I'm The Sexauer System Man

[Bent Handle]

I picked this box up a couple years ago, not sure why, just thought it was neat.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Yeah, I totally would've brought that home.

 

[Bent Handle]

It’s loaded with old faucet repair stuff, I just bought it for the box.

 

[bctexas]

Hi Lugz! What a find!

As it happens, my dad was a traveling salesman for Sexauer in the late 1960's into the late 1970's. His territory was roughly the northern half of Florida. We lived near Tampa and he drove about 50k miles a year. He supported big hotels, airports, and even Disney World was a customer. One of the services he provided was a survey of all the customer's plumbing fixtures. He would then install a rack with Sexauer logos in their maintenance department that held clear plastic jars with screw tops. The jars were labelled and stocked with the specific parts needed to maintain the customers fixtures. He would visit periodically, inventory their supplies and restock as needed. I still have a few of the jars - sure wish I had a rack!

That "Mule Kick" drain cleaner was nasty stuff. We used to use it to flush the cooling systems in our cars. Did a great job too! He would have it shipped to the house and would carry it, and lots of other samples, in the trunk of his car. I can't say I remember "Mule Kick Beauty Creme" though - what a bizarre concept!

The pics include a jacket patch and dad's business card, an empty three ring binder from his catalogs, a steel boxed selection of screws and three Sexauer slip joint pliers. They have the "Make Tight Stay Tight" logo on them.

One of dad's favorite stories was the day he went into a business wearing his Sexauer baseball cap. When he walked up to the receptionist, she looked up at his hat and said "Sexauer? Geez, all I ever get is a coffee break!". So he said anyway....

 

[Private Lugnutz]

When he walked up to the receptionist, she looked up at his hat and said "Sexauer? Geez, all I ever get is a coffee break!".

That's a good one!

Thanks for sharing your story. This box is at least two decades older than the 60's, and shipping would be expensive (it's heavy!), but PM me if you want it. I was probably going to take it to a big show/swap meet this year with a bunch of other things I am looking to offload, but the good karma moving it on to someone with a personal connection would be even better karma.

 

[bctexas]

Thanks for sharing your story. This box is at least two decades older than the 60's, and shipping would be expensive (it's heavy!), but PM me if you want it. I was probably going to take it to a big show/swap meet this year with a bunch of other things I am looking to offload, but the good karma moving it on to someone with a personal connection would be even better karma.

Hi Lugz!

That is a really cool piece, and I'm truly grateful for the generous offer! But I think I'll pass. That isn't really something dad would have used in his work, and I kinda have my quota of old toolboxes already.

Thank you! I think you deserve some good karma for just making the offer!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

That isn't really something dad would have used in his work, and I kinda have my quota of old toolboxes already.

I totally understand - on both counts.

I was thinking more about his patch. It's really cool. Cooler than most observers might think. It had to have been a retro thing they did during your father's service, because the Saturday Evening Post, an icon of American publishing (think Normal Rockwell), folded in 1969, and it matches the logo and slogans they were using in the 30's and 40's. You gotta like a company that is proud of nd honors its history like that.

 

[Tbhamm]

Do yall have any idea what this is? What its used for? Thanks

 

[Private Lugnutz]

No idea. Can you take additional photos of the red piece? Is that an opening at the top of the red piece? Does the shank fold there? What does the end of the shank look like? And what is that square thing on the end of the handle?

 

[Tbhamm]

The red piece can be straight or bend 90 degrees

 

[southalabama]

That’s cool.

The only flea markets within a 100 miles of here specialize in glass pipes, bongs, incense, puppies and cheap Chinese ****.

And

Almost forgot. Harbor Freight tools more than they cost new.

 

[tym]

Behold...the sensual pleasures of the Sexauer System Man.

 

[southalabama]

“Hang on while I whip this out” phrase comes to mind.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Offset *****! Haha!

Seriously, some kind of reamer, maybe? Bung? I don't know. The end of the shank appears to be worn. We need a retired plumber.

 

[3baygarage]

Behold...the sensual pleasures of the Sexauer System Man.

 

[bbbarracuda]

I got this in a box lot from an auction yesterday. All the picture showed was the black plastic roll.
The print is too faded to read until I used a black light and then I could read it.
The "Sexauer"
Bibb Seat
Forming Tool
Apparently it reams and cuts valve seats for hose bibbs.
Looks like I'm missing one of the cutting heads. at least by the number of slots in the roll

Anyone need this to fill your Sexauer System box?

 

[egdede]

The red piece can be straight or bend 90 degrees

Looks like a jet swet that is missing some rubber.

Jet Swet Jetpack 2000 Kit - 1/2", 3/4" and 1" Jet Swet Tools (3 Pieces) - Hand Tool Sets - Amazon.com

Jet Swet Jetpack 2000 Kit - 1/2", 3/4" and 1" Jet Swet Tools (3 Pieces) - Hand Tool Sets - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

Guess 2: an internal pipe wrench

 

[skoronesa]

I really wish I had found this thread sooner. I am a plumber, I collect Sexauer items, and also use them on a daily basis. If any of you would like to sell some of these items please contact me.

Specifically I am very interested in the cantilever tool boxes.

Unfortunately Sexauer is effectively defunct as of ~2011. The conglomerate that owns Home Depot bought them out in ~2009. They quickly turned them into a maintenance supplies brand, cutting out almost all of the specialized plumbing items, instead marketing items such as bathroom cleaners and toiletries. Up until that point our company regularly ordered from Sexauer. Thankfully we can still get most of those special items from Crest~Good, Wolverine Brass, and occasionally Mark's Plumbing Products.

Mark's Plumbing Products still sells the faucet rebuilding kits, revamped with different sizes of o-rings/bonnet packings/seats better suited to more modern faucets(Post-war) and the better early designs that survived. The original Sexauer seat kits were quite applicable decades ago, now however 90% of the seats in that kit won't be used anywhere in the country.

 

[dtmills1137]

I really wish I had found this thread sooner. I am a plumber, I collect Sexauer items, and also use them on a daily basis. If any of you would like to sell some of these items please contact me.

Specifically I am very interested in the cantilever tool boxes.

Unfortunately Sexauer is effectively defunct as of ~2011. The conglomerate that owns Home Depot bought them out in ~2009. They quickly turned them into a maintenance supplies brand, cutting out almost all of the specialized plumbing items, instead marketing items such as bathroom cleaners and toiletries. Up until that point our company regularly ordered from Sexauer. Thankfully we can still get most of those special items from Crest~Good, Wolverine Brass, and occasionally Mark's Plumbing Products.

Mark's Plumbing Products still sells the faucet rebuilding kits, revamped with different sizes of o-rings/bonnet packings/seats better suited to more modern faucets(Post-war) and the better early designs that survived. The original Sexauer seat kits were quite applicable decades ago, now however 90% of the seats in that kit won't be used anywhere in the country.

I have a Sexauer tool you might be able to identify, it has a black round knob at one end, about 12” long and a cylinder at the other. Any help is appreciated, thanks

 

[dtmills1137]

Here are some pics if anybody can help. Thank you

 

[skoronesa]

Here are some pics if anybody can help. Thank you

I have the same tool but made from steel. If you sell yours on the ebay let me know.

It's for flanging 1-1/2" tubular brass drain pipe. You unscrew the handle all the way, put the tube over the knurling all the way up, rotate the whole tool inside the tube as you slowly screw in the handle which will slowly peen over the edge of the tube. If you've used a pipe cutter before it's a very similar action.

 

[Mintgrun]

These pipe brushes made me think of this thread, so here they are, for all to see!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I was happy to find this J.A. Sexauer box at the flea this morning...



...with respectable decal remaining, the old-fashioned clasp, and a goodly amount of screwage still inside as a bonus. Interestingly enough, it's the copyright 1931 version of a very similar "Handy Andy" Bibb Assortment kit that @Oregon rock crusher posted a copyright 1954 version of earlier in the thread here.

 

[four.cycle]

^ ooo that's kind of weird: Skil Craft had a trademark on "Handy Andy" in 1949 (71579142)... wonder if it was just on the graphic? yours is 1931 and @Oregon rock crusher's set has a 1954 date, if I am seeing it correctly.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I wondered the same thing, 4.c. Famous for boys' tools. I have a set and one empty box.

 

[RTM]

Jumping in here from a find back in February, immediately thought of Lugz’ penchant for things like this. Was attracted to the little box, dividers a bonus, Handy Andy made me think kid’s tool kit first, then saw the Sexauer.



And the lid label.

 

[four.cycle]

it doesn't appear that we have a "Skil Craft" or a "Handy Andy" thread, so for reference I'll leave this here.
Because of the dates on the Sexauer boxes, I'm thinking perhaps Skil Craft's trademark was on the graphic?

 

[3baygarage]

Lil **** showed up at the Habitat today.

White Plains marking. Not just a stubby, but a flip blade.

Who made it? Vaco?

 

[d42jeep]

Obviously I couldn’t leave these Sexauer pliers behind when I saw them at a Meyers, CA yard sale yesterday morning. If Lugz has any interest in adding them to his Cantilever box they will be headed to NJ.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

No, thanks, Don, but I am intrigued by the marking.

How are we supposed to read that? MAKE STAY TIGHT? STAY MAKE TIGHT? OR TIGHT MAKE STAY? I'd put an emoji here to make light of my question and disguise my confusion, but in this case I don't mind saying either it's not very intuitive or I'm just being dumb on this one!

 

[RTM]

Make TIGHT Stay TIGHT. Is what I’m assuming they were after, but they missed IMO.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

^ Aha! That makes sense.

 

[jeffmoss26]

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice rack, Jeff! I see those MULE KICK logos hiding amongst the little parts jaws on that top shelf!

 

[bctexas]

Wow. I have a few of the jars left over from my dad's days as a Sexauer salesman, but I have never seen the rack they were made for. I sure would like to come across one of those some day. It is neat to see the labels on the jars too - don't remember ever seeing those. I know dad serviced a number of racks in his north Florida territory, including some at Disney World.

Happy Motoring!

 

[jeffmoss26]

Unfortunately, not mine, it was on the wall at a friends building. Just saw the thread and figured I would post it.

 

[d42jeep]

No, thanks, Don, but I am intrigued by the marking.

How are we supposed to read that? MAKE STAY TIGHT? STAY MAKE TIGHT? OR TIGHT MAKE STAY? I'd put an emoji here to make light of my question and disguise my confusion, but in this case I don't mind saying either it's not very intuitive or I'm just being dumb on this one!

I guess I’ll keep it with my Handy Andy stamped steel DOE wrench.
If there are any collectors looking for the pliers out there please message me. I only picked it up in case there was interest from a collector.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

The Sexauer pliers came out of the evaporust today looking a little better.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Found this scruffy J.A. SEXAUER 3-in-1 screwdriver at the flea on Friday. It was encrusted with cancerous box rot, missing a blade, and its handle, but I decided to try and save it. Soaked it for 36 hours and I still had to sic the Dremel on it. Might even get creative. I like these. Shown with my near mint example. These are marked PAT. PEND. in reference, I think, to Ray Lavietes' (Shelton) first patent (1953), long before the Versatool. These do not ratchet.

 

[Shelbylex]

One more box showed up on Facebook marketplace in Clifton Part NY
Anybody wants to acquire it? (sorry, saved the picture, but forgot the price...)