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Rescued From the Scrap Metal Pile

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Ocho

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DFW, Texas
Rescued From the Scrap Metal Pile - Updated with Resto Pics

I thought it was kinda cool. Besides a little surface rust, it's OK. It's a Wardmaster box. I have a desire to do a restoration on it. :)

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It had a bunch of junk in it. A mostly complete set of Wardmaster sockets less the 9/16 one, and some Plomb 1/4 drive sockets.

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...and a bunch of miscellaneous "tools with character". If any of these are worth anything to anyone, PM me. I would love to forward them onto someone who collects tools or otherwise has a want/need/use for them.

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Thanks for looking! I'll post pics after the toolbox restoration.
 
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Octarine

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Chicago IL
Lovethe Barcalo wrenches and the fact that their most well known product is the Barcalounger! Truly this company was a boon for MAN kind :)
 
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bluebolt

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Nice find. I had a nice McKaig-Hatch catalog I recently sold, first time I saw one of their tools.
 
N

nahudson

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Oct 23, 2010
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615
In the first photo of wrenches the second one down, is that a Tractor wrench, like international harvester, it looks like some of the ones I have

I tried to PM the OP but for some reason I could not.
 
OP
O

Ocho

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Not sure what the deal is with the PM. I got one from another guy but I can't seem to reply to it. Let me see if I have somehow done something to my account settings.

[edit] Don't know what the deal is. The forum is really slow for me tonight so maybe that has something to do with it.
 
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Hammer1963

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If that is the original color, then that's one cool box. All of my Machinist tool boxes were Brown. I would love to run across one like this. Very nice find. That's worth having a paint match and custom mix done.
 
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pop pop

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Apr 1, 2010
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Maybe a clue. I have a HW jack labeled Montgomery Ward i'm trying to learn about and it appears to be the same color as the box.
 
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Hank McMauser

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Jan 25, 2010
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Payette County Idaho
a re you interested in completing the wardsmaster socket set? I remember seeing a few in the bins at the local pawn shop not sure of the sizes available, but the hunt is half the fun:bounce:
 
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Charles (in GA)

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50 mi south of Atlanta
The red handled pliers are aircraft spring cleco pliers. Spring clecos are used for holding sheet metal parts together during drill up and temporary assembly and riveting.

car-tools-9-470-1008.jpg


20110916-009-large.jpg
 
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OP
O

Ocho

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DFW, Texas
Outlawmws said:
Is the green paint on the box smooth, wrinkle or hammertone?
Click to expand...

It's not wrinkle. I'm pretty sure it's hammertone, but it looks smooth inside the drawers. Inside the lid it definitely looks hammertone. The outside is pretty faded and I can't really tell one way or the other (as crazy as that sounds). I too love the color and will go back with it when the box gets restored to its former glory.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in with info about the box and its contents. GJ rocks! :beer:
 
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Flatintoone

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Ocho,
Most of the vintage boxes I've bought don't appear to have a hammertone finish on the exterior. The finish stays in better condition on the underside of the lid, where it usually is hammertone. Most of the boxes I have also have drawers in contrasting colors, so I don't know if the finish would carry over into there.
I think the wrinkled finish can wear down, too. I recently bought a late 70s/early 80s Craftsman machinist box that, while perfectly serviceable, has had the finish worn smooth on the top of the lid.
 
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colt zantop

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michigan
people throw away anything! I wish I owned a scrap yard....you could make a killing off dumb people.... LOL
 
OP
O

Ocho

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In its current state:

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After getting it all apart and mostly cleaned up, I bead blasted the main box, front cover and all the drawer fronts. I didn't do the insides of the drawers because the previous owner had glued green felt to all the bottom surfaces and I didn't want green felt all in the bead blaster at work. I didn't do the bottoms of the drawers because A) I'm not a lunatic (yet) and B) I found some paint that matches exactly. Hammerite Medium Green, :thumbup:

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Look carefully and you can see where the new paint is toward the top. That is the original paint on the drawer bottom.

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The glue and felt cleaned up with some Goo Gone and a razor blade. Then I sprayed the insides or the drawers with the Hammerite.

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I had the latches cleaned up pretty good and painted a faux stainless epoxy, but then found out we were sending a batch of parts to get zinc plated at work. So, I bead blasted all the hardware and got to put it in with the work stuff. I'll probably get it back in a couple of weeks. The turnaround time is pretty slow but the price is certainly right.

I still need to figure something out with the knobs, but I'm pretty happy with how the Wardmaster is coming around.

Thanks for looking.
 
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Hammer1963

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Excellent restoration ! That color is great. Twenty or so years ago, I ran across that color. Bought one can and haven't seen it since. If you would, could you share your source for the paint.

Consider using a Stainless button head bolt as the starting point for your knobs. The look of them might be fit the theme of the box.

On a similar note, I happen to see a 1958 Bluegrass Tools roll around this past weekend. The finish on it was a medium Blue Hammertone paint. It was in fantastic shape and it reminded me of your project.

Well Done, Ocho !
 
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USMCdodge

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453
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MCBH
Charles (in GA) said:
The red handled pliers are aircraft spring cleco pliers. Spring clecos are used for holding sheet metal parts together during drill up and temporary assembly and riveting.
Click to expand...

Dam, beat me to it. the fact that there is cleco pliers and a wrench that was cut makes me think it was someones in the aviation business. or someone who worked on something very specific pertaining to metal fabrication. awesome find!
 
OP
O

Ocho

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Messages
314
Location
DFW, Texas
Hammer1963 said:
Excellent restoration ! That color is great. Twenty or so years ago, I ran across that color. Bought one can and haven't seen it since. If you would, could you share your source for the paint.

Consider using a Stainless button head bolt as the starting point for your knobs. The look of them might be fit the theme of the box.

On a similar note, I happen to see a 1958 Bluegrass Tools roll around this past weekend. The finish on it was a medium Blue Hammertone paint. It was in fantastic shape and it reminded me of your project.

Well Done, Ocho !
Click to expand...

Thanks! I bought the Hammerite from Jamestown Distributors in Rhode Island. They sell marine supplies and it was the only place I could find the light green color. They also have a light blue. :thumbup:

Link to their
Hammerite Paints
 
C

cotjocky

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Joined
Nov 21, 2011
Messages
392
I love our local scrap yard. You just never know what you will find at that place. Wish I had time to drop in more often. I'm sure I miss out on a lot of cool stuff.
 
T

tall_will

New member
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Aug 29, 2014
Messages
4
Ocho said:
In its current state:

View media item 16480
View media item 16477
View media item 16474
After getting it all apart and mostly cleaned up, I bead blasted the main box, front cover and all the drawer fronts. I didn't do the insides of the drawers because the previous owner had glued green felt to all the bottom surfaces and I didn't want green felt all in the bead blaster at work. I didn't do the bottoms of the drawers because A) I'm not a lunatic (yet) and B) I found some paint that matches exactly. Hammerite Medium Green, :thumbup:

View media item 16476
Look carefully and you can see where the new paint is toward the top. That is the original paint on the drawer bottom.

View media item 16475
The glue and felt cleaned up with some Goo Gone and a razor blade. Then I sprayed the insides or the drawers with the Hammerite.

View media item 16479
I had the latches cleaned up pretty good and painted a faux stainless epoxy, but then found out we were sending a batch of parts to get zinc plated at work. So, I bead blasted all the hardware and got to put it in with the work stuff. I'll probably get it back in a couple of weeks. The turnaround time is pretty slow but the price is certainly right.

I still need to figure something out with the knobs, but I'm pretty happy with how the Wardmaster is coming around.

Thanks for looking.
Click to expand...


Greetings. Love the work!
I also have one of these (got it in an auction for $40, with all the machinist tools) and your post has been a God-send; I've been wanting to restore it and haven't had a clue as to how, until now.
I wonder, can you tell me how you removed the rivets, drawer pulls, lid and front ring handle? Also, where can I get replacements to put the locks back on when I'm done?
Any advice you can give me is much appreciated!

Regards,

Will K.
 
W

Westozfixer

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Western Australia
Top stuff, I also like the colour, reminds me of a smaller box my grandad had in the boot of his car that my dad got when he died now I have it, I'd never restore it though, too many memories.
 
P

PFSard

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Sep 12, 2013
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Location
Mesa, AZ
tall_will said:
Greetings. Love the work!
I also have one of these (got it in an auction for $40, with all the machinist tools) and your post has been a God-send; I've been wanting to restore it and haven't had a clue as to how, until now.
I wonder, can you tell me how you removed the rivets, drawer pulls, lid and front ring handle? Also, where can I get replacements to put the locks back on when I'm done?
Any advice you can give me is much appreciated!

Regards,

Will K.
Click to expand...

You may want to PM him. This thread is pretty close to five years old.
 
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