One Saturday in April of 1997 I hit the flea market when I was supposed to be finishing my taxes. Some might call this avoidance behavior but I call it karma because I found the Machinist Guy all set up and dealing old tools. I knew him as the Machinist Guy because he suddenly appeared a few weeks before with nothing but machinist tools from his late grandfather. I checked out his wares at that time and found a couple of tools that I could use for woodworking, including a nice 6 inch combination square by Brown and Sharpe. This particular Saturday, I spotted a spiral ratchet screwdriver, a Yankee, and was immediately intrigued by the tool's appearance. Besides being in very good condition, it was made of blued steel. The typical Yankee screwdriver one sees at flea markets is nickel-plated brass. I picked it up and held it in the air. The Machinist Guy was deep in conversation with someone and grunted, "5 dollars." Sold!
Afterwards, I did a little reading and posted a note to the OldTools list with a description and a request for more information:
"...I found a Yankee #30A ratcheting screwdriver this weekend. This tool has a 1923 patent date, is made of blued steel with a red varnished handle (_very_ handsome) and does not have a return spring. I took the end capscrew off of it and it does not seem to have been made with the a flat surface on the end of the spiral shaft for something to push (and spin) against on the return stroke. Was this model made this way on purpose? I have read that for driving screws to fasten expensive hinges and final assembly of finely machined surfaces that some preferred to use this type of screwdriver without a spring action. This lessened the chance of the thing jumping out of the screw head and leaving tracks. Was the Yankee #30A screwdriver such a tool? The former owner was a machinist... "
I received several replies and was told that the #30A's were sold without springs. One Galoot, a collector of all things Yankee, also added that he had a number of blued Yankee tools which were made in the 1940's. This was a time when brass was in short supply domestically since it was being made into shell casings and many tools of this period had steel parts instead of the typical brass. The Type 17 Stanley bench planes are well known examples of this practice.
Yankee spiral ratchet screwdrivers are quite handy tools and are even more versatile with the use of a magnetic bit holder for modern hex shank bits. The spiral shaft can be locked in the retracted position and the Yankee can then be used as a ratchet screwdriver, a use for which it beats out any modern Major Home Center version. Old Blue has been joined on the Rack O' Automatic Screwdrivers as of late by a Millers Falls #61A and a second Blue Yankee from the same source as the first. The second Yankee is in good mechanical shape but has worn finishes. I use it more often since I don't want to put a great deal of wear on the original Old Blue.
The Machinist Guy? He's still at the flea market dealing tools but likes it enough that he hits the local auctions and garage sales and has branched out into woodworking and automotive tools. He has a nice Stanley #813 brace that has been sitting on his table for months now. He wants $10 for it but I'm wearing him down. Just a matter of time. Yep.
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Copyright 1997, 1998 Thomas Price - All rights reserved
Last revised on 5/26/98