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Antique/vintage American machinist’s tap and die collection centered around Wells Brothers “Little Giant” and Greenfield threading tools from Greenfield, Massachusetts.This is an especially appealing working-shop set rather than a modern matched tap-and-die kit. It contains early Wells Brothers Little Giant adjustable dies together with Greenfield/GTD and an assortment of American-made taps from makers including Butterfield, Morse, Threadwell, Winter Bros., A.J. Polk & Son Co. and others.The history behind the Little Giant tooling is an important part of this collection. Wells Brothers was one of the pioneering American manufacturers of taps, dies and threading equipment in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Wells Brothers and Wiley & Russell were consolidated in 1912 to form the Greenfield Tap & Die Corporation, which became one of the major names in American threading-tool manufacture. The Little Giant adjustable-die system was an important Wells Brothers product and continued into the Greenfield era.This set also has particularly interesting local machinist provenance. It came from the working tools of a well-known Springfield, Missouri machinist who was known for building railroad components and miniature trains. The mixed assortment makes sense in that context: this appears to have been a machinist’s working collection, with useful taps and dies from several quality American manufacturers accumulated and used together rather than an untouched factory-matched set. Provenance was supplied with the collection and is not accompanied by separate written documentation identifying the machinist.Identified tooling includes:• Wells Bros. Little Giant adjustable dies in multiple sizes
• Wells Bros. Little Giant 3/8"-16 U.S.S. die
• Wells Bros. Little Giant 5/16"-18 U.S.S. die
• Wells Bros. Little Giant 7/16" die, thread pitch not confidently determined
• Greenfield round die/tooling component
• Threadwell USA 1/4"-18 NPT pipe tap
• Threadwell USA 1/8"-27 NPT pipe tap
• 1/2"-20 SAE U.S.-made tap
• 7/16"-20 SAE U.S.-made tap
• Butterfield 1/2"-13 N.C. tap
• Winter Bros. 3/8"-16 N.C. tap
• A.J. Polk & Son Co. 3/8"-16 U.S.S. tap
• Greenfield 7/16"-18 N.C. tap, stamped GH 3
• Morse USA 5/16"-18 N.C. tap
• Greenfield/GTD 3/8"-24 SAE tap
• Additional vintage tap/tooling with worn or partially legible markingsThis collection spans different makers and likely different periods of use. It should not be considered a factory-complete or entirely original matched Little Giant set. That mixed working-shop character, however, is part of its appeal: these are the types of tools a skilled machinist actually selected, maintained and used for cutting and restoring internal and external threads.The Little Giant pieces should be of particular interest to collectors of early American machinist tools, Greenfield Massachusetts manufacturing, railroad/shop tools and antique threading equipment. The miniature railroad provenance adds another interesting connection to precision machining and small-scale mechanical work.Please study all photographs carefully. Markings shown in the photographs are part of the description. No recent cutting or functional testing has been performed.
