Tool ID - Any Ideas?
- Thread starter J5hort
- Start date
nadogail
Well-known member
Offset Screwdriver.
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Is it 3/8" diameter? How long is it? And is it 6- or 8-sided?
Also, looks like a Snap-on. Seriously. They had a very distinctive shape and I have had a few. Could it be 040? Their model #"s were 020, 030, 040, 050, and 060.
www.garagejournal.com
Also, looks like a Snap-on. Seriously. They had a very distinctive shape and I have had a few. Could it be 040? Their model #"s were 020, 030, 040, 050, and 060.
Show Your Offset Screwdrivers, Right Angle, Plain and Ratcheting
I’ve been poking about trying to see if there was a thread for Offset or Right Angle screwdrivers, and nothing came up, so thought I’d start one. I’m skipping the modern Lisle and Anex and other things I have, just cuz this is the vintage forum. I have 10 or more of them, and only use one 1-2x...
www.garagejournal.com
d42jeep
Well-known member
Here are some Snap-on offset screwdrivers.
-Don
-Don
Ricky Joe
Well-known member
It is actually not a screwdriver, but a tool for adjusting drag links on older Fords. Herbrand made them, also. I’ve not seen the Snap-on, but the purpose is unmistakable. I have a couple, at least one unmarked by manufacturer, one or two by Herbrand, and one with a Ford number. They could also be used to set the steering box.
This actually makes more sense as the tools are from my grandfather's toolbox. They are marked with his initials and he worked as a mechanic back in the 40's/50's. The "020" and his initals are the only markings I can see.
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Thanks. Here are some photos of my "040" posted in another thread here. (Excuse the Plomb that snuck into the first photo.) If it's not an early unbranded Snap-on, it suure as heck was made by someone who modeled their offset screwdriver production on Snap-on's early offset screwdrivers.
So, was it a drag link adjuster? Or a steering box tool? Those are rhetorical questions. I'm being facetious. Yes, they could be used on drag links, steering boxes, shock absorbers, and many other hard to reach slotted screws in automotive applications, explicitly advertised for their diverse utility by Snap-on and other mfgrs, but incontrovertibly labeled and sold as "Offset Screwdrivers" in catalogs and other marketing material. If you care to look through old Snap-on catalogs from 1929 through at least 1965, you will find that the "050" was the first, and they diversified in sizes down to "020" from there, and alternated the orientation of the blades to the shank, never calling them anything other than offset screwdrivers.
The "020" in the picture is the spitting image of what I have. Classification is of interest, but more the manufacturer. It is stamped personally by my grandfather, so that makes it a keeper for me. How confident should I be that this is a Snap-On tool?Thanks. Here are some photos of my "040" posted in another thread here. (Excuse the Plomb that snuck into the first photo.) If it's not an early unbranded Snap-on, it suure as heck was made by someone who modeled their offset screwdriver production on Snap-on's early offset screwdrivers.
So, was it a drag link adjuster? Or a steering box tool? Those are rhetorical questions. I'm being facetious. Yes, they could be used on drag links, steering boxes, shock absorbers, and many other hard to reach slotted screws in automotive applications, explicitly advertised for their diverse utility by Snap-on and other mfgrs, but incontrovertibly labeled and sold as "Offset Screwdrivers" in catalogs and other marketing material. If you care to look through old Snap-on catalogs from 1929 through at least 1965, you will find that the "050" was the first, and they diversified in sizes down to "020" from there, and alternated the orientation of the blades to the shank, never calling them anything other than offset screwdrivers.
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
If you're referring to my "040", indeed, it is identical. (And unless I'm mistaken, I'm pretty sure yours is also a "040" in which the first forged-in "0" character is smooshed with use and age.) Hence my immediate interest.
I want to be careful not to overstate. When I found mine I immediately thought it was a Snap-on. I am still convinced it's a Snap-on. I remember comparing it to my Snap-on models and doing some research on other mfgrs, and I never found other examples that had the same rather unique shape or construction features, or the same model number scheme. However, I am not saying with 100% certainty that it's Snap-on. I wouldn't even want to put a percentage on it. My informed experiential hunch, but there could be some explanation out of left field we just don't know anything about.
Sorry 040, my mistake.
I appreciate the info and your sharing your expertise on this.
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
My pleasure. Nice tool. Better story.
d42jeep
Well-known member
My 040 is clearly marked Snap-on. I haven’t seen many Snap-on tools that are unmarked but it’s certainly not impossible.
-Don
-Don
