Friday, January 15, 2016

Vanished tool makers: Hunter Tools, Los Angeles, California




Above, a Hunter slot head screwdriver in my shop.

Beginning as early as the 1950's, Hunter Tools made a variety of small tools targeted at the home shop market.  Their primary product seems to have been a self-starting screwdriver based on a 1946 U.S. patent assigned to John Hagness:


This was eventually marketed as the "Magic Tip" but they also marketed the "Smitty" Allen key set and a magnetic pick-up tool rather awkwardly named the "Re-Chut" along with the equally poorly-named "Tork-It" screw driver. Their best offering seems to have been a neat little lever-operated bench micrometer.  Over the next two decades, according to their ads, they moved location a number of times while remaining in the greater Los Angeles area.  The company was acquired by K-D Tools in 1979.
Popular Mechanics, September 1952

Popular Mechanics, June 1953

Popular Mechanics, December 1953

Popular Mechanics, November 1954

Popular Mechanics, May 1961
Popular Science, November 1972


9 comments:

Unknown said...

I still use the M12S Hunter screw holder driver to insert set screws in old radio dials, some of which are recessed almost an inch on big dials.
BTW, I enjoy browsing your site occasionally, and especially when I find a blog that applies to my interests.

Albert Sheaha said...

I still use my set of sub miniature screwdrivers from Hunter Tools, circa 1970s. Ah, nostalgia....

Mister G said...

Great to hear! Love when these tools keep on being useful.

Dan said...

I found a smitty allen wrench set today
It was my dad's
So rare to find anything with made in usa on it
I did a search and it led me here thank you for the info

Mister G said...

You're welcome!

Unknown said...

Have a hunter x8 brad setter. Glad i found someone else interested in the history .

Kenneth Elwell said...

I just found a screw holding screwdriver at our town's "swap shop" yesterday. I could just barely make out "hunter" and "los angeles 23, cal" and maybe a serial number? on the handle. Obviously it is old based on the old telephone code. I'm just outside of Boston, so it is a long way from where it started! Very cool to see the old marketing and patent drawings, it works just about how I imagined it would inside.
A few years back I found an original "Pi-tape" for measuring diameter via the circumference. It comes in a distinctive round aluminum case, I spotted it in the scrap metal heap from 15 feet away!

Mister G said...

Never heard of a "Pi tape". Good idea!

Anonymous said...

Got a "13 W Hunter Phillips #1" ratcheting screwdriver at a flea market today. Cannot yet find anything online about it. Evidently not something they made a lot of?