Kraeuter

[d42jeep]

This 1/4” drive ratchet was listed on eBay but I made a low offer on it because the retaining ball was missing. I pulled the works out of a Wayne ratchet and it’s now as good as new.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ cool. never have found that krauter set here.

 

[d42jeep]

If you find it and need the ratchet just holler.
I just need a 1/2” socket and the 3/8” extension to complete my Kraeuter set.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

The 3/8” extension turned up on eBay. Now I’m just looking for the 1/2” socket.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a really nice set of Kraeuter metric combo wrenches I received as an early Christmas gift from bmwrd0. They were obviously made during ownership by S-K since the wrenches were made in the Lectrolite factory. They are now living in the metric drawer of my user toolbox.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ that's quite the find there, Don. no wonder he got the "picker of the year" deal.

 

[leg17]

Kraeuter wrenches back in the day.
Correct pronunciation.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Always wondered about pronunciation of kraeuter

 

[Username already in use]

Well, that’s sure as hell not the way that I’ve been pronouncing it for years…

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Snerk.

I grew up surrounded by Pennsylvania Dutch (German) and have some German language training, and there's a Kraeuter Hall in a county park near me, so it's a name I hear used aurally quite a bit on top of it. So I was good.

I'm guessing you were saying it like the word for chopped cabbage and -er (i.e., kraut-er), like CROWD-er. I've heard someone say it like that before and I bet it's common. Same guy from a different board (G503) who pronounces Utica like you-TEAK-a instead of YOU-ta-kah.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Picked up these WWI trench pliers this morning at the flea.

 

[d42jeep]

The 3/8” extension turned up on eBay. Now I’m just looking for the 1/2” socket.
-Don

The missing 1/2” socket arrived today in a care package from Username. The set is finally complete!
-Don

 

[Username already in use]

Looks good, Don! Glad to help. I have the same set but in SK Wayne.

 

[d42jeep]

I found most of a dirty 3/8” drive set at a moving sale this morning. Most of the pieces are now in the evaporust. The ratchet is slightly different than my others. Perhaps they decided that a redesign of the handle was in order to improve user comfort.

 

[d42jeep]

I cleaned up the case and liner a bit although the case is going to need a repaint. The sockets came out of the evaporust and look a little better although they will never look like new. I ordered a short extension that it looks to me like it’s missing.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I did a few painting projects today since the weather warmed up some. The Kraeuter set was on my list along with some other projects. It won’t ever look like new but at least the rust is minimized. The short extension arrived in the mail today. I started with the exterior and then did the inside.

 

[d42jeep]

I noticed one of the shallow sockets didn’t match the others. I found the correct 11/16” socket in my spares and swapped it out. I can’t find the set in any catalog so I guess it’s completed.
-Don

 

[Skyman]

Found these pliers. They seem to be special-purpose. Marked industrial. I have no clue about their age, origin, etc.

 

[d42jeep]

If I see some Kraeuter longnoses in good condition at an estate sale, I have a hard time leaving them behind.
-Don

 

[ecotec]

Re: Kraeuter

I grabbed a partial Kraeuter 3/8' drive socket set at the flea yesterday. Here they are with the blue paint removed! I took a couple of pictures of some of my other Kraeuter tools. The 1/4" drive set has been filled in with other brands.
-Don

Those sockets look like shinier Duro.

 

[d42jeep]

They were actually an S-K price line. The S-K ratchet repair kits fit the Kraeuter ratchets perfectly.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I found these little 7” Kraeuter groove joint pliers on Sunday. They came out of the evaporust yesterday.
-Don

 

[Coop66]

This is my 2 cents on what I know about Kraeuter.
My son in law is a Kraeuter, so I'm very close to the descendants.

Kraeuter tools began production around 1900. They had a basic series of tools but they also had; a supreme line, Hy Power line, K diamond line, industrial line and dreadnaught line etc.
Some of their tools had special names; The Victor pliers, The Victor alligator wrench, gripkut and gripkut junior, gripall and Giant Nippers etc.
Then there's the 6 different style handles; the don't slip grip, dimple grip, dimple diamond grip, beauty handles, simplified gripping and plain no gripping on handles etc. There's prob thousands of combinations with little rhyme or reason and very hard to date them. (I know that wartime production was no grips). I think it was around the 80s whoever owned the Kraeuter name produced adjustable wrenches, rachets and sockets. Probably the most important collectible piece is the pliers they produced for the military. It's a 10 inch wrench that's stamped USMC. Thx

 

[Coop66]

 

[Coop66]

My latest find...

 

[ScottTheSculptor]

Found some Kraeuter lineman pliers without a model number and with the early handle pattern.
All the ones I find images of, have the model number. Earlier than model numbers? 8.25 inch.

 

[ScottTheSculptor]

1850-8, eight inch, black oxide Giant Nippers. Not as bad as some I've seen...

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a pair of longnoses that required a little cleaning and straightening. I found them on Friday.
-Don

 

[Cruzan80]

Anyone know if this case is original for the 1/4" Kraeuter set?

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I don't think so. The kreuter sets were just relabled sk stuff

 

[d42jeep]

I would say it should look more like this.
-Don

 

[Coop66]

Found some Kraeuter lineman pliers without a model number and with the early handle pattern.
All the ones I find images of, have the model number. Earlier than model numbers? 8.25 inch.

That's quite possible. I don't think I've seen them without a number. I had to go back and check my collection.

 

[Coop66]

Always wondered about pronunciation of kraeuter

Kr-oi-ter, almost like quarter.

 

[ScottTheSculptor]

Anyone know if this case is original for the 1/4" Kraeuter set?

Pardon Our Interruption...

Image search shows blue boxes with Kraeuter labels.

 

[four.cycle]

@Cruzan80 -

re: that set on ebay -

that's a repaint job on some other box. not a Kraeuter box.

if you're in the market for a set like that, I can get you fixed up nicely.

bk

 

[Cruzan80]

Thanks, may check with you about some needs. I have almost all of the set already (minus the ratchet and box). I know some manufacturers made a box like that, but didn't remember SK being one of them, which is why I was checking. Looked "green" enough to my eyes to possibly be SK green.

Would be nice to "free up" some space in the 3/8 box.

Vintage S-K Tools

Prewar 38 to 42 or so

www.garagejournal.com

 

[four.cycle]

Kraeuter blue for you:



I forgot to put the shiny red-handled spinner in there when I took the photo. Maybe i'll try to get better photos later. I've dug out a few on which there might be more interest than those I've already listed...

** there might be more Kraeuter pieces somewhere... I still have a good amount to sort though. .

 

[d42jeep]

More Kraeuter blue.
-Don

 

[Plombob]

Kraeter was a maker of excellent pliers going back to around 1900. I don't think they ever made any socket stuff, just relabled sk.

Indeed. I have several pliers. Very well made and the blue color is beautiful. No other manufacturer I know of had that deep blue color.

 

[four.cycle]

@d42jeep - your 30115 set does not appear to contain a 6-inch extension. Correct? I can assume that's "complete"? I absent-mindedly forgot to include the spinner in the photos of the top set, which I believe to be complete.

The missing pieces for the other set may well be around here.... not sure about a box, but I am discovering a lot of odd boxes.