To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

The VINTAGE toolboxes of Garage Journal!

Outlawmws

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 9, 2011
Messages
39,110
Location
The Badlands
Just the latch, I think IMO those with the (totally simple, easily picked) keys were more to ensure the thing stayed latched while carrying it, than for theft.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Sam'sAutoParts

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
2,075
Location
Northeast PA
Just the latch, I think IMO those with the (totally simple, easily picked) keys were more to ensure the thing stayed latched while carrying it, than for theft.



I think that is a good assumption, it appears to be a simple latch, very easily broken if the need arises to get into it if the key is not available.
 

Ole Slewfoot

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 22, 2016
Messages
5,098
Location
Freedom, CA
It says its a nokey

some sturdibilt like elements
https://www.etsy.com/listing/270783469
http://www.ebay.com/itm/111962236746

Not like the Union I picked up the other day. Missing a tray of course, but it had some tools.

20160419_142220_zpsxzpmqjqb.jpg


20160419_142027_zpshtbku6vq.jpg


Rochester factory would put it '29 -'32 somewhere

20160419_142113_zpsnlfwtioi.jpg


mid latch

20160419_142127_zpseytzwse6.jpg


side latch detail

20160419_142157_zps50wkzvhy.jpg


I know I can make a key, question is can I make one that doesn't look like ***?
 
Last edited:

jeepyy

New member
Joined
Jul 22, 2013
Messages
4
hi guys!

Anybody can tell me a good alternative to the kennedy Brown wrinkle finish spray paint?! I want a close color match.... and (if possible) i wish to keep the wrinkle finish.

Thank you

JP
 

econotrk

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
275
Location
Western Pa. near Pgh. n dat
I've had this for probably 30 years, came out of an old timers shop that had passed away. Not your typical tool box, but I figured you guys would enjoy it. Surprising how little is missing being many of the pieces are of a consumable nature. I included a pic of the latch, a ball catch which I think is cool.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3844.jpg
    IMG_3844.jpg
    86.5 KB · Views: 93
  • IMG_3843.jpg
    IMG_3843.jpg
    79.9 KB · Views: 79
  • IMG_3842.jpg
    IMG_3842.jpg
    131.7 KB · Views: 107
  • IMG_3839.jpg
    IMG_3839.jpg
    139.6 KB · Views: 105

FJ 432

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 2, 2010
Messages
3,724
Location
Littleton Colorado
I've had this for probably 30 years, came out of an old timers shop that had passed away. Not your typical tool box, but I figured you guys would enjoy it. Surprising how little is missing being many of the pieces are of a consumable nature. I included a pic of the latch, a ball catch which I think is cool.

Super cool. Is it plastic,metal? Hard to tell.
 

safariknut

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 28, 2015
Messages
388
Location
Michigan
hi guys!

Anybody can tell me a good alternative to the kennedy Brown wrinkle finish spray paint?! I want a close color match.... and (if possible) i wish to keep the wrinkle finish.

Thank you

JP

Rust-O-Leum makes a brown hammer tone finish that is a close match in an aerosol can.
 

LesserSon

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 7, 2016
Messages
5,047
Location
PA USA
I bumped into this fella in a thrift store today. Didn't ask for a price, because it isn't really a user-friendly box. Just thought I'd share some pictures.
Edit - my assessment is not shared by others.
I figured, if the lids/trays contraption is supposed to work one-handed (open when you push down on the handle and close when you pick it up) it fails. Maybe lube at the pins would help, but fully loaded I think it would require two hands to open and close, making the always-sticking-up, full-length handle a storage liability.
A while back, I would have bought it, just because it says "Snap-on", with the idea if I didn't need it for myself, I could resell it. But the couple things I have put up on the classifieds thread haven't sold, so why tie up money on "investments" that won't cash out?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0006.jpg
    IMG_0006.jpg
    142.7 KB · Views: 56
Last edited:

LesserSon

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 7, 2016
Messages
5,047
Location
PA USA
1928 patent by J E Coe.
Edit - so, it's a K11 cantilever box, 1930s-40s. Don't know when they would have stopped stamping the patent number, but I'd guess around 1935.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0009.jpg
    IMG_0009.jpg
    143.7 KB · Views: 37
Last edited:

nine4gmc

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 24, 2012
Messages
14,357
Location
Dallas
Rick, he will probably **** once he checks ebay and see's how "not user friendly" it actually is! :evil:

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk
 

LesserSon

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 7, 2016
Messages
5,047
Location
PA USA
Well, it's not a Goodwill or Salvation Army or pawn shop. More of an antiques place with a lot of vintage and thrift items. First time I went in, I picked some good stuff that wasn't marked with prices and negotiated a good deal at the register, but I think the proprietor is getting a bit more aware of the potential of some of those rusty old tools. Last time he refused to come down on some SK pieces, and I paid twice what I think they're worth because I had invested so much time sorting them out of a bin of Thaiwan junk. Yesterday, I pulled two early 1950s Snap-on DBEs (1-1/2+") and he said, "Snap-on! These are $30 each."
I needed them like another hole in the head, so I declined. But it shows he's putting a little more value on stuff that wasn't worth the effort of a price tag before.
My pockets are only so deep. I've got three kids in college, and I am reserving some cash for a flea market tomorrow and an eBay item I missed and hope gets relisted. Haven't gotten the hang of flipping stuff yet, so I left the Snap-on (couple screwdrivers, a 1/2dr extension, and an adjustable wrench, too) for another dude to find.
If fate puts it in reach again, maybe I'll snap it up, but for now I have to make choices.

Update: Son graduated, put him on a plane, moved some of his stuff out if my space and into his new apartment. Then went back and snapped up that Snap-on K11 duplex box. Thunderstorm as I'm bringing it home helped me decide how to clean it out. Looks pretty much the same, but with less dust.
 
Last edited:

LesserSon

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 7, 2016
Messages
5,047
Location
PA USA
So I bought this budget-friendlier ($8) 41-B-1840 today instead. No Snap-on logo to multiply the price. Scratches show olive drab under the brush-painted gray, so I'm inclined to think it's WWII surplus.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0028.jpg
    IMG_0028.jpg
    151.7 KB · Views: 72
  • IMG_0027.jpg
    IMG_0027.jpg
    151.5 KB · Views: 62
  • IMG_0026.jpg
    IMG_0026.jpg
    144.7 KB · Views: 62
  • IMG_0029.jpg
    IMG_0029.jpg
    145 KB · Views: 66
Last edited:
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Username already in use

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 4, 2015
Messages
2,177
Location
Ohio
So I bought this budget-friendlier ($8) 41-B-1840 today instead. No Snap-on logo to multiply the price. Scratches show olive drab under the brush-painted gray, so I'm inclined to think it's WWII surplus.

$8 is a good buy. That box has all the hallmarks of a Union made box. Tray handle is flat, and rounded edges at the top of the feet. There may be a Union sticker under that gray paint, usually somewhere near the middle of one of lids, inside the box.:dunno:
 

LesserSon

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 7, 2016
Messages
5,047
Location
PA USA
$8 is a good buy. That box has all the hallmarks of a Union made box. Tray handle is flat, and rounded edges at the top of the feet. There may be a Union sticker under that gray paint, usually somewhere near the middle of one of lids, inside the box.:dunno:

Yes, there's a rectangular bump in the paint, either a sticker or the glue of a sticker. I gave the whole box a wash with ecofriendly cleanser, to see if the gray would soften or peel, but looks like it won't come off without taking the original with it. I had hoped to see if there was a stencil. I may give it superfinegrit wetsanding to smooth up the brushstrokes and embedded dust, and maybe the gray will change its mind then.
 

Private Lugnutz

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 30, 2012
Messages
30,473
Location
The Authentic Jersey Shore
Picked this up at an auction today, decent condition. It is built like a tank, does anyone know who made this? Original handle is missing but the tray is there.

It’s an armorer’s chest, used for carrying tools, cleaning gear, and spare parts. I am not familiar with the M6, so I can't tell you what gun(s) it was associated with. I know the M5 (D28243), which was very similar, very well. The M5 was associated with the .30 and .50 cal Browning Machine Gun, M1919A4, A5, and A6. D28201 and D28243 are Ordnance Dept drawing numbers. My hunch is something similar. As for Mfgr, my guess, based on features, would be Hamilton Metal Products in Hamilton, Ohio. I am not with my reference material, but I will look it up for you later this week.

Here are a couple of M5’s, one with corner supports bottom and top (likely Union Steel Chest Corp), and one with corner supports only on the bottom (likely Hamilton).

HPIM0483.JPG


file.php


M5chest1_zpstvmckmcg.jpg


M5chest2_zpsh8178mgv.jpg


Here is an image of an M5 from a 1943 manual
file.php


And here is an M5 presented for inspection

file.php
 
Last edited:

Username already in use

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 4, 2015
Messages
2,177
Location
Ohio
Yes, there's a rectangular bump in the paint, either a sticker or the glue of a sticker.

Good luck cleaning it up. I've heard of some people using a heat gun and a scraper to get the top layer off.
It would have come in O.D. from Union, but being that it's gray, it could very well have seen service in the Navy. They painted everything gray!
The sticker would look very much like this one.
union_004.JPG
 

Private Lugnutz

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 30, 2012
Messages
30,473
Location
The Authentic Jersey Shore
So I bought this budget-friendlier ($8) 41-B-1840 today instead. No Snap-on logo to multiply the price. Scratches show olive drab under the brush-painted gray, so I'm inclined to think it's WWII surplus.
It is. Post-war flip-tops typically don't have corner supports and the handle brackets are riveted instead of welded. Based on the shape of the corner supports (rounded vs ornate French leaf), the number of hinge elements (33), and the flat handle on the top tray (vs round), I can almost guarantee that your box was made by Union Steel Chest Corp in Leroy, NY. The other makers (Hamilton, E.J. McAleer) had different features, including the habit of embossing or stamping their name in the lids. Union used a foil label that is almost always completely eroded or painted over.

If the tray supports, which I can’t see, are four pieces spot welded into each inside corner (vs two shelves welded onto either side), I will change my almost guarantee to 100% guarantee.

Here are some shots of one of my Union wartime boxes if you want to compare.

GMTSBox_1.jpg


GMTSBox_2.jpg


GMTSBox_4.jpg


GMTSBox_7.jpg
 

LesserSon

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 7, 2016
Messages
5,047
Location
PA USA
I see that UNAIU already identified it as a Union for you! Disregard my post. But do check the inside tray supports. If they're in the corners - it's definitely Union.

I certainly will NOT disregard your post, which confirms and expands upon UNAIU's ID. Thanks to you both.
My new old box has the supports you describe, except they are not extra pieces spot welded on, but rather (more elegantly economical of material and labor) tabs punched inward from the short end walls, the resulting holes being closed by the overlap of the long walls.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0035.jpg
    IMG_0035.jpg
    163.6 KB · Views: 37
  • IMG_0034.jpg
    IMG_0034.jpg
    169.2 KB · Views: 36

Private Lugnutz

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 30, 2012
Messages
30,473
Location
The Authentic Jersey Shore
I certainly will NOT disregard your post, which confirms and expands upon UNAIU's ID. Thanks to you both.
My new old box has the supports you describe, except they are not extra pieces spot welded on, but rather (more elegantly economical of material and labor) tabs punched inward from the short end walls, the resulting holes being closed by the overlap of the long walls.
Yes, that's them. I was going from memory. Thanks for reminding me about their ingenious, efficient design.
 

Private Lugnutz

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 30, 2012
Messages
30,473
Location
The Authentic Jersey Shore
1928 patent by J E Coe.
Edit - so, it's a K11 cantilever box, 1930s-40s. Don't know when they would have stopped stamping the patent number, but I'd guess around 1935.
John Coe lived in Jamestown, NY, which is 20 miles from Sherman, NY, which is where Duplex Mfg Co was located. Duplex Mfg Co had wartime multiple contracts with the US Army Ordnance Department for these toolboxes and sold them hand over fist. All of them still had the 1926 patent stamped or embossed on them.

Here are some photos of one:

toolbox_001.JPG


toolbox_002.JPG


Here’s another one, owned by GJ member, zepher.

Duplex_Box_03.JPG


And here’s one from the 12th Armored Division’s website.

tool_box3.jpg


I suspect that box was made for Snap-On by Duplex. Snap-On did supply tookits to the US Army Ordnance Dept during the war, as well as the US Army Air corps, and the Navy. But I have never seen an OD box of this type with anything but a Duplex stamp on it.

As a now-Displaced Lesser Native Son of NE Pennsyltucky (born and raised in Palmerton, in Carbon County...now living down the shore, by way of many other worldwide locations), old enough to remember when A-Treat and Horlacher beer were delivered to the front porch in the same wooden case, when the name “Bonney” rolled off the lips of oldtimers hanging around garages, machines shops, and foundries with the same sort of reverence given to Mack trucks and Martin guitar, who still considers Mario Andretti the best race car driver – any surface, any car –of all time --- I REALLY wish you would tell me where this thrift shop is!
 

joe.striper

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 13, 2013
Messages
2,251
Location
agawam, ma
Can anyone please help me with info on this metal over wood Dunlap I just picked up, with contents, for $40? I cannot find a thing on it.

Also any help with an ID on this old factory made carpenters box. It has the key.I pd $20 for it.
 

Attachments

  • 20160510_141208_resized(1).jpg
    20160510_141208_resized(1).jpg
    108.8 KB · Views: 75
  • 20160510_141102_resized(1).jpg
    20160510_141102_resized(1).jpg
    110.5 KB · Views: 77
  • 20160510_141335_resized.jpg
    20160510_141335_resized.jpg
    133.3 KB · Views: 83
  • 20160510_135722_resized.jpg
    20160510_135722_resized.jpg
    114.3 KB · Views: 73
  • 20160510_140409_resized.jpg
    20160510_140409_resized.jpg
    119.4 KB · Views: 82
  • 20160510_140708_resized.jpg
    20160510_140708_resized.jpg
    128.7 KB · Views: 77
  • 20160510_140804_resized.jpg
    20160510_140804_resized.jpg
    73.6 KB · Views: 82

RedVise

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 4, 2010
Messages
1,281
Location
Gulf Coast, Fl
Can anyone please help me with info on this metal over wood Dunlap I just picked up, with contents, for $40? I cannot find a thing on it.

Also any help with an ID on this old factory made carpenters box. It has the key.I pd $20 for it.


Another site estimated my metal over wood Dunlap chest as 40's era...
Yours is the same as mine, but very clean, nice find.

Brian
 

stewed baker

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Messages
119
Location
Lompoc, Ca
A lot of the old carpenters boxes were hand made. It served to show to an employer the skill of the carpenter. Before he was hired. Also showed what tools he had.
 

crewchief888

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
13,741
Location
NW indiana
recently found this pic when i was rummaging through a box of old pics.

kennedy top and roller cab i bought around '78 or so, side cab and mid box i bought in '85 or so when i was at the 1st dealer i worked at.

top, bottom and mid ended up as trade ins when i bought my kr 550/555 combo.

still have the side box :thumbup:


:beer:
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20150627_0018.jpg
    IMG_20150627_0018.jpg
    139.3 KB · Views: 131

bobcatdan

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
9,948
Location
Kaukauna,WI
recently found this pic when i was rummaging through a box of old pics.

kennedy top and roller cab i bought around '78 or so, side cab and mid box i bought in '85 or so when i was at the 1st dealer i worked at.

top, bottom and mid ended up as trade ins when i bought my kr 550/555 combo.

still have the side box :thumbup:


:beer:

What ever skidsteer is in the background , I feel sorry for you back then. Can't tell if it's a 30 series with the cab pulled or a damn 825.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom