Brass 1/4" Meteor Ratchet

Bus · January 15, 2012, 09:08:31 PM

Found this little brass 1/4" drive ratchet in the stuff I am cataloging for the Spring York, Nebraska Auction. It's only 3-7/8" long and marked: "METEOR MFG. CO. - BUFFALO, NY / METEOR - PAT. PEND. - MADE IN USA".

I don't have the patent and was wondering if anybody else has? It will be Lot 227 in the auction. Anybody else have one? I don't think I have seen it before.

rusty · January 15, 2012, 10:33:35 PM

D167868 shows a ratchet with a screwdriver blade on the back side of the driver, but it's kind of a streach, the patent is for the design of an entire tool set, and the rest of the ratchet in the set looks totally different....It's the only tool related patent I see for Meteor tho...

http://www.google.com/patents/USD167868?printsec=drawing&dq=%22William+B.+McBride%22&ei=i6YTT_29L83rggf6x6nWAw#v=onepage&q&f=false

Bus · January 16, 2012, 10:24:40 AM

Rusty,
Your right it would be a stretch but if nothing else shows up it might be the correct patent. Thanks.

bonneyman · January 16, 2012, 11:48:05 AM

Is that a detent ball on the end of the handle? Looks like it. So, it's a nutrunner, ratchet, and offset screwdriver all in one. Cool!

Bus · January 16, 2012, 12:28:29 PM

Bonneyman,
Yes is is a detent ball on the end of the handle. Look again at the last picture (I had the wrong pictrue posted before).

john k · January 16, 2012, 08:59:23 PM

Would this wrench be made of Berylium? Anti-spark for oil fields and ship engine rooms. Interesting to have a second socket capability, would be nice today to keep the next size handy, one could also slip on an extension for more torque.

Trot · September 15, 2013, 09:53:56 AM

I recently purchased a box of stuff at an auction and found a similar ratchet

mvwcnews · September 15, 2013, 12:19:20 PM

"Bus,"
I don't know about non-sparking, but easily found METEOR MFG. BUFFALO chrome plated 1/4" drive ratchet of similar style using Google book search -- post WWII, early 1950s. ( http://books.google.com/books?id=ZNkDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA264&dq=meteor%20buffalo%20ratchet&pg=PA264#v=onepage&q=meteor%20buffalo%20ratchet&f=false )
Perhaps no patent was issued.
Stan S.

rusty · September 15, 2013, 12:25:05 PM

Beat me to it by 30 seconds LOL

But yes, it appears the ratchet in the patent above was made as shown in the patent, and isn't the brass one....directly at least..

bonneyman · September 15, 2013, 12:46:07 PM

I keep looking at this tool and think I've gotta make one like it. Get a few wore-out ratchets together, do some cutting and welding, and make a multi-size ratchet with a square nut driver plug on the end!

Bus · September 15, 2013, 09:05:31 PM

Below is the ad that Stan found in a Jan 1951 Popular Mechanics magazine. It mentions that the wrenches are "highly polished chrome steel". Now I am wondering of the ratchet sold at auction was brass or just brass coated with the chrome wore off and just the brass undercoat left. Can't remember if I tried a magnet on it.

rusty · September 16, 2013, 06:34:35 PM

Bus, did you by any chance check that it was in fact 1/4 and not 9/32 ?
Meteor was around a long time, could be a war special.....
Just a thought...

Trot: We aren't ignoring you, we just don't know much ;P
It is interesting if someone else has one, it's not a prototype or something...

Meteor_Mfg · February 16, 2025, 09:36:28 AM

Quote from: Bus on January 15, 2012, 09:08:31 PM
Found this little brass 1/4" drive ratchet in the stuff I am cataloging for the Spring York, Nebraska Auction. It's only 3-7/8" long and marked: "METEOR MFG. CO. - BUFFALO, NY / METEOR - PAT. PEND. - MADE IN USA".

I don't have the patent and was wondering if anybody else has? It will be Lot 227 in the auction. Anybody else have one? I don't think I have seen it before.

Quote from: Bus on January 15, 2012, 09:08:31 PM
Found this little brass 1/4" drive ratchet in the stuff I am cataloging for the Spring York, Nebraska Auction. It's only 3-7/8" long and marked: "METEOR MFG. CO. - BUFFALO, NY / METEOR - PAT. PEND. - MADE IN USA".

I don't have the patent and was wondering if anybody else has? It will be Lot 227 in the auction. Anybody else have one? I don't think I have seen it before.

Hey Bus, I sent you a message about this as I own the factory where Meteor Mfg got their start and I'd love to know if you still have this wrench as I've never seen another one quite like it. Hope to hear from you, thanks!

Lewill2 · February 16, 2025, 09:44:17 AM

Meteor Mfg, Bus was looking for information for a listing in the Missouri Valley Wrench Club auction that he was putting together. I don't know who the winning bidder on the auction lot was. The original post is several years old.

Meteor_Mfg · February 18, 2025, 01:19:49 PM

Quote from: Lewill2 on February 16, 2025, 09:44:17 AM
Meteor Mfg, Bus was looking for information for a listing in the Missouri Valley Wrench Club auction that he was putting together. I don't know who the winning bidder on the auction lot was. The original post is several years old.

Ah! Thanks for clarifying. Hopefully it crops back up at some point, it would be killer to have in my collection and displayed in the Meteor Mfg Factory

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Brass 1/4" Meteor Ratchet

Trot