Show your Indestro and Duro-Chrome tools

[four.cycle]

^ Duro / Indestro called it an "L-T" handle. Hinsdale called it a "T" handle.
I see them in sets listed on Ebay now and then.





Curiously, the 1935 Indestro catalog illustration shows the unit having a square shank. Those I see included in Indestro and Duro sets have round shanks.

You've got photos posted of both in that thread you cited just above - post #24

 

[Private Lugnutz]

You've got photos posted of both in that thread you cited just above - post #24

Yes, I do.

 

[RagTopTA]

As I talked about in the Ell handle thread I linked above, the term L- or Ell-handle is a little limiting, imo, for the double-ended jobbies, since they could function upright, like a T handle (or a half-T handle, if you will) and the other way, laterally, with the short end doing the work, like a true L handle that has an actual knurled handle.

Speaking of Hinsdale, they and Duro were the only two mfgrs I know of who made a really cool version, with a sheath-like handle that pivoted from one shank to the other in T or L position. I would love to find one of those kind in the wild.

I need to look at all my handles and see what I have. Havent had time to clean up that Duro or the Hinsdale set yet.

 

[four.cycle]

^ Those you'd want to keep in the sets. It's the Craftsman units that I've seen command crazy selling prices on Ebay - not the Duro/Indestro or Hinsdale units.

 

[RagTopTA]

I have both, the one is in the Hinsdale set, the other is in a set of craftsman deeps I got at the flea a year ago or so. The Duro set looks like it has one also but it is broken after the bend.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I have a few odd ones, not something I usually go looking for. All pretty old, the plomb 3/4 on top being the newest came with a 40s set, the funny looking snap on very old maybe 22? The rest late 20s early 30s.

 

[RagTopTA]

Those are all good ones! I have to find a plomb like that for my 3/4 set! Im going to keep an eye out for these now when I go.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

It's a clunker. I will post the rest of set on plomb thread. I have always been a sucker for the 3/4 stuff.

 

[RagTopTA]

I bet its huge. I posted my collection on there yesterday, my 3/4 set of s included. Gotta find a sliding T handle also

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I have to find a plomb like that for my 3/4 set!

I just found and posted a 5686 last week, Rags! I wish you hadn't been sleeping on the job, I would've traded some of those 41-W pieces you have for it! Instead, it's going to Tin Medic.

/// BACK ON THREAD SUBJECT ///

Here are a couple of Duro-Indestro "Ell" handles.

(Ignore the one in the middle, which is unmarked, and included just to illustrate an alternative construction for the smaller type, where they just pinched the ends of the round shank, like the bigger kind, instead of forging the ends with a collar, to stop the socket from traveling up the shank.)

The big example (10") is an early (1920's? no later than 1930's) Indestro Mfg Co Chromium-Nickel.

It has a weird second retention ball that Don and I have discussed before. Probably a stop of some sort so the socket doesn't carry up the shank.

The WWII-spec example is an unbranded Duro-Chrome. Unmistakable from the model number and the full spelling of "Chromium". No late than October 1942 and probably pre-war, but it's in my current GMTK build.

 

[garthg]

^ Those you'd want to keep in the sets. It's the Craftsman units that I've seen command crazy selling prices on Ebay - not the Duro/Indestro or Hinsdale units.

I don't know what you think is a crazy price. I paid $12.99 shipped.

I have it in my 1/2" metric socket set (only ones I use). It's just another way to use the sockets and it's kind of part of the collection. I still have my original Craftsman 1/2" ratchet I bought as part of the "Mechanic's Set" in 1974 when I was still in high school.

It's handy to have an extra tool when you've got different sockets on the ratchets.

Lugz: the extra ball on the Indestro retains the (missing) sheet metal "T" handle when slipped over the short end. See the catalog pics. There are holes for the ball retainer in the sheet metal.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Lugz: the extra ball on the Indestro retains the (missing) sheet metal "T" handle when slipped over the short end. See the catalog pics. There are holes for the ball retainer in the sheet metal.

Very well spotted, garth! You single-mindedly solved a puzzle Don and I couldn't with two heads put together. And here I've been going around saying that I would like to find one of those with the sliding handle in the wild! Turns out I already did and I didn't even know it! Thanks.

 

[RagTopTA]

I just found and posted a 5686 last week, Rags! I wish you hadn't been sleeping on the job, I would've traded some of those 41-W pieces you have for it! Instead, it's going to Tin Medic.

/// BACK ON THREAD SUBJECT ///

Here are a couple of Duro-Indestro "Ell" handles.

(Ignore the one in the middle, which is unmarked, and included just to illustrate an alternative construction for the smaller type, where they just pinched the ends of the round shank, like the bigger kind, instead of forging the ends with a collar, to stop the socket from traveling up the shank.)

The big example (10") is an early (1920's? no later than 1930's) Indestro Mfg Co Chromium-Nickel.

It has a weird second retention ball that Don and I have discussed before. Probably a stop of some sort so the socket doesn't carry up the shank.

The WWII-spec example is an unbranded Duro-Chrome. Unmistakable from the model number and the full spelling of "Chromium". No late than October 1942 and probably pre-war, but it's in my current GMTK build.

oh man ! I missed it! At least its gong to a great home! Ill find one at some point. I need to find those w-41 wrenches and send them to you! Those are right up your alley. Ill look while Im off the next two days.

 

[Slinger646]

Part of a box lot from the local auction barn. The Indestro looked like the one on the right before the white vinegar bath.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

This Edison-Splitdorf Spark Plug Socket Wrench Kit was a recent long-distance (Dallas, Texas!) CL purchase. I had identified it as Duro-Indestro private label production from the CL ad pics, but I was eager to get my hands on it so I could inspect it close-up. With the help of Dallas-area GJ member MayerMR, that happened to today!

I will be immediately following this post up with additional posts and many more photos...

(1 of 5)

 

[Private Lugnutz]

As four.cycle suspected, the ratchet turns out to be the Indestro No. 3202, not the Duro-Chrome 678D. It is not branded Indestro, but that is totally consistent with Edison-Splitdorf contracting with Duro Metal Products / Indestro Manufacturing for this set, and totally consistent with the way Duro/Indestro did business. Unbranded examples of this trusty non-reversible CHICAGO, U.S.A. made ratchet abounded in contract production sets in the 1930’s through the 1950’s. The ‘LICENSED UNDER PAT. NO. 1902878’ marking on the face plate refers to the McNaught and Peterson patent issued in 1933.

The plug is the No. 3215.

Here are plenty of pics with and without the plug.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

If the ratchet and the box weren’t enough to identify Duro/Indestro as the private label OEM for Edison-Splitdorf, the sockets certainly would be.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

That colon mark after the size markings will be very familiar to Duro-Indestro collectors. It's a classic Duro-Indestro tell, seen on many Duro-Indestro sockets in this era. Here is a smattering of examples I pulled out of my Duro-Indestro drawer for reference. As you can see, regardless of the sub-branding (e.g., “-D-I-”, “CHROMIUM-VANADIUM,” or “- DURO - CHROME”), they all use that colon.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

You may note that Duro was known for fluted sockets in this era. That’s true, but they did make them unfluted as well, including their Select (carbon manganese) Steel lines.

In this 1940 catalog figure of set No. 9996M...

...only the smallest socket is fluted, and it’s a 9/16”. The smallest socket in this Edison set is 11/16”. That’s the next socket in the set in the 1940 catalog figure, and it is not fluted. None of the sockets from 11/16” on up are.

Here is a later Indestro version...

And here is a excerpt of the No. 1409 set from the 1940 Duro catalog, because it provides the best view yet of the box. It is without a doubt the same box as the Edison box.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Speaking of the box, the exterior and interior main compartment may have been repainted black by a prior owner. Traces of the original color are coming through on the interior bottom, especially on the sides. Not sure. I suspect that burnt orange may have been the original exterior color as well. Or maybe it was all black on the outside and burnt orange in the inside.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

More shots of the logos on the sockets...

The ratchet body and the sockets are cadmium-plated, by the way, giving them a beautiful satin appearance.

 

[d42jeep]

Cool and unique set. Thanks for the write up.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

That's funny... I never knew about that " : " colon thing before!

I take it that snip I sent to you earlier wasn't a match?

I'll have to dig out that other catalog and see what I can find.

BK

 

[TrailHawkZ71]

Only Indestro stuff I have is a 15/16 and 1" 12pt chrome sockets, and 3 offset double box end wrenches


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[Private Lugnutz]

Cool and unique set. Thanks for the write up.

Thanks, Don. Instantly goes into my Top 10 Prized Possessions!

I take it that snip I sent to you earlier wasn't a match?

No, but no matter, because the 6-pc sets in the 1940 Duro catalog are in the matching box, and that later (1948) Indestro 6-pc set was neat to see, too.

 

[WagonHo!]

More shots of the logos on the sockets...

The ratchet body and the sockets are cadmium-plated, by the way, giving them a beautiful satin appearance.

Agree with you on beautiful satin finish. The stylized script stamping is equally beautiful.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The stylized script stamping is equally beautiful.

Agreed!

And that reminds me that I meant to post this page excerpt from the March 1941 Popular Mechanics for some period context and a nice advertising rendition of the logo.

 

[3baygarage]

Very nice Edison set.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Super rare set! I think I have one of those boxes somewhere, maybe upstairs at the shop, it's duro version. Never had any sockets for it. I will try and dig it up.

 

[Username already in use]

The ratchet body and the sockets are cadmium-plated, by the way, giving them a beautiful satin appearance.

Indeed! Those look great! Spot on in appearance to 'Select Steel' branded sockets.

Here's my hodgepodge of Duro/Indestro deep sockets. 2 Chromium Vanadium, D-I, Duro Chrome, Select Steel.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Spot on in appearance to 'Select Steel' branded sockets.

Thanks for adding this, Unaiu. It's reaffirming!

Note that the 1940 catalog defines Select Steel as carbon manganese. I found that very interesting tangential to the spark plug sockets. As you know, they used that moniker on other wrenches, including DOE engineers wrenches. They wouldn't have had to make any changes to that line when the alloy restrictions hit.

 

[Capt. Spaulding]

Found this at a garage sale. Needs a cleaning but it’s not in to bad of shape.





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[d42jeep]

Found this at a garage sale. Needs a cleaning but it’s not in to bad of shape.





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The box is very cool, but the sticker inside will really be helpful if you decide to complete the set since it lists all of the original contents. Those Indestro pieces should be possible to find. I suspect that four.cycle would even have a catalog showing the complete set to help with dating.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

It should be pretty easy to find the sockets to put that set back to original.
Here's a set - not too bad -
Indestro Super 1/2" drive sockets: 7/16" - 1" $27.00 shipped
https://www.ebay.com/itm/283270472160

Note the sockets have tapered walls on the smaller sizes. That set (on Ebay) has a 1/2" "Select" in there - which doesn't match the original #1216 "Super" that would be in that set.

Those 1/2" drive SAE sockets are pretty common on Ebay - you should be able to find a nice set for anywhere from $25-$35 bucks.

The challenge will be the 3210 cross bar and the 3275 ratchet (early style with four-prong selector.) (Same mechanism as the later version which has a three-prong selector.)

You'll note in the fine print at the bottom that they made two versions: One with the (later) knurled round handles on the ratchet and breaker, and one with the (earlier) flat handle on the ratchet and breaker.

Serendipitously, an Ebay seller just listed a 3277 the other night:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/312361462536
$4.99 + $7.00 shipping now. 0 bids now. ends Fri 12/14 17:00 PST
Seller said it's got a little bit of surface rust on it, but that it works fine.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Yesterday I found an orphan rocker rat and another Indestro Ell handle, also with the second stop on the shank, indicating the missing sliding T-handle. It may have been a nifty design, but it wasn't a very durable one!

 

[Capt. Spaulding]

Thanks for all the great info guys. I get paid today and may pick up the stuff suggested but the ratchets sale ends in about 4 hours and I’m not sure if I will have the cash by then. If I do I’ll grab it for sure. Thanks again everyone!

 

[four.cycle]

The auction on the 3277 ratchet ended with no bids.
Odds are the seller will re-list it.

 

[d42jeep]

Here is my Indestro based 1/2” drive D-I WW2 socket set.
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

You may note that Duro was known for fluted sockets in this era. That’s true, but they did make them unfluted as well, including their Select (carbon manganese) Steel lines.

In this 1940 catalog figure of set No. 9996M...

...only the smallest socket is fluted, and it’s a 9/16”. The smallest socket in this Edison set is 11/16”. That’s the next socket in the set in the 1940 catalog figure, and it is not fluted. None of the sockets from 11/16” on up are.

Here is a later Indestro version...

And here is a excerpt of the No. 1409 set from the 1940 Duro catalog, because it provides the best view yet of the box. It is without a doubt the same box as the Edison box.

Here is the duro version. Don't have original sockets so I keep some newer duro stuff in there.

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a picture of a set that belongs to a gentleman in Italy with the original D-I spark plug sockets.
-Don