My small but growing DBE wrench collection

[BlueBomber]

I did a quick count this morning, but kept losing my place. However, I'm sure the number's over 750.

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[r_olson_06]

I did a quick count this morning, but kept losing my place. However, I'm sure the number's over 750.

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Nice job sir. Are all of them unique with no dupes? I am telling you to get Google sheets. It is a life saver from buying dupes espically when you get to the point your at. It's free and can be seen from your smart phone or computer.

Looking for the following Plomb Pebbles Wrenches 3061, 3070,

 

[twertsy]

I did a quick count this morning, but kept losing my place. However, I'm sure the number's over 750.

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708 on boards, pegboards and in brand specific boxes. Didn't count any of these......

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[BlueBomber]

A few are dupes, but some dupes are different production years of the same model wrench. I probably have another hundred plus that are dupes.

I absolutely do need a mobile way to track the inventory, but I dont relish the thought of entering 700+ wrenches. The closest thing I have to an online inventory is this thread. :-D

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[BlueBomber]

708 on boards, pegboards and in brand specific boxes. Didn't count any of these......

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Yeah, I'm getting closer, but my Twertsy fraction is still below "1".

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[r_olson_06]

A few are dupes, but some dupes are different production years of the same model wrench. I probably have another hundred plus that are dupes.

I absolutely do need a mobile way to track the inventory, but I dont relish the thought of entering 700+ wrenches. The closest thing I have to an online inventory is this thread. :-D

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It goes quick and is a life saver in the long run. I started with my ratchets (at 680 currently) and then to Plomb (at 886 currently). The nice part is when it is cold outside I don't have to run the garage to check to see what I have.

Looking for the following Plomb Pebbles Wrenches 3061, 3070,

 

[Outlawmws]

I've been working on my tool inventory for years - According to Excel -created ‎Sunday, ‎December ‎07, ‎2014, ‏‎6:13:59 PM (A date that will live in Infamy! )

STILL not complete, but many categories are relatively complete. It stands at well over 6000 tools counted, estimated cost so far of > @22 K invested, and > $250 replacement cost (insured for )

 

[BlueBomber]

Two more arrivals:

Herbrand "Van-Chrome Multihex" No 4727A deep offset stubby, 11/16" x 5/8"
Blackhawk 15633 angled, 9/16" x 1/2"

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[r_olson_06]

Couple of heavy duty double box end plombs 10XX series. These seem to be pretty hard to find.

Looking for the following Plomb Pebbles Wrenches 3061, 3070,

 

[BlueBomber]

Nice set. I dont believe I have any 10-series Plombs.

I added a pair of P&C bigguns from Ebay, trying to round out that brand.

P&C N86 offset, 1-1/8" x 1-1/16"
P&C N87 offset, 1-5/16" x 1-1/4"

Turns out I already had an N86. Drats--I really do need to build a spreadsheet.

Here's my big P&C wrenches. The second to last is a WF88, so I'm far from finished....

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[d42jeep]

This guy says Lakeside/Lakeview/Erie is the mfr, but doesn’t explain who MHTCo was.
http://www.wrenchingnews.com/wrench-logos/logos-page-1.html

I can’t add any more info but guess what I found today?
-Don

 

[BlueBomber]

Seems like just posting rare items causes them to surface all around the country and get posted to this site. Too bad the same phenomenon doesn't apply to the origin story...

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[BlueBomber]

Snow day today, and after clearing all the snow, I checked the mailbox and found two packages of DBEs delivered this morning. Ha--neither wind or rain or snow, indeed!

First up, a brace of ratcheting DBEs, purchased primarily to fill out my Dunlap set.

Blue Point RYA 2022 angled ratchet, 5/8" x 11/16"--1989 date code
Craftsman straight ratchet, 3/8" x 7/17"--pretty crusty
Craftsman 943655 angled ratchet, 3/4" x 7/8"
Dunlap straight ratchet, 1/2" x 9/16"
Dunlap straight ratchet, 13/16" x 7/8"--big end is locked up w/rust
M. Klein & Sons straight ratchet, 11/16" x 3/4"
Sears/Craftsman 43683 straight ratchet, 1/2" x 9/16"
Sears/Craftsman 43682 straight ratchet, 3/8" x 7/16"

Of course, now I have a bunch of orphans that beg for complete sets.....sigh.

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[BlueBomber]

I only have these three, and they are not as cleaned up as y'alls'. I'm stalking Ebay for the missing ones.

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Woot! Ebay is the land of instant gratification, if you're willing to pay up. I now have a full set of Dunlap ratchets. The biggun is half lame, so maybe only 9/10 complete.

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[BlueBomber]

The second package was from Twertsy, the result of some wrench swapping to get my mitts on his Blackhawk raised panel.

Blackhawk 15615 deep offset stubby, 11/16" x 5/8"
Riverside deep offset, 3/8" x 7/16"
Riverside deep offset, 1/2" x 9/16"
Riverside deep offset, 5/8" x 11/16"
Riverside deep offset, 3/4" x 25/32"
Riverside deep offset, 13/16" x 7/8"
Riverside deep offset, 15/16" x 1"

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[BlueBomber]

Here's a quick case study on variations over the life of a production run. The top and bottom are the two smallest sizes in the set I just got from Twertsy. The middle two were already on my rack. The sizes match up, but the stamps are upside down (the second picture shows it better). In addition, the smallest ones show two different styles of wrench shank, one with a raised oval panel, and one without. I dont know which is newer.

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[MR.X]

Based on a recent Plomb thread tangent ref. NAF tools I was motivated to pull out some DBE's. Blue Point odd size pairing 11/16' X 1", an unusual single offset flat shank 3/4" both ends Plomb, Bonney, and a PAR-V single offset 3/4". When I first picked it up, thou the wrench itself looked fine, I thought the stamping was strangely thin and assumed it was some foreign deal maybe playing off the Par-X name but when I turned it over and saw the solidly stamped NAF number I got a little curious and paid the $2.00 or whatever. There's no date codes or made in USA markings but it looks like a 240 in raised numbers at one end. Anyway, anyone ever heard of PAR-V (outside of screwdrivers) before?

 

[BlueBomber]

I sprang for the M.H.T. Co. DBE on Ebay that we found not too long ago. I figured I'd never seen two in one place before, so what the hey.

M.H.T. Co. angled, 5/8" x 9/16"


Here they are together:



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[BlueBomber]

I also pulled the trigger on some largish P&C and Proto wrenches:

P&C 2244 offset, 1-3/8" x 1-1/4"
P&C 2240 offset, 1-1/4" x 1-1/16"
P&C N87 offset, 1-5/16" x 1-1/4"
Proto 1141 angled, 1-1/16" x 7/8"--odd how this one skips the 1" size, but I think this has come up on this thread before...

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[bonneyman]

Woot! Ebay is the land of instant gratification, if you're willing to pay up. I now have a full set of Dunlap ratchets. The biggun is half lame, so maybe only 9/10 complete.

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I'd say soak the large end of that big Dunlap wrench in acetone/ATF for a week or two and try moving it. Keep doing the soak/loosen thing for a bit - see if she breaks free.
Worse comes to worse you can do what I do and drill out the rivets, repair it, and bolt it back together with Chicago bolts.

 

[Outlawmws]

If its rust, Evaporust, then the acetone ATF, then some lube, once its moving...

 

[Shelbylex]

Do not know if somebody posted this one in the last 112 pages, but this is an old 15/16-1" Precision Bilt 4006 which was saved from the rust pile. Relatively deep pitting - did not decide yet which way to restore it - afraid to sand/wirebrush too much as I can loose some markings (after evaporust there are some pores on the surface). There is an L next to 1" mark side - I wonder if there was a connection to Lectrolite...

 

[BlueBomber]

Do not know if somebody posted this one in the last 112 pages, but this is an old 15/16-1" Precision Bilt 4006 which was saved from the rust pile. Relatively deep pitting - did not decide yet which way to restore it - afraid to sand/wirebrush too much as I can loose some markings (after evaporust there are some pores on the surface). There is an L next to 1" mark side - I wonder if there was a connection to Lectrolite...

Hi there, Shelbylex. We have, in fact, seen that brand before. Your Precision Bilt was made by New Britain. See this entry here and the one below it.

 

[Shelbylex]

Thank you, BlueBomber!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I am cross-posting these here (already posted in the Plomb thread) because I haven't posted in this thread in awhile (mainly because of ho-hum acquisitions), and because I was just discussing this Plomb 1041 extra heavy duty DBE wrench with BB in the Garage Sale thread, here.

I'll see if I can find a few more examples. I have moved several of these along to Plomb collectors in Europe, but I may have one or two somewhere, and if not, I will find older pictures. The unusual size marking (harkening back to the kinds of markings found across the industry in the 20's and earlier) can also be found on Plomb spud wrenches, but these are definitively late 30's-40's wrenches. The 1939 and early 1940's catalogs describe that beautiful dark steel as "India blue", so they may be parkerized or have some similar finish.

EDIT: For those unfamiliar, the "USS" refers to the United States Standard threading system, which had heavy nuts and bolts with heads 1/16" wider than SAE or Hex caps. The first size marking is the diameter of the bolt itself, not the head, and the size in the parentheses is the actual size of the opening in the wrench (and the size of the U.S.S. nut or bolt head).

 

[twertsy]

I am cross-posting these here (already posted in the Plomb thread) because I haven't posted in this thread in awhile (mainly because of ho-hum acquisitions), and because I was just discussing this Plomb 1041 extra heavy duty DBE wrench with BB in the Garage Sale thread, here.

I'll see if I can find a few more examples. I have moved several of these along to Plomb collectors in Europe, but I may have one or two somewhere, and if not, I will find older pictures. The unusual size marking (harkening back to the kinds of markings found across the industry in the 20's and earlier) can also be found on Plomb spud wrenches, but these are definitively late 30's-40's wrenches. The 1939 and early 1940's catalogs describe that beautiful dark steel as "India blue", so they may be parkerized or have some similar finish.

I believe I have several of those if you need pics. "Should" be back at the shop tomorrow afternoon-ish.

 

[Username already in use]

I believe I have several of those if you need pics. "Should" be back at the shop tomorrow afternoon-ish.

Pretty sure I sent you one at some point.

 

[rickpaulos]

My most unusual dbe. Bonney 8 point (1/2 & 7/16)

rick

 

[r_olson_06]

My most unusual dbe. Bonney 8 point (1/2 & 7/16)

rick

Ford brake wrench.

Looking for the following Plomb Pebbles Wrenches 3061, 3070,

 

[d42jeep]

I found this nice Blue Point wrench from 1940 at a garage sale this morning. I didn’t even need to clean it up.
-Don

 

[r_olson_06]

Cross post. But found a spot for my plombs to hang out all together. Here is the DBEs minus the WF (going to keep them together).
Staring at the top working down
Plomb Pebble (Complete)
Plomb Smooth (Need 1164 to complete)
Plomb LAs (only have 1)
Plomb AD (only have 1)
Plomb 10XX Heavy Duty Industrial (Have 4)
Plomb Ignition (only have 1)
Plomb Standard Offset (Complete)
Plomb Stubby Offset (Complete)
Plomb Half Moon (Complete)

Looking for the following Plomb Pebbles Wrenches 3061, 3070,

 

[rickpaulos]

Some more of mine. Both incomplete.

Globemaster from West Germany. That puts in the cold war era. Nice look. I've seen other Globemasters made in other countries.

Popular Mechanics magazine tools. I've seen tool boxes, all kinds of wrenches and other tools. I'm sure there are guys with all of them. That could be a good thread if there are any PM collections to show off and give us the history of them.

 

[rickpaulos]

Ford brake wrench.

Thanks. It fits (and stays on) some lawn and garden motor square end drain plugs better than open ended wrenches.

 

[BlueBomber]

I had two braces of DBEs, one from Ebay and one from a ReStore.

The Ebay wrenches are non-war year bigguns.

P&C 2244 offset, 1-3/8" x 1-1/4"
P&C 2240 offset, 1-1/4" x 1-1/16"
P&C 2232 offset, 1" x 15/16"
Billings Vitalloy 8739 1-3/8" x 1-1/4"

The ReStore group was out of a Crowntop, hip-roofed Craftsman toolbox.

New Britain RW-28 straight ratchet, 3/4" x 7/8"
Westline H2248 deep offset, 4/4" x 25/32"
Westline H2246 deep offset, 13/16" x 7/8"
Westline no number deep offset, 5/8" x 11/16"
Westline H2240 6-ptdeep offset, 3/8" x 7/16"
No name Bridgeport angled, 11/16" x 5/8"

The Westlines are dupes, but are in much better shape than the ones I have! I'm getting so many dupes now, i need to start putting together some sets to go in vehicles, in the other garage, in my Dad's garage, to name a few. The more valuable ones I should part company with online. And I'm always open for a trade or to help fill a hole in someone else's set. Maybe I need to stay home from sales and off Ebay for a few weekends and get my entire collection into a spreadsheet, as we talked about here a few weeks ago.

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[r_olson_06]

Cross post. Found an 1164 Plomb also known as behemoth for it's size. This completes my smooth base Plomb DBE set.

Also some big uns on Plomb front. Here are an almost complete set of the Plomb DBEs 10XX series. Some are Copper plated. That breaker bar is a 3/8" bar for size comparison.

Looking for the following Plomb Pebbles Wrenches 3061, 3070,

 

[d42jeep]

I found these on Saturday.
-Don

 

[bonneyman]

Thanks. It fits (and stays on) some lawn and garden motor square end drain plugs better than open ended wrenches.

Dang, great idea!

 

[d42jeep]

I had two braces of DBEs, one from Ebay and one from a ReStore.

The Ebay wrenches are non-war year bigguns.

P&C 2244 offset, 1-3/8" x 1-1/4"
P&C 2240 offset, 1-1/4" x 1-1/16"
P&C 2232 offset, 1" x 15/16"
Billings Vitalloy 8739 1-3/8" x 1-1/4"

Why are you classifying the big P&C wrenches as not being wartime. I don’t see why they couldn’t have been made during the war. Plomb made plenty of wartime wrenches with their conventional numbering system in addition to the WF and NAF marked wrenches.
Here is my current group of non pebble Plomb DBE wrenches.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Plomb made plenty of wartime wrenches with their conventional numbering system in addition to the WF and NAF marked wrenches.

And P&C made WF-. N-, and 22xx series round-shank DBE wrenches that were indistinguishable in shape and finish except for the markings. I have shown mine on the P&C thread.

 

[BlueBomber]

Why are you classifying the big P&C wrenches as not being wartime. I don’t see why they couldn’t have been made during the war. Plomb made plenty of wartime wrenches with their conventional numbering system in addition to the WF and NAF marked wrenches.
Here is my current group of non pebble Plomb DBE wrenches.
-Don

And P&C made WF-. N-, and 22xx series round-shank DBE wrenches that were indistinguishable in shape and finish except for the markings. I have shown mine on the P&C thread.

Oh. I had just assumed only the WF and N wrenches were war production. Thanks for schooling me on the history!