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Doug Jones
08-26-2003, 6:38 PM
My grandfather gave me this com. square, How can I tell what brand it is, or can I. It has no markings on it other than the measurements it has a bubble level in it also, on the bottom it looks as if something was attatched to it but its gone now. The whole thing is of heavy metal not plastic like a lot of are today I thought maybe someone could tell by looking.

Again TIA for any help, Doug

Kevin Gerstenecker
08-26-2003, 7:28 PM
Doug, I have 3 or 4 of these combo. squares laying around. The ones I have look identical to the one you have. I am not sure of the Manufacturer, as they have no markings either, except one has the Stanley Mark. 2 of the ones I have still have the Steel Rule in them, and the rule is VERY heavy duty.........probably twice as thick as the ones you see now days. The small hole in the bottom contained a small scratch awl that was used for scribing/marking lines. Most of these come loose and get lost over time. 2 of the ones I have still have the scribing tool with them. The Scribing Tool was an inch or so long, with a small, knurled brass head. I am not sure how old they are myself..............2 I received from my Dad, and the others I picked up at various sales over the years.

Angelo Schembari
08-29-2003, 11:29 AM
Doug,

I have 3 combo squares, 2 are craftsman, one is Starrett. The 2 craftsman have the heart design around the lock knob. One of these is as high a quality as the starrett, and is marked craftsman #4.

If its square, use it!

harry strasil
08-30-2003, 5:07 AM
I think you will find that most combination squares have no name other than the one on the rule part or blade

Jay Guarneri
03-16-2022, 11:31 AM
I thought I'd resurrect this old thread rather than start a brand new one, but I picked up a vintage cast iron combination square head last week. I'm curious about who the manufacturer is. I've combed through hundreds of eBay listings, image search, etc, and haven't found a match. There was no blade and no markings on the head. It's perfectly square with a blade from a hardware store square, so it doesn't REALLY matter, but my curiousity won't quite let me let go...

I do plan to give it a paint job, and get a better blade for it. The lockscrew gives a hair more than 0.090" clearance, so I think a PEC 4R blem should be a good fit. But I digress. Anyone recognize this head?
475944

Jim Koepke
03-16-2022, 11:50 AM
Howdy Jay and welcome to the Creek.

My typical way to identify unknown tools is searching them on ebay.

My combo squares do not get used a whole lot. My preference is for a try square or an Odd Jobs:

475948

A bunch of my combo squares were tossed in the trash for being out of square. A few of the better ones were corrected and saved.

jtk

Jay Guarneri
03-16-2022, 1:16 PM
Thanks Jim!

I'll definitely be spending more time combing through eBay off and on. I hadn't heard about Odd Jobs; they look pretty darn cool!

Andrew Seemann
03-16-2022, 5:41 PM
It's hard to say. I've got a Starrett head like that with no logo and a couple with, so manufacturers weren't always consistent.

Mel Fulks
03-16-2022, 7:03 PM
The top is not straight, perhaps it’s a just an un ground casting.

Jay Guarneri
03-17-2022, 9:01 AM
Oh, I guess it does look like it in the picture. I can assure you it's straight in person. The sides aren't ground flat, though. So between that, some imperfections in the casting, and the angle of the photo, it definitely looks off.

Jay Guarneri
03-17-2022, 10:58 AM
Thanks, Andrew. That's more of a lead than I've had so far, because it could be any manufacturer. Does your Starret head have the same hole pattern?

Andrew Seemann
03-17-2022, 6:51 PM
I doubt it is a Starrett, mostly due to the casting dross and general roughness of the casting. If I was to guess, I'd say it was probably a second tier manufacturer (i.e. not Starrett, Brown & Sharpe, Union, Lufkin, Pratt Goodall, Mitutoyo, etc), or, more likely, it was something manufactured unbranded and sold as a private label for a hardware chain or mail order catalog prior to the 1960s.

Jay Guarneri
03-17-2022, 7:46 PM
Yeah, that makes sense. I've never seen one of the high end ones in person, but I would expect a cleaner casting than that! Hope springs eternal, though.

Jim Koepke
03-18-2022, 10:59 AM
Do you have a vial for the level?

jtk

steven c newman
03-18-2022, 11:07 AM
And, that "hole" at the bottom of the "Head" should be threaded...to accept a scribe...

On new combo squares, you will see a Brass knob sitting there...you un-screw that knob, there is a sharpened pin attached to that knob,,you use that to scribe a line. Handier that using a knife.

Jay Guarneri
03-18-2022, 12:33 PM
Yep, the vial is intact and in place. Definitely an older style, as the fluid is colorless and there are no lines. I can see some rust behind it, so I should probably pick up some evaporust to get in all the nooks and crannies.

Jay Guarneri
03-18-2022, 12:34 PM
Yeah, sadly there was no sign of the scribe in the box of old tools at the antique store. It looks like this one may have been friction fit. There's just an unthreaded brass shim in the hole. I may try to figure out a replacement. But, just having this head is a huge improvement over the plastic one I already had, even if it's not a top-of-the-line model.

Andrew Seemann
03-18-2022, 6:30 PM
Before you put too much work into that square, check out the prices of new ones; those will have all the parts and be square:) You can get a Blemished PEC for around $50 (I have one, no idea where the blemish is) all the way to a new Starrett at around $140. The auction site has numerous new, used, and seconds available as well.

steven c newman
03-19-2022, 1:59 AM
I do have a spare, friction fit scriber for a combo square, if the OP wants it....BTW, the point IS quite sharp....

Jay Guarneri
03-22-2022, 1:21 PM
Too late! I got a PEC blemish beam to stick in there. It's .003" less thick than the advertised .090" (cue tiny violins), but it's a pretty nice fit and the square and 45 are accurate within the limits of my ability to measure. I know I could get a brand new one for not much more money, but I honestly enjoy the process of rescuing this old tool from the box of random parts.

Jim Koepke
03-22-2022, 1:54 PM
Too late! I got a PEC blemish beam to stick in there. It's .003" less thick than the advertised .090" (cue tiny violins), but it's a pretty nice fit and the square and 45 are accurate within the limits of my ability to measure. I know I could get a brand new one for not much more money, but I honestly enjoy the process of rescuing this old tool from the box of random parts.

Any chance you can post an image of the square in its new found glory?

jtk

Jay Guarneri
03-22-2022, 3:14 PM
You betcha. I went with the 18" beam even though it's overkill, mostly because that's what was in stock. The head will get a paint job once I have a few warm dry days in a row. The previous owner must have lost the thumb nut and spring, and got creative with a hex nut and washers. I've got appropriately threaded brass thumb nuts on order to make it more presentable. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for an appropriate spring.

One thing I've noticed going through this process is how this square will fall into your hand while using it, whereas the cheap plastic square it's replacing wants to fall out. Much better balance and ergonomics.

476338476339

Jim Koepke
03-22-2022, 3:30 PM
I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for an appropriate spring.

Depending on the size of the screw, a spring from a ball point pen might work. Many hardware stores have a section with specialty hardware and often have springs of various sizes.

Just about any broken piece of equipment that comes my way is disassembled and various parts are saved for possible later use.

jtk

steven c newman
04-08-2022, 4:07 PM
Is this the square you all are talking about?
477287
Brand name on the blade says DUNLAP, inside of an oval.....

Appears at one time...it was owned by a Mr. John Schumacker.

This one is also missing the scriber and the level's vial...spent $5 today for it.