Two old B & D s drill and heat gun

[skipskip]

I do mean OLD. I'm thinking 30's?


SEP 414 by skipskip, on Flickr



SEP 415 by skipskip, on Flickr


more pics here, at the end :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skipskip/sets/72157631550424865/

both work, the heat gun  gets hot quick

[johnsironsanctuary]

Skip, I've got a drill gun like yours. It was new in 1922.

[ron darner]

A lot of the old Black & Deckers of that era have a series of patent dates listed on the nameplate.  Those will provide an "earliest" date, but doesn't tell how long a particular model was in production.  I can't make out enough detail in the close-up photo of the nameplate to provide any help.  I have a list of the actual patents and what they covered, for lots of the dates they show on drills I own.  They patented that hexagonal motor cross-section, and their logo shows the initial inside a hex, referencing it.  I have an old body grinder made in the same style - HAS to be B&D - but the label is illegible.
Is that a 1/4" size?  They made 1/4", 5/16", 1/2", 5/8", 3/4", and 1", that I've either got or seen described somewhere.  I may have seen something about a 1-1/4", too.  Seems odd that I haven't found a 3/8" in that style, given how common they are today.

[skipskip]

Is that a 1/4" size?
yes


no build date, but serial number is B10088


last patent date shown is april 29 1924

[ron darner]

The April 29, 1924 patent is #1,492,095, issued to Samuel Duncan Black and Alonzo Galloway Decker (yes, the original Mr. Black and Mr. Decker).  It covers the trigger-operated rotary switch that alternates between "On" and "Off" with each pull.  So, you have to pull the trigger again in order to turn it off - really scary if the drill bit sticks, especially if you're using one of their bigger drills (5/8", 3/4" and larger)!  Part of the purpose was to make it possible to swap out a burned-out switch without special tools; making the handle-and-trigger assembly including the cord exit detachable from the rest of the drill with just four screws helped accomplish this.  Their original patent, #1,245,860 (Nov. 6, 1917) had the same alternating action switch, but wasn't readily changed out.  It also claimed the pistol-grip handle centered beneath the drill's center of mass, and the enlarged area above the user's hand to more easily support the weight.
They also patented the reversing switch for electric drills in 1925, and the cord protector (that tapered sheath where the cord exits the handle or body of the drill) in 1926, so a lot of the features we take for granted were their inventions.