Keystone Manufacturing Company

Table of Contents

Introduction

Keystone Manufacturing was a tool maker operating in Buffalo, New York. The company's products included ratchets, ratchet drills, adjustable wrenches, and socket sets. One of their better-known products was the Westcott adjustable "S" wrench, originally produced by the Westcott Wrench Company but made by Keystone from 1901 onward.

Company History

We haven't found an exact founding date for Keystone Manufacturing, but the company was definitely in business by 1891 based on tax records and the assignment of patent 446,072.

A notice on page 585 [External Link] of the September 29, 1892 issue of The Iron Age announced the election of the board of directors and officers of the company, with G.A. Schaefer as president.

Fig. 1. 1893 Ad for Keystone Manufacturing. [External Link]

Fig. 1 shows an early ad for Keystone ratchet wrenches, as published on page 61 of the December 28, 1893 issue of The Iron Age.

The text shows the use of the "Nonpareil" brand for ratchet wrenches, and the company address is listed as 312 Terrace Street in Buffalo.

The Westcott Adjustable Wrench

One of Keystone's most popular products was the Westcott adjustable "S" wrench. These wrenches were developed by George N. Westcott of Homer, New York and were first produced by the Cortland Wrench Company (sometimes reported as the Cortland Forging Company) of Homer.

Westcott had established a foundry and machine shop in 1877, according to a report on page 215 [External Link] of an 1885 History of Cortland County, and this business presumably formed the basis of the Cortland Wrench Company.

By 1892 the Cortland Wrench Company had been succeeded by the Westcott Wrench Company.

Fig. 2. 1892 Notice for Westcott Wrench Company. [External Link]

Fig. 2 shows a notice for the Westcott Wrench Company, as published on page 309 of the February 18, 1892 issue of The Iron Age.

By 1901 the Westcott wrenches were being manufactured by Keystone, which later received a trademark for "Westcott".

Fig. 3. 1902 Ad for Keystone Manufacturing. [External Link]

Fig. 3 shows an ad for Keystone Manufacturing, as published on page 130 of the May 8, 1902 issue of The Iron Age.

The illustration shows a "Monarch" ratchet drill at the top, with Westcott "S" pipe and nut wrenches below.

The Westcott wrenches were significant as being the most popular transverse-jaw adjustable wrench prior to the advent of the Crescent wrench.

The Westcott design was not original however, as it borrowed heavily from the 1857 E.J. Worcester patent 17,531 for the jaw mechanism, and from earlier "S" handle wrenches in the overall form.

Socket Sets

By the mid 1920s Keystone was offering "Soc-Kit" 1/2-hex drive socket sets in patented holders, similar to sets being offered by companies such as Indestro or New Britain Machine. The company registered "SocKit" as trademark #190,109 in October of 1924.

Patents

Trademarks

In 1907 Keystone received the "Westcott" trademark #62,642 on May 21 for pipe and nut wrenches, the "Monarch" trademark #63,021 on June 4 for hand ratchets, and the "Keystone" trademark #63,022 on June 4 for hand ratchets and nail sets.

References and Resources

Photographs and observations of particular tools are based on items in the Alloy Artifacts Collection.

Catalog Resources

Unfortunately we currently have only very limited catalog coverage for Keystone Manufacturing.

Keystone is known to have published a number of catalogs based on references in trade publications, including catalog No. 12 in 1902 and catalog No. 18 in 1920. In addition, a catalog No. 32 is known with a price list dated April, 1947.

Industrial Distributors

Keystone tools were widely available through industrial distributors.

• Chas. A. Strelinger 1895. The 1895 catalog from Chas. A. Strelinger & Company lists Keystone adjustable ratchet wrenches on page 55.

• H. Channon 1910 The 1910 catalog from the H. Channon Company of Chicago lists Keystone reversible ratchets on page 515, and Monarch and Keystone Weston ratchets on page 517. Westcott adjustable pipe wrenches are listed on page 546 in sizes 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 inches.

• Chandler & Farquhar 1910. The 1910 catalog from the Chandler & Farquhar Company of Boston lists Westcott adjustable "S" nut and pipe wrenches on page 174. Keystone reversible ratchets and Monarch ratchet drills are listed on page 184.

• Cray Brothers 1912. The 1912 catalog from Cray Brothers, an industrial distributor in Cleveland, lists Westcott adjustable "S" wrenches on page 55. Also listed are Keystone straight adjustable wrenches on page 55 and Keystone reversible ratchets on page 59.

• Pittsburgh Gage & Supply 1913. The 1913 catalog from the Pittsburgh Gage & Supply Company lists Keystone reversible ratchets on pages 814-816, Monarch ratchets on page 817, Keystone Weston ratchets on page 818, Keystone ratchet socket wrenches on page 819, Keystone ratchet tap wrenches on page 820, and Keystone ratchet stud drivers on page 820.

  Other listings include Westcott adjustable "S" nut wrenches on page 838 and Westcott adjustable "S" pipe wrenches on page 838.

• H. Channon 1916. The 1916 catalog No. 80 from the H. Channon Company lists Keystone reversible ratchets on page 220.

• Chandler & Farquhar 1919. The 1919 catalog from the Chandler & Farquhar Company, an industrial distributor in Boston, lists Westcott adjustable "S" wrenches and adjustable "S" pipe wrenches on page 153. Also listed are Keystone reversible ratchets on page 205.

• Cragin & Company 1921. The 1921 catalog No. 2 from Cragin & Company of Seattle lists Westcott adjustable "S" wrenches on page 203 in sizes 6, 8, 10, and 12 inches. Also listed are Monarch ratchet drills on page 232, Keystone reversible ratchet drills on page 233, and Keystone ratchet tap wrenches on page 234.

• Ducommun "G" 1926. The 1926 catalog "G" from the Ducommun Corporation lists Westcott adjustable "S" wrenches on page 228, in sizes 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 inches. Also listed are Keystone reversible ratchets on page 344.

• Waterston No. 25 1926. The 1926 catalog No. 25 from J.M. Waterston of Detroit lists Westcott adjustable "S" wrenches on page 157, in sizes 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 inches. Note that this catalog is undated, but is referenced in the trade press in November of 1926.

Westcott Adjustable "S" Wrenches

Westcott No. 78 8 Inch Adjustable "S" Wrench

Fig. 4. Keystone Westcott No. 78 8 Inch Adjustable "S" Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Back Side Detail.

Fig. 4 shows a Westcott No. 78 8 inch adjustable "S" wrench, marked with "Westcott" and "The Keystone Mfg. Co." forged into the handle. The lower inset shows the model number and size forged into the back side, which is also marked "Buffalo NY USA" (not shown).

The overall length is 7.9 inches, and the maximum opening is 1.1 inches. The finish is black paint.

Westcott No. 80 10 Inch Adjustable "S" Wrench

Fig. 5. Keystone Westcott No. 80 10 Inch Adjustable "S" Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Back Side Detail.

Fig. 5 shows a Westcott No. 80 10 inch adjustable "S" wrench, marked with "Westcott" and "The Keystone Mfg. Co." cast into the handle, with "10 Inch No. 80" and "Buffalo NY USA" cast into the back side.

The overall length is 10.2 inches, and the maximum opening is 1.5 inches. The finish is black paint.

Westcott No. 82 12 Inch Adjustable "S" Wrench

Fig. 6. Keystone Westcott No. 82 12 Inch Adjustable "S" Wrench, with Insets for Side View and Back Side Detail.

Fig. 6 shows a Westcott No. 82 12 inch adjustable "S" wrench, marked with "Westcott" and "The Keystone Mfg. Co." cast into the handle, with "12 Inch No. 82" and "Buffalo NY USA" cast into the back side.

The overall length is 11.8 inches, and the maximum opening is 1.7 inches. The finish is black paint.

Sockets and Drive Tools

By the mid 1920s Keystone was offering "Soc-Kit" 1/2-hex drive socket sets for automotive applications.

Fig. 7. 1927 Ad for Keystone No. 555 Soc-Kit Set.

The scan in Fig. 7 shows an ad for the Keystone No. 555 "Soc-Kit" socket set, as published on page 94 of the August 11, 1927 issue of Hardware Age.

The company received several patents for socket set holders, and patent 1,534,537 is known to have been used for products, based on a listing in catalog No. 31.

Keystone socket sets may be difficult to identify, as with the exception of the ratchet the tools were generally unmarked.

Keystone SK555 1/2-Hex Drive Ratchet

Fig. 8. Keystone SK555 1/2-Hex Drive Ratchet, with Insets for Back Side and Side View, ca. Late 1920s.

Fig. 8 shows an early Keystone 1/2-hex drive SK555 ratchet and drive plug, marked with "The Keystone Mfg. Co." and "Buffalo, N.Y. U.S.A." forged into the shank, with "Drop Forged Steel" and the "SK555" model number forged into the back side.

The overall length is 7.5 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

The top inset shows a side view of the ratchet, illustrating the drop-forged construction with the parting line clearly visible.

The middle inset shows the circular plate covering the ratchet mechanism, which has been permanently crimped in place. The mechanism has a relatively coarse 10-tooth drive gear.

The pawl operates in a keyway drilled into the handle, but with no access hole apparent in the ratchet head, the reader may wonder how the pocket for the pawl was constructed. The surprising answer is described by patent 1,761,263, filed by F.A. Haist in 1927 and issued in 1930. The patent drawings show the ratchet head being bent back to allow a hole to be drilled in the handle!

Bending the ratchet head in order to drill and broach a blind hole seems like a difficult operation to us, and later Keystone ratchets used a simpler method of making the pawl keyway.

The drive plug appears to have had a screwdriver blade originally, but the blade has been broken off.

Keystone M1555 1/2-Hex Drive Ratchet

Fig. 9. Keystone M1555 1/2-Hex Drive Ratchet, with Inset for Back Side.

Fig. 9 shows a later Keystone 1/2-hex drive M1555 ratchet, marked with "The Keystone Mfg. Co." and "Buffalo, N.Y. U.S.A." forged into the shank, with "Ratchet Wrench" and the "M1555" model number forged into the back.

The overall length is 7.5 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

If we compare this ratchet with the earlier SK555 model, the main difference is that the cover plate now has a rectangular tab extending over the handle, with several indentations that may be spot welds. The tab on the cover plate implies that a slot has been milled into the handle as a keyway for the pawl, a much simpler method of construction than the blind hole used for the earlier generation of ratchets.

The different model number on this ratchet may reflect the change in the method of construction.

Keystone No. 555 1/2-Hex Drive Socket Set

Fig. 10. 1930s Catalog Listing for Keystone No. 555 1/2-Hex Drive Socket Set.

The scan in Fig. 10 shows a catalog listing for the Keystone No. 555 socket set, as published on page 25 of catalog No. 31, undated but probably from the 1930s.

The listed contents of the set consist of an alloy-steel ratchet, a drive plug, an 8 inch ell handle, eight sockets from 7/16 to 15/16, and a metal case. Although not stated, Keystone's ratchet at this time was model No. 611.

The text notes that the set is patented, presumably for the distinctive holder, but we have not yet located the applicable patent.

Fig. 11. Keystone 1/2-Hex Drive No. 555 Socket Set, with Inset for Top (Closed) View.

Fig. 11 shows a 1/2-hex drive Keystone No. 555 socket set in its compact folding case, as seen from the side and top.

The set consists of an M1555 ratchet, a drive plug, a 7 inch ell handle, eight double-hexagon sockets, and the metal holder.

None of the tools are marked except for the ratchet.

Our set has some differences from the catalog description, in particular an M1555 ratchet instead of a No. 611 ratchet, and a 7 inch ell handle instead of an 8 inch model.

Keystone was offering socket sets with this style of metal holder as early as 1927, based on the advertisement at the beginning of this section. The company received three patents for socket set holders in the mid 1920s, but none of them have a cover that opens by pivoting upwards.

Patent 1,671,159 does have a wire bail at the end like the present example, and it's possible that Keystone was claiming patented status based on this minor feature.

Top (Open) View of No. 555 Socket Set

Fig. 12. Keystone 1/2-Hex Drive Sockets in Holder.

In Fig. 12 the metal holder has been opened to show the sockets in place.

Note how the sides have been folded over and cut with scalloped openings to secure the sockets.

The sockets are broached with 12-point openings. The socket sizes are, from the left, 15/16, 7/8, 3/4, 11/16, 5/8, 9/16, 1/2, and 7/16.

Keystone 7 Inch 1/2-Hex Drive Ell-Handle and M1555 Ratchet from No. 555 Socket Set

Fig. 13. Keystone 1/2-Hex Drive M1555 Ratchet and Ell Handle.

Fig. 13 shows the 1/2-hex drive M1555 ratchet and 7 inch ell handle from the Keystone No. 555 socket set.

The ratchet is marked with "The Keystone Mfg. Co." and "Buffalo, N.Y. U.S.A." forged into the front (not shown), with "Ratchet Wrench" and the "M1555" model number forged into the back.

The ratchet is shown with its 1/2-hex drive stud.

The overall length is 7.5 inches.

The ell handle is unmarked and has an overall length of 7.1 inches. The straight end of the handle does not have stop tabs, making it possible to push the handle through the ratchet for use as a variable-length extension. (This latter feature is noted in the catalog description.)

Keystone 1/2-Hex Drive Sockets from No. 555 Socket Set

Fig. 14. Keystone 1/2-Hex Drive Sockets.

Fig. 14 shows a closeup of three 1/2-hex drive sockets from the Keystone No. 555 set.

The sockets have a band of cross-hatched knurling around the base, and are marked with only the fractional sizes.

The sizes are, from the left, 7/16, 5/8, and 15/16.

Keystone 1/2-Drive Socket Sets

By the mid 1940s Keystone was offering 1/2 (square) drive carbon-steel socket sets similar to sets available from Duro/Indestro or New Britain machine.

Currently we don't have examples of these tools to display, but these sets are listed in catalog supplement pages from the mid 1940s.