Cool old rooling toolchest - auction find

[bucannon]

I went to an auction this past weekend where a welders shop contents were being sold. I picked up this cool old rolling toolchest. It was said to be a craftsman but i didnt see a logo anywhere. What are yalls thoughts?

Also i cant figure out what the mailbox looking lid is for? It locks but doesn't appear to have anything mounted underneath

 

[larry_g]

The center drawers may be crafts man but the rest is shop built. I thinking that the 'mailbox' is a rod oven for keeping welding rods warm and dry.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[woody 73]

I agree the center has that craftsman look and the rest looks shop built; Larry looks to be on the money with the rods in the mailbox look.

 

[bucannon]

Thats the best possible reason for the mailbox thing ive heard so far! The auction house said he had drill bits stored in there, my buddy guessed he hid his dirty magazines in there since it has a lock haha.

Im going to take a closer look at it tonight and take some more pictures.

 

[Lassen Forge]

Nice score - I like the additional side cases that were added on. And yes, it's a rod oven - we had one like that at our old welding shop - stayed locked as welding rod was an expensive consumable, mere plebians needed to get one of the welders or bosses to gain access to the holy of holies...

 

[bucannon]

I spent some time going through it finally. It is for sure a craftsman box with shop built cabinets on each side. It has alot of aluminum and copper scraps. Some interesting finds. It appears he was a doing avaition welding in the 80s and 90s and retired early 2000s.

What are these copper pieces with holes drilled in them?

 

[gorilla]

Those copper pieces look like something that you would use to distribute purge gas inside something you welding. This is something you would do to prevent sugaring on SS'T.

 

[bucannon]

Made some more progress. Got it stripped down. Starting to get it ready for sanding/paint and a new plywood top.

 

[bucannon]

In the process of sanding and painting this thing. Does anybody know if this lock is held on by a standard thread or reverse thread? Or is there another way to remove it?
It was indeed an old craftsman chest in the middle.

Im lucky enough to have found the key but want to remove it for painting...

 

[lilredex]

It may have been held in there with a sliding spring fork, which is missing. Try tapping it out gently. The whole lock and finger come out as an assembly.

Like the one on the far right pictured, that one is from a P.O. box.