Western Forge: Mile High Quality- 1965-2020

[Lesserstore]

I started doing this research on Western Forge in September of last year, and I finally have finished the first three parts. Part I is the history of WF and screwdrivers, Part II is adjustable wrenches, and Part III is wood chisels. I know WF made pliers, torque wrenches, flat wrenches, sockets and ratchets, punches, cold chisels, and pry bars, and they'll all get their part eventually. WF made a lot of tools so are there any types that I forgot to mention? And please let me know if there are any brands I missed.

Part I: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XL7RMbuusNh2FtIvyAT_aGenMAB7-wtLp9ZUq3acggM/edit?usp=drivesdk

Part II: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18H_ZzIY7O6Oeutaf00c1hUkEoIFI463Vwp-EhwVHrqs/edit?usp=drivesdk

Part III: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nt4wTzCBbXyi1knwA1oXL8ez42sFRywMZuyNbbUW9tU/edit?usp=drivesdk

Appendix A: Sources:

Western Forge: Mile High Quality Appendix A

Western Forge: Mile High Quality 1965-2020 Appendix A Sources ridgid.com westernforge.com (way back machine) USPTO worthpoint.com ebay.com Sears and Craftsman catalogs

docs.google.com

 

[four.cycle]

excellent.
I know very little about Western Forge, but....

Western / Western Forge Corp., 4607 Forge Road, PO BOX 3356, Colorado Springs, CO 80907 / est. 1966 closed 2020 / last owned by Ideal Industries / https://www.idealindustries.com/ / http://toolarchives.com/index.php/node/328 / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/western-forge-mile-high-quality-1965-2020.499151/ /

This is a WF 1/4" drive SAE socket set I have here somewhere. Note the "Wright 10-point-ish" broaching on the two sockets at far right.
These are images from the ebay listing.

There's a couple "Companion" branded WF sets here somewhere, but the "Companion" 1/4" drive ratchet more resembled the Thorsen 77MC, as opposed to this Wright model 2400 look-alike.

 

[d42jeep]

The majority of these Craftsman tools were sourced from WF.
-Don

 

[woody 73]

Good write up well done.

I think (100% sure), that I will keep finding WF tools for the next fifty years because of what was sold at Sears.

 

[Lesserstore]

The next part will be struck tools and pry bars. I used a random name picker to figure out what order to do the different parts. Part V will be ratchets, sockets, and wrenches, Part VI will be torque wrenches, and Part VII will be pliers.

 

[csp]

I grew up in Colorado Springs and a good friend of the family worked for WF. My dad had a lot of reject C-man screwdrivers that didn't pass quality control. They would just buff the Craftsman name off of the handles.

 

[Lesserstore]

I grew up in Colorado Springs and a good friend of the family worked for WF. My dad had a lot of reject C-man screwdrivers that didn't pass quality control. They would just buff the Craftsman name off of the handles.

That's neat. I'm just curious what made them fail QC? Did they just have blemished chrome?