Found some interesting things today...

[Outlawmws]

The sun came out after raining all week and while it was a short list of stops, I did OK.

First stop had a lot of antique/vintage stuff but not a lot of tools, but there was one tub...

I never saw the sign, but the tub was marked 50c each. I got a double handful and they said it was from the 50 cent box and then said $5 for all of it I had, then, as I was trying to count mentally real quick, they dropped to $4... I stopped trying to count em...

Some Plvmb stuff, a couple of ford wrenches, a "Long C" Craftsman Socket, a script SO socket, Three other old sockets I need to ID, no name snips (marked "99" and made in USA) some "Bluebird" Battery Terminal pliers, and the smallest "auto" wrench I'd ever seen, and plated and marked interestingly as well...

Excepting a 3/4" I have a full set of these "Long C" Craftsman 1/2" drive sockets, from 7/16 (this one is a dupe) to 1", I have 2 "T" bars, and a couple of short extensions, but no ratchet or Breaker bar. (but I do have breakers in 3/8 and 1/4, but only a couple of sockets in those drives....)

The SO socket:

I stooped at a HS flea market and got this stuff for $4.50 all told:

Two small soldering coppers, A "Coors" bottle opener, A bonny long pattern 9/16 combo, a Plvmb double box, another Ford wrench, a 1/4" burr and an Xacto knife handle with the safety guard (which was why I wanted it)

The ford wrenches together:

All the Plvmb stuff:

and the Stirling Auto Wrench up close:

It's marked "Stirling" No. 1, and has twin "Ms" inside diamonds, and is marked:

Manfd by
F Mossberg Co. (Mossberg guns? I'll have to look into that)
Attelboro Mass. USA
Pat'd Nov 13 CO. (I'm assuming this is 1913...)

 

[930dreamer]

Nice score on the tools.

 

[trboxman]

http://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/frank-mossberg-company.html

 

[48James]

Sweet stuff!

 

[civhatch90]

nice finds!

 

[Outlawmws]

Thanks guys, and thanks Trboxman, I started looking for Mossberg in AA but didn't think to look under Frank...

I guess the Pat date is Nov. 13, 1900, and the "C" I'm seeing is a mis-stamping...

And while in the "auto" style, was made for Bicycles! (which makes sense, it just never occurred to me...)

 

[trboxman]

the one you scored is in fantastic condition.

 

[fatfillup]

Well ain't you the "you sucker"

Bicycle wrench is real cool!!

Well, actually the rest of the stuff is right nice also.

Like the Coors opener!!

Very well done!!

 

[Outlawmws]

the one you scored is in fantastic condition.

What's funny is I almost passed on it till I saw the old school lettering, thinking it was in to good of shape to be really old, and the chrome at first glance (In the bottom of the tub) made it look like some cheap import...

 

[bigcaddy]

You did get some nice finds today. I like that Sterling wrench!! I've got a few Flying Merkel wrenches that look similar.

I would of had a bunch of tools to show here but i was beaten to a sale by just a few minutes. I'm still in shock from what i missed. I watched a dude buy a giant pile of like new Snap-on tools for 300.00 I'm talking at least a half dozen 5 gallon buckets of tools!!

That pile included about 15 1/2" drive ratchets, from stubbys to 15", at least 7 full sets of deep sockets on the holders, screwdrivers well over 24" long, a 36" breaker bar and about every other extension, end wrench and item made by Snap on. I didn't get a chance to even pick up one damn tool.

My crappy consolation prize was a single Blackhawk socket i found in a box sitting in the back yard.

 

[jeffmoss26]

very cool!!!

 

[Bruce Lancaster]

Ford wrenches are the type used about 1939 back to the dawn of the iron age...'40 and later ones recognized improvements in forging and heat treat tech and were much slimmer, essentially modern in look.

 

[thesilverone]

nice finds!

 

[toolmiser]

Do the Ford wrenches have some sort of plating on them? I have a bunch of them that are plain metal, but I also have 3 that look like they have some sort of plating, which is a little different.

 

[Outlawmws]

Do the Ford wrenches have some sort of plating on them? I have a bunch of them that are plain metal, but I also have 3 that look like they have some sort of plating, which is a little different.

Nope, none of these and none of the other Ford wrenches I have or have seen have had plating. I think Ford sold them painted black back in the day, but very few have any of that left...

I have one adjustable Ford auto wrench I got a week or so ago, with about 80% of the paint on it, (I'm assuming it is original. The thing didn't even have rust, and had been kept indoors apparently...), but all the rest, plus all that I used to buy back in the 70's and 80's for a friend, were all free of any plating, and few had even any paint left.

I do have one that is painted green, but I strongly doubt that was from the factory...

Could there be some factory plated wrenches floating around from that era? Maybe, I've just never seen one.

 

[Bruce Lancaster]

I've never seen a plated Ford wrench either...originally they were dipped in a thin black paint that is hard to duplicate. I suspect it was one of those formulations of tar or resin dissolved in something. That stuff has a name, cannot bring it up...