Show your Indestro and Duro-Chrome tools
- Thread starter matthew
- Start date
Oldtuleguy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
- Messages
- 10,459
Nice. First one I have seen.
RubiconJK
Well-known member
Not sure I've ever seen a flare nut wrench with that pronounced of an offset.
r_olson_06
Well-known member
Huh. I have afew Duro flare nuts but none with an offset. The size pairing seems to be unique as well. Nice find.
Looking for the following Plomb Pebbles Wrenches 3061, 3070,
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Oh, it sent me to the books for sure! I found them - on page 89! - of the 1940 catalog. They can also be found on page 59 of the 1951 catalog, where two new models were added: 379 (3/8 x 1/2) and 380 (7/16 x 11/16). This model number (383A) and size combination is not listed in either catalog.
Attachments
Last edited:
DD T/A
Well-known member
Yes I have a couple I''ll dig up if I can, they are not common. Oddly enough any flare nut wrench at the swap is for some reason treated like gold--they want $5 per wrench...
RubiconJK
Well-known member
Great job! Makes you wonder if yours was a special order?
I was thinking the same thing..... special order. I have a Williams obstruction wrench #2031 that is typically 25/32” x 7/8”. The wrench I have is stamped #2031 with the word “SPECIAL” also stamped on it. Its openings are 7/8” x 1 1/16”. I haven’t seen any Williams info showing that they ever made an obstruction wrench with a 1 1/16” opening.
Jim C.
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Possibly.
Another possibility is that it appears in an intervening or subsequent catalog. I only have 1939, 1940, and 1951. It is chrome-plated, so not produced between 1942 and 1945.
Duro-Chrome very notably used suffixes for wrenches they added to their line when a sequential number was not available, usually when the wrench being added already shared an end with the next closest wrench. For example, in their long 15* pattern DBE line, a No. 2015 is a 7/8" x 3/4" wrench. A No. 2015A is a 7/8" x 13/16" wrench, advertised as being especially suitable for International Harvester Tractor F20 manifolds. And in most instances they don't even call out a specific use, it's just added without a footnote.
Note that my No. 383A shares an end (the 1-1/8" end) with a No. 383 (1-1/8" x 7/8"). Whether a certain customer or Duro-Chrome noted the need first, it does seem likely it had a specific application that required a 15/16" end, but I do believe it was one common enough to merit a model number.
If I had to guess, I'd guess it appears in a later catalog in the 50's.
Last edited:
RubiconJK
Well-known member
Lugz,
You are right. I found your wrench in a later Indestro catalog #55M online at this link.
https://archive.org/details/IndestroMfgCatalog55M1955
Last edited:
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Thanks, Roob! And for the link, too. That may come in handy again.
RubiconJK
Well-known member
d42jeep
Well-known member
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Found this "Ford Brakes" tool at the flea market this morning. Not branded Duro, but as I said on the DBE thread, it has that Duro look, it has a Duro part number, and it's also marked "Chicago". Everybody made these. First Duro I have found. Pic 6 is a 1940 catalog excerpt.
Attachments
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
RubiconJK
Well-known member
No 45 Chevrolet hub cap and water pump wrench. Seems like an odd combination function, but cool looking! I found it in this 1935 catalog here:
https://archive.org/details/IndestroMfgCatalog1935/page/n29
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Thanks for the help, Roob.
d42jeep
Well-known member
I found a smaller ignition set roll with three wrenches at an estate sale this morning. I added some spares and now I’m just missing the E65. The roll could probably be repaired by someone with some sewing skills.
-Don
-Don
Attachments
Tylermorris
Well-known member
garthg
Well-known member
I can almost smell the cutting oil from the factory that came out of.
d42jeep
Well-known member
The head of that ratchet looks quite a bit like the Thorsen open gear ratchets.
-Don
Attachments
d42jeep
Well-known member
Here is a wartime Duro Circle DC marked 2016 DBE wrench that I found on eBay. These don’t come up very often.
-Don
-Don
Last edited:
d42jeep
Well-known member
I bought this D-I 1/2” drive socket set last month. I was interested in adding to my few chrome plated D-I sockets and this set had four. My theory is that Duro had plenty of the plain steel sockets left over when the war ended and they chromed them and sold them off. I asked Indestro expert four.cycle about the ratchet and he told me that it was one that Indestro made for Montgomery Wards. I’ll eventually complete it with wartime D-I sockets and a wartime Duro Chrome ratchet. The last picture shows pretty much what it should look when complete.
-Don
-Don
Attachments
d42jeep
Well-known member
Since my primary collecting focus is on WW2 tools, I’ve accumulated quite a few Duro and Indestro sets. The last picture is the partial 1/4” drive set I picked up off of eBay this week.
-Don
-Don
Last edited:
Oldtuleguy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
- Messages
- 10,459
Bockscar
Well-known member
TT_Vert
Well-known member
Outlawmws
Well-known member
I have several of those sets, I keep them together with a machine screw and a wing nut and keep one set in each vehicle. Can be a lifesaver...
TT_Vert
Well-known member
yeah i found this on them.
Attachments
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
I found an interesting socket at the flea market this morning. There's nothing special about the socket itself, which has a 1/2-inch square drive opening and a 12-point 15/16" service opening. It appears to be a standard Duro-Indestro socket in construction, similar to "-D-I-" sockets, but with the early knurling. While it isn't branded, it has the tell-tale colon mark after the size marking.
It's the other marking that makes it so interesting. A part number ("A191314") followed by an application ("FOR GROUSER"). Grousers are cleats, lugs, bars, or slats added to continuous tracks on tracked vehicles such as bulldozers and tanks to improve their traction, particularly in loose soil, sand, or snow, etc. Some of them are built-in, but many of them have provisions to be moved, removed, and replaced. I think that's what this socket was for.
Because the part number resembles US Army Ordnance Dept drawing numbers, I am guessing it might be military. But that is just speculation at this point.
Either way, glad I found it.
It's the other marking that makes it so interesting. A part number ("A191314") followed by an application ("FOR GROUSER"). Grousers are cleats, lugs, bars, or slats added to continuous tracks on tracked vehicles such as bulldozers and tanks to improve their traction, particularly in loose soil, sand, or snow, etc. Some of them are built-in, but many of them have provisions to be moved, removed, and replaced. I think that's what this socket was for.
Because the part number resembles US Army Ordnance Dept drawing numbers, I am guessing it might be military. But that is just speculation at this point.
Either way, glad I found it.
Attachments
d42jeep
Well-known member
Sam'sAutoParts
Well-known member
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
An image and description of the No. 644 Drain Plug Wrench appears on page 55 of the 1940 Duro catalog. No finish is specified. It also appears on page 57 of the 1951 Duro catalog, where the finish is described as chrome-plated. Judging by the rust, I don't believe yours was plated. Probably plain steel. I have several of them, all 30's or 40's, and they are all plain steel. I would see what it looks like after a long bath in Evaporust and then decide. Your options will likely be leave it as is or paint it.
Sam'sAutoParts
Well-known member
Thanks lugz, just wanted to make sure it wasn’t cad plated, although I doubt any of it would still be on there anyway. I’m thinking evoperust soak and satin black paint.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
d42jeep
Well-known member
I found this rare Duro canvas roll on eBay filled with several incorrect tools. All of these I’ve seen have come with G series (1945) ignition tools. I got this one because my first one needs some restitching on the left side.
-Don
-Don
Last edited:
Oldtuleguy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
- Messages
- 10,459
Wow that is in great shape
d42jeep
Well-known member
Thanks. I’ve seen the complete sets go for quite a bit on eBay so it’s probably good that it was missing the G series wrenches. The great majority of the sets come in leatherette rolls.
-Don
-Don
Last edited:
Provincial
Well-known member
This morning I saw a Craftsman socket box at a sale. (Photo #1) Always curious, I opened it up to check the contents even though it is not an era I am interested in. Inside was a collection of Duro-Indestro older sockets, extensions, and a ratchet. (Photo #2)
None of the items were marked other than knurling and the socket sizes. The ratchet seems to match the photos of the Indestro 657 "Master" ratchet shown on Alloy Artifacts, less the markings. The ratchet works properly and has little wear.
The extensions are 4-1/2" and 9" long. The short one has no provisions for retaining sockets on either end, and the long one has blind holes where spring-loaded balls could be installed, but there is no sign this was ever done. The short extension has a diagonal knurl pattern on the band. The long extension has two knurls that do not match each other. One is kind of a checkerboard pattern and the other is the D-I dimpled-diamond. (Photos #3, #4, #5)
The sockets are of the Indestro pattern, 12-point sizes 1-1/16, 25/32 (3 each), 3/8 (1 each), and 11/32 (3 each). 8-point sizes 3/8 (1 each) and 5/16 (2 each). All the sockets are in excellent condition, with most of the original plating intact, and no rust. The markings all have the same pattern, a dot followed by the _/_ size, followed by another dot. The knurling is all the same. (Photos #6 & 7)
None of the items were marked other than knurling and the socket sizes. The ratchet seems to match the photos of the Indestro 657 "Master" ratchet shown on Alloy Artifacts, less the markings. The ratchet works properly and has little wear.
The extensions are 4-1/2" and 9" long. The short one has no provisions for retaining sockets on either end, and the long one has blind holes where spring-loaded balls could be installed, but there is no sign this was ever done. The short extension has a diagonal knurl pattern on the band. The long extension has two knurls that do not match each other. One is kind of a checkerboard pattern and the other is the D-I dimpled-diamond. (Photos #3, #4, #5)
The sockets are of the Indestro pattern, 12-point sizes 1-1/16, 25/32 (3 each), 3/8 (1 each), and 11/32 (3 each). 8-point sizes 3/8 (1 each) and 5/16 (2 each). All the sockets are in excellent condition, with most of the original plating intact, and no rust. The markings all have the same pattern, a dot followed by the _/_ size, followed by another dot. The knurling is all the same. (Photos #6 & 7)
