Gerstner Chest Refurb

[exmaxima1]

My buddy gave me his dad's Gerstner chest that he inherited over 50 years ago. It had been sitting in a corner of his basement all that time and when I mentioned that I need a project, and that chest would be fun, he gave it to me. It's a Model 42 from the 1942-1948 era. It was in rough shape but it would be great for my knife and watch collections. I was lucky that all the hardware was intact and none of the drawers were missing or damaged.

I knew I couldn't make it look like new, nor did I want to, so I opted for a refresh rather than a restoration. I started with mineral spirits to get most of the dirty oil off it. Then followed with Simple Green, then denatured alcohol which left some haze all over the finish. Finally I rubbed it down with Minwax Wiping Poly using a brass wire brush to really work it into the grain. I cleaned the hardware with a buffing wheel and Flitz metal polish. I replaced the weathered green felt with fresh burgundy felt, and used leather for the work area of the drop down front---the leather is better for tiny watch screws that could get snagged in felt.

The last thing was to replace the broken key and the rusted springs in all the latches. Gerstner was able to supply these bits for an outrageous $52 but I wanted it done and complete. The latch springs had all broken over the years and surprisingly are replaceable. The Gertsner site has a video showing the procedure with channellock pliers and shims but I couldn't get them in as described. I found it much easier to press them in with a straight bit using my drill press. Overall I felt some accomplishment and my buddy is thrilled that his vintage chest found a new home.

 

[LOW1]

Very nice. One of the relics of the age when working with your hands did not involve keyboards.

 

[LXCam]

Excellent job, it’s perfect.

 

[LOW1]

I wonder how much competition /jealousy/argument there was between machinists who bought a high end Gerstner box off the Gerstner truck and paid for it at 25 cents a week and the frugal guy who stored his tools in leftover tobacco tins?

Gerstner did make some boxes that would put Snappy to shame. I think they still may.

 

[RonnieC]

That looks sweet! Nice job.

 

[hailwood1965]

I know a tech who worked in a motorcycle repair shop. He brought in his 1968 Craftsman box and Craftsman tools and worked there for 35 years; all the other techs made payments to the Snappy guy. He was always the guy who cranked out the most work.

 

[Beerhippie]

I wonder how much competition /jealousy/argument there was between machinists who bought a high end Gerstner box off the Gerstner truck and paid for it at 25 cents a week and the frugal guy who stored his tools in leftover tobacco tins?

Or bought one of those cheap-*** metal Kennedys.

 

[Davefr]

Nice job! Restoring these is kind of addictive and those old boxes come with a lot of history.

 

[pocosso]

Awesome, how did you date the model?

 

[exmaxima1]

"Dating a Gerstner wooden tool chest involves examining specific hardware, stencils, and structural features to narrow the manufacturing window. For chests made before 1960, collectors primarily use three indicators: the lid restraint (chain vs. hinge), the front panel relief (rectangular radius vs. flat), and the stencil style on the bottom board. Chests with a chain stop were made 1942 or earlier, while hinge stops indicate 1943 or later. A rectangular radius relief on the front panel suggests 1954 or earlier, whereas a flat relief indicates 1954 or later. If no stencil is present on the bottom board, the chest dates to 1940 or earlier; stencils with arched "Built by" and "Dayton Ohio" lines date to 1940–1959, while straight lines indicate 1960 or later."

Mine has the hinge stops (post 1943) and the raised panel front (pre-1954). The main latch is pre-1949 AFAIK.

 

[RTM]

Awesome, how did you date the model?

This is the place to look for all things wooden tool box, chest, or case.

'The' Guide for Wooden Machinist Tool Chests

'The' Guide for 20th Century Wooden Machinist Tool Chests This site was originally a Google Old Style, launched in Sept. of 2014. It used to be for the Pre-1960 Machinist Tool Chests and Cases. Google Sites had stipulated that it be converted to their New Site format prior to 9/1/2021. On July 18th

sites.google.com

 

[Jayman17]

That looks really nice, I like the addition of the leather on the front cover.

 

[RoninB4]

I wonder how much competition /jealousy/argument there was between machinists who bought a high end Gerstner box off the Gerstner truck and paid for it at 25 cents a week and the frugal guy who stored his tools in leftover tobacco tins?

-There never was much in the way of competition/jealousy over a wooden box. Admiration for a nice chest yes but not hard feelings. Owning one was a mark of your position in the company, your time and/or your commitment to the trade. A wooden box was also something you shouldn't move from job to job either, they prefer to sit at one job until retirement. Sure, they're real nice but not always appropriate on the jobsite.

-As for commentary about "those cheap *** metal Kennedy" chests.....you must be rather new in the skilled trades.

 

[bonneyman]

Very nice resto!

 

[Beerhippie]

-As for commentary about "those cheap *** metal Kennedy" chests.....you must be rather new in the skilled trades.

That whooshing sound you just heard was the joke going right over your head.

I have four cheap-*** metal Kennedy Kits chests in the shop.

 

[RoninB4]

That whooshing sound you just heard was the joke going right over your head.

-So which joke went over your head? Never thought you were new in the trades.

 

[Ohio Andy]

-As for commentary about "those cheap *** metal Kennedy" chests.....you must be rather new in the skilled trades.

I assumed it was a joke. I own (inherited) and have given away Kennedy boxes so I don't really know the cost, but I always assumed that they were expensive.

 

[RoninB4]

I assumed it was a joke.

-We're both struggling to convey intent, without vocal inflection the context of postings becomes vague. It's the limitation of a text format.

 

[AEAdam]

Maybe I’m dreaming, but I’m pretty sure I saw an old tool catalog that showed Kennedy and Gerstner (style?) boxes and the prices for them were shockingly similar. IIRC, the wooden box maybe have been $17 and the Kennedy $15.

I always thought (ribbing aside) the Kennedys were half the price of a wooden box.

For anyone who’s read my posts, you probably remember I built a machinists chest for small tools. I also have several Kennedys. I was super careful about the felt I chose and the glues I used to keep the interiors pH neutral. That aside, anecdotally, that wooden chest is significantly better at keeping rust at bay.

Looks and status aside, I think the wooden boxes are better at what they were designed to do. It’s not just style, I think they control humidity better, moisture doesn’t condense inside them etc.