sockets on them.
fatfillup
Well-known member
I bought a mossberg socket set with the reversible ratchet, sockets, universal, extension and t handle. The ratchet has a patent date of 1913. Looks like the origional wooden box. The wrenches don't belong but were in there when I bought them. The set is available if anyone is interested. PM me.
Bolster
Well-known member
I know. It's really irritating. It's called "the halo effect." Once something becomes popular, people attribute all kinds of other undeserved good attributes to it. And likewise, once something becomes unpopular, people pile on, and make all kinds of false charges.
I will refrain from political or pop-culture analogies, but you get the idea. My impression is that vintage S-o was more of a refiner than an innovator. Although I think modern S-o is pretty innovative.
chad s
Well-known member
Snap on will tell you that they invented the interchangeable socket system. And Edison also gets credited for inventing the light bulb...
The truth is, Snap on improved an already existing system so that it was strong and efficient. The early stretched tube sockets, like Mossenberg were very weak and not really a good long term solution for auto mechanics. Snap on's sockets made from turned/drilled/broached and hardened solid steel stock were their true development, and changed the professional mechanic tool industry (along with their tool truck delivery business).
The truth is, Snap on improved an already existing system so that it was strong and efficient. The early stretched tube sockets, like Mossenberg were very weak and not really a good long term solution for auto mechanics. Snap on's sockets made from turned/drilled/broached and hardened solid steel stock were their true development, and changed the professional mechanic tool industry (along with their tool truck delivery business).
fatfillup
Well-known member
That's true about the strength of the mossberg sockets. If you look close in my pics above, several of the sockets are split.
old salvage
Well-known member
Another early (early to mid 20's) mfg of forged sockets was Billings & Spencer.
superautobacs
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lbgradwell
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kythri
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lbgradwell
Well-known member
Cordless impact gun?
Junkman
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J.A.F.E.
Well-known member
Who invented the light bulb if it wasn't Edison???
The concept had been around for a long while. His work did lead to a viable carbon filament but again not his original idea. He does get credit for the commercially successful version although it was not his personal labor, he had lab assistants. What he really invented was himself.
http://www.unmuseum.org/lightbulb.htm
http://www.catalogs.com/info/gadgets/who-invented-the-light-bulb.html
WWheeler
Well-known member
neophyte
Well-known member
Sorry, I know this is a necro thread.
Since it has been revived.
Snap-On may have improved the socket design to a solid steel design, but it was the Allen Manufacturing Company, that essentially “invented” the modern docket manufacturing technique, by applying the cold forming/forging technique Allen used for making their internal hex head set screws to the manufacturing of interchangeable socket wrenches.
Allen Manufacturing Company
An article on the Allen Manufacturing Company and its tools.
alloy-artifacts.org
Dave455
Well-known member
Joseph Swan, if anybody’s still interested after 15 years!Who invented the light bulb if it wasn't Edison???
He patented a bulb design long before Edison, and gave public demonstrations of his lightbulb as early as 1878. Edison didn’t come up with his till a year later.
Edison bought out Swan’s patent, and I believe the first bulbs were sold as “Edison - Swan”
Dave455
Well-known member
I’ve seen Accles and Pollock sets of ratchet and interchangeable socket dated as far back as the 1890’s.
The sockets were forged tubular ones, as one might expect from a tube manufacturer.
Neophyte’s assertion that the Allen Manufacturing Company made the first modern style socket seems sensible. The technology and the time scales are about right.
I can’t believe that Apex decided to kill off the Allen brand. The Allen name will be known long after “Apex” has been forgotten. In the U.K. any female hex head screw is known as an “Allen” screw, and any hex wrench as an “Allen Key”.
The sockets were forged tubular ones, as one might expect from a tube manufacturer.
Neophyte’s assertion that the Allen Manufacturing Company made the first modern style socket seems sensible. The technology and the time scales are about right.
I can’t believe that Apex decided to kill off the Allen brand. The Allen name will be known long after “Apex” has been forgotten. In the U.K. any female hex head screw is known as an “Allen” screw, and any hex wrench as an “Allen Key”.
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I did a search online and found this… so I found a patent from 1863. I haven’t physically seen one of these yet… is this the oldest one?? So that means my previous assumption of Auto-Cle was wrong.
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richfinn
Well-known member
It will almost certainly have been a long forgotten engineer with a technical problem to solve or project to complete rather than a business looking to bring a new product to market (that bit came much later).
No, sockets came from an inventor who devised a metal tube that could be forced on the nuts of early machines in order to facilitate working with them. Trying to come up with a name for his little creation proved to be the biggest hurdle. Beat its, smash its, ram its, force its, hit its - along with just about every other name - fell short due to embarrassing double meanings. He finally came up with an tolerable name - sock its.
Jim greengo
Well-known member
According to my dear old dad,everything great was created by a blacksmith. Hahaha
neophyte
Well-known member
If this book shows the skills blacksmiths needed to know, back in the day before machine shops were really thing, blacksmiths were hardly idiots.
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bigredcornhead
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- Aug 9, 2011
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So who has a JJ Richardson ratchet and socket set now, i want to see one in the wild. I know one of you hoarders has one lol.
four.cycle
Well-known member
^ The Richardson "ratchet wrench" was not a "socket" in the sense of what we call a "socket" in the current era.
Earliest "ratchet wrenches" were intended for use on wheel nuts and axle nuts. Some (like Richard's "Wizard" - patent 854174) were adjustable and could be used on various sizes of fasteners. Some were made for specific sizes of nuts, like Walden-Worcester's first iterations of their "wire ratchet" (patent 928719).
When you're talking about "interchangeable sockets" (all of which could be used with a common drive tool), that distinction probably goes to Frank Mossberg and/or the French "Auto Cle'".
Snap-on was a later entry to the game.
Earliest "ratchet wrenches" were intended for use on wheel nuts and axle nuts. Some (like Richard's "Wizard" - patent 854174) were adjustable and could be used on various sizes of fasteners. Some were made for specific sizes of nuts, like Walden-Worcester's first iterations of their "wire ratchet" (patent 928719).
When you're talking about "interchangeable sockets" (all of which could be used with a common drive tool), that distinction probably goes to Frank Mossberg and/or the French "Auto Cle'".
Snap-on was a later entry to the game.
The advertisement from Olsa Tools that I uploaded previously said that it had 2 interchangeable square sockets. I realize it’s only 2 sockets but to me that qualifies it as being the earliest socket.
four.cycle
Well-known member
THIS is the April 16, 1864 Scientific American piece you refer to. (patent 38914 Jun 16 1863 J.J. Richardson)
While they are indeed "sockets" (noted as item "D" in the patent document) they don't at all resemble what we would refer to as "socket" in the current era. They are only "interchangeable" on that particular Richardson ratchet handle - they would not be "interchangeable" with any other drive tool.
Olsa's statement regarding "interchangeable" is somewhat misleading in that respect.
While they are indeed "sockets" (noted as item "D" in the patent document) they don't at all resemble what we would refer to as "socket" in the current era. They are only "interchangeable" on that particular Richardson ratchet handle - they would not be "interchangeable" with any other drive tool.
Olsa's statement regarding "interchangeable" is somewhat misleading in that respect.