Eklind Tool Company

Table of Contents

Introduction

Eklind Tool and Manufacturing was founded in Chicago in 1923 and initially operated as a tool and die maker.

Company History

Eklind Tool and Manufacturing was founded in Chicago in 1923 by Henning and Ruth Eklind. The company initially operated as a tool and die maker, and as a contract manufacturer.

By 1935 the company was offering a milling machine head based on patent #1,991,500, issued to H.A. Eklind on February 19, 1935.

In 1946 the company introduced a product for the automotive aftermarket, a brake signal light to provide a warning if the emergency brake had not been fully released. The signal light was based on design patent D143,648, issued to H.A. Eklind et al in 1946.

The Hex Uni-Key

In 1948 the company began offering the "Uni-Key", a set of hex drivers bonded in a die-cast ring.

The use of screws with an internal hexagonal opening had been pioneered by the Allen Manufacturing Company, initially as a safer replacement for set screws on rotating machinery. In the post-war era socket-head set screws and cap screws were becoming more common, and tools such as the Uni-Key provided a way to organize the hex drivers needed for such screws.

The packaging for the early Uni-Key product included a "Patent Applied For" notation, but the patent (if issued) is not known.

Folding Hex Driver Sets

By 1955 the company was offering hex drivers in a fold-up set, a type of tool that was gaining popularity after being introduced by the H.D. Hunter "Smitty" folding hex drivers.

Hex drivers went on to become the major product for Eklind Tool.

Continuing Operations

By 1983 Eklind Tool and Manufacturing had simplified its name to the Eklind Tool Company.

The company continues in business today and additional information can be found at the Eklind [External Link] web site.

Patents

Trademarks

References and Resources

Photographs and observations of particular tools are based on items in the Alloy Artifacts Collection.

Catalog Resources

Industrial Distributors

Eklind tools are available from some industrial distributors. We'll add references as time permits.

Selected Tools

Eklind M17 Metric Folding Hex Driver Set

Fig. 1. Eklind M17 Metric Hex Driver Set, with Insets for Bottom and Top Views, ca. 1983+.

Fig. 1 shows an Eklind M17 metric hex driver set, stamped "Eklind Tool Company" and "Chicago, Ill. Made in U.S.A." on the top.

The overall length is 3.6 inches, and the finish is polished nickel.

The seven hex drivers in the set have sizes 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, and 6mm.