41-W-2620 and Other 3/4" Socket Sets

[mrbill]

I was going through some old posts on 41-W-2615 1/4" socket sets and it dawned on me that there is very little on the 41-W-2620 3/4" socket set (or, for that matter, anything in the 3/4" size). So, here's the beginning of a thread to consolidate our collective knowledge.

lordsandy shared his Herbrand set in this thread: Halftrack 3/4" Ratchet/Socket Set?

There was also some good discussion on mudbox's 2017 Flea topic.

My own accumulation of 3/4" ballast is here: The Wright Stuff

I lifted d42jeep's photo from mudbox's thread to show the items in the set:

41-W-2620 Contents

IMG_3611.JPG (194.82 KiB) Viewed 1658 times

There was also a Wright 3/4" set that sold on Ebay some years back that was a complete 3/4" set but the contents were pretty close and the dates right in the ballpark:

3-4-set-5.jpg

Wright 44-45 3/4" set

(239.6 KiB) Downloaded 309 times

It included these socket sizes:
1-1/16"
1-1/8"
1-3/16"
1-1/4"
1-5/16"
1-3/8"
1-7/16"
1-1/2"
1-9/16"
1-5/8"
1-11/16"
1-3/4"
1-13/16"
1-7/8"
2"

I'm also aware of the 3/4" set R41-S-3935 in the Navy Class 41 Catalog which has a similar BOM :

17 - 12-point sockets (7/8" to 1-7/8" by 16ths)
1 socket (2")
1 socket (2-1/8")
1 Reversible Ratchet
1 Extension (8")
1 Extension (16")
1 Hinge Handle (18")
1 Sliding Bar (tee) Handle (18")
1 Ell Handle (18")

Case was listed as 22" x 7-3/4" (width) x 3-1/2" (height). Plomb 5500-A was listed as the example.

Plomb 5500-A

plomb-5500-a.jpeg (56.67 KiB) Viewed 1658 times

Bill

[Joe Gopan]

The 3/4" drive sockets were not always issued to maintain wheeled and tracked units, they were also part of Tank Farm tool kits. Both Army and Navy had Tank Farms.

[mudbox]

Bill, I can say that, thanks primarily to you but also partly to that diversion about the heavy wrecker tool kit, I've started snapping up a bit of my own 'ballast'.
Not much, and a bit of a motley crew, but a good start.
Full size image is HERE.



Sockets are:
Plomb 7/8"
TRUTH 1-1/16
Walden 1-1/8"
TRUTH 1-3/16
Walden 1-5/16
Walden 1-3/8"
Husky 1-1/2"
Wright 1/9/16" (-44)
Wright 1-5/8" (AC)
Wright 1-11/16" (-43)
Wright 1-3/4" (43+)
And the short Herbrand (H-29) extension

And, of course, the monster 3/4" drive Bonney ratchet:



The sockets in the drawing you posted above are almost certainly TRUTH.

-Jason

[Wingnutt]

Great idea, guys! Just what I need. Something else to collect.

(Er, I mean, I hate you all.)

[mrbill]

Great idea, guys! Just what I need. Something else to collect.

(Er, I mean, I hate you all.)

Ah, c'mon 'nutt. You know you wanted to open a new "wing" at the Gregsonian!

Bill

[Wingnutt]

Ah, c'mon 'nutt. You know you wanted to open a new "wing" at the Gregsonian!

Haha. Very clever!

Well, I do happen to have HALF of a 3/4-inch piece. But the other half belongs back in the old wing with the 1/2-inch stuff!

1942 L-216 adapter (pictured with a 1944 F-18 9/16” swivel).

[mrbill]

I saw this 3/4" set on Craigslist and took a long drive tonight to pick it up. I was interested in it because I thought it might be a 41-W-2620 set, or almost one. The Williams H-50 is definitely WWII era (and includes the ever elusive Williams-marked H-150 drive plug/coupler). The Tee and extension definitely look S-K and are unmarked. 8 of the sockets are S-K and plain steel, 3 are Craftsman Circle-K, One Williams and one Snap-on (with either a 1950 or 1960 date code - I think 1960 because of the logo). The box is marked “Lyon Aurora Ill.”. I’m just missing a 1-7/8” and 2” socket and a short extension. Does anyone know anything about Lyon boxes? It's a tad smaller than the box size specified for the set and appears to have supports for a tray.

All the bits together.

Williams socket.

Craftsman Circle-K.

Later Snap-on.

S-K socket.

Williams H-50.

Edit: I see someone else recently found a Lyon box, too. LYON, tool box


Bill

[mudbox]

Nice find, Bill. If unmarked as you say, the T and extension are likely SK. The Extension for sure looks the part. Nice jumble of ballast!
Most of those should clean up well in the evaporust. I still pick up the odd 3/4" socket or extension when I come across them, provided the seller doesn't want too much for them!

-Jason

[d42jeep]

Hey Bill,
I went through my 3/4” drive tools and found some wartime examples. You are welcome to any or all of them. The D-I is 1-1/16”, the Snap-on is a 1944 marked 1-1/4” plus a Plomb short extension.
-Don

[Gordon_M]

I only have negative info from this side of the pond.

I can't recall having any 3/4" stuff at all, from any manufacturer. I'm sure it was here but maybe not common or valued. Haven't seen any for sale online or in the wild.

[Silly's MB]

It's not all negative from over here in the UK
This drawer full is predominantly 1942 dated Blackhawk which came in one lot. Also in the drawer is some SK, New Britain and Craftsman BE.

[Gordon_M]

Also in the drawer is some SK, New Britain and Craftsman BE.

The BE stuff would be 1/2 drive and smaller I believe? I'm sure I was told on here the wartime Craftsman marked 3/4" drive stuff was made by SK, and in all my trawling to fill up the Craftsman DeLuxe set I never saw one bit of Craftsman underline marked 3/4" drive material.

( I'm very keen to find a Craftsman underline marked straight 16" pry bar if anyone has a spare, it's the only big item still missing from the DeLuxe set )

[Silly's MB]

You are correct Gordon Its Craftsman BM in Shiny chrome. I will keep an eye out for the pry bar ....

[mudbox]

You are correct Gordon Its Craftsman BM in Shiny chrome.

Craftsman BM and Circle K marked 3/4" drive were made at the same time. Don't know why there would be a difference in the manufacturer code.
Wartime Craftsman 3/4" drive sockets are described in the 1942 tool catalog as "Durable, high polished finish". Specifically not described as chrome plated. Probably due to wartime restrictions.

...in all my trawling to fill up the Craftsman DeLuxe set I never saw one bit of Craftsman underline marked 3/4" drive material.

Here is a set that I snapped up from the flea market a few years ago. The extensions and sliding T are unmarked and plain steel. Typical of wartime SK production. The sockets, I initially thought were chrome, but after seeing the Craftsman Ad, I'm leaning toward HIGHLY polished. Near mirror finish on them. I think this set is about as good as it would get for wartime Craftsman 3/4" tools.







Link to the 1942 Craftsman tool catalog can be found HERE.

-Jason

[mrbill]

Shiny!

The circle-K sockets I picked up were nowhere close to that! You can't deny the S-K heritage, though. If you turn them away from the side with the stamping, the line placement and knurling is identical.

Bill