Dad's tool chest

[ghnl]

My dad was trained as an aircraft mechanic. When WW2 broke out he enlisted and the Army Air Corps decided to make him a pilot. He flew C-47's over the Himalayan Mountains in the China-Burma-India Theater.

After the war he went to work as a mechanic for NorthEast Airlines out of Boston's Logan Airport. A few years later he earned his commercial pilot's license and switched to the cockpit. He ended up retiring from Delta Airlines after Delta bought NorthEast Airlines in 1972. So, he learned to fly in fabric covered biplanes and retired from flying four engine jets!

Anyway, I recently took Dad's old tool box home. I don't know how old it is - I can't remember him not having it and neither do my older siblings. Perhaps it is 1940's vintage? I had hoped to clean it up, maintain its 'patina' and use as-is but unfortunately a furnace humidifier overflowed and the left side got wet and has rusted badly.

Here are few of Dad's old tools - leftover from his days as an aircraft mechanic.

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

Looks like '40s vintage to me. Any pictures of the rust damage?

 

[ghnl]

Also in his tool chest were some neat old documents. The 'Machinist Union' pamphlet is dated 1946.

 

[bigbearcraig]

Wow, that is really cool!

 

[Jarhead0408]

Pretty neat man.
What unit was your Dad in? My Grandfather was in the 468th Bomb Group. 20th Army Air Corps. They called it the Billy Mitchell group. He was a Navigator/Bombadier in a B-29 Superfortress.

 

[2oolhound]

Wow! That's a real treasure! Wouldn't mind seeing some shots of the box with the front covers off.

 

[Outlawmws]

Keep that family history alive. No one else will...

Can we get some shots of the tool boxes with the covers off?

 

[uniballer]

It is 41 model craftsman box, i just sold one. im pretty sure on this.

 

[snapmom]

The valve tool, with the chain. Its a valve spring compressor for Wright Whirlwind Motors.

 

[Kevin54]

To heck with the patina. Sand it down, get it powdercoated, and hand it down for generations to come. Nothing wrong with making it better than new to restore it.

 

[930dreamer]

Very nice.

 

[lowbucktruck]

Wow... that's not just a tool chest, its a time capsule! Very cool! Definitely worth the time to refinish and restore.

 

[Philbert]

Take it to that American Restoration guy on TV. That is one of my favorite shows all though I have not seen it in awhile.

Keep them tools! Alot of people have sold off their family heritage and basically have nothing to show for it. I have some old pistols from my Grandfather on my Mom's side.
And a whole chest of cool things from both sides of my family.

 

[JWILL]

The valve tool, with the chain. Its a valve spring compressor for Wright Whirlwind Motors.

A & P mech were we?

As for the OP, That is so cool. Your fathers story in general is just amazing Flying at the top of the world and working on aircraft we only get to see at airshows and museums. That will be something your kids will cherish. I know I did when my father gave me some of my grandfathers tools.

 

[Packard V8]

To heck with the patina. Sand it down, get it powdercoated, and hand it down for generations to come. Nothing wrong with making it better than new to restore it.

That's one opinion.

However, it's only your dad's original box as long as you leave it so he'd recognize it. I suggest thinking it over carefully. Wipe it down with WD40 and a scrubbing pad to get the surface rust stopped. Live with it for a while. Show it to your friends and family while it's original. If at some future time you want to sandblast and powder coat it to look like any other box, it's your inheritance, your time, your money, your decision.

A bit OT, but here's one similar somewhat sad story. An old guy I knew had a '56 Ford he'd had since new. It had a lot of miles on it, seats were covered with a blanket, engine smoked, no seatbelts; but once or twice a year he'd wash it and drive it around to some of his old haunts. For his seventy-fifty birthday, after somebody watched one too many car reality TV shows, his children and grandchildren stole his car, had it painted, reupholstered, new Ford crate motor/trans, new mag wheels/tires, seat belts installed.

He smiled, acted appropriately surprised, thanked everyone so much. A few months afterwards, he told me, "It's not my car any more. If I'd wanted it that way, I could have had it done any time. They meant well, but that car had grown old with me."

jack vines

 

[Stevedore]

To heck with the patina. Sand it down, get it powdercoated, and hand it down for generations to come. Nothing wrong with making it better than new to restore it.

I completely agree. My father had been an auto mechanic in the 1930's & 40's, and his toolboxes came to me when he passed away in 1987. I passed a couple to my sister & her husband, but kept a base roller cabinet (brand unknown) and a middle box made by Cornwall. I degreased & sanded them down, & did a rattlecan red paint job on them, and used them until a year or 2 ago when I consolidated my tool collection & bought some Harbor Freight boxes. I gave the others to my son, who finally was able to get many of his tools organized into one place, and seems to appreciate that the boxes came from his Grandfather. The repaint had no effect on how he or I felt about having the boxes from my father.

 

[Hetman]

WD40 won't stop the rust, phospharate it. And then paint only places missing paint - it will look even more vintage .

 

[ghnl]

A few additional pictures to show the rusty left side compared to the right side and with the covers open (I have keys, BTW).

 

[Nascar4401]

Cool! I would restore it and put in family room. Sore remotes movies , magazines in it. Be a great conversation piece.

 

[Mickey O]

Nice, I have the same/similar one, there's debate over the year because of the logo, but I've not see a Craftsman box like that after the 40's with two handles and the guy I got from was the original owner and told me 40's. I've also been told from a very reliable source that Craftsman used the logo like the one on my toolbox a lot earlier than most think.

1942 Catalog:

My same/similar box:

 

[DHS]

I would wipe her down with a little oil and use it the way it is. You can never change it back if you ever paint it. My dad painted a old shear and still regrets it, it is like it takes its history away once it is painted.

 

[Outlawmws]

There IS a huge gap in the readily available catalogs: the next year is 49. The top box of yours )the OP) has a lot of similarities to the 49 top but he 49 does not shoe the two handles. the ribbing appear to be the sale however. is the logo in the ribbing a complete oval, or does it have side tabs?

49 box:

Late 40's through early 60's logo, but predominantly 50's:

And a reputed 40's logo (sorry, best I have):

 

[mikew13]

Restore the whole thing with the closest paint match

 

[jeffmoss26]

That is very cool. Thanks for sharing!

 

[wildhorsehans]

WOW a few of the tools you posted are pretty hard to come by. Most of them were strut tools. I have had to make a couple of them since we couldn't find any when I was working on planes in the 80s for Yesterday's Air Force in St Pete FL. Long gone now.

 

[ghnl]

Thanks for the info from old Craftsman catalogs. It would appear that the tool chest is likely early 1940's. Perhaps he bought it while training as an aircraft mechanic before WW2?

I haven't decided yet about preserving it vs restoring. Any clues about an original color & finish? It seems to be a sort of greenish-grey or bluish-grey with either a wrinkled or hammertone finish.

And where to get a replacement badge/logo? I have one - the side tab style - but there should be two - one for the upper & one for the lower.

 

[WWIIjeep]

There IS a huge gap in the readily available catalogs: the next year is 49.

One reason for that is Sears may not have published hand tool and power tool catalogs in some of the years during WWII--particularly between mid-1942 and mid-1945, when many commodities were very strictly rationed. Some tools were still available during that time, but not the broad line of things available before and after.

The header on the 1948 Craftsman power tools catalog cover says: "First time in 5 years . . a Complete Line of Craftsman Power Tools"

I haven't decided yet about preserving it vs restoring. Any clues about an original color & finish? It seems to be a sort of greenish-grey or bluish-grey with either a wrinkled or hammertone finish.

Try to find a protected area on the cabinet to use as a color match. Possibly somewhere inside, where it hasn't been exposed to dust, dirt, smoke, UV light.

1950s-vintage Craftsman boxes of similar style were hammertone gray (I've got one still in original finish). Earlier ones like yours may have been similar in color.

Meanwhile, I'll cast a vote for preserving rather than re-painting.

 

[Outlawmws]

One reason for that is Sears may not have published hand tool and power tool catalogs in some of the years during WWII--particularly between mid-1942 and mid-1945, when many commodities were very strictly rationed. Some tools were still available during that time, but not the broad line of things available before and after.

The header on the 1948 Craftsman power tools catalog cover says: "First time in 5 years . . a Complete Line of Craftsman Power Tools"


Meanwhile, I'll cast a vote for preserving rather than re-painting.

Probably some truth to that on the catalog/tool availability, but there were power tool catalogs through 1943 and I have some pages for a restricted catalog for 44-45. But overall the hand tool catalogs (where the boxes generally resided) are a lot rarer even outside the war years. I think it's because people that bought a power tool were more likely to save the catalog for spare parts reference, accessories, and specs, where for hand tools a wrench is a wrench is a wrench, and the catalogs got tossed...

I agree with preservation in this case if at all possible, and as much as possible, Mostly because this IS a family heirloom box, and should be treated as such. Having said that, if I bought it without any history, if the damage is as bad as it looks, I'd probably repaint, but with an original color match.

Speaking of colors, I think in the 40's they were mostly a blue color. Another top box was posted recently with nearly 100% of the paint still on it and minimal rust, I can't remember what it's color was...