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The vintage Blackhawk Thread

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Oldtuleguy

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I have not dabbled in craftsman, but antique tool stuff is expensive lately. Stuff I used to see everywhere is like mia.
 

Oldtuleguy

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That guy is very proud of his tools! That's all yard sale stuff I might pay 50$ for. I guess that's all good news for us old tool collectors. If we fall on hard times we can always sell off some stuff for big bucks $
 

Sunset_Z28

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Anyone know what this wrench is for? It’s been in a toolbox that belonged to my grandpa for as long as I can remember. It’s thin like a tappet wrench but I haven’t had any luck finding another like it.
 

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beatcad

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hello friends.
it's been a long time since i've posted on this thread.
blackhawk is still my favorite tool brand to use.
most all my cool old stuff went to my bro twertsy:rocker:
i dont want to get in trouble 'cause this maybe should be in the classified section.
i still have a bunch of stuff, but i have a few gaps.
i also have a bunch of doubles.
anyone wanna trade?

i'm looking for a couple 70s combo wrenches 6 and 12pt.

i've got extra wrenches & sockets.

PM me and we can work something out.
i'm easy:thumbup:
 

Oldtuleguy

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The 8 I think started in 38, but could also mean 48. No date could mean pre 38. Date codes were not that cut and dry with blackhawk. I think the earliest 7/16 drive stuff was 37.
 
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humber2

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Anyone know what this wrench is for? It’s been in a toolbox that belonged to my grandpa for as long as I can remember. It’s thin like a tappet wrench but I haven’t had any luck finding another like it.

It is a brake adjusting wrench, look up Bonney 9267 on Alloy artefacts.
 

dep5

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Just spotted this 1925?? era Blackhawk manual floor jack . .

https://fortwayne.craigslist.org/tls/d/antique-blackhawk-garage-or/6365406362.html

00E0E_gtzNx3oHZ4y_600x450.jpg
 

3baygarage

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Is it just the photo or is the head a tad smaller on the bottom one? It's definitely thinner.

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

Good eye. I thought about making a note of that and changed my mind. The 1938 does have a bit more meat it.

Makes me wonder which came first and why did they change it. Was it due to being too big and bulky, or to too small being a weak point? Or neither? Maybe someone at the factory went crazy on the polishing. :)


That jack is great. Looks like a modern knob was added to it.
 

twertsy

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Good eye. I thought about making a note of that and changed my mind. The 1938 does have a bit more meat it.

Makes me wonder which came first and why did they change it. Was it due to being too big and bulky, or to too small being a weak point? Or neither? Maybe someone at the factory went crazy on the polishing. :)


That jack is great. Looks like a modern knob was added to it.
I don't think I have one of that style, but have several of the bullet handle ones.

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four.cycle

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^ That's curious, because I just noticed that box is different than the one in the post above it (the set.)
Only in the 1936 ad is the divider at the top of the box - the earlier ads all show the divider more toward the middle.

(* here is a 1935 ad that I didn't have room for in the post above. *)

Blackhawk 11ND 11-pc 1.4 drive SAE socket set - 1935 W. Bingham Co. catalog pp 141.jpg
 

Private Lugnutz

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Blackhawk 11ND 1/4" drive SAE socket set w/original box well used.
$14.50 + $17.15 shipping now. 3 bids now. ends Thurs. 11/23 10:06 PST (Thanksgiving Day)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Bl...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649
The most interesting thing about that mongrel "set", BK, is the way it comes off like a Blackhawk lifer's set. Only one (1) of the pieces is original to (or at least contemporary with) that 11-ND box - the No. 1521 obstruction breaker bar. Those are 1930-1938 era. All the other pieces are 1939-1941 or post-war. The spinner and sockets were part of the set (in a newer box), but the ratchet, hinge handle, and combination wrenches did not go in that set regardless of their age.
 

twertsy

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The most interesting thing about that mongrel "set", BK, is the way it comes off like a Blackhawk lifer's set. Only one (1) of the pieces is original to (or at least contemporary with) that 11-ND box - the No. 1521 obstruction breaker bar. Those are 1930-1938 era. All the other pieces are 1939-1941 or post-war. The spinner and sockets were part of the set (in a newer box), but the ratchet, hinge handle, and combination wrenches did not go in that set regardless of their age.

Agree...........some cool pieces nonetheless....
 

Private Lugnutz

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^ That's curious, because I just noticed that box is different than the one in the post above it (the set.)
Only in the 1936 ad is the divider at the top of the box - the earlier ads all show the divider more toward the middle.
That is curious, BK. Curious enough for me to go back and do some double-checking.

EDIT: In Catalog No. 231 (1931), there is only an 11-ND set, and the case has the socket tray in the middle.

Both versions of the "N" case are shown in Catalogs No. 235 (1935) and No. 239 (1939). In both catalogs, the smaller midget sets (11-ND, and later 10-ND - no obstruction offset bar) are shown in an "N" case with the socket tray in the middle, and the bigger midget sets (16-ND - offset bar + five (5) DOE wrenches) are shown in an "N" case with the socket tray in the back.

Your ads imply that it was less consistent than the catalogs indicate, though, showing an 11-ND set in each style of the same case "N".

What I find curious are the decals on that eBay box (the first link, with the "set"). The brand decal is from the 1920's up through c. 1938. The set number decal is not. It's rectangular. From the late 1920's to c. 1938, that decal was always a ribbon. In the 1939 catalog they started going to a new decal that incorporated the branding and the set number in a single decal (some boxes still shown with old decals). By 1943, all boxes are shown with the new decal.

My guess is it's late 1938 transitional.
 
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Oldtuleguy

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That is just a random assortment of tools. Cool though. Hard to find any of that stuff.
 

four.cycle

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Well, I suppose it's best that I didn't choose to start collecting Blackhawk by buying that "set" then, eh? ;)
Re-reading the wording in the Ebay ad, the seller makes no pretense about it being an original set.

So.... bottom line is that its something that's been cobbled together, correct?
 

twertsy

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Well, I suppose it's best that I didn't choose to start collecting Blackhawk by buying that "set" then, eh? ;)
Re-reading the wording in the Ebay ad, the seller makes no pretense about it being an original set.

So.... bottom line is that its something that's been cobbled together, correct?
Yes, sockets appear NB era.

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four.cycle

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Caveat emptor, I guess.... the unfortunate part of that is that I am seeing older Blackhawk stuff selling on Ebay for what I consider obscene prices and I have to wonder now if the buyers really know what they're getting.
This kind of stuff also makes me more than apprehensive about delving into brands I don't really know anything about.
 

thehorse13

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A lot of sets on Ebay are mix masters, especially that little BlackHawk set listed above. If the prices were anywhere in the realm of sane, I would check the old catalogs before bidding. I can't explain the sudden spike but whatever is happening, it's now spread beyond the Craftsman =V= stuff.
 

four.cycle

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^ For reasons I do not fully understand, both Blackhawk and Plomb selling prices on Ebay are just nutty - the primary reason I haven't dabbled in either brand thus far.

Other stuff, not so much - there is no making sense of it.
 

Oldtuleguy

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I have been collecting the old snap on stuff for years, and lately it is pretty high, if you can find anything.
 

Oldtuleguy

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There are still many fine old tools to collect. For the the most part an inexpensive hobby.
 

four.cycle

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^ the little "mongrel" set I posted at the top of this page got bid up to $76.00 + shipping earlier today.

go figure. :headscrat

(on the flip side, a couple hours ago I scored an early Indestro 1/4" breaker and five 1/4" drive "D I" sockets (and a few other oddball sockets) for $4. bucks + shipping. if any of you guys are in need of a "Sparta" 1/4" drive 9/32" socket let me know.)
 
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Oldtuleguy

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I was watching that as well. I did not think it would go that high, but these are rare to find in any condition.
 

Private Lugnutz

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That is just a random assortment of tools.
Not sure I'd call it random. In fact, it seem consciously arbitrary to me, in the sense that all the pieces and the box are Blackhawk.

A lot of sets on Ebay are mix masters, especially that little BlackHawk set listed above.
True, but often the mix is a mix of brands. This was a mix of eras - box and obstruction breaker 1930's, everything else either late 1940's or much later, but at least it was all Blackhawk, and, on top of that, everything except one oddball socket was part of an 11- or 16-piece ND set. This is why I said it in my very first post on the subject that it came off like a Blackhawk lifer's set - i.e., as if it was accrued over time, with the guy keeping the obstruction wrench, and putting the updated tools in the old box.

^ the little "mongrel" set I posted at the top of this page got bid up to $76.00 + shipping earlier today.
In hindsight, that was a poor choice of words by me, implying a mix of pedigrees, when in fact it was all Blackhawk ND-11/16 pedigree, just different production eras.

I did not think it would go that high, but these are rare to find in any condition.
If you mean Blackhawk 1/4 size, I agree. It's the only reason I even clicked on four.cycle's link. I don't know a single WWII collector who has a wartime Blackhawk 1/4 set. I don't think I have seen one. While SW, Duro, SK, NB, and even Snap-On grown on flea market trees. I'm not sure they ever had both feet into this size, to be honest. It was many years before they even made a 1/4-inch ratchet.
 

four.cycle

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Private Lugnutz said:
"...This is why I said it in my very first post on the subject that it came off like a Blackhawk lifer's set - i.e., as if it was accrued over time, with the guy keeping the obstruction wrench, and putting the updated tools in the old box."

I guess I didn't really get your meaning there when you originally posted that. It does make perfect sense.

Regarding the "mongrel" term - that's why I put it in quotation marks. ;)
 

Oldtuleguy

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1930ish? Lock on set

I recently came across this early lock on set, not sure of year but guessing 1930ish
 

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