Vintage Xcelite or other Nut Driver Sets

[Jim C.]

Here's a nice set of Craftsman -V- era metric (6mm - 11mm) nut drivers. Unlike the SAE =V= era set I posted above (see reply #23) with the entirely hollow shafts, the shafts on these later metric drivers are hollow only half way up.

Jim C.

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

$6 worth of nut drivers and a rack from the flea market today.

 

[d42jeep]

It's good to see that I am not the only person with this unhealthy interest in nutdrivers. I found a 1/4" Xcelite driver with the matching logo for the rest of the early sets, so they are now complete.
-Don

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

It must be the bright colors or something, I dunno. I also have been eyeing a couple of 99 series sets on eBay.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Here is my embarrassingly paltry contribution, Don.

A Stevens 3410 SPINTITE 5/16 and a Vlchek ND16 1/4. The differences in the business ends, the ferrules and the handles are interesting. The socket on the Vlchek looks hand-forged, like a lug wrench bell, for example.

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Ironically, nut spinners are easily the most common tool I find at flea markets. Every box I paw through inevitably has them in it. Like certain screwdrivers, they're a little annoying because of how similar they are in shape and look to 1/4-inch square drive nut spinners, which, as you know, I am always looking for.

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

Vlchek 7/16" I picked up for a quarter today at the Flea market.

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

I've had this set for years, but it doesn't look original. It's got an Xcelite case but all the drivers are Jensen

I might have replaced the original Xcelite contents but to be honest I can't remember doing it. But the outside of the case shows screwdrivers but there are only nut drivers.

I guess you'd have to call it a FrankenDriver set..

.

I have a set like this from my uncle.. Craftsman.. I'll have to dig them out and take other pictures to contribute to this thread. I see random nut drivers all the time at the flea market.. will need to see if there is a vintage set I want to start to piece together....

 

[d42jeep]

Vlchek 7/16" I picked up for a quarter today at the Flea market.

Sam,
That's the first Vlchek nutdriver I've seen and the price wasn't bad either. I'm not sure of the vintage but I picked this Vermont American driver up on Saturday because I hadn't seen that brand of nutdriver either.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Vlchek 7/16"

It's interesting to see they stayed with the same forged style socket on the end.

That's the first Vlchek nutdriver I've seen

If you want to see another one - albeit a decade or so older, look just one post above Sam's.

 

[d42jeep]

It's interesting to see they stayed with the same forged style socket on the end.


If you want to see another one - albeit a decade or so older, look just one post above Sam's.

At my age you can't expect me to remember anything from two days ago!
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Craftsman handle set... and nut drivers...

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[d42jeep]

I like the small Craftsman set. I don't have any of those. Speaking of Craftsman, here are some that I used to have.
-Don

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

Couple more joined the herd today, they were in a tool box of tools I bought at the flea market.

An xcelite that has been modified, handle must have spun so the PO added a nail! Not sure on the other one, although I believe it is an earlier Xcelite, markings are worn.

 

[A E Numan]

Recent estate sale find in as found condition.

 

[bczygan]

Itasca set Tiawan with some extras

Amalite USA Red handles

Misc.: Top to bottom:

5/16 unknown
5/16 Craftsman circle V
3/8 USA
1/2" M. Klein and Sons Cushion-grip #630

Don't know where I got em. Never used them.

Bill

 

[d42jeep]

I've had this Vaco roll for a while but today my wife stitched up the ripped out seam so I filled it up with Vaco drivers. The other Vaco roll is rough but complete.
-Don

 

[bonneyman]

It's good to see that I am not the only person with this unhealthy interest in nutdrivers. I found a 1/4" Xcelite driver with the matching logo for the rest of the early sets, so they are now complete.
-Don

Don't kid yourself, Don. You have a disease!

 

[alton1911]

I bought an awesome set of Xcelite tools some years ago. It was packed nicely in a leather covered case, and had everything in fitted pockets. There were large screwdrivers all the way down to the tiny micro screw drivers. The kit also had a Xcelite pocket knife, mirror, hemostats, and mini pliers, wrenches, etc. It looked unused, and contained a packing list and contract number, I think from 1996. I have most everything in my tool boxes now. But I still have the case somewhere.
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The kit did stink. When I put the tools in my tool box the smell eventually faded.
Huge fan of Xcelite now.
Thanks,
alton1911

Not sure why pics didn’t work. Any advice?

 

[bonneyman]

Recent estate sale find in as found condition.

Embossed with Orchard Park and all. Very nice old set!

I wonder when Xcelite stopped marking the tools with "Orchard Park"?

 

[bluebolt]

Stevens Walden Spin Tite. The red handle one in the roll is a Spin Tite too and matches the others except for color. Off by itself is a rarely seen 5/8" Spin Tite.

 

[alton1911]

I’m going to try again to load the Xcelite pics from my earlier reply.



Thanks again,
alton1911

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I'm neither a big fan of nut drivers or "=CRAFTSMAN=" era Craftsman, but I liked the look of this set, recently acquired in an OD canvas roll-up. The weave and buckle on the roll-up is 1950's, but I don't know for sure if the drivers are original to the roll-up. Drivers have a Circle-V maker's mark, which has not been identified as far as I know.

 

[bluebolt]

Those Craftsman nut drivers look to be NICE shape Private Lugnutz. I doubt they were in that canvas roll, usually in a plastic pouch. Any lettering besides the Craftsman and size and circle V?

 

[bluebolt]

Here's an Indestro set, some Fuller's and my Xcelites from the Xcelite milk jug. The Indestro set has a Rosco USA replacement for one. Notice the two special Xcelites.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Those Craftsman nut drivers look to be NICE shape Private Lugnutz. I doubt they were in that canvas roll, usually in a plastic pouch. Any lettering besides the Craftsman and size and circle V?

I have my own doubts, too, bb, but note that if they were military contract, they probably wouldn't have been ordered in the commercial pouch. That's why I'd like to date them. To see if they're newer than the 50s. No other markings except the NUT DRIVER name.

 

[DadsTools]

I have my own doubts, too, bb, but note that if they were military contract, they probably wouldn't have been ordered in the commercial pouch. That's why I'd like to date them. To see if they're newer than the 50s. No other markings except the NUT DRIVER name.

Do the handles have that weird pukey smell?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

No odor whatsoever.

 

[bluebolt]

The older Craftsman nut drivers had an amber handle but I don't know what year they changed.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Older as in older =CRAFTSMAN= era, or you mean older as in Long C?

 

[bluebolt]

Older as in older =CRAFTSMAN= era, or you mean older as in Long C?

Neither, just says 1-2 (1/2") and CRAFTSMAN and MADE IN USA. Nothing visible on the shaft either. It's not in great shape so possible I can't see something that was there.

 

[bluebolt]

I looked at some old Craftsman catalogs

1942: No nut drivers found but the handles for 1/4" socket drivers are amber and the picture looks like my nut driver.
1948: Dunlap Spin Tite wood handle
1949: Craftsman amber handle, picture looks like my single one.
1954: Dunlap Amber handle, look like my single amber Craftsman
1955: Craftsman clear handle
1957: Craftsman clear handle

So it looks like yours are 1955 or later.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I looked at some old Craftsman catalogs.

I did, too, bluebolt, and I reached the same conclusions. I found 1954 particularly interesting and telling. It seems to have been a transitional year for the handles. As you said, the handle on the 7-pc nut driver set on page 7 is amber, and, just as importantly, it is of the older single solitary piece of composite construction. But the handle on the 1/4-inch drive spinners on page 9, the screwdrivers on page 13, and even the cotter pin puller on page 16 are the two-piece construction, with the blue ferrule (or "thumb grip" as they called it), and the clear handle behind that with a round knob on the end. Like my nut drivers.

Anyway, thanks for helping.

Although I came up blank on the number stenciled on the canvas roll-up, I am not yet ruling out the possibility of this set being military, original to each other, and late 1950's.

 

[d42jeep]

Lugz,
I'm glad to see that you've come down with a mild case of Nutdriver fever, even if it was OD induced. Welcome to the club!
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Lugz,
I'm glad to see that you've come down with a mild case of Nutdriver fever, even if it was OD induced. Welcome to the club!

Haha! You know me so well! It was the OD, but also the completeness that got me. I suspect that's a common malady among vintage tool collectors. We all have our niches. We all have soft spots outside our niches. And I bet a lot of us have a hard time walking away from a complete set of anything. I know I do, just because I know how rare it is to find anything complete. As a reminder, I did make an earlier contribution. An early Walden SPINTITE and an even earlier Vlchek with a hand-forged bell on the socket. They may be the oldest examples posted to date. Post #45, linked here.

 

[notlob]

For the nutdriver fever sufferers. Metric!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/222830356374?rmvSB=true



Spin-tite fever, tite feverrr...

 

[d42jeep]

Wow! Those are really nice, Notlob. I found these on eBay recently and it turned out the seller was in Berkeley. After I won the auction, surprisingly with the opening bid, the seller was nice enough to hand deliver them to my house yesterday afternoon. I had seen Twertsy's upthread and thought they were very attractive.
-Don

 

[Ambrose Wolfinger]

Sorry for resurrecting a semi dead thread, but I was looking for mentions of xcelite. I have two older tool sets I got from my dad. One is a Bristol spline set, and the other a combination screw and nut driver set. The latter I've used for years for working with electronics, it's really useful.

Has the quality of their newer offerings changed over the years? I saw some newer tools that had "USA" stamped on them. I'd be shocked and delighted if they are still American made, as I read an article stating that Apex tool group closed their NC facility.

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

 

[bonneyman]

For the nutdriver fever sufferers. Metric!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/222830356374?rmvSB=true

Spin-tite fever, tite feverrr...

Nice driver set....and nice white suit!

 

[d42jeep]

I found a few Proto tools yesterday and these were among them.
-Don