Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

[four.cycle]

We had "bomb cyclones" all week here. It's like living in the land of Mordor. I was certain the sky was falling yesterday:

 

[RTM]

And there's no water available either (well, maybe except for Sunday, when at least 6" fell here). No good tools either, unlike PA, CT etc where they are under every rock and behind every bush.

 

[LesserSon]

And the damn dinosaurs.

 

[Provincial]

People also exaggerate the amount of Plomb found around here. It is really quite rare!

 

[honza.vosalik]

Man, so many pictures of beautiful socket sets. Where do you guys keep finding them?!

 

[RagTopTA]

Ok who sniped that old 3/4 Socket lot on ebay? Hahaha 307.99 wheeeewww!!! Went for more than I figured!

 

[RagTopTA]

Man, so many pictures of beautiful socket sets. Where do you guys keep finding them?!

A lot jsut find a case here or there and start filling them with single pieces here and there. Some find full sets or get them off the bay.

 

[AK4570]

Like RagTop said, onesies and twosies. If you watch the Garage Sale thread, you’ll see that most of us don’t catch more than a handful at a time although I have to admit that my introduction to Plomb came through this almost complete 5400T send found in Warren, Ohio in a thrift/pawn/antique/junk shop that set me back a grand total of $15.

Ever since then, I’ve been on the hunt and have managed a slow but somewhat steady accumulation. Just gotta keep hunting!

Good luck and best regards,
John

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Man, so many pictures of beautiful socket sets. Where do you guys keep finding them?!

Persistence. Sometimes takes years to find all the pieces

 

[Outlawmws]

It took me about 30 years to complete my long C 1/2 drive std socket set. - one - piece - at - a - time....

Doing it the hard way.

Once it completed they suddenly start popping up everywhere...

 

[Old Radar]

It took me about 30 years to complete my long C 1/2 drive std socket set. - one - piece - at - a - time....

You mean like Johnny Cash did it? One Piece At A Time Vid

 

[Oldtuleguy]

It took me about 30 years to complete my long C 1/2 drive std socket set. - one - piece - at - a - time....

Doing it the hard way.

Once it completed they suddenly start popping up everywhere...

That's usually how it works!

 

[Outlawmws]

You mean like Johnny Cash did it? One Piece At A Time Vid

'Cept I didn't steal 'em!

 

[nailheadmatt]

And it's done. Renaissance wax is a good product. Applied that over the scotchbrite finished bare metal

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Every once in awhile I get lucky and one-fell-swoop something instead of onesy-twosying it. I found my 1/2-drive set that way four years ago. And I just plucked this decent spread of Pebble combos, missing only the 1218 (9/16"), out of a '$1 Each / $5 for 7 Wrenches' bin at the SAME flea market this morning. What they don't tell you about at Pickers School is all the days in between when you don't find diddly.

 

[nailheadmatt]

Every once in awhile I get lucky and one-fell-swoop something instead of onesy-twosying it. I found my 1/2-drive set that way four years ago. And I just plucked this decent spread of Pebble combos, missing only the 1218 (9/16"), out of '$1 Each / $5 for 7 Wrenches' bin at the SAME flea market this morning. What they don't tell you about at Pickers School is all the days in between when you don't find diddly.

Score! Those are in good shape too

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks. I really like your two-tone box concept. It has a sort of refined rat rod look with the bare metal, but in an upscale way, like industrial chic. And the little red in the decal makes the interior pop, and vice versa. Nice scheme.

 

[nailheadmatt]

Thanks. I really like your two-tone box concept. It has a sort of refined rat rod look with the bare metal, but in an upscale way, like industrial chic. And the little red in the decal makes the interior pop, and vice versa. Nice scheme.

Thanks! I prefer to powdercoat whenever possible. That one was too rough to powdercoat. For that perticular project, I just felt that's what was best for it. Next up is my 1938/39 9969 toolmobile. It's going to be powdercoated metallic blue. As close to the color it was when it was new as I can get it. An online friend helped me out with some reference pics of a press steel box that he says is spot on. The 30s tool mobile is so rare, I can't even find another pic of one on the internet. Mine is rediculously cherry. What a shame someone sanded it!

 

[four.cycle]

nailheadmatt - fabulous work, sir.

Private Lugnutz - great score there!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It's going to be powdercoated metallic blue. As close to the color it was when it was new as I can get it.

I've talked about it here before. Mainly in the form of asking if anyone has ever seen one and getting blank stares and 'I have three heads' looks. "Lustrous metallic blue enamel finish" is what the catalog called it. I don't think most collectors know they did that. The catalog is B&W so if you don't read the text you could miss it. Although it is visually a much darker black than the green. Offered in 1938 and 1939 only as I recall just before they went to "Brilliant Chinese red."

 

[nailheadmatt]

I've talked about it here before. Mainly in the form of asking if anyone has ever seen one and getting blank stares and 'I have three heads' looks. "Lustrous metallic blue enamel finish" is what the catalog called it. I don't think most collectors know they did that. The catalog is B&W so if you don't read the text you could miss it. Although it is visually a much darker black than the green. Offered in 1938 and 1939 only as I recall just before they went to "Brilliant Chinese red."

Yeah man exactly. A guy I knows grandpa had one and he remembers the color. His grandpa even special ordered a 9999 to go with it in the same metallic blue. Attached is the color he says it was.. except it wasn't "hammer tone finish.". It was smooth

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Hmm. That's interesting. I thought it would be darker like the P&C blue. I like it.

 

[nailheadmatt]

Hmm. That's interesting. I thought it would be darker like the P&C blue. I like it.

Yeah he swears it was a light blue like that. No question about it. Maybe someone else on here can shed light. No one on the Facebook plomb group knows either.

 

[nailheadmatt]

I haven't sorted thru the 300 pages of this thread, but does anyone on here own a "wheel about Jr."? Still looking for one. Haven't ever seen a pic of one either outside of the catalog. Had a lead on one in Oregon (supposedly) but it got sold out of under me.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I'd trust grandpa. I was just speculating because P&C was in the family.

 

[Smokeshow69]

I've got quite a plomb collection including 10 tool boxes. Still on the hunt for a wheel about Jr. My rarest piece is my 1938/39 toolmobile

Hey Matt, Ben from the FB Page I was the one who posted the craigslist of your square corner tool mobile Glad to see you on here.

So damn jealous of the uniformity you got.

Yeah he *****! That stuff is so hard to get uniform it's not even funny.

People also exaggerate the amount of Plomb found around here. It is really quite rare!

Agreed, we all use photo shop and shadows to make our plomb finds appear more frequent than they are ....really nothing to see out here.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Found this 'PLOMB TOOL CO.' Feeler Gauge '# 000K' at the flea market today. There was probably a dozen feeler gauges in this box and I am so glad I looked at all of them. When you've seen a bazillion freakin' Kastar or K-D that all start to look alike it gets harder to be diligent about checking them for something different. Has anybody seen one before? I just did a search on the thread and couldn't find any. It's not like me to post without a catalog excerpt when it's something uncommon, but I came up empty in a few of the early catalogs.

 

[four.cycle]

"...a bazillion freakin' Kastar..."

It's possible that might be the result of Kastar having been the OEM supplier to most of the other companies!

 

[Provincial]

The 000K shows up in the Proto 1954 catalog, but not the Plomb 19R catalog, which implies that Plomb started making them not long before they had to change their name.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The 000K shows up in the Proto 1954 catalog, but not the Plomb 19R catalog, which implies that Plomb started making them not long before they had to change their name.

That makes sense to me, Jock. I was looking way earlier than that, because of the "O" in PLOMB, but I bet that distinction never registered with whoever they outsourced it to.

 

[Provincial]

Yes, they got as far as 000E in the 19R catalog. Plomb was late in offering wire gap gauges.

 

[Ricky Joe]

I haven't sorted thru the 300 pages of this thread, but does anyone on here own a "wheel about Jr."? Still looking for one. Haven't ever seen a pic of one either outside of the catalog. Had a lead on one in Oregon (supposedly) but it got sold out of under me.

Until recently, I owned a Huot box that was so close to that Wheelabout Jr. as to be almost indistinguishable. Could that have been the supplier?

 

[Ricky Joe]

Until recently, I owned a Huot box that was so close to that Wheelabout Jr. as to be almost indistinguishable. Could that have been the supplier?

Also meant to say that the Huot was a blue very similar to the color in your prior post.

 

[Smokeshow69]

Until recently, I owned a Huot box that was so close to that Wheelabout Jr. as to be almost indistinguishable. Could that have been the supplier?

Pressteel was making other plomb tool boxes at the time so I would say no, but then again if someone actually had a wheelabout to physically look at, we could verify physical construction characteristics just to be certain. Never say never with plomb

 

[shanny19]

People also exaggerate the amount of Plomb found around here. It is really quite rare!

Agree, but kinda disagree.
Overall, sure.....you'll find three dozen black and yellow Stanley screwdrivers for every Plomb tool.

But, from a given era, depression through WW2 era, say 1930-1945......If I find a tool in the wild from THAT ERA in my neck of the woods,
it's 85% likely to be a Plomb.

10% Snap On or Craftsman.
4% one of the major New England outfits.
1% or less.....one of the major Chicago or Ohio outfits. (branded as such, not Cman)

 

[Old Radar]

 

[shanny19]

I didn’t haha, I thought it was a serious remark

 

[bmwrd0]

Yeah man exactly. A guy I knows grandpa had one and he remembers the color. His grandpa even special ordered a 9999 to go with it in the same metallic blue. Attached is the color he says it was.. except it wasn't "hammer tone finish.". It was smooth

I have that same model of Pressweld roller, and under the top mat it is exactly that color, It has been repainted OD of some sort, and I would say factory done to boot. But, look a little deeper, and you find that blue:

 

[RagTopTA]

Few of my newest Plomb stuff I have gathered up lately!

 

[Smokeshow69]

Few of my newest Plomb stuff I have gathered up lately!

Great finds there! My favorites are the long handle 1/2 ratchet and the Proto la slide hammer steps in the box!