Unknown british? 1/4" ratchet. King ****?

[Graeme]

Bought a nice 1950's 1/4" king **** socket set today. Has this ratchet in it.

I can't find anything similar made by king ****. It's not stamped, but some of the parts that are deffinately king **** aren't stamped either.

Anyone recognise it?



Could possibly be home made as the construction is unusual.

 

[JohnDeere]

Odd choice for a company name .

 

[Graeme]

Odd choice for a company name .

Named after the owners bulldog.
Back in the days when **** just ment Richard and not much else
Decent quality vintage British made tools, but not ones I ever pay much attention too.
Only bought this set as it's tiny (box is 5 1/4"), packed with items, 70 years old, complete, and cheap.

 

[3baygarage]

Looks to be King ****. The ratchet doesn’t exactly match this catalog.

https://download947.mediafire.com/w.../vai038ll8gn5mzs/King+****+1947+Catalogue.pdf

 

[Graeme]

Looks to be King ****. The ratchet doesn’t exactly match this catalog.

https://download947.mediafire.com/w.../vai038ll8gn5mzs/King+****+1947+Catalogue.pdf

Thanks, that catalogue is fantastic. The only reference I have is a 1953 buck hickman catalogue which shows their usual flag ratchet for this set.
That 1947 catalogue shows a different ratchet again, I e not seen that before either. Maybe the ratchet is king ****. Maybe in the early days they had many variants.
Also possible it was broken and a new handle made.
The head is turned, the handle is a seperate piece of metal. You can just make out the pins that hold the head together. It feels very nice to use, so if home made, they did a fantastic job.

It's not stamped, but some of the other parts aren't either, like the T bar.

 

[four.cycle]

International Tool Catalog Library is your friend

 

[Graeme]

International Tool Catalog Library is your friend

That's amazing!
Thank you!!

 

[humber2]

More recent KingDick ratchets are featherweights being aluminum.

I'll post an image if none appears in few days after I return to home.

 

[Graeme]

More recent KingDick ratchets are featherweights being aluminum.

I'll post an image if none appears in few days after I return to home.

I have a 1/2" aluminium king **** ratchet. It feels very strange, like a cheap toy, but works well.

It seems over the period this set was available, KD made a couple of different ratchets. Not sure which type this should have.

 

[Ed in Virginia]

Named after the owners bulldog.
Back in the days when **** just ment Richard and not much else

True story - my in-laws are Brits. When my mother-in-law first came to visit, we took her to a local British-themed pub to help her feel at home. When we were deciding on dessert, I was trying to remember a specific dessert that was often on the menu (blackboard type) but not listed that evening. She was trying to help me remember and asked me, "Have you ever had Spotted ****?" (a dessert made with raisins that was a fave of King Richard for my fellow Yanks). I looked at her and replied, "Yes, one time but I took some Penicillin and it went away." Well, my wife was kicking the hell out of me under the table but my mother-in-law fell out of the booth laughing and I knew then that we would get along fine after and we did.

 

[Kevin J.]

I have heard of that brand but have never seen one of their tools in the wild. Are they considered a high quality tool?

 

[Graeme]

I have heard of that brand but have never seen one of their tools in the wild. Are they considered a high quality tool?

They have a reputation for good quality, but were cheaper than the very best as they spent less on the finish.

 

[Spanner]

KingDick brand would be found in every farmyard in the Uk and Ireland and beyond. They made good quality tools that would stand up to a good beating. I have this little 1/4 drive ratchet made from aluminum which is a rare sight in any toolbox.

 

[esben57]

As Spanner says King Dickies were/are very strong, widely used in our Steelworks. Not the prettiest but virtually bombproof.
Not sure if they are still around, or they have their tools made overseas.

 

[Stubby1743]

There is a dedicated King **** thread here:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/the-king-****-tool-thread.411600/

 

[bonneyman]

Not a brand that I watch for but if I saw an aluminum ratchet I'd surely ****** it up!