Can someone ID this little guy??
- Thread starter WhyMe
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cowboy73
Well-known member
It's a Plomb. It's on the handle behind the model number in the photo you posted.
NHBandit
Well-known member
Plomb It says so if you look. Nice little ratchet
NHBandit
Well-known member
I am but I rarely go there.
Unfortunately my knowledge of ratchets is not that great. Guns maybe, not ratchet. Never knew there is a plomb company and my eyes are bad.
Neither is mine, I simply inverted the picture and typed Plomb 4749 into google.
Wasn't trying to be extremely rude, but many folks just want someone else to do their leg work for them. I just thought it was funny when you showed a picture of the make and model number.
https://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclie...75,d.dmg&fp=c1860044171a634f&biw=1440&bih=769
MikeF2316
Well-known member
I'd say it belongs to Max.
Outlawmws
Well-known member
Plomb Became Proto after losing the lawsuit with Plumb. (True story)
littletoes
Well-known member
Oh-yea, and sad too, 'cause Plumb tools are way better than Plumb!
By the way.....who's "Max"???
Outlawmws
Well-known member
Oh-yea, and sad too, 'cause Plumb tools are way better than Plumb!
Apparently the guy who scratched his name on the ratchet.
dirtydogintex
Well-known member
If anyone sees Max tell him I've got a number of his tools here .... thx to a local pawn shop....
lowbucktruck
Well-known member
So... the original owner of that ratchet was "Max". Hope he didn't fight in the Thunderdome! He might want his ratchet back so he can fix his "interceptor" (GT351 version of a 1973 Ford XB Falcon Hardtop).
Very cool ratchet!
Very cool ratchet!
bryanrj
Well-known member
http://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/plomb-drive-tools.html#plomb-4749
With lots more Plvmb history linked.
With lots more Plvmb history linked.
littletoes
Well-known member
Apparently the guy who scratched his name on the ratchet.
http://www.apexhandtools.com/brands...t=1&att_id=PLU002&att1=Hammers&att2=Ball Pein
Here are the "second" plumb....just not the quality of Plvmb. Back when I was a kid, I thought they were the same company...
Conductor562
Well-known member
Well, it's definitely pre-March 1950 because it's still stamped Plomb rather than Proto. It's definitely post 1939 because it's stamped USA rather than Los Angeles. It's definitely not WWII because it's not stamped War Finish and it's clearly not a WF-8. So it's either early or late 1940's. Someone here can probably tell you which one.
Apparently the guy who scratched his name on the ratchet.
i did not even notice that on there all these years. Man i need really need reading glasses.
ajchien
Well-known member
Wow. That's darn good by memory conductor.
According to the below link, the ratchet was made in 1941.
http://plombtools.com/year-markings-2/
lbgradwell
Well-known member
Outlawmws
Well-known member
Your original post spelled them the same...
Plomb = Plvmb = Proto Mechanics and military/industrial contract tools mostly, back in the day.
Plumb is the primarily hammer Co. You posted and was exactly who I was talking about that sued and won.
It was also a danm good tools company, just a different focus than Plvmb. I think they fell into the overseas sourcing though, so no clue as to their current quality.
Outlawmws
Well-known member
64Trvlr
Well-known member
Oh-yea, and sad too, 'cause Plumb tools are way better than Plumb!
By the way.....who's "Max"???
This is Max.
thebeekeeper1
Well-known member
Conductor562
Well-known member
Why, thank you sir. I was leaning toward early 40's because most of the post WWII stuff is the pebble finish. I know a thing or 2 about Plomb - Proto, but some of these guys on here are what I would consider experts. I lack the catalogs to study to be really good at it.
littletoes
Well-known member
Yeah, what he said!
I figured those that knew, knew....
I've owned both manufactures for over 20 years....when I heard about the lawsuit, happening so many years ago....just sad.
Kinda like what happened between midway and brownell's over the shape of their catalog.....can't you guys just get along?
What's a large AR forum?
Oh my, next thing I will see are Penguins!!!!!!!
64Trvlr
Well-known member
NHBandit
Well-known member
We can't tell you. It's a secret society kinda like the Freemasons. Sorry...What's a large AR forum?
Man of Many Vices
Well-known member
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- Aug 23, 2012
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Plumb sued Plomb when Plomb apparently broke a gentleman's agreement not to make hammers. I have one or two Plomb body hammers.
I occasionally encounter -- and sometimes purchase -- obvious Plomb wrenches where the name has been ground off. It is my theory that, after losing the lawsuit, Plomb ground off its name from the existing inventory to sell them before the "Proto" name was added (both "Proto" AND "Plomb" on the same tool). Eventually "Proto" appeared by itself.
I occasionally encounter -- and sometimes purchase -- obvious Plomb wrenches where the name has been ground off. It is my theory that, after losing the lawsuit, Plomb ground off its name from the existing inventory to sell them before the "Proto" name was added (both "Proto" AND "Plomb" on the same tool). Eventually "Proto" appeared by itself.
Conductor562
Well-known member
Yep, lots of grind off's in 1949. They're a lot easier to find out west than around here though. There are a couple of different stories about where the name "Proto" actually came from, but the most widely accepted theory is that they held a contest and a secretary came up with Proto which was the winner. Plomb sold hammers under the Paschall name which they acquired in 1928. I suppose Plumb got a little uncomfortable and filed suit in 1946. The lawsuit permitted the dual marked tools from late 48 until March 1950. My understanding is that the last Plomb marked tools rolled off the line March 24, 1950 with the first Proto only marked stuff debuting March 25th. But again, I'm no expert by any means.
I believe most of the grind offs are items that were existing inventory bearing stampings that contradicted the terms laid out by the courts. I could be wrong though.
I believe most of the grind offs are items that were existing inventory bearing stampings that contradicted the terms laid out by the courts. I could be wrong though.
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Some years ago, I bought some 'name ground away' Plomb wrenches at a garage sale in San Jose. The man selling those, and various other 1940's-'50's tools, said that his father or uncle.....I forget which......got them at the Plomb 'factory seconds' store, where Los Angeles mechanics could get 'imperfect' Plomb wrenches at a substantial discount.
Presumably, the name was ground off to both protect the company's reputation, and to keep the 'seconds' tools from being turned in for warranty replacement if broken.
The ones I had all had some minor forging flaw, or mis-grind, or other cosmetic error....altho any 'factory seconds' could as well have been rejects for bad steel or incorrect heat-treat, and more likely to break in use.
cheers
Carla
Presumably, the name was ground off to both protect the company's reputation, and to keep the 'seconds' tools from being turned in for warranty replacement if broken.
The ones I had all had some minor forging flaw, or mis-grind, or other cosmetic error....altho any 'factory seconds' could as well have been rejects for bad steel or incorrect heat-treat, and more likely to break in use.
cheers
Carla