Snap on tools date chart

One of Snap-on's most important innovations for the s was the development of their high-strength reversible ratchet mechanism. The overall length is 6.

The original finish was chrome plating, though most has been lost to wear and rust. See middle inset. The patent pending notation on the ratchet corresponds to patent 1,, , filed by L. Hummel in and issued in with assignment to Snap-on.

This important patent formed the basis for most of the reversible ratchets produced by Snap-on, and ratchets of this same design remain in production today. This early ratchet uses a somewhat fragile "S" shaped spring to provide the bias on the pawl, as is described in the patent document. These "S" springs are subject to wear from rubbing on the pawl and cover plate, causing eventual breakage; in addition, the spring can easily be lost if the ratchet is disassembled for repair.

The reverse face plate is stamped with the date code for , a four-cornered symbol resemling a diamond but with the sides bowed inward. As with the previous example, the patent applied notice on the ratchet corresponds to patent 1,, , issued to L. Hummel in with assignment to Snap-on. By Snap-on had started marking their patent number on the ratchets, as the next several examples will show. The top face is stamped with a stylized "4" date code for , placed between the "On" and "Off" markings below the shift lever.

The patent notice refers to the Hummel patent 1,, mentioned previously. Our last example for this section will show a model externally similar to previous examples, but with a detent ball instead of an S-spring. The finish is plain steel for the body with chrome plating on the cover plate, though most has been lost due to wear. The face is stamped with a stylized "5" date code for , placed between the "On" and "Off" markings below the shift lever.

The patent notation on the ratchet refers to the Hummel patent 1,, mentioned previously. But did any readers notice the discrepancy between this paragraph and the previously recorded patent number? The patent number forged into the handle of this ratchet is incorrect, as the last two digits have been transposed!

This sort of problem is actually fairly common, but hadn't been noted previously for a Snap-on tool. In this ratchet the original "S" spring for the pawl bias has been replaced by a detent ball seated in the handle.

The detent ball proved to be a much more reliable mechanism for the pawl action, and remains in use today on ratchets of this type. Interestingly though, earlier versions of the FA model from still used the S-spring, so that the changeover to detent balls occurred within this model series. Readers familiar with the Snap-on sockets of the s might wonder what happened to the trusty tapered-wall sockets of that time.

The right inset shows the broaching opening. The walls have chatter marks typical of cold-broached construction, and the area below the broaching is recessed for chip removal.

The socket is also marked with overstamped date code symbols for and Oddly though, the "DH" prefix to the model number has been omitted on this example, but clearly it is a double-hex tapered-wall socket, nearly identical to the previous figure. The right inset shows the broaching opening, with chatter marks on the walls and a recessed area below the broaching, typical of cold-broached construction. Although not apparent in the photograph, the walls have chatter marks typical of cold-broached construction.

This early socket is not marked with a model number, but would be a model S in the later numbering. The overall height is 3. Cadmium plating was the standard finish for By the deep sockets were being marked with their model numbers, as the next figure illustrates. The metal holder is stamped with the Snap-on logo on the side, as shown in the middle inset. The sockets are all stamped "Made in U. This ratchet has an interesting variation for its date code, with the stylized digit "9" for appearing as a reversed raised letter.

Normally the date codes are stamped into the finished tool, but in this case the code was stamped into the forging die, giving the raised and reversed form on the tool. The reverse is also marked "Pat. D", a reference to design patent D, , issued in to D.

Chapman with assignment to Snap-on. The patent covers the design for the grooved and contoured handle. The reverse marking cites patent 2,, , filed by G. Gagne in and issued in The venerable No. By the No. The speeder has a throw of 4. The finish is chrome plating. During the s Snap-on offered many different models of speeders and braces, but by the s had standardized on a more limited selection of models. Readers interested in more information may want to refer to the section on Snap-on Early Speeders and Braces.

An earlier version of this particular model can be seen as the Snap-on Early K4 Speeder. The shank is also marked "Patent Applied For" near the flex head see left inset. The overall length is The patent corresponding to the patent applied notice is not yet known, and it's possible that the patent application was denied.

The design of this tool has placed the fork on the flex head, rather than at the end of the shank, probably to avoid infringing the Eagle patent 1,, The flex-head appears to be using a wave-washer to control its movement, rather than a friction ball, and this might have been the subject of the patent application. Although not marked with a patent notice, this tool was covered by the pending patent 2,, , filed by E. Pilger in and issued in The patent describes the multi-position detent employed for the flex-head, with a spring clip to provide friction.

Some readers may have wondered about the inverted configuration of this flex handle, with the fork on the head rather than on the handle. There's an interesting story behind this, which begins in the late s when Plomb Tool began offering flex handles based on a patented design 1,, using a fork on the handle. Flex handles became popular and other makers including Snap-on began offering them, but generally in the alternate forked-head design, to avoid obvious patent infringement.

But in a court decision, the Eagle patent was ruled invalid based on prior patented claims, and this ruling opened the way for other makers to use the design freely.

The first of the listed patents is 2,, , issued to E. Pilger in The second patent is 2,, , issued to G. Gagne in The speeder has a throw of 2. One detail to note here is that the detent ball is secured by a serrated depressed ring, rather than the smooth ring seen on earlier tools. Some readers may have wondered about this, and it turns out to be a patented feature introduced by Snap-on in the late s. The rationale is described in patent 2,, , filed by L.

Densmore in and issued in The detent ball on this extension shows the serrated ring described by patent 2,, The base is stamped with the Snap-on logo and model, plus a stylized "0" date code for The patent listed on the socket is 2,, , issued to E. The patent describes a mechanism for controlled friction in universal joints. Cadmium plating was Snap-on's standard finish in The first patent listed on the tool is 2,, , issued to G. This patent describes a mechanism to provide controlled friction in universal joints, and since the flex head of a breaker bar is similar to one half of a universal joint, the patent applies here as well.

The second patent noted is the Pilger 2,, , describing the use of multiple detents on a flexible head. But this patent marking seems a bit overzealous, as the flex head on this breaker bar doesn't include any detents at all. D" and "U. The face also has a stylized "3" date code below the shift lever. The overall length is 4. The patent notice refers to design patent D, , issued to D. Chapman in with assignment to Snap-on. The next two figures show examples of an open-style ratchet believed to have been part of Snap-on's line of industrial tools.

The shank is also stamped with a stylized "3" date code for The PF ratchet was offered over an extended period of time, from the s or possibly earlier through the s or later. Currently we are not very familiar with Snap-on's Industrial line due to a lack of catalogs.

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USMC construction repair equipmentrepair restoration mustang ford. How many Aviation Techs out there started off working on cars like Simon? Simon works for an airline in the UK, but worked on cars for years before transitioning to Aviation. Let us know in the comments below. Want to win? Can our Canadian Makers and Fixers relate? Shane Kelley is a Maintenance Mechanic for a brick manufacturer.

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Now, he uses his skills on product development and testing and building cars of the future. What things did you build as a kid? Eddie started in the oil and gas industry when he was 19 years old. He began as a pipeline welder, and has worked his way up to being a Motor Man and Direction Driller. If anything goes wrong on the oil rig, Eddie is the one who fixes it. Double-hex point and double-square 8-point broachings were introduced in The very earliest socket markings were certainly minimal: according to folklore, the first Snap-On sockets and drive tools had only size markings, or no markings at all!

Such sockets would be difficult to identify and authenticate if found, but could be compared to known marked examples for an indication of possible Snap-On origin. The earliest standardized marking for sockets consisted of an "S" and "O" overstrike to indicate Snap-On, together with the socket size in fractional notation. This marking style was used up until about Snap-On also introduced a socket numbering system at about the same time, which consisted of the abbreviation "NO.

Sockets marked in this fashion will have the model number, Snap-On logo, and fractional size, all on the same side of the socket. The above numbering scheme was simple and useful, but apparently it was not implemented consistently, as some sockets continued to be marked with only the Snap-On logo and fractional size. This state of affairs wasn't just a temporary delay in adding the model numbers, but persisted through to the end of the s, so that examples of both styles can be found with late date codes.

Even this is a bit of an oversimplification; in a large collection of early sockets, there may be a number of other recognizable changes in design and marking. Standard Sockets.

Introduction Snap-on Tools is one of the largest and best known makers of hand tools today. January, Notice for Snap-On Wrenches. Trademarks The table below lists the various trademarks registered by the Snap-On Wrench Company or its Blue Point subsidiary during the s. Renewed January 24, Renewed March 4,