Vintage S-K Tools

[d42jeep]

Thanks for the additional pictures.
-Don

 

[r_olson_06]

I believe that they continued to use old artwork for quite some time in the postwar catalogs. Virtually every intact set I’ve seen with the water transfer decal has had wartime finish tools. Roy Olson has a lot of S-K knowledge and it would be interesting to know if that has been his experience as well.
-Don

It is very odd. Those cases are very very difficult to find around here. It is like SK didn't get moving in these parts until they switched to the metal diamond decal and I swear every farmer has at least 2 of those 1/2" drive sets. I do some SK Chrome stamped stuff but it is far more rare.

Looking for a Plomb 3061 Pebble Open End.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Here are a couple

 

[d42jeep]

Nice sets. I suspect that the spark plug set with the large water transfer decal was made around late ‘41 or ‘42, right before the chrome restrictions went into effect. The set with the riveted on plate looks like the one in the ‘56 catalog after the holes for the Ell bar were eliminated.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I believe that they continued to use old artwork for quite some time in the postwar catalogs.

This seems like a straightforward thing to confirm or not, Don. You posted a photo of a 1946 catalog that still had the logo and water transfer paper decals from 1943 in the boxes. That's not at all surprising to me. I would find that a bit surprising in 1947 and 1948, when most major OEMs were starting to introduce their first full lines of tools since the war with revamped catalogs, and very surprising in 1949. What other postwar catalogs do you have access to that also have the wartime logos and decals? And what was the first catalog that shows the new logo and the metal badge?

Virtually every intact set I’ve seen with the water transfer decal has had wartime finish tools.

Of course. Me too. I don't understand how this is at all relevant to the catalog in question. I suspect you may have misunderstood something I posted?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

If you have it in hand...

Check for publishing dates, especially the inside of the cover page, and the back page. Any numbers not just a full year with or without hyphens that may have a year embedded in it.

 

[d42jeep]

I don't understand how this is at all relevant to the catalog in question. I suspect you may have misunderstood something I posted?

It’s relevant to the question because I’m not finding boxes with the water transfer decal with chrome plated postwar sets as the postwar catalogs would imply. Any intact postwar sets I’ve found, such as our mutual spark plug socket sets, have the riveted on plate even though the postwar catalogs show the earlier logo in the boxes. I only have the cover picture of the ‘46 catalog and I’m not sure where I found it, unfortunately.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I think I see the disconnect, Don. Sorry. I'm not saying that the 1946 catalog you posted or the No. 649 catalog that Kdaniel8601 posted shows/proves that the old logo and the water transfer decals were actually being used on the lids of postwar set boxes with chromed tools. If you look back through this thread into any discussions on timeline of decals, I have recognized the metal badge as postwar, and usually 1947. (Not sure now where I got that date.) And I have little to no doubt that the No. 649 catalog that Kdaniel8601 posted photos of is postwar. But the finish on the tools has nothing to do with that for me. Note that the tools were still depicted as chromed in the 1943 catalog, too. So, of course they would be chromed in postwar catalogs. But I think I see your point. When they switched over to the metal badge in catalogs is not necessarily the same as when they switched over on the production line floor. Agreed.

 

[tin medic]

Thats a 50 catalog, I have one.

 

[d42jeep]

Thanks, my guess was pretty close. I misplaced your list of catalogs and it was pretty old anyway. Maybe you could send me a fresh list. While you’re at it, why don’t you send me that ‘60 Barcalo catalog. I have a birthday coming up in several months!
-Don

 

[Kdaniel8601]

I just found out on Alloy Artifacts that catalog I was asking about was published in 1949. Catalog No. 649 was one of the catalogs they used for information on Sherman-Klove and S-K Tools.

 

[d42jeep]

While Alloy Artifacts is a valuable resource, they are unwilling to share their source catalogs with collectors and they are also unwilling to accept corrections from experts who have done research that disagrees with their opinions. When it comes to expertise of dating catalogs, I feel that Tin Medic is the more informed source. He has made his vast catalog collection available to Twertsy and his Tool Archive site for everyone to take advantage of. If Tin says that your catalog is from 1950, that’s good enough for me.
-Don

 

[Rileysan]

While Alloy Artifacts is a valuable resource, they are unwilling to share their source catalogs with collectors and they are also unwilling to accept corrections from experts who have done research that disagrees with their opinions. When it comes to expertise of dating catalogs, I feel that Tin Medic is the more informed source. He has made his vast catalog collection available to Twertsy and his Tool Archive site for everyone to take advantage of. If Tin says that your catalog is from 1950, that’s good enough for me.
-Don

 

[Kdaniel8601]

Thanks for the information, I trust your information more than Alloy Artifacts. Can you tell me how to get information on Twertsy and his Tool Archive site? Thanks again for all the information.

 

[d42jeep]

Go to the last page of this thread.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=382679&highlight=Tool+Archives+update
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Everyone knows how I feel about AA, and Don summarized it fairly succinctly, but, even if they don't share their catalogs, at least they publish their resource library, and that was a good idea to check it, Kdaniel8601. I could be wrong, but I would be willing to bet that AA is dating it to 1949 based on the catalog number indicating when it was printed (a scheme SK seems to have started after 1946), and by "50", Steve is referring to what year it was intended for in terms of sales. (Unless it's actually dated 1950 somewhere and also bears a befuddling 649 number, which would just be bizarre.) That is a typical cycle for many tool mfgrs and their catalogs.

Anyway, now I am officially astonished they used new artwork at least two times over (1946, late 1949) showing the wartime logo and water transfer decals when they were putting metal badges on the boxes with a completely different logo. Contrast that to Williams or Bonney or many others who used the postwar juncture (46-47) to make sweeping changes to their logos and their publications.

And we still have no documented proof for when they made the actual change.

 

[Old Radar]

Damn S-Ks! We should melt 'em all down! That'll teach 'em!! Send them all to me and I'll make sure they are never heard from again! Trust me.

 

[d42jeep]

I had this box in the garage and it finally dawned on me that it looked kind of like the nice postwar 3/8” deep set that I got from Roy a while back. It was missing most of its paint so I sprayed it with some paint I recently found that matches the wartime S-K boxes, except for the wrinkle. When I tried some sockets in it I wondered about the empty space on the left side until I looked closely at the cover of the ‘43 catalog. I can’t tell from the listing but I think that the sockets may have been 12 point since they are more rare. The set would have had to be made in ‘41 or ‘42.
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

The three smaller ones in my set are 6 point

 

[r_olson_06]

I had this box in the garage and it finally dawned on me that it looked kind of like the nice postwar 3/8” deep set that I got from Roy a while back. It was missing most of its paint so I sprayed it with some paint I recently found that matches the wartime S-K boxes, except for the wrinkle. When I tried some sockets in it I wondered about the empty space on the left side until I looked closely at the cover of the ‘43 catalog. I can’t tell from the listing but I think that the sockets may have been 12 point since they are more rare. The set would have had to be made in ‘41 or ‘42.
-Don

Nice work Don. I agree those 12pts. are more rare especially deeps.



Looking for a Plomb 3061 Pebble Open End.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Did the earlier sets come with a short 5/8?

 

[d42jeep]

Looks like only in S-K Chrome. This is from the ‘41 catalog.
-Don

 

[r_olson_06]

Did the earlier sets come with a short 5/8?

That is one I have never seen. The 3/8" SK chromes are rare.

Looking for a Plomb 3061 Pebble Open End.

 

[Rileysan]

S-K Tools 1/4" drive thumbwheel socket set.

I found this unused set in a batch of tools I purchased along with a Craftsman heritage roller, today. It's some sort of promotional item from a Ford MVP Rally. I'm still trying to figure out the details of the nature of the rallies but I suspect this is from the 1970s.

Brian

 

[damon18]

S-K Tools 1/4" drive thumbwheel socket set.



I found this unused set in a batch of tools I purchased along with a Craftsman heritage roller, today. It's some sort of promotional item from a Ford MVP Rally. I'm still trying to figure out the details of the nature of the rallies but I suspect this is from the 1970s.



Brian

That is beautiful!

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[Oldtuleguy]

Sweet set whatever it is

 

[Provincial]

Riley, you doublesuck on that roller purchase when this is factored in!

 

[d42jeep]

Nice work Don. I agree those 12pts. are more rare especially deeps.

Thanks, Roy. I added all of the 12 point sockets I had to the early set. It looks like I am missing 3/8” and 1/2” deep 12 point sockets to complete the set. I found a nice 3/4” deep on eBay.
-Don

 

[ForrestT]

SK 1/4” set I put together. Probably my favorite piece of my SK collection.




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[Oldtuleguy]

Wow that box looks new

 

[d42jeep]

SK 1/4” set I put together. Probably my favorite piece of my SK collection.




Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

That looks great. They are attractive sets.
-Don

 

[ForrestT]

That looks great. They are attractive sets.

-Don

Thank you. Yours are really nice too. Wartime I assume.


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[d42jeep]

Thank you. Yours are really nice too. Wartime I assume.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

Those have the riveted on label so they are postwar. These are wartime sets with the decal rather than the riveted on plate.
-Don

 

[ForrestT]

Those have the riveted on label so they are postwar. These are wartime sets with the decal rather than the riveted on plate.

-Don

Thanks for the lesson, Don!


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[d42jeep]

My pleasure. I tend to concentrate on the wartime sets but I like S-K in general and have for a long time.
-Don

 

[RTM]

S-K Tools 1/4" drive thumbwheel socket set.

I found this unused set in a batch of tools I purchased along with a Craftsman heritage roller, today. It's some sort of promotional item from a Ford MVP Rally.

That’s fun, nice score!

 

[David Jackson]

Re: Vintage S-K Tools WWII maybe 1/2" drive stuff

I have what I am told by those who know is a WWII era set of 1/2" drive sockets finished in black oxide (feel free to correct any errors here). I would enjoy completing this set, if indeed it was a set back in the day, with the appropriate box, ratchet, extension, flex handle etc. Can anyone post some photos of what those components actually look like? If I knew that it would help my searching activities.

A few photos of what I have are attached.

Regards,

David Jackson

 

[David Jackson]

Where'd the photos go? I will try again.

DJ

 

[d42jeep]

David,
I thought that I had sent you this.
-Don

 

[misterbill]

Nice set you have there, David. twertsy used to have a 1943 S-K catalog on his toolarchives site but I can no longer find it there. This 1941 version on the Internet Tool Catalog Library has the same sets, though.

Bill