FSN Marked Tools & Their Dates of Production

Manufacturers, configurations, Shovels, Axe, Wrenches, Oiler, F/E etc.
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Re: FSN Marked Tools & Their Dates of Production

Post by d42jeep » Fri Oct 27, 2017 2:11 am

Since I've searched my old pictures for FSN marked tools, here is a Williams 18" flex handle that I used to have. It always bothered me that it didn't have a hole for a crossbar but I'm not sure that adds much to the question of when it was made. :?:
-Don
Attachments
IMG_6353.JPG
41-H-1502 Handle, Socket Wrench, Flexible Head, 18”, ½" Drive - Williams
IMG_6353.JPG (111.82 KiB) Viewed 2381 times
IMG_6352.JPG
41-H-1502 Handle, Socket Wrench, Flexible Head, 18”, ½" Drive -Williams
IMG_6352.JPG (37.58 KiB) Viewed 2381 times
IMG_6351.JPG
41-H-1502
IMG_6351.JPG (44.77 KiB) Viewed 2381 times
IMG_6350.JPG
41-H-1502 Handle, Socket Wrench, Flexible Head, 18”, ½" Drive -Williams
IMG_6350.JPG (107.72 KiB) Viewed 2381 times
IMG_6338.JPG
41-H-1502
IMG_6338.JPG (175.06 KiB) Viewed 2381 times
Ford GPW 76344 DOD 11/42 Built in Richmond, CA


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Re: FSN Marked Tools & Their Dates of Production

Post by Wingnutt » Fri Oct 27, 2017 11:17 am

Interesting that yours is a -502, Don. Per the March 1945 ORD 6 SNL J-4 that was 18" so you are right on the money. Did you see my -503 on page 1? According to the same reference, mine was supposed to be 15" long. (Someone slagged off the business end of my example with a torch.)

Both tools are VERY enlightening!

According to the 1941 catalog, several 1943 and 1945 R-409 Supersocket pamphlets, and the 1947 Tools of Industry catalog, Williams made an S-40 (12" long, no cross bar hole), an S-41 (17-1/4" long, 7/16" cross bar hole, and female 1/2-inch drive end for use as extension), and an S-42 (14" long, 7/16" cross bar hole, and female 1/2-inch drive end for use as extension). All of those breakers have a typical knurled handle that is larger than the diameter of the beam of the handle. In other words, not like ours, where the handle essentially is the beam and crudely knurled. Anyone interested should go find those catalogs on Tool Archives and check out the pics.

These 41-H marked Williams breakers do not look anything like the breakers Williams was putting in their catalogs.

Given the FSN, and the finish, and the simplified forging (no "handle", no cross-bar hole) - I highly suspect WWII production.

All,

It's good to see so much activity on this thread, and on the G in general.

Steve,

Are you wishing you hadn't taken one step forward on this yet? :lol:
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Re: FSN Marked Tools & Their Dates of Production

Post by gpw_42 » Fri Oct 27, 2017 12:38 pm

Wingnutt wrote:
Fri Oct 27, 2017 11:17 am
Steve,
Are you wishing you hadn't taken one step forward on this yet? :lol:
Lol!

So long as I continue to have large amounts of time on my hands, it's all good. If & when that changes, then....we'll see what happens. I'm learning a LOT (despite not updating the posted spreadsheet, I'm keeping a fairly good running tally).

What's somewhat surprising to me is the accuracy of the initial hypothesis ("won't be able to nail down much detailed info on production dates"). Hopefully time will help to settle that out, and refine at least some of it.

Steve

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Re: FSN Marked Tools & Their Dates of Production

Post by d42jeep » Mon Nov 06, 2017 2:30 am

Here is an FSN marked auger bit set that I assume is postwar. The markings on the canvas are difficult to make out but I'm pretty sure that the number is 41-B-711 which I haven't found in any wartime documents.
-Don
Attachments
IMG_6629.JPG
FSN auger bit set
IMG_6629.JPG (189.78 KiB) Viewed 2344 times
IMG_6628.JPG
41-B-711?
IMG_6628.JPG (176.36 KiB) Viewed 2344 times
IMG_6627.JPG
1953?
IMG_6627.JPG (167.87 KiB) Viewed 2344 times
Ford GPW 76344 DOD 11/42 Built in Richmond, CA

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Re: FSN Marked Tools & Their Dates of Production

Post by Wingnutt » Mon Nov 06, 2017 10:51 am

Wow, that's a nice Jacobs set, Don. Have you posted that before? Am I seeing things, or is the roll-up dated 1953 after the address. That's probably one of the last years you'd see the old Treasury Department FSN's.

Is that an expansive bit in the first pocket? What goes in the little pocket to the left of it?

There are bits and bit sets in the March 1945 ORD 5 SNL J-2. There is a 41-B-715 with thirteen (13) bits in a roll-up. No expansive bit. I'll post a scan with the sizes. Looks close. 41-B-711 might be the same with the expansive bit.

EDIT:

Here's the scan, Don.
ORD 5 SNL J-2 Auger Bit set.jpg
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Re: FSN Marked Tools & Their Dates of Production

Post by d42jeep » Tue Nov 07, 2017 4:37 am

I don't believe that I've posted it before because I assumed that it was postwar. That is an expansive bit on the left. All of the pockets are labeled with the tool description except the little pocket, which was empty when I got it.
-Don
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IMG_6656.JPG
Closer view
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Ford GPW 76344 DOD 11/42 Built in Richmond, CA

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Re: FSN Marked Tools & Their Dates of Production

Post by d42jeep » Tue Nov 07, 2017 5:14 pm

This DOE is on the auction site so I don't know anything about it other than the pictures. Here is the seller's description. "vtg wrench ---- Federal Stock no. 41 -W 1012-20 --- size 3/4" & 15/16" J.O. Manufacturing co." Here are the pictures.
-Don
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IMG_6673.JPG
41-W-1012-20
IMG_6673.JPG (87.33 KiB) Viewed 2309 times
IMG_6672.JPG
IMG_6672.JPG (76.75 KiB) Viewed 2309 times
IMG_6671.JPG
IMG_6671.JPG (83.65 KiB) Viewed 2309 times
IMG_6670.JPG
IMG_6670.JPG (73.68 KiB) Viewed 2309 times
Ford GPW 76344 DOD 11/42 Built in Richmond, CA

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Re: FSN Marked Tools & Their Dates of Production

Post by Wingnutt » Tue Nov 07, 2017 9:15 pm

Wow. Not only spelled out, but spelled out in all caps! :shock: :lol:

I'm betting wartime on this one. I've had JO Mfg tools. 9/32-inch wingnut sockets that were mixed in with Snap-On, Williams and Plomb in a surplus lot, and you guys may recall the click-stop torque wrench that is now in the UK with saddle tramp.
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Re: FSN Marked Tools & Their Dates of Production

Post by d42jeep » Wed Nov 08, 2017 7:12 am

Even though Mudbox posted some boxes containing Arcturus wrenches at the beginning of the thread, here are a couple of pictures of the wrenches showing the FSN. I'm not sure when they were made.
-Don
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IMG_6333.JPG
Arcturus DOE wrenches
IMG_6333.JPG (149.4 KiB) Viewed 2296 times
IMG_6334.JPG
41-W-1005-5 and 41-W-1003
IMG_6334.JPG (146.21 KiB) Viewed 2296 times
Ford GPW 76344 DOD 11/42 Built in Richmond, CA

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Re: FSN Marked Tools & Their Dates of Production

Post by frenchman » Wed Nov 08, 2017 10:38 am

hello
the little pocket on the left side of the roll hold a tiny boxed wrench it is what mine have
frenchman

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Re: FSN Marked Tools & Their Dates of Production

Post by d42jeep » Wed Nov 08, 2017 12:51 pm

Thanks, Frenchman! Is there any chance that you can post a picture of that wrench and let me know the sizes so I will be able to replace what I am missing? It would be nice to complete the set.
-Don
Ford GPW 76344 DOD 11/42 Built in Richmond, CA

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Re: FSN Marked Tools & Their Dates of Production

Post by d42jeep » Thu Nov 09, 2017 7:03 pm

Wingnutt wrote:
Mon Nov 06, 2017 10:51 am
Wow, that's a nice Jacobs set, Don. Have you posted that before? Am I seeing things, or is the roll-up dated 1953 after the address. That's probably one of the last years you'd see the old Treasury Department FSN's.

Is that an expansive bit in the first pocket? What goes in the little pocket to the left of it?
With a prompt from frenchman I double checked what I thought was the empty pocket and found the smaller cutter for the expansive bit. Frenchman's set also had a couple of screwdriver bits and a countersink so I added one each of those to my set. His also had a small pressed steel wrench for his expansive bit.
-Don
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IMG_6707.JPG
Small cutter and extra tools
IMG_6707.JPG (186.2 KiB) Viewed 2264 times
IMG_6706.JPG
Small cutter
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Ford GPW 76344 DOD 11/42 Built in Richmond, CA

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Re: FSN Marked Tools & Their Dates of Production

Post by Wingnutt » Fri Nov 24, 2017 6:43 am

I already posted this on my Early Bird thread, but it belongs here as well.

A JPD made 1953 (I.1.3) PROTO Los Angeles 8" adjustable with the 41-W-486 FSN stamped on the flip side. This is the second one I have held in my hand, stamped the exact same way, so I think it was a factory marking. Has to be one of the latest tools we'll see with this format FSN.

20171124_085022_resized.jpg
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20171124_085057_resized.jpg
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Re: FSN Marked Tools & Their Dates of Production

Post by gpw_42 » Tue Nov 28, 2017 8:35 am

Spreadsheet on page 1 of the thread is now updated, with all the tools posted to date in this thread.

FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF REDUNDANCY:
There are more pages of the spreadsheet which I didn't post; to keep the font large enough to be legible, would require 2 more pages to be posted. Those pages only have links to the different tools posted to the spreadsheet, many of which are already posted in this thread. If anyone is interested in the full spreadsheet, PM me with your email address.

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Re: FSN Marked Tools & Their Dates of Production

Post by Wingnutt » Tue Dec 05, 2017 6:26 am

gpw_42 wrote:
Tue Nov 28, 2017 8:35 am
Spreadsheet on page 1 of the thread is now updated, with all the tools posted to date in this thread.
Nice job, Steve. And thanks again. It's great to see someone else stepping up to do some recordkeeping.

One recent observation. The FSN on the 1953 date coded Proto adjustable (example in post above) looks like it was stamped with the same die and at the same time as the rest of the marking in the panel on the handle. The FSN on Don's horseshoe Diamalloy adjustable (and on another example that just popped up on a sales thread here) was stamped into the head. All the other markings on those wrenches were forged in as on any Diamalloy. Whether that was at the factory during production is unknown. Doesn't really help one way or another, just an observation for now.
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