Craftsman Tools - USA History: BE & Circle H Ratchets - Rebuild & Discussion
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 21 окт 2024
- Welcome to the ancillary component of the Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project!
Here we focus on repairing ratchets!
This video features the USA made Craftsman BE & Circle H Series Ratchets.
There are a variety of ratchets that fit within this part of the Craftsman USA history. All of the ratchets shown were made by the New Britain Company.
The maker's mark indicates where ratchet was made at either of the New Britain Company's forges:
BE = New Britain, Connecticut
Circle H = Kenosha, Wisconsin
While the New Britain Company had purchased the Husky Wrench Company, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the early 1930s, it is believed that the company didn't start migrating production to that plant until the late 1930s. Given this, you will see the earlier Craftsman ratchets exclusively having the BE branding, a phase with both BE & Circle H branding in the late 1930s to the early 1940s, and finally just Circle H branding in the mid to late 1940s for certain ratchets if a particular style was still being produced at this point.
With the very different variations of ratchets produced by this company in such a short period of time, I felt it necessary to further subdivide the ratchets into "sub-families" to better keep track of what was going on.
These "sub-families" are:
Long Head
Box Head
Open Gear
Long Heads generally included 2 standard types and 1 female type:
1/2”
3/8"
3/8" [Female Gear]
To complicate things, there are several 3/8" Long Head variants:
3/8" w/o addl machining, smaller gear, & square selector holes
3/8" w/o addl machining & smaller gear
3/8" w/ addl machining & larger gear
3/8" Female w/ addl machining & larger gear
3/8" Female w/o addl machining & smaller gear
[Notice: addl = additional]
Unfortunately, I failed to mention the 3/8" w/o addl machining, smaller gear, and square selector holes in the video. That piece represents the earliest version of this subsection. I did not have a representative of this piece within the video.
Also, it is my belief that Long Heads were only branded with the BE New Britain stamp, which would indicate they were exclusively made in New Britain, Connecticut.
Box Heads generally included 3 standard types and 2 female types:
1/2” T-Bar Selector
1/2" Central Selector
1/2" Female Gear
3/8”
3/8" Female Gear
To complicate things, there (2) 1/2" Box Head female variants:
1/2" Female w/ 1 retention rivet
1/2" Female w/ 3 retention rivets
Complicate things more, there (2) 3/8" Box Head female variants:
3/8" Female w/ selector
3/8" Female w/o selector
Unfortunately, at this time I do not have a representative of the 3/8" Box Head Female w/o selector. This piece is likely to be VERY rare.
The sole Open Gear Ratchet only came in the 1/4" size. There are no other New Britain sourced open gear style ratchets in any other style or size under the Craftsman brand name.
In the video I wasn't very clear as to what ratchets were included in the "Super Socket Set" or the "DeLuxe Set". These ratchets and other hand tools were given a plastic amber handle highlighted by blue painted stripes.
These would have included a variation of the following:
1/2” Box Head T-Bar Selector [amber handle variant]
1/2" Box Head Central Selector [amber handle variant]
3/8” Box Head [amber handle variant]
3/8" Box Head Female Gear [amber handle variant]
3/8" Long Head (later version) [amber handle variant]
It is not known at this time if repair kits were available for these ratchets. If I had to make a wager, I would suspect that, given Sears' customer satisfaction guarantee philosophy for the time, it is unlikely that repair kits were considered. It is more likely that customers could have a Sears store employee repair your tool, be given a brand new one if the ratchet couldn't be repaired, or receive a full refund with no questions asked if a customer wasn't happy.
If you are interested in exploring the US Patents affiliated with this specific ratchet series please explore the following:
2206943
Appearance of USA Craftsman ratchets from end to beginning:
Premium Grade Ratchets [Final USA made Craftsman Ratchets]
Thumb Wheel Ratchets
Wrench Socket Series
The Next Generation Thin Profile Ratchets
Tear Drop Professional Full Polish Ratchets
Round Head Ratchets
Tear Drop Ratchets (4th Gen. Raised Panel)
Stainless Steel / Lifetime Ratchets
Wrist Ratchet
Round Head Fine Tooth (RHFT) Ratchets
Quick Release Ratchets (3rd Gen. Raised Panel)
Intermediate Ratchets (2nd & 3rd Gen. Raised Panel Hybrid)
Long Lever & Butterfly Ratchets (2nd Gen. Raised Panel)
1/2” Breaker Bar Ratchet Adapter
Boxhead Ratchet Wrenches (1st Gen. Raised Panel)
Circle U Ratchets
BM / Circle K Ratchets
BE & Circle H Ratchets (Multiple varieties)
BT Ratchet
Craftsman Vanadium Ratchets
C-XX Ratchets [1st USA made Craftsman Ratchets]
Such a big help
I found a be ratchet after my grandpa passed
This helped me get it back to New thanks a lot
Glad to help!
The BE disassembly and reassembly was very useful for me thank you ! Was not planning to take it apart until I had seen it done!
Glad to hear it Ian! I'm working on a "reboot" of this series as we speak. We'll deep dive a bit more into variants that weren't previously seen or discussed.
love these 😊 I should look for some! watched all 40 mins of the video
Thank you for the comment! ^_^
Thanks Gear Wolf for this teardown! "One of the five people".👍
Hahaha! I'm glad that you are a part of this "elite" club! ^_^
Nice collection of Craftsman ratchets 13 of them, good informative video.
Awesome video! Thumbs up!
I just picked 2 older b series ratchets.
Any knowledge on what/where a B40 designates from?
From What I've seen very preliminary, it has the same lever selector switch concept pivoting along the lower through screw of the 2 located on the face.
Hello, Lex!
The B40 ratchet was made under the None Better brand name.
None Better, Husky, Mustang, and Craftsman branded ratchets that look almost exactly like yours were made by the New Britain Machine Company. In fact, there were New Britain branded variants of your ratchet as well, designated N40.
The situation behind your ratchet is like the 1st part of the Marine creed: This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
These ratchets were made in the millions to various degrees, where New Britain made each of these rebranded ratchets for various markets within the United States.
Regardless of what name is on the tool, this design is extremely robust. Sure, she may be simple, even when compared to other more innovative ratchets for the time, but the craftsmanship was top notch, the price was right, and it got the job done!
You said, in a previous video,that you would show double male extensions in a tear down video, but I haven't been able to find that one.
Hi Brian. You are correct. I will show those. Unfortunately, at the time I did these original videos, I cut the project short at approximately the 80% complete mark. That was 80% complete...back then hahahaha!
I noticed that things were too inconsistent, and that I was using valuable time on new videos mentioning things I missed on others. I'll do my best to keep things on the mend. Hopefully, I'll be able to do everything I'm looking to accomplish moving forward.
wife commentary gets a thumbs up
Given that if the part was available I think a riveted model could be repaired. For instance I have a 3 rivet 1/2 inch with a bad paw spring "I THINK" if the rivets were drilled out then the rivet shaft was drilled through and tapped screws could be added and a repair could be done just counter sink the face plate slightly to get a flush fit. Ive seen this done on other riveted items and believe it would be possible to do on these older ratchets "if" parts were available. The main part to make available would be the internal spring.
Absolutely! It wouldn't be terribly difficult to find the appropriate rivets and other components to resurrect a malfunctioning ratchet of this vintage. Whether a professional machinist or a DIY'er, I wouldn't put it past the realm of possibility of someone doing their own repair.
While it is difficult to say with complete certainty, it is my opinion that the riveted ratchets likely did not have corresponding repair kits associated with them, at least under the Craftsman brand. Since working on these videos nearly 2 years ago, the oldest official Sears/Craftsman ratchet repair kit I have been able to come across was for the 1st generation raised panel "Boxhead" style ratchets. That is not to say that older examples do not exist; however, based on my research and collaborating with the top people in collecting Craftsman ratchets, we couldn't readily produce examples older than the aforementioned.
Repair kits are readily available for the 3/4" Circle K & BM style ratchets through SK Tools, since they literally are still making the same ratchet today, some 80 years later. The Circle U ratchets made by Plomb (now Proto), would be compatible with some of the ratchet repair kits made today. We know this now, but I don't believe that a customer would have been necessarily aware of this back in the 1930s or 1940s simply due to proximity and lack of the same mass communication technology we have today.
Thanks to our understanding of the history of the various companies that contributed to the Craftsman brand, we can collate our data to get a focused picture of what potentially would have been made available to the customer of a Sears store or Sears Catalog user. It is my opinion that it may have been less likely for Sears to inventory repair kits for the seemingly myriad of ratchet variations at this time. Odds are, if a customer had a problem, Sears likely would have replaced the entire tool in the Pre-WW2 and WW2 era.
Great videos, nice to see the older tools and what has changed. I have a newer tear drop Craftsman, 1/4", that has lost the selector switch. There is a small rectangular stub sticking up, but the lever proper is no more. There is no ident number but the wrench head is held by two side by side philips head screws to either side of the selector stub (and missing lever). If you can give me a model number or if you have that lever in your parts bin I would gladly purchase it from you. Thanks for the help!
Would you have any information on a direction to look for the 1/2 female 3 rivet ratchet insert bit? I have been searching on eBay but I'm unable to fine one for the BE ratchet I bought.
Ah, by "insert bit" you are likely referring to "adapter". Yeah, I know how you can find them. The question is, do you want one that is period correct or something you can buy that is made from the current era.
If you search "Craftsman BE Ratchet", you'll eventually find a ratchet that comes with a 1/2" male adapter. Unfortunately, assuming you find a loose 1/2" male adapter for sale, you'll end up paying just as much if not more than what you'd pay for one that comes with the ratchet. You're looking at ~$20 +/- for one in "average" condition.
If you want a 1/2" male adapter made now, I'd recommend the German tool company Hazet. They make all sorts of quality male adapters for tools like yours.
I have a circle H just like yours starting about 36:00 into the video. When you mention the selector pivoting about the bolt you are certainly right. I think mine is either worn or assembled with a different plate because i cannot get it to reliably engage CW and CCW. If I hold the pivot screw by hand in a position it will work reliably CW and CCW but when I put the plate on it doesn't. It's like the plate shifts the thing into the wrong position. Annoying loss of functionality on a vintage tool that would otherwise work.
Jack, send me a video of your disassembly. I'll be able to give you a recommendation, if I can see what is going on. Thanks!
Two best things in life: 1. Vintage ratchet collecting, including servicing and historical research (some of these were probably used to service WW2 bombers including the ones that dropped the A-bombs) 2. Making your wife laugh.
Although we haven't exactly figured out how yet, Mrs. Gear Wolf will be making a cameo in the "reboot" we've been working on.
Thank you for the comment! ^_^
Wow these are cool! I have some sockets with that font style C at least i know what time frame they're from
+AbandonedSC We are reaching the end soon. There are a handful of history videos and tear down videos left.
I believe we have two history videos that are even older than these coming in the future. If possible, I would like to have things wrapped up by the middle of April.
It's certainly been informative and entertaining at the same time. While i've been enjoying the videos and look forward to another edition to the project to be complete. I'm sure at the same time it's been an enormous amount of work. and time.I'm sure you'll be happy to be done.
+AbandonedSC I appreciate it. Besides my occupation and family life, this has been one of the main hobbies I have endeavored for over the last year.
One year is a short period of time, yet I owe my success and expedience to a handful of people that came before me. There are those who have spent years researching Craftsman; however, not everyone of these individuals exchanges or integrates that information into one common source. My contribution is accumulating that data and adding my discoveries, both small and significant, to the breadth of preexisting knowledge.
I appreciate the work that everyone has done to get us to this point. The point of the series is to demonstrate what the brand was once capable of and show Americans that, once upon a time, most of what we consumed was made here. I only wish that people valued that today.