9/32” Drive Tools - The Forgotten Older Sibling?

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Re: 9/32” Drive Tools - The Forgotten Older Sibling?

Post by Rustman » Wed Dec 04, 2019 4:16 pm

I have 1 or 2 Snap-On 9/32" ratchets. Also a couple of WF ratchets and breaker bar. I really need to put together a GMTK set (or two) as well as I'd like to do the PLVMB one, just because our group is USAAF based.

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Re: 9/32” Drive Tools - The Forgotten Older Sibling?

Post by Wingnutt » Thu Dec 05, 2019 2:48 am

Here are some photos of the Athol Super Chrome set I mentioned yesterday.

The military stock sticker reads:

SPANNERS-SOCKETS
MIDGET SET “A”
Cat. No. F.A. 1757?
------> Athol 1953

I don’t know if “F.A 1757?” is an Athol or an M.O.D. “Catalog Number”

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Re: 9/32” Drive Tools - The Forgotten Older Sibling?

Post by Wingnutt » Thu Dec 05, 2019 2:59 am

All the tools are marked ATHOL SUPER CHROME with a C45XX series part number, a Ministry of Defence broad arrowhead marking (->), and a date. All the tools are dated 1953 except for four sockets dated 1954. All ten (10) sockets, from 3/16” to 7/16”, are marked “AF” after the imperial fractional size, indicating that the size number is an “Across-the-Flats” diameter size, not a bolt size. All the sockets have contiguous part numbers, so I think the sockets are complete. The handle numbers are contiguous from C4552 to C4557, except for C4555, which, based on inference, is most likely a ratchet. The tools have a dark natural steel finish and are heat treated. That spinner handle is aluminum.

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CONTENTS:
Handles
C4552 1953 4-1/4” Extension
C4553 1953 8” Extension
C4554 1953 6” Flexible Extension
C4556 1953 5” Sliding Tee
C4557 1953 7” Spinner
Sockets
3/16” AF C4571 1954
7/32” AF C4572 1953
15/64” AF C4573 1953
1/4” AF C4574 1953
17/64” AF C4575 1953
9/32” AF C4576 1953
5/16” AF C4577 1954
11/32” AF C4578 1953
3/8” AF C4579 1954
7/16” AF C4580 1954
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Re: 9/32” Drive Tools - The Forgotten Older Sibling?

Post by Wingnutt » Thu Dec 05, 2019 3:10 am

As I alluded to yesterday, the uniformity of the finish on the tools, the military markings, the spinner, and the grey case, and the ATHOL decal make it one of my favorite sets in my collection, in any drive size, from any era. These are exceptionally well-made tools, guys. Highest quality. Plus, I think it's kind of a neat reversal. A US guy collecting UK tools for a change - instead of the other way around! :lol:

I have not had a lot of good results finding out much information on “Athol” in Birmingham, England. There is an Athol Masonic Building on 60 Severn Street, and “Athol” was cited in a long line of vintage British tool brands (along with names like Tipco, Bedford Vanadium, Spearpoint, etc) on a BritBike forum thread. Which is more than a little disappointing given the fact that Birmingham (known as “The City of 1,000 Trades” and “The Workshop of the World”) has such a rich history in manufacturing, with Abingdon King Dick, Rabone, Accles & Pollock, and Britool - and of course B.S.A. - located there! :D

I do have this small advert from a 1958 OEM directory that indicates that it may have been a brand used by Heath & Pond.

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Roger, Cliff, Gordon, et al, please pipe up if you can add anything about Athol!
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Re: 9/32” Drive Tools - The Forgotten Older Sibling?

Post by mrbill » Thu Dec 05, 2019 4:20 am

Wingnutt, that is one fine looking set! I do hope we find out a bit more about it.

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Re: 9/32” Drive Tools - The Forgotten Older Sibling?

Post by Silly's MB » Thu Dec 05, 2019 5:17 am

Wingnutt wrote:
Thu Dec 05, 2019 3:10 am

Roger, Cliff, Gordon, et al, please pipe up if you can add anything about Athol!
I have a theory that Athol might be US imports but it is probably a thread on its own. I have a few spanners Athol marked but i think they are die stamped as opposed to drop forged.
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Re: 9/32” Drive Tools - The Forgotten Older Sibling?

Post by lucas » Thu Dec 05, 2019 5:49 am

Found this Athol socket set on EBay--postage a little pricey for US purchasers.....https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-UNUSED ... SwJfFd2qBN
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Re: 9/32” Drive Tools - The Forgotten Older Sibling?

Post by Wingnutt » Thu Dec 05, 2019 7:18 am

mrbill wrote:
Thu Dec 05, 2019 4:20 am
Wingnutt, that is one fine looking set!
Thanks, Bill. Did you notice that all the sockets are 6-point? Just another of the many features I found attractive. Reminds me of the late war GMTK midgets specs. I think they didn't want 12-pointers getting rounded off.
Silly's MB wrote:
Thu Dec 05, 2019 5:17 am
I have a theory that Athol might be US imports but it is probably a thread on its own.
Interesting, Roger. If they're imports, they're not clones, at least not of any OEM I can think of. But I will be very eager to read more on the subject if you should ever get around to posting it.
lucas wrote:
Thu Dec 05, 2019 5:49 am
Found this Athol socket set on EBay--postage a little pricey for US purchasers.....
Haha! Just a little. Thanks for posting that, Hugh. Looks to be the same box and the same basic set - even has the flex extension, and the same finish, but later (1955, vs 1953/54), missing a few sockets, and the spinner has a plastic composite handle instead of stainless/aluminum composite. I am glad mine is steel! I noticed it also had no ratchet. Starting to think it didn't come with this particular set. I am jealous of the completely intact decal on the box, but I am liking my set better! :)
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Re: 9/32” Drive Tools - The Forgotten Older Sibling?

Post by Wingnutt » Thu Dec 05, 2019 3:23 pm

To avoid being redundant, I said I wouldn't post my Snap-on set if someone else did first, but it just dawned on me looking at Don' set that my box is probably a 1/4-inch box! I knew my set was missing the T-handle driver but I didn't give a second thought to the way the 9/32-inch drive box was built to accommodate that tool until now. The strange thing is it was found intact - box and tools (except the hinge handle) - outside of Lakehurst NAES. Now I'm wondering if they didn't drop the more antiquated T-handle from the set at some point and use the same box as the 1/4-inch drive sets. I may have to look into that...

Before pic of my box (which was just too roached for me to look at!).

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After pic, with a "preserved" look paint job

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Re: 9/32” Drive Tools - The Forgotten Older Sibling?

Post by Gordon_M » Thu Dec 05, 2019 10:00 pm

Wingnutt wrote:
Thu Dec 05, 2019 2:48 am
Here are some photos of the Athol Super Chrome set I mentioned yesterday.
I bought one of those flex wire drives thinking because it was 9/32" drive it had to be US made, but I had no idea of the manufacturers name, until now.

If it was a big separate company we would have seen more of their output. I wonder if it is a sub-brand from another established British manufacturer?
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Re: 9/32” Drive Tools - The Forgotten Older Sibling?

Post by Wingnutt » Fri Dec 06, 2019 3:08 am

Gordon_M wrote:
Thu Dec 05, 2019 10:00 pm
I wonder if it is a sub-brand from another established British manufacturer?
If you were skimming my post, I included a small notice that links ATHOL as a brand to to Heath & Pond Ltd, and Roger has found more evidence and posted it in a separate thread, just under this one at the moment.
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Re: 9/32” Drive Tools - The Forgotten Older Sibling?

Post by Wingnutt » Fri Dec 06, 2019 3:26 pm

Here is the extent of my WF- collection. From the bottom up, that's a WF-4, -5, -7, -8, and -10 through -15. Missing the WF-2 (adapter), WF-6 (nut driver), and the WF-9 (sliding tee). Bill - note how dark the finish on all your tools are (probably natural steel, right?). While mine are mainly cadmium or some kind of phosphate wash.

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And here are the orphans. You've seen the Armstrong M-51 ratchet. The hinge handle is a Hinsdale. The two sockets are also Hinsdale. The wingnut socket is a J.O. Mfg. The flat head screwdriver bits are Plomb. The #2 Phillips bit is Plomb. The #3 is Proto.

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Re: 9/32” Drive Tools - The Forgotten Older Sibling?

Post by Wingnutt » Fri Mar 06, 2020 2:39 am

Wingnutt wrote:
Wed Dec 04, 2019 3:49 am
Bonney also never made 9/32-inch drive...
Boy, was I wrong about this.

I recently acquired a Bonney Extra Small Socket and Tool Set. I was expecting the socket drive tools to be 1/4-inch drive, but they are 9/32-inch drive. (They made these combination sets from 1937 to at least 1950, with various stock numbers - No. ES5 in 1937, No. VS5 in 1939, No. V55 in 1941, No. V55 in 1947, and No. VM10B in 1950.) Anyway, seeing the 9/32-inch drive in this example made me go back and realize I had a pretty big hole in my catalog library, between 1926 and 1939. Tools Archive is back on line and they have links to the Internet Archives' catalogs, which include Bonney 1932, 1933, 1934, and 1938. Bonney introduced Extra Small sockets and tools (4" extension and Sliding Tee ONLY) in 1933 and it was 9/32-inch drive. They moved to 1/4-inch drive and additional handles in 1939.

Bonney ES5 4.jpg
Bonney ES5 3.jpg
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Bonney ES5 1.2.jpg
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Re: 9/32” Drive Tools - The Forgotten Older Sibling?

Post by mudbox » Sat Mar 07, 2020 4:08 pm

D@mn... it just doesn’t get much better than that. Heck of a nice set Wingnutt!

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Re: 9/32” Drive Tools - The Forgotten Older Sibling?

Post by Wingnutt » Sat Mar 07, 2020 5:22 pm

Thanks, Mud. I haven't put it away yet! :)

Bonney ES5 2.1.jpg
Bonney ES5 2.4.jpg
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