Blackhawk Torpedo Socket Set

[Burt Siegal]

Hi there,

I am a newbe to your great site, would like to introduce myself and ask a general question. I am the original owner of a the set which includes a lot of extra sockets and drivers. My dad and I ran Siegal Auto Repair in Hollywood, CA in the late '40's. Yes, I built and raced roadsters, that everyone called "hot rods". I want to sell it to a collector who will appreciate and preserve it as I am now 85 years old.

I was about to polish up the set preparatory to taking photos of the set so it could be evaluated by savy members, but stopped because I was worried that polishing up the set might diminish rather than enhanse their value. Can someone please set me straight on this?

Thanks,

Burt Siegal

 

[twertsy]

Hi there,

I am a newbe to your great site, would like to introduce myself and ask a general question. I am the original owner of a the set which includes a lot of extra sockets and drivers. My dad and I ran Siegal Auto Repair in Hollywood, CA in the late '40's. Yes, I built and raced roadsters, that everyone called "hot rods". I want to sell it to a collector who will appreciate and preserve it as I am now 85 years old.

I was about to polish up the set preparatory to taking photos of the set so it could be evaluated by savy members, but stopped because I was worried that polishing up the set might diminish rather than enhanse their value. Can someone please set me straight on this?

Thanks,

Burt Siegal

Post some pictures Burt, and welcome.

 

[disston]

In the world of antiques the idea of polishing and cleaning is generally frowned on. I have always thought this has more to do with removing patina than removing dirt and grease. If these tools are chrome plated then cleaning them will be fine. And polishing if it doesn't leave grind marks or anything noticeable like swirl marks is OK. With our auto tools it's a little different than an antique walnut table. People take the original finish off their antiques and sand the wood down to a pristine new wood surface. Then they find out they have taken a $20,000 colonial era one of a kind with a known builder down to a $200 conversation piece.

I use Kroil oil on my older tools if they are showing rust. I wire brush them, by hand, if not chrome plated and leave to soak for a day. Then I wipe the excess oil off and let dry. Will have to repeat sometimes to get all the rust off. Rust is not patina. Well not when it is red. The old rust that has been oiled and turned brown is patina. You don't want to take any of the look of the age away from old stuff but if it's dirty or rusty I would clean it. With wooden furniture this can sometimes be done with mild soap and water but sometimes not. It's a highly specialized field. But our automobile tools are mostly not antiques. They haven't been around long enough to be antiques yet. We are witnessing the growing up of the auto tools market into the antique auto tools market right now before our eyes.

Post up some photos if you can. We would love to see them. We are the guys that love this old stuff because of what it is and not so much it's monetary value. But we know more about the value than the run of the mill guy on the street or even many antique dealers.

Do you know the definition of an antique? "An antique is something that someone has loved for a long time." It wouldn't still be here unless somebody loved it. That's where the value is.

 

[leg17]

Hi there,

....... I am the original owner of a the set which includes a lot of extra sockets and drivers. ......B

Thanks, Burt Siegal

Burt are these 7/16 drive?

 

[Stuart in MN]

I believe board member Don Long has one of those torpedo sets, if you contact him he may be able to give you an idea of value.

I've seen photos of them, they are pretty cool and very collectable today.

 

[CNGsaves]

+1 to NOT severely polish and shine them up . . . AS IF . . . they were new.

Instead just clean the grease off and wipe them down.

Looking forward to seeing PICTURES.

HOW TO GET THOSE Pictures on GJ:

(1st) Take pictures with a camera that you can upload them to computer.

(2nd) Within this thread on GJ:
. . . Edit your 1st post
. . . click Go Advanced
. . . click Manage Attachments
. . . link up to 7 pictures in that screen
. . . click Upload
. . . click Save so those Pic's will be attached to that 1st post

Also . . . Welcome to GJ !!

 

[DadRob]

Here are some pics of my Blackhawk torpedo set. I have seen several tool boxes listed on eBay, but most of them are not in as good shape as this one. I have not seen one listed with the sockets and handles included. There is some rust on the steel foot at the front bottom of the case, but otherwise I believe it is in good shape overall. I am sorry the interior decal picture is a little out of focus.

 

[1badbird]

Absolutely gorgeous

 

[slip knot]

DadRob. wow !! that's a sweet set.

 

[thehorse13]

I think that everyone here will do their very best to be sure that your Blackhawk set gets passed to the right person. Many people here, myself included, would cherish that set.

 

[twertsy]

Wow. Vey nice!

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

 

[woody 73]

My holy Grail of sets ,I keep looking but alas in 40 plus years no such luck...I am sure someone would cherish that set as much as I do.

Good luck with your sale.

 

[AngryBeaver]

Woah. That is badass.

 

[930dreamer]

Very nice!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

otherwise I believe it is in good shape overall.

Good? Rob, in formal sales terminology, the set appears to be Unused if not New Old Stock, and the condition is Near Mint.

 

[Zeeman]

That's an incredible find. Congratulations.

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

Holy macaroni!!! That is gorgeous!!!

 

[BrettJ74]

I will add a +1 to every previous comment on the Blackhawk kit. A beautiful styled amazing piece[emoji106]

 

[LXCam]

Holy **** dadrob, that's the coolest set I have ever seen in my life.

Burt, I bet you've got a million stories to tell growing up and building hotrods in the era and in Hollywood if all places. If you should ever need a hand or would care to just BS for a few hours let me know. I'm out in riverside but guys like you are one in a million to come across. My neighbor a couple doors down is one of you guys and it never gets old hearing the stories.

Good luck with passing on your legacy, Cam

 

[Bobioz1]

Here are some pics of my Blackhawk torpedo set. I have seen several tool boxes listed on eBay, but most of them are not in as good shape as this one. I have not seen one listed with the sockets and handles included. There is some rust on the steel foot at the front bottom of the case, but otherwise I believe it is in good shape overall. I am sorry the interior decal picture is a little out of focus.

Only one problem I can see with that set. They didn't make enough to go around. Thanks for the pics. Hope I find something that cool.

 

[uncwstudent]

That is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!

 

[CRTDI]

Here are some pics of my Blackhawk torpedo set. I have seen several tool boxes listed on eBay, but most of them are not in as good shape as this one. I have not seen one listed with the sockets and handles included. There is some rust on the steel foot at the front bottom of the case, but otherwise I believe it is in good shape overall. I am sorry the interior decal picture is a little out of focus.

WOW...looks NOS fresh for sure. Very nice set...

 

[DadRob]

The set belonged to my father. He loved tools, gadgets, and cars. I don't think he was handy, though he knew what tools were used for. Other than routine maintenance on the lawn mower, I don't ever remember seeing him use any tool.

He owned a business that made specialized machinery for the auto industry, and later in life was a Chrysler dealer. I imagined that he owned more cars over the years than anyone else I ever met. Never put more than 20,000 miles on a car.