Vintage S-K Tools

[bmwrd0]

I'll be honest, I will buy most any metal cased 1/4 set that I come across.

I probably have more than 30 by now.

 

[old_smokey]

Paging all Vintage SK tool box fans in Calgary....

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-tool-storage-bench/calgary/tool-box-steel/1530517053


I would have it in my truck already if it wasn't 1000 miles away from me. It's honestly perfect and exactly what I want as a 'road box'.

Maybe a good samaritan in Calgary will see this and pick it up for me..!?

 

[d42jeep]

With a lot of help from bmwrd0 and username, I now have homes for my 1/4” drive Chrome Alloy sockets.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Here are some 1/2” drive Chrome Alloy sockets. They live in the Brazil carry box.
-Don

 

[Smokeshow69]

With a lot of help from bmwrd0 and username, I now have homes for my 1/4” drive Chrome Alloy sockets.
-Don

I am “happy” for you[emoji23] see that is a good complementary “h” word for a fellow collector [emoji23]


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[d42jeep]

Thanks. That is much more pleasant than that other “H” word. I’ve been trying to get those together for years.
-Don

 

[Smokeshow69]

Thanks. That is much more pleasant than that other “H” word. I’ve been trying to get those together for years.

-Don

You are not the other “h” word.... that type won’t get rid of or trade/sell anything. I know you and I have traded or sold before and I know you have done the same with other members as well.


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[d42jeep]

I found this partial Kraeuter 3/8” drive metric set on eBay and since I had most of the missing sockets I picked it up.
-Don

 

[Outlawmws]

Looks like you had them all!

 

[StillTooManyHobbies]

A friend gifted me these 3 vintage items. One is a partial Set 13 with the tilting case. Next is a crusty box that might be for a 4921 set but it's only 1" deep. The last is a partial 1/4 and 3/8 combo set. Part of the label is visible and reads "23 piece 1/4 & 3/8 square drive socket wrench set". Maybe set 1822? What say the more knowledgeable folks here?

 

[ALLFAST]

Ok SK authorities: No "Chrome" notation:. Just catalog number, S-K , 2 dots, and fractional size. This should be 1944,1945 ? Is this a plain steel or CAD finish?

It is 3/4 drive .

Thanks in advance !

Shawn

 

[ALLFAST]

I believe it to be Cadmium from the photograph.

 

[Gummi Bear]

Got these at an estate sale.




No idea about age or desirability. I just think they’re neat. I’ll clean them up a little this weekend.


I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[d42jeep]

Looks like you had them all!

Surprisingly, I had the 10mm but I’m missing the 12mm. I added a rusty 12mm Craftsman after I took the pictures.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I believe it to be Cadmium from the photograph.

Could be. It looks porous/smoky like cad. But very well preserved cad. Also looks like a satin finish. It can sometimes be hard to tell from afar, especially if it's intact like that.

 

[ALLFAST]

Thank You Lugz. I showed it to 2 coworkers, they concour on well preserved CAD. Definitely not Chrome, and too bright for natural steel they feel. Just had this partial 3/4 set fall into my lap: Sliding T-bar, 8 inch extension, 5 of the largest of 7 required sockets needed for a vintage 3/4 set. The whole set is as nice as that, and was sourced from a yard sale by an elderly hobbiest tool collector.

I just need a 16" extension and the two smallest sizes of this set. Getting there piece by piece!

 

[ALLFAST]

The rest of the partial 3/4 set score. I am confident from checking an S-K historical source that these are 1944.to 1945.. Still waiting for others to weigh in here though .

 

[ALLFAST]

Im going to rethink my position until I have them in hand. Im with you Lugz (and Don) that it's hard to tell from these photos, and I see the smokiness now.

I also detect a. slight glare of the wood tone, somewhat reflecting back into the sockets? Not sure if it's his camera/lighting situation vs my download creating that element or not.

No notation of "Chrome" visible though near the SK?

In any case, all the pieces look to be in fine shape and I got a. good deal on them.

I'll see on Wednesday ��.

 

[Username already in use]

Definitely not Chrome, and too bright for natural steel they feel.

I've got a wartime set of 3/4" drive Craftsman (K) which was made by S-K. The ad in the wartime catalog calls them 'highly polished'. They're not chrome plated, but they sure do shine.

SK used some cad plating early in the war, but I've never seen it look like that. They then moved to black oxide for rust prevention during the chrome restrictions.

Is the small extension or sliding T marked in any way? For the handles, SK only branded the ratchets during the war.

Your 1-1/2" drive socket looks to me to have been painted with something in the initial picture.

 

[ALLFAST]

UAIU,

Thanks for sharing the CM/SK sockets. Those are cool pieces!

I downloaded the pictures here from my sellers ad and they were much clearer on the CL view. Those photos showed very rich details, etc. Not so much gloss as here.

The older gentleman assured me that he got them at a yard sale and they are very old and basically unused (or hardly at all). I appreciate the tip on the unbranded wartime accessories! I think the slider bar and extensions are bare. My two co-workers are mid 50s and sons of Tool/Die and CAT machinst s....Worked as machinists themselves for some years. They say Cadmium or highly original unplated steel. I'll see on Wednesday !!!

 

[ALLFAST]

Here it is, the S-K 4000C/4000W Spec Socketchest Box. First , many thanks to Lugz as I spent a few hours pulling my hair out trying to determine it's true identity.

Lugz did some research and emailed me the 1943 SK Catalog advert. I about fell over upon reading his response about it's lineage and rarity. Also a big thanks to Don for help getting me on the correct path to understanding the proper "wartime" aspects of this box, and all of the great USA tools in general , from this era.

I've done some preliminary cleaning so far, and I'm not quite convinced about her interior color being any shade of "OD or Signal Corp Green". Computers have there differences
,so I have a can of Signal Corp Green enrt to me. I'm taking a sample of that (sprayed on a tin can) and this box to a Sherman Williams dealer for a color scan and comparison.

I feel it's a bright pimento olive green,but I'll let the paint expert make the call before I start any touching up or repairs....Any input or advice would be much appreciated and welcome,and she needs some fine tuning and minor repair in a few areas. Nothing major ,and no cancer rust anywhere. I attached a shot of a Kennedy box from the 1940s which has a very similar hue. The interior of the Socketchest is quite bright in person,and very intact, but thin. Any Sheen it has is hanging on by a thread,and the exterior is straight up 95 percent oxidation.

Enjoy !

 

[Private Lugnutz]

A beautiful unique (unless I'm dead wrong, a FOAK here...) wartime SK chest!

There were many shades of OD in WWII. Even on trucks. I've always favored the early war shade with lots of olive and yellow in it (like your SK box - I have a Kennedy just like it), rather than the darker OD with blue in it.

I would not touch the inside. Under ANY circumstances.

I would derust and refinish the outside to match the inside, as it seems you're planning. (I would distress it to match the inside, but that's just me! )

Replace the handle and buy a repro decal.

And fill it up!

 

[Username already in use]

And fill it up!

That’s a nice chest. The pieces are out there to be found. Some are easier to find than others, but not an impossible task.
Keep us posted on the box refresh and as you fill it up.

 

[ALLFAST]

Thanks Lugz!

I read your tip on the Blackhawk thread About making a distressed decal. Could I commission you to do one of those?

Any suggestions for the actual tray? Derust, touch up, and mildly distress the sides and handle? I figure if the very bottom inside of the box and tray are extremely clean (and all surface rust is stopped/cleaned) I can line those with some vintage looking cork and not need to worry about those anymore.

The latches are pathetic. Very frail, and they were thin. The weight this box was intended to hold, they would never have lasted long in the real world. It will be preserved , so I will probably leave them alone. I need to get a new center hasp. It broke off in my hand.

Your handle on the SO K26, it's mounts look just like mine, except I have rivets. I'll have my neighbor make a distressed leather handle to match it all. He's very good. Should the leather and stitches be black, or ??

What about the bottom? Clean the whole surface, neutralize rust,prime the bare spots,
and feather in touch up paint to cover that,and maybe give it a coat of flat clear ??
I have a list of things to yet, and the cleaning needs to continue.

Talk soon, and Stay safe ! Shawn

 

[ALLFAST]

Thanks UAIU,
The more I get into the clean up, the more it's talking to me. The thing smells awesome. Like it's been stored under the seat of a big piece of equipment forever: Grease, dirt, dried oil. But in the best way!

I'm finding little odds and ends as we speak. That's half the fun it seems like.... like building a big model kit. Good history lessons along the way. I'll definitely keep you fine folks updated as it progresses.

Be well, Shawn

 

[ALLFAST]

Lugz I agree with you on the color. That's why I'm going to drag it down to a Sherman Williams shop and see if they can do a match. If it is the darker side, I'll go with it, but I think it's more yellow.

 

[ALLFAST]

Thanks Lugz!

I read your tip on the Blackhawk thread About making a distressed decal. Could I commission you to do one of those?

Any suggestions for the actual tray? Derust, touch up, and mildly distress the sides and handle? I figure if the very bottom of the box and tray are extremely clean (and all surface rust is stopped/cleaned) I can line those with some vintage looking cork and not need to worry about those anymore.

The latches are pathetic. Very frail, and they were thin. The weight this box was intended to hold, they would never have lasted long in the real world. It will be preserved , so I will probably leave them alone. I need to get a new center hasp. It broke off in my hand.

Your handle on the SO K26, it's mounts look just like mine, except I have rivets. I'll have my neighbor make a distressed leather handle to match it all. He's very good. Should the leather and stitches be black, or ??

What about the bottom? Clean the whole surface, neutralize rust,prime the bare spots,
and feather in touch up paint to cover that,and maybe give it a coat of flat clear ??
I have a list of things to yet, and the cleaning needs to continue.

Talk soon, and Stay safe ! Shawn

 

[ALLFAST]

I forgot to post the very bottom of the box. Here it is.

 

[ALLFAST]

Thanks Lugz!

I read your tip on the Blackhawk thread About making a distressed decal. Could I commission you to do one of those?

Any suggestions for the actual tray? Derust, touch up, and mildly distress the sides and handle? I figure if the very bottom of the box and tray are extremely clean (and all surface rust is stopped/cleaned) I can line those with some vintage looking cork and not need to worry about those anymore.

The latches are pathetic. Very frail, and they were thin. The weight this box was intended to hold, they would never have lasted long in the real world. It will be preserved , so I will probably leave them alone. I need to get a new center hasp. It broke off in my hand.

Your handle on the SO K26, it's mounts look just like mine, except I have rivets. I'll have my neighbor make a distressed leather handle to match it all. He's very good. Should the leather and stitches be black, or ??

What about the bottom? Clean the whole surface, neutralize rust,prime the bare spots,
and feather in touch up paint to cover that,and maybe give it a coat of flat clear ??
I have a list of things to yet, and the cleaning needs to continue.

Talk soon, and Stay safe ! Shawn

 

[Smokeshow69]

I forgot to post the very bottom of the box. Here it is.

That is very much saveable once it gets a good repaint. I recently found and restored a non thread correct rare tool tote that looked worse than your new box. Lugz barn find thread is very helpful for the aging accelerated process. Very nice find!


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[ALLFAST]

Thanks Smoke.. She's a creampuff. for 77.. I will. peruse. the barn find area for ideas.

 

[d42jeep]

This is a paint that Lugz and I have been using lately on WW2 toolboxes and I have found it to be a close match to the wartime S-K color. It comes from Midwest Military. The repro decals are from eBay seller jimenginedecals.
-Don

 

[ALLFAST]

Thanks Don,

I saved that very post last week, and your nice layout there. I have a can of that on the way. Hoping it's a match, or very close to what's on my interior.. I'll let the paint shop computer weigh in, then go from there. I'll be doing test swatches on tin cans and scrap before I do surgery on the real thing��.

 

[ALLFAST]

I am ready brainstorming on making the exterior wrinkle finish look aged like the inside, or preserving it like JoCo and his CM boxes.... I will look for feedback here most likely when the time comes.

Be well, Shawn

 

[d42jeep]

Here are a larger Plomb and small S-K box with a recent wrinkle finish repaint, using the Midwest Military paint as a topcoat over the VHT wrinkle black base. My goal was to have the formerly red ugly duckling fit in with it’s green relatives.
-Don

 

[ALLFAST]

Don!
That looks super duper Sir! Do you spray the VHt as minimally thin as possible? Just delay the green until the wrinkle disappeares then stop? Well done !

 

[ALLFAST]

Will the wartime SK speed handles of 1/2 and 3/8 inch drive be "unnumbered" like those era's extensions?

Thank you in advance!

Shawn

 

[d42jeep]

Don!
That looks super duper Sir! Do you spray the VHt as minimally thin as possible? Just delay the green until the wrinkle disappeares then stop? Well done !

Will the wartime SK speed handles of 1/2 and 3/8 inch drive be "unnumbered" like those era's extensions?

Thank you in advance!

Shawn

I’m slowly improving with the wrinkle paint. I do a pretty thick coat with the wrinkle paint and let it dry, preferably in the sun on a warm day. I don’t do the top coat for at least 24 hours and I put it on thin. Below are pictures of a Craftsman box top that I redid because I didn’t like the way it came out the first time. The top coat is dark blue on those.
I believe that the speeders are unmarked as well. I picked up an unmarked 3/8” drive speeder at a garage sale today and think it is wartime S-K.
-Don

 

[ALLFAST]

Don,
Those boxes look excellent from here, and the speeder is gorgeous. I will send you an article about a fellow who has the VHT wrinkle finish down to an art (if you wish of course). I save your tool photos as samples of what to look for myself! Thank you for the input on speeders!

Have a good weekend! Be well, Shawn

 

[Catfishdan]

Scored an early 1/2” ratchet at an estate sale today. It even had a plug, albeit the wrong brand...