Mystery ratchet

[moparthug]

This thing is kind of goofy, 1/2 inch drive on one side, 7/8th 12 point socket on the back. Bright chrome over a rough body, no makers name, unknown forge stamp, and it looks like something is missing or broken off the end of it by a set screw. It could be a cheap 1980's Pakistani ratchet or something a bit more interesting , I've just never seen one before. Any ideas?

[amecks]

Yeah that's weird.  The screws are JIS - Japanese Industrial Standard as identified by the markings between the "Phillips" points.
Al

[lptools]

Hello, Moparthug,I wish that I could help, but I have never seen one!!!  Al, I see that screw head often at work, mostly on European Style Hinges. We refer to them as "Pozidriv" Screws, we get special screwdrivers for these from the hinge manufacturers, Blum, Salice. Same thing?? Thanks, Lou

[bill300d]

In pic 4 the lightning bolt inside a circle is the JIS Standard logo.
Definitely Asian

[lptools]

Hello, Bill. I stand corrected!! This can only mean one thing, I have to add JIS screwdrivers to my arsenal!!!!!!!!  Thanks for the info, Lou.  P.S. Here is a link to a good article on the many faces of Phillips.   


http://thevalleywoodworker.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-many-faces-of-phillips.html

[amecks]

I finally decided I had to have JIS screwdrivers.  Wanting to keep the expense down, I found I could buy a set of three JIS  #1,2 and 3 bits from Motion Pro.  I had a couple magnetic screwdrivers - the type with bit storage in the handle - which I used a paint marker and wrote JIS on the handle.  One for work, one for home.  They make a big difference when trying to work with JIS screws.  I believe they will work well for Phillips and Pozidrive also, but I have so far only used them on JIS.

[bill300d]

Chapman Mfg. also makes JIS bits.

[moparthug]

Whatever it was designed for, it works great! I pulled the heads of an old Ford FE V8 and this ratchet is a winner, and the thick chrome made clean up easy. My only experience before with Japanese tools are the cheap factory tool kits that come with old Honda motorcycles, but this... I am impressed. It just earned a space in the top drawer of my roll away.

[strik9]

That looks like the ratchet part of a broken clicker torque wrench.    That would explain the odd end of yhe handle.