Plomb ratchet

[Shiftless]

Here is something I found while cleaning out a miscellaneous tool drawer.
Not something I want to hold on to. What’s the value?
Preliminary google research seems to indicate vintage 1942. Any experts out there care to elaborate?
Model WF 21
Does that refer to “war finish” ?

 

[r_olson_06]

Here is something I found while cleaning out a miscellaneous tool drawer.
Not something I want to hold on to. What’s the value?
Preliminary google research seems to indicate vintage 1942. Any experts out there care to elaborate?
Model WF 21
Does that refer to “war finish” ?

This a military WWII and WF stands for Wright Field (Contact). War finish is what Plomb marked their civilian tools during the war and are much more rare. These WF ratchets are super common. I usually buy them for $1-$3.

Looking for the following Plomb Pebbles Wrenches 3060, 3061, 3070

 

[Shiftless]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Shiftless]

Thanks SSDave
I’ll bundle it with some other tools to make shipping worthwhile for a buyer.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Last one I sold on ebay brought about $8 with shipping as I recall. Not a highly valued item to collectors. Too many of them available at garage sales and flea markets.

Plomb tends to be regional - you guys in the west and southwest apparently find quite a lot of Plomb tools, but they are quite uncommon elsewhere. I've seen a couple of the pebble finish wrenches, but that's about it.

 

[tym]

Plomb tends to be regional - you guys in the west and southwest apparently find quite a lot of Plomb tools, but they are quite uncommon elsewhere. I've seen a couple of the pebble finish wrenches, but that's about it.

Same here. I've never found any Pebble tools in the wild here in New England, only a handful of WF wrenches. On the flipside, I can find stuff from obscure regional mfrs pretty frequently.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

I have one I use about every day, it's nice and light.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I find Plomb, Plomb WF, and Pebble Plomb often enough here in NJ, but that's a little skewed by my flea markets being in close proximity to Earle Naval Weapons Station, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, and the old Fort Monmouth, and it's not even close to the frequency or numbers of the left coast guys. I think Proto, PENENS, and Fleet made a bigger dent out here in the PTTI years because of the Cleveland (former Bog/Cragin) and Jamestown NY (JP Danielson) plants.

 

[elidas]

Surprising, We are not that far apart and I find quite a bit of Plomb stuff.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Well, I don't know how to gauge the difference between "often enough" and "quit a bit." If we were going to enumerate it, I'd say I average a couple pcs every other time I go out, maybe something like 20 pcs per year, and I probably see 3 x that much. (Like everything else, I don't pick all the Plomb I see - after awhile the dupes start to add up.)

 

[elidas]

Opps! I meant that for TYM. When I get ambitious I'll separate some stuff and see what I got. I put the Plomb into the PROTO bin the full sets,ratchets and speed wrenches have their own spot. And I'm not terribly organized.

 

[Shiftless]

That ratchet is now listed in the Classifieds along with other Plomb and Plvmb, and Proto pieces.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=406689

 

[madison069]

I've found quite a bit of plomb here in southwest pa. I don't buy them all but I've picked up socket sets, rare wrenches, and odds and ends. But most of the plombs I find goes on eBay since I don't collect them now.