Williams wood handle nut drivers

[kwigly]

I have a couple of wooden handle nut drivers by Williams. They are not stamped with size (although there are some numbers that disappear under the handles) but they seem to be 3/8 and 1/2" size, with different colored handles. Did these come in sets with different colored handles to easily identify different sizes ? How old ?

 

[four.cycle]

^ Those appear to be Stevens "SpinTite" nut drivers.
As near as I have been able to ascertain, they originally had all black painted wood handles, and later went to a natural-finish (clear) wood handle. I have no clue when the red one was made.
The Stevens "Spin Tite" drivers were not color-coded, as were Craftsman, Vaco, and many other brands.

1924 Popular Science Stevens Spintite wrenches (nut driver) ad pp 104

1928 Van Camp Hardware & Iron Co. catalog Stevens Walden Worcester ad pp 2294

1952 Stevens Walden Worcester Spintite ad pp 108

 

[kwigly]

Thanks four.cycle, that's great info. The stamp does include "spintite"on each driver, and on closer inspection the red one may be red paint applied over original black, as you noted.
Maybe I'll look for some more, to replace some of the no-name plastic handle ones that make up the rest of my rag-tag set ( I can't remember the last time I used any of them, but that's no excuse for not collecting them)

 

[four.cycle]

When I enlarge your first photo it looks like the previous owner put the red paint on top of the original black. Perhaps a home-made "color coding" system?

The Stevens Company of New York acquired controlling interest of Walden Worcester in 1926 and became "Stevens Walden Worcester".

 

[d42jeep]

Those nutdrivers just marked Stevens were made before the purchase of Walden Worcester. Nice early ones. I’ve only found a couple marked like that. The logo on mine was different but still pre Walden
-Don

 

[Ton ton]

I didn't even know such a thing even existed. Sorry, I know this is an older thread. I still use nutdrivers.

 

[d42jeep]

If you like vintage nutdrivers, there are quite a few shown in this thread.

Vintage Xcelite or other Nut Driver Sets

One of my collecting quirks is an unnatural fascination with nut drivers. My tool collecting buddies are aware of the problem because I've sent some of them nut drivers as unsolicited gifts in the past. So when I saw this set at a nearby tool sale by a retired electrician, I just had to have...

www.garagejournal.com

-Don
i found the upper unmarked one recently. I’m wondering if it might be an earlier Bridgeport?

 

[Farmer J.]

I've never used nutdrivers, (best if I avoid working one radios or any delicate electrical stuff!) and I always thought: What's the point of those, why don't they just use a 1/4" drive socket set?.... But I see that the advert in post #2 by four.cycle says that these things have hollow stems.
Are all the nut drivers made like that?

 

[four.cycle]

^ I think that depends upon who made them. I own two or three sets, but I've never used them. From my understanding, some are "deeper" than others. Somebody more conversant on nut drivers should know.

 

[AreBeeBee]

I've never used nutdrivers, (best if I avoid working one radios or any delicate electrical stuff!) and I always thought: What's the point of those, why don't they just use a 1/4" drive socket set?.... But I see that the advert in post #2 by four.cycle says that these things have hollow stems.
Are all the nut drivers made like that?

A nut driver with a hollow stem/shaft that doesn't extend most of the length back up toward the handle is limiting. The utility of a driver depends on the ability to get a nut down and tight despite having a long screw/bolt.

Cheapie nut drivers typically have no hollow shafts (which is quite rare) or only short ones. So if you're browsing flea markets and find one, take a good look to see how deep the hollow shaft goes. Even a broom straw will let you probe the depth.

 

[d42jeep]

I've never used nutdrivers, (best if I avoid working one radios or any delicate electrical stuff!) and I always thought: What's the point of those, why don't they just use a 1/4" drive socket set?.... But I see that the advert in post #2 by four.cycle says that these things have hollow stems.
Are all the nut drivers made like that?

Many of the better brands have hollow shafts, which is a desirable feature. I got into using nutdrivers in the late ’60s when I was wrenching at a repair shop specializing in Corvairs. The cars had dozens of sheet metal screws and small machine screws that held on the sheet metal and other related parts. We referred to the most used sizes as red drivers (1/4”), yellow drivers (5/16”) and blue drivers (3/8”). They were used on virtually every job and were always close at hand.
-Don

 

[Farmer J.]

Many of the better brands have hollow shafts, which is a desirable feature. I got into using nutdrivers in the late ’60s when I was wrenching at a repair shop specializing in Corvairs. The cars had dozens of sheet metal screws and small machine screws that held on the sheet metal and other related parts. We referred to the most used sizes as red drivers (1/4”), yellow drivers (5/16”) and blue drivers (3/8”). They were used on virtually every job and were always close at hand.
-Don

They must have been very useful in that situation, the convenience of grabbing a DBE wrench but with the accessibility and speed of use of a socket wrench. That's a very tidy well maintained looking Corvair

 

[Ton ton]

I work with sheet metal screws. This is probably why I crave nut drivers.

 

[four.cycle]

Stevens & Co. Spintite Nut Drivers 1920s catalog listings