Identify Snap On NAF-39478 USN

[damon18]

I bought an old Kennedy toolbox (style 220-9377) for $40, the box was in good shape and turned out to be full of vintage USA brand tools. Google and Garage Journel helped me identify almost everything but no luck with the numbers on this gadget.

Does the USN mark mean Navy? I thought it was a brake adjustment tool but havent seen one with a wrench built in.

Ill make another post with pictures of the unexpected tool haul, Im pretty sure I **** but will let you judge.

 

[notlob]

I believe speculating about your own potential suckiness is an automatic disqualification.

 

[damon18]

I believe speculating about your own potential suckiness is an automatic disqualification.

I`m a newb here, so please give me a pass this time. Haven't received my rulebook yet.

 

[twertsy]

First on the box, sorry for your loss.

Snapmom or Lugz will be along to inform you about your wrench but in short, yes, Navy.

 

[d42jeep]

GJ members are very strict about suckage. I'm afraid that Notlob is correct. But back to your question about your NAF marked Snap-on tool. Pvt. Lugz made copies of the March 1944 Class 41 US Navy Catalog of Aeronautical materials, spare parts and equipment, which is what I've used to collect tools for my NAF Kennedy cantilever toolbox. I was unable to find your particular tool but it likely had a particular aircraft application. I have run across other NAF marked tools that don't appear in the catalog. Here are some other tools with NAF markings that do appear in the catalog.
-Don

 

[twertsy]

GJ members are very strict about suckage. I'm afraid that Notlob is correct. But back to your question about your NAF marked Snap-on tool. Pvt. Lugz made copies of the March 1944 Class 41 US Navy Catalog of Aeronautical materials, spare parts and equipment, which is what I've used to collect tools for my NAF Kennedy cantilever toolbox. I was unable to find your particular tool but it likely had a particular aircraft application. I have run across other NAF marked tools that don't appear in the catalog. Here are some other tools with NAF markings that do appear in the catalog.
-Don

His wrench appears older than WWII but perhaps snapmom can help with that.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

One demerit for self-****, but one huge credit for having the courtesy and mindfulness to do some of your own research before starting a thread on a tool or topic that has already been addressed here on GJ. The impulse to start a thread before checking to see if there already is one, which multiplies and divides discussions on the same topic, and proliferates the number of threads returned in a GJ search, is a gazillion times worse than self-suckage, in my opinion.

What were the age of the other tools in the box, which is several decades newer than the NAF- (Naval Aviation Facility stock number) tool. Were there other un-plated tools? Were any of the other tools you were able to identify WWII era? Or were thy contemporary in age to the box?

EDIT: Is there a marking (such as a date code) on the flip side by any chance?

Todd,
What makes you think pre-war on this one? The logo is wartime. The finish is wartime. While I suppose the NAF marking could be pre-war or even immediate post-war, chance are it's wartime. As Don said, not everything was in the catalog.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It is crudely forged. Cruder than Single or DBE end wrenches, which were round shanked, by the way. But I think its purpose and possibly the other end was dictating that it didn't need to be made like their standard offset box end wrenches. In fact, it's so crude I briefly flirted with the idea of it being shop made, by lopping the other box end off, bending it 90*, and shaping that pry end on it. But the stamping is more or less centered on the tool the way it looks now.

EDIT: It may not even be forged. It could've been made out of a heavy piece of flat bar stock.

 

[twertsy]

The "crudeness" to which you refer was my reason for dating it earlier. That said, your explanation of it basically being a "one-off" could certainly account for that.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It's a mystery for sure. Not that I expected to find it, but I just went through a bunch of cats in the 30s and 40s to see if they were even making something similar for the commercial market. No dice.

 

[snapmom]

Never seen one. Would say war time too. But: 3/8" , is it that small?

 

[MShaw]

NAF stood for the naval aircraft factory in Philadelphia

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It did, originally. But it was used by the US Navy Aviation Supply Office (co-located in Philadelphia, btw) as a prefix for their spec or stock numbers for parts in their system, across all supply classes, including Class 41 (hand tools). Other prefixes were used by other Navy bureaus. It's important to clarify that, because its presence on the OP's tool doesn't mean the OP's tool was used in and came from the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philly. Tools with NAF- stock numbers were distributed to many Naval facilities, aircraft, and even ships, and have been found all over the country and world. I have seen ebay sellers and tool collectors on other forums make the mistake of thinking their NAF 1140-1 marked hip roof cantilevered toolbox was literally from the Naval Aircraft Factory.

 

[damon18]

First on the box, sorry for your loss.

What do you mean?

 

[twertsy]

What do you mean?

In jest.....I hate Kennedy. Kind of a running joke around here.

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

 

[damon18]

One demerit for self-****, but one huge credit for having the courtesy and mindfulness to do some of your own research before starting a thread on a tool or topic that has already been addressed here on GJ.

Thanks, didn't realize how serious the **** thing was! I admin some large forums so searching carefully for previous discussions is a pet peeve of mine. That's why I was surprised I didn't turn up any info on this tool.

What were the age of the other tools in the box, which is several decades newer than the NAF- (Naval Aviation Facility stock number) tool. Were there other un-plated tools? Were any of the other tools you were able to identify WWII era? Or were thy contemporary in age to the box?

EDIT: Is there a marking (such as a date code) on the flip side by any chance?

The box apparently is a lot newer than most of the tools inside. It was advertised as a vintage tool box, the tools inside were barely mentioned. There are a lot of them and many are un-plated or brands that I recognize as vintage US.

Among the haul was a Snap On Ferrret F-70-N 3/8 drive ratchet that apparently is WWII age. Other items include 11 DOE, 16 Combination, 3 DBE wrenches. A whole bunch of small files and allen wrenches. Blackhawk 3/8 and Proto 1/2 speed drivers. 52 sockets (all USA brands). 1/2 Bonney ratchet and extensions. And some assorted hammers and punches.

Point of order for the forum rules, should I start a new topic for the bulk of the tools and their pictures so this thread can stay focused on the mystery tool? Don't want to break any more rules!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks, didn't realize how serious the **** thing was!...[ ]... Point of order for the forum rules, should I start a new topic for the bulk of the tools and their pictures so this thread can stay focused on the mystery tool? Don't want to break any more rules!

It's not a rule, per se, and those guys were mainly just congenially busting your chops. Don't sweat it. Same thing for your question. You can't really go wrong. Usually, when a guy finds a vintage box and there's any chance that some of the tools were original to the box or to other tools found in the box, the same thread tends to get used. The Ferret rat, for example. It probably lends some credence to the odd Snap-On combo tool, and vice versa. It could outgrow the title but everyone will know what's going on. And in this case, I actually don't expect a whole lot of info to be forthcoming on that Snap-On combo tool, so I say go for it. There are certainly a bunch of threads for the other tools, either by type or brand, if you have questions or you just want to add to a discussion, etc. Either way.

 

[Provincial]

I'll give you a "qualified" **** on the purchase, since it is a great deal, but you disqualified yourself by soliciting the ****.

I suggest that you show the box and contents on the Garage Sale 2018 thread in the General Tool Discussion forum. If some of the contents interest someone, they will suggest you repost in another specific thread. That helps organize the discussions about specific items.

 

[damon18]

EDIT: Is there a marking (such as a date code) on the flip side by any chance?

Nothing on the other side.

It may not even be forged. It could've been made out of a heavy piece of flat bar stock.

How can I check if it's forged?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

There might be a seam where the two dies came together, if it wasn't finished well. Forging requires secondary and tertiary machining. But it doesn't really matter other than establishing that it wasn't made like their offset box end wrenches are made, and it's not.

Did you measure the diameter of the opening? Snapmom was skeptical it was 3/8". But I think that's probably a function of you not having any scale in the photo.

 

[damon18]

I suggest that you show the box and contents on the Garage Sale 2018 thread in the General Tool Discussion forum. If some of the contents interest someone, they will suggest you repost in another specific thread. That helps organize the discussions about specific items.

Thanks, I've posted over in the garage sale thread, since this was essentially a garage sale purchase after all.

There were so many tools in the Kennedy box I had to post twice to get all the pics in.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7072962&postcount=1838

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7072965&postcount=1839

 

[damon18]

Did you measure the diameter of the opening? Snapmom was skeptical it was 3/8". But I think that's probably a function of you not having any scale in the photo.

I just compared it to a good 3/8" box end and it's the same size. Attached is a picture for scale.

 

[d42jeep]

Good choice on the comparison wrench!
-Don

 

[notlob]

Does that say Barcalounger??

 

[MShaw]

"But it was used by the US Navy Aviation Supply Office (co-located in Philadelphia, btw) as a prefix for their spec or stock numbers"

Thanks for the clarification. I was going by the title block on some old hardware specs we used at BAE (Formerly BMY) in York Pa. when I worked for them.

 

[damon18]

Good choice on the comparison wrench!
-Don

Just the first 3/8 I found in the pile of wrenches from the Kennedy toolbox purchase. ;-)

Does that say Barcalounger??

It says BARCALO BUFFALO U.S.A. on one side and CHROME VANADIUM STEEL on the other. Which turns out to indeed be company owned by the Barcalounger folks.

Since the wrench got comments I wanted to know why it was interesting, cleaned it up a little. Found info on the alloy-artifacts.org site that it's 1930's production and considered some of their highest quality tools.

http://alloy-artifacts.org/barcalo-buffalo.html#combo

That's why sites like this are so great, when you don't know a great deal about a subject you don't even know what might be considered a find until someone else sees it.

 

[d42jeep]

Notlob was making a joke because I have a rather large Barcalo collection. It seems like I find at least one at each sale I attend. Here is the one I found yesterday.
-Don

 

[damon18]

Notlob was making a joke because I have a rather large Barcalo collection. It seems like I find at least one at each sale I attend. Here is the one I found yesterday.
-Don

After I've been here five or ten years maybe I'll finally be able to tell the difference. Problem is I know little to nothing about the history of tools, just Googling along.

By the way, there are several more Barcalo items with the toolbox that had the mystery Snap On item.

 

[d42jeep]

That's great. You can start your own Barcalo collection. This site is a great place to expand your knowledge of vintage tools. I found these DOE wrenches and a couple other Barcalo tools today.
-Don

 

[MR.X]

almost everything but no luck with the numbers on this gadget.

Does the USN mark mean Navy? I thought it was a brake adjustment tool but havent seen one with a wrench built in.

Ill make another post with pictures of the unexpected tool haul, Im pretty sure I **** but will let you judge.

Hi. I know I'm really dragging your thread out of the crypt and this may be old news but did you ever get a positive ID on this tool? cause it sure looks like a Wright 81900 ( for Wright Cyclone engines) that we've discussed elsewhere on the GJ. Though the other examples weren't marked NAF or Snap On.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

You are spot on. Looks like same tool.