The VINTAGE toolboxes of Garage Journal!

[May Pop]

2oolhound thats a great job on that box. It looks like the PO use it in a boat and it sank. I also like the way it will be use for lathe tooling.
Ron

 

[Test Pilot]

nice work 200lhound !! Looks great >>>>.

 

[lowbucktruck]

Nice resto job 2oolhound! You sure brought that box back to serviceable life!

 

[DandDMachine]

That's a very nice SO box, how much did you pay for it if I may ask? Just out of curiosity...

I paid $130 for it. I actually just sold it for $175. After the gas I spent top go get it I broke even.

 

[timbitca]

Damn, that's a good price. Wish you would have sold it to me for that price

 

[2oolhound]

Thanks for the comps guys! There were many times when I was in the middle of the job I questioned the validity thinking I should have just bought a new one. Then I thought $350.00 plus tax = roughly $400.00 by the time all is said and done. To take $400.00 out of your pocket and lay it on the counter you have to earn $500.00 1st. because the tax man grabs 20% right off the top before you even get your check. It was a lot of elbow work but this way I got a box, I don't think I could afford buying one new.

Funny part is after I had completed everything and was assembling the drawers in I discovered I was missing one retainer clip. After scouring my cluttered work bench and crawling on hands and knees on the dirty floor I thought "when did I last sweep the floor"? I dug into a garbage bag and found some floor sweepings but no luck. Then I remembered there should have been a bigger pile of sweepings and dug into another garbage bag till I found the sweepings. I carefully sifted through the deposit and there it was, the lost retainer clip.

 

[Man of Many Vices]

Outlaw, you did a fabulous job bringing back to life a special tool box (post #1026) that many of us would not have bothered to bring home. I have only looked at page 52 of this thread, and have been thoroughly inspired by all the wonderful work on this one page alone. Looks like I have a lot of reading and studying to do on the other pages. Thanks, everybody, for the eye candy. I'll clean up my old 1950s Snap-on boxes and roll-aways and add a few pictures as soon as I get my camera to download onto my computer.

 

[Outlawmws]

Outlaw, you did a fabulous job bringing back to life a special tool box (post #1026) that many of us would not have bothered to bring home. I have only looked at page 52 of this thread, and have been thoroughly inspired by all the wonderful work on this one page alone. Looks like I have a lot of reading and studying to do on the other pages. Thanks, everybody, for the eye candy. I'll clean up my old 1950s Snap-on boxes and roll-aways and add a few pictures as soon as I get my camera to download onto my computer.

Thanks Man of Many Vices; Actually, I would not have bothered to bring it home either, but it had a bunch of tools in it and after overhearing how other people were being quoted prices, I guessed accurately that it was cheaper to get the whole box. I never anticipated restoring it, but the 3/4 drive additions made me thing about it since it was clearly a large socket/ratchet box, and I was completely out of room in the socket drawer.

I almost immediately outgrew it as i just recently acquired a 1" drive Plvmb Rat, and it's way too long for this box... With that acquisition I'm probably keeping some 1" sockets I was going to sell as well,and then there is the 1" extension...

 

[posaune]

Last fall I picked up a Huot roller for $35. It was in rough shape, but I like these old things and wanted to paint it to match the Remlines anyway. The kid selling it had a mid box that he threw in for free too... and it was worth about that...

Before:

After:

I may have posted this before, but this is the first Huot I found. It was at a garage sale. I think I spent $25 on it, but pics don't show the extent of the rodent homes I got for free. Man, cleaning it up was a chore!

Before:

After:

And the most recent Huot with its own thread HERE:

I *might* paint the wall cabinet to match, but it is in pretty good condition, so I haven't decided yet. Posting these pics reminds me that I also need to do something about the locks on the rollers and middle chest.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Wow! Those boxes look brand new!

 

[nine4gmc]

Holy ****, good job! I have been on the fence about what colors I wanted to go with and you just made up my mind.

I also have a HOUT box that needs restoring but IDK if I am keeping it yet so colors can wait.

 

[rshadd]

I've just revitalized a fairly rusted 526 (26"w - 8 drawer)Kennedy Machinist's Chest.

So I'm reading this post and it got me thinking... that box looks like the one my grandfather gave me when he retired.

Not exactly the same, but it's a Kennedy Kits Style #520. Still in pretty good condition.

 

[chopper1]

nine4gmc, this is what yours will look like restored.

I sold this one last week after a long time on CL. I don't think people know how good Huot chests were.

 

[posaune]

Holy ****, good job! I have been on the fence about what colors I wanted to go with and you just made up my mind.

The only problem with Huots is that the drawers are a pain to remove. That is a cool top box though.

Mine are painted to be as close as possible to the old Remline colors. It is hard to tell in the pics. I was on the fence about painting old boxes or not before I did the first one, but after I bit the bullet, I decided I liked it a LOT better.

I just wish I had picked easier colors to get locally in spray cans.

Edit: Hey, I'm from Lafayette!

 

[nine4gmc]

looks killer Chopper, and you're right, no one knows what a HOUT is around here(Baton Rouge) but me I think...

 

[chopper1]

posaune, those came out great. They look better than they did new!

 

[2oolhound]

Nice work on those huot boxes posaune and chopper1!

That 520 Kennedy of your Granddad's is excellent rshadd! You could wax the chrome parts but everything else looks great. It will be many years before it starts looking like mine did. Owning one of them is great but owning one that used to be your Granddad's is fantastic!
Any chance you could snap a photo of the bottom of the front cover? I may try to make one for my box and I can see how the top bends are but not sure how the bottom lip is bent? The recessed handle on the face will be a chore.

 

[Test Pilot]

just dug this one outta storage !!! >>>>.

 

[timbitca]

Great job on the resto's posaune and chopper1! Take care of your grandpa's box rshadd!

If you have that thing in storage rotting all alone Test Pilot, I'll be glad to take it off your hands

 

[jeffmoss26]

Ditto!

 

[chopper1]

I wish I could take credit for the resto on the Huot box I had, but I can't. The finish on that box was original, missing the Huot label.

 

[timbitca]

I've recently come accross 3 vintage hand boxes at school in a little storage room. I've begun investigating to try and find out whose they are, and will do my best to acquire them... I'm fairly certain 1-2 of them are Beach, possibly all 3.

 

[2oolhound]

So I've been going through a tool box craze lately. I picked up this Kennedy for $20.00, not that I needed it too badly. I did have to throw some loose tools together just prior to do a small job and was thinking a little tote box would be handy at the time.

No way am I going to do much to this one, just put it to use. I may bring the latch lock back to normal though. It must have caused problems for the po to add the 2nd latch.

The leather handle looks comfortable and is in decent shape.

So I said a tool box craze so this is another recent acquisition.

I wanted something for under the chip tray on my new lathe and was thinking an intermediate box would be about the only thing that would fit. I only had 6.5 inches clearance so I put out the call in the cosmos. 3 days later this shows up on cl. Price was firm at $125.00 but it's in decent shape and I thought "what are the chances" I have room for one more beside it too but the gods aren't listening any more.

You have to turn the key to open the drawers and the top one is spring loaded so it opens about 1.5" when you turn the key. After that you can get into the lower drawers. I'm not sure how I'm going to like that feature and may consider dismantling the spring so it stays full closed with the drawer unlocked.

Here it is waiting for it's twin under the new lathe.

Did I say Tool Box Craze? I still have one more I haven't photographed yet. That's 4 tool boxes put into use in about one month, boy do I have some catching up to do in the tool department now.

 

[lowbucktruck]

Wow Posaune! The resto job on your Huot boxes is amazing! Very nice job!

 

[Cameronl]

I've posted a couple of threads about this one, but upon receiving new locks, the restoration is complete. Picked up this old box at a tag sale:

And restored:

The consensus in another thread is that it's not a MAC box, despite the decal, but I thought I'd tip my hat to the previous owner, who used it professionally, but putting new repro decals on it.

 

[timbitca]

Nice pickups 2oolhound!

 

[chopper1]

Did a little horse trading for this. It's heading for the blaster tonight and I'll post pics when I finish restoring it.

 

[nine4gmc]

idk if this is the right place or not but here is a box I got that was loaded with old German and U.S.A. tools. Bunch of old Bonney, Willliams and other really old wrenches and punches. the box is made of plastic or some type of compressed fiber board material(non metal), idk but it has metal edging and corners and latches, leather handle and is riveted together. dimensions are roughly 17"x 13"x 6".

 

[rshadd]

Kennedy Kits #520...

 

[Bret888]

Does anyone recognize this gray box? It was red, and had a Snap-On sticker on itwhen I got it at a flea market. The logo was in the top left, but it is missing. I got it and the black Craftsman for $35. They were both rusty and the paint was coming off in sheets. I just pressure washed, and painted with what was on the shelf.
My cousin gave me the S-K machinist box, and the last pic is an old S-K that belonged to my father in law.

 

[May Pop]

The writing on the inside of that leather box refers to telephone wiring./ Those are the color codes of phone wire.
Ron

 

[nine4gmc]

do you think it may be a phone specialty tool box or someone just stuck that in there?

 

[jeffmoss26]

That's an old school phone man's tool case!!

 

[DandDMachine]

I picked up this little Snap On box the other day. Has number K60 ANV on the back. I believe it was made in 1980 and was a 60th anniversary reproduction of one of the first Snap On boxes in about 1/3 scale. Note the size of the Coke can, Its a little over 2 feet tall. Has a few minor scuffs but nothing serious. Previous owner actuallly used it to store their tools. The neighbor at my shop has offered me $300 for it, I am trying to decide to sell to him or put on ebay and hope for more.

 

[ZRX61]

Can't remember is I posted this before, I think it counts as a *toolbox*

https://sphotos-a.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/306764_3955895308586_2110337316_n.jpg

https://sphotos-b.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/198689_4206749379781_1770376567_n.jpg

 

[stormking]

Picked this one up at the local flea. Wife claimed it for her art supplies as soon as I got it home. All four sides embossed and heavy duty construction. Does anyone know who made these?

 

[Cougar67]

That's a Simonsen toolbox. The embossed pattern is distinct. Somewhere on here, I think toward the beginning of this thread, someone has one they stripped all the paint off of and clear coated it. It looks terrific. I have a smaller one in condition similar to yours, but it is green.

edit: I found it! It's in a similar thread on the HAMB Post #47:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=146631&page=3

 

[stormking]

Thanks for the info Cougar, I knew I had seen one somewhere and forgot about the HAMB thread. That stripped and cleared one is awesome.

 

[timbitca]

I had seen that one on HAMB. Love that design on the front of that box.

 

[DieselDent]

Picked up this Snap On at a auction this weekend in for $2, can barely make out the logo under the latch.
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