Plomb Tool Box

[Idlem]

I bought a old Plomb tool box this weekend and was wanting to know what color it should be painted? It has the Plomb name on top and a brass plaque with owners name and place of work was Blackhawk Tools.

 

[stormking]

Red or green depending on when it was made. Show a picture to get the correct answer.

 

[notlob]

The owner worked at Blackhawk and used a Plomb toolbox? We're gonna need pics.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Snerk. If so, that's a keeper!

 

[Idlem]

Hopefully here is the pictures of the Plomb toolbox I picked up Saturday.

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

Not sure on the color, but that is one cool box

 

[Idlem]

Hopefully here is the pictures of the Plomb toolbox I picked up Saturday.

 

[uncwstudent]

That....is beautiful. Great pick OP!

 

[FJ 432]

Quick question.. Where is the Blackhawk badge location...bottom rollaway?

 

[Stuart in MN]

That is very cool.

Quick question.. Where is the Blackhawk badge location...bottom rollaway?

It's on top of the top box, you can see it in the first photo.

 

[thehorse13]

That BlackHawk badge came off one of the BlackHawk boxes. You could mail in a coupon when you bought a BlackHawk box and get a personalized badge. My Treasure Chest has the mounting holes for one of those badges right from the factory. The owner simply bolted it to this Plomb box and obviously had a BlackHawk box at one time too.

 

[FJ 432]

To answer your original question the Plomb box would have been olive drab.

Too all
Is the bottom home made?

 

[Idlem]

On top of lid.

 

[Idlem]

I am thinking maybe it is, don't see any markings on it.

 

[Idlem]

The badge says Blackhawk MFG. Co. Milwaukee, Wis., is that the company that made Blackhawk tools or something else.

 

[Idlem]

Thanks!

 

[bluebolt]

Cool box!

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Same company

 

[twertsy]

I wouldn't touch them personally, I like them just as they are. Awesome score!

 

[thehorse13]

The BlackHawk label is not from the Plomb box. The owner had a BlackHawk box and mailed in the coupon to get his personal name plate. The name plate was never meant to be on the Plomb box, the owner just pulled it from his Blackhawk box and screwed it on to the Plomb box.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

To answer your original question the Plomb box would have been olive drab.

If you're talking about the top box... or red. Unless you know something I don't for how to distinguish a 9989 Chest made before 1942 and one made during the wartime years.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

As for the roller - that doesn't resemble the 9969 Plomb Toolmobile in any 1930's or 1940's catalog. The construction, configuration of the drawers, and the pulls are all different.

It's a very cool roller, whatever it is.

 

[notlob]

here are examples of the two possible original colors for that box - wrinkle olive drab if made during WWII years, otherwise, gloss red.

 

[notlob]

Here's the listing for the OP's top box from a wartime Plomb catalog (No. 19R). Note certain items discontinued and tool boxes available only in green.

 

[FJ 432]

If you're talking about the top box... or red. Unless you know something I don't for how to distinguish a 9989 Chest made before 1942 and one made during the wartime years.

Look at his first pictures showing the inside. It looks like olive drab on the inside.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Doh! Agreed!

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

I haven't used any of this paint yet, but I did take a well preserved chest to Sherwin Williams for a color match of the green. I picked it up as I have to make a couple drawers and wanted to get as close as possible to a match. Here is a pic of the paint label showing their recipe. Also I noticed that only the outside portions and under the lid of the two chests I have had wrinkle paint. Inside the drawers seemed to be normal smooth paint.

Also while we're talking paint I am pretty sure they used a faster reducer for a second coat to get the wrinkle finish on these chests. I saw under a latch where the paint did not wrinkle as the second coat couldn't hit it. (I don't think the painter bothered to lift it to coat the other side.) Had they used heat to make the wrinkle finish it would have wrinkled the paint under that latch as well and probably inside the drawers too. Just my observations from my chest's...others may vary. Ed.

 

[notlob]

Also I noticed that only the outside portions and under the lid of the two chests I have had wrinkle paint. Inside the drawers seemed to be normal smooth paint.

My wartime Plomb box is the same - wrinkle OD paint except for the drawers, which have a non-wrinkled finish.

Here's an excerpt from a GJ post by Carla from a couple years ago about paint to match Plomb toolbox OD:

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For the generality of 'minor items', I've used the allegedly 'mil-spec' paint supplied in spray cans from 'Rapco' (Mark Dodd, of Bowie, Texas, do a search for his web-site) He carries the 24052 green,which is a match for the old Plomb tool box green, the 24533 light 'interior green', aka 'cockpit green', the 16081 Navy-spec medium grey, and the 111 red primer,all of which are suitable for general shop use.

(the 24052 green matches Plomb tool kit boxes near-perfectly for colour, but most of the Plomb boxes were finished with a 'wrinkle' paint, so its not a 'perfect' restoration.)
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https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5304676&postcount=14