Ye Olde Rocket Forum - View Single Post - Picked up a Vintage NOS Xacto #89 tool cabinet

Quote:

Originally Posted by snaquin

Earl-

Okay, I have a bit of info on the #6 handles that Sue sent to me today to help identify the different versions. I asked her for pictures from her personal collection and Sue sent me these images as well as permission to post her photos here to assist collecting the other styles, if one is so inclined to do so. Personally I did want to add that out of all the #6 purchases that you and Sue and I made from this eBay seller only mine has that “flat head” collet style. Her findings are below:

“ Hey Steve -Here's some additional pics. I've wrapped some of my personal handles in grip tape and that's what you see with the red handle.
Despite the red tape, you can still clearly see 3 different handle sizes (postiions #2,3 and 4, looking from handle upward orientation).

And I notice there's 3 different necks, (positions #2,3,4), and #3 is a little longer than #1,2 and 4.
I also included the flat head as well as the rounded "egg head" collet style.
The squares on my cutting mat are 1" for reference.

Just an FYI, I looked over my older stuff in my collection, and I noticed the exact same egg head collet is used in the very early (but not the first handle) #2 handles, (and is interchangeable) which leads me to believe the egg head came first, and the flat head succeeded it....as I haven't come across any old style handles with the flat head.”

So, probably as you suggested mine is a transitional #6 handle version with Xacto moving from an older style to a newer style collet design even though my packaging, Xacto logo & set contents along with the procurement dating that you obtained from the seller suggest the same original purchase time frame from Xacto.

Steve-

Wow, ok thanks for the info and photos from Sue! That’s neat to see the side by side comparisons.

Ya know, looking closely at Sue’s images (and from the overall ‘feel’ I had about my #6 from this purchase) is that I think the #6 handle that I got in this purchase (like the one Sue got too, with the ‘egg head’ collet) is a ‘cast’ piece and not ‘machined’ like it seems other handles are. If you look at the middle photo in your post, you can see the rotational machined marks in the metal along the neck on the three handles to the left of the egg head collect handle. But that handle, the far right one, no machining marks can be seen.

I did not know exactly what it was about the general feel of mine when I first opened it and looked it over, but I think that is it. It is a cast piece and has no machining on the shank or handle, except on the very tip of the shank of course so the collect can screw on.

Thanks for getting with Sue and getting her comparison photos. One could think that in the late 40s and early 50s, products and production methods were probably developing rapidly. If one had very early examples of the #1, #2, and #5 handles, there may be many variations of those products also.

Earl