New tools

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted by 4WD
Those seem like an art form to make and still have needed strength …

On the down side … you can't mention tools like these if you interviewed at that shop in Florida …

 

[Trav]

Oh I know, I was working in that era. I am sure you remember opening the hood and seeing blue and green colored bolts denoting them as metric, no color they were SAE (most of the time).
I still have all the SAE tools in another box but its rare they get used today but as you say you never know whats going to turn up.

 

[Silk]

My Whitworth stuff is at home these days, with just a couple of common sizes at work because you can still get caught out here. I have a draw for SAE spanners, and SAE in my 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 draws...they still get used.

 

[Trav]

You don't hear much about Whitworth much these days, my set is small, just enough for most common jobs on old Brit stuff. They do get used occasionally though mostly on old bikes.

 

[Silk]

I have a full set of Hazet, some Stahlwille and Britool, other odds and sods, and a 3/4 Tipco socket set in Whitworth, I have some metric 3/4 sockets and use the Tipco ratchet and extensions. We were still doing a lot of Landrovers in the '90's. Most British vehicles changed over in the mid '50's (we were still working on those in the '80's), but Leyland, Rover and the British bikes were slower to change...if ever.

 

[Exhaustgases]

And it costs snap on what to make those flare sockets? Maybe $10. for both sets. If even that.

 

[Trav]

Not even close, the tool steel alone cost more than that. When you figure the high cost of the top of the line machinery and highly skilled labor it takes to finish these at this flawless level plus plating the build cost is going to be high.
Don't forget the cost of the factory and foundry and running them have to be figured in.

 

[clinebarger]

Originally Posted by Exhaustgases
And it costs snap on what to make those flare sockets? Maybe $10. for both sets. If even that.


Show me a set of comparable sockets that meet your price point requirements.......

These Koken's are $50 per socket......HERE
$500 for the 10 piece Snap-on metric set comes out to $50 a socket, I'm not even counting the 7 piece SAE set which would drive the per socket price down too @$30.

 

[CT8]

There is a huge difference in the quality fit and function between cheap vs expensive tools. time is money.

 

[Trav]

People seem to forget (especially DIY guys) that tools for a working mechanic are his livelihood, cheap crap tools are not an option.

 

[willbur]

Whitworth? What about British Standard, too?

 

[Trav]

British standard is Whitworth (BSW).

 

[Silk]

And BSF - BSW was the course thread, BSF the fine....like UNC and UNF.

 

[Trav]

IIRC the tools used were the same though. BSP and BSPT for pipe taps or dies.

 

[Silk]

Well, the tool was the same, just marked with different sizes...so, your 5/16 bolt size was a 1/4 BSW, and also a 5/16 BSF, your 3/8 bolt size was a 5/15 BSW and a 3/8 BSF. No wonder people got confused. Working on Whitworth, SAE and metric everyday, you could tell what you looking at straight away, and knew what to grab.

 

[willbur]

Really? I recall my sockets marked with 2 sizes-one Whitworth and the other British Standard. Obviously not the same. Why would they do this?

 

[Trav]

That is what I don't understand, British Standard what? BS-W, F, P, PT?

 

[willbur]

For example: socket is marked 1/2BS, and 7/16W

 

[Trav]

Same size.

 

[Trav]

https://www.amazon.com/Abingdon-Tools-Whitworth-Combination-Wrench/dp/B01L4PMD72