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Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

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PFSard

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

Here're a couple of pics of four.cycle's eBay Plomb post. I'm curious as to the ultimate outcome in five days. Thanks for posting this auction in this thread.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/172328041156

For the record ::

Winning bid: US $342.77 [ 32 bids ]
Shipping: $6.00 Expedited Shipping

Any reasonable speculation/knowledge as to why this was worth $350+/- to someone?? (I may regret asking this question)
 

Mooreag47

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

The question was is it wrong of me to put a buffing wheel to this plomb wrench
 

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r_olson_06

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

For the record ::

Winning bid: US $342.77 [ 32 bids ]
Shipping: $6.00 Expedited Shipping

Any reasonable speculation/knowledge as to why this was worth $350+/- to someone?? (I may regret asking this question)
The ignition wrenches were LA which usually drives up the price because they are an earlier production. The ratchet was pretty rare too. Plus having matching date codes and all in excellent condition. I bid would have bid up to $70 and tapped out after that. Somebody has some deep pockets.

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r_olson_06

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

I picked up some items today at an auction
1-1/16" smooth wrench
3/8 drive wf breaker bar
A pair of wf 3/8 sockets in this odd case. Anyone seen a case like this?
uploadfromtaptalk1473547292394.jpg

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Ole Slewfoot

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

s-l225.jpg

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-PLVMB-WRENCH-/361722533268?hash=item543857d594:g:M7IAAOSw-kdX0yGx
this will not end at $30:shocking:
 

Nitroneal

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

The ignition wrenches were LA which usually drives up the price because they are an earlier production. The ratchet was pretty rare too. Plus having matching date codes and all in excellent condition. I bid would have bid up to $70 and tapped out after that. Somebody has some deep pockets.

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Yes, very rare and matched up well. This stuff is like anything old, it's worth what someone will pay. Looked like a 3 way ******* match. That's why they call it an "auction"
 

Mooreag47

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

The way I see it I'm giving the tool a new lease on life and I have one set that I just remove the rust and apply oil and I'll have a set all done up like like a high class ****** and thanks Brian
 

Nitroneal

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

The question was is it wrong of me to put a buffing wheel to this plomb wrench

NO...it wasn't wrong. Looks great!! And I've got about 40 more of those you could buff. Really though, what kind of wheel and compound did you use. I have a full set of those in combo and DBE I'd like to do that to.
 

3baygarage

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

Nice to see all the pieces you guys keep finding!

How about an oldie I bought this week. The story is I passed on it exactly three years ago based on price and a grumpy seller. I got a rare second stab at it this time around and here it is.

marked KINNER H6 PLOMB Los Angeles

I could be off but the sizes appear to be 17/32 x 19/32.

It is close to 3/8" thick.
 

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Provincial

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

Nice to see all the pieces you guys keep finding!

How about an oldie I bought this week. The story is I passed on it exactly three years ago based on price and a grumpy seller. I got a rare second stab at it this time around and here it is.

marked KINNER H6 PLOMB Los Angeles

I could be off but the sizes appear to be 17/32 x 19/32.

It is close to 3/8" thick.

Kinner built aircraft engines from the 1920's through WWII. It was probably part of a tool kit.
 
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hoinox11

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

The question was is it wrong of me to put a buffing wheel to this plomb wrench

honestly I don't think so. They came from the factory before WWII as polished bare steel and all the pebbled ones are chromed, so it's just bringing it back to the way it was when it was new. Good job by the way on the buffing, I can't ever get them that good in the few futile attempts I've made.
 
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Mooreag47

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

Swap meet the one at the bottom of rhe picture is a California-too
 

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Carla

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

The question was is it wrong of me to put a buffing wheel to this plomb wrench

Actually, doing a very high quality of polishing on wrenches and other small tools was an 'old-timers' tradition, amongst machine folk generally, and, to some lesser extent, amongst automotive mechanics.

It may be that their motives varied to some extent, with some expressing a 'pride of ownership' and others, particularly small shop owners in the tooling field, wishing to impress clients and source-inspectors with an elegant display of tooling, such as racked sets of wrenches.

A significant percentage of automotive mechanics, even today, will invest very large amounts of $$$$$ in sets of the highly-polished and chromed 'Snap-On' wrenches. These, of course, are no more effective at turning a fastener than are plain unpolished, unplated wrenches, yet are very much a 'pride of ownership' display of 'mechanics' jewellery'.

As a generality, nickel or chrome plating would be considered 'cheap glitter' by the old machinists and toolmakers, who appreciated a 'high finish' in steel, and, of course, knew to keep polished surfaces from rusting. This is purely a particular aesthetic tradition, to be sure, and, rarely, one might see tooling which had been well-polished and then nickel-plated.

As to whether its 'wrong' to polish one's wrenches, well, if one chooses to develop the skill set involved in doing it well, its certainly no worse a form of amusement than might be, for example, knocking a little ball around a golf course, or shooting down utterly inedible clay pigeons. (shooting down tasty edible birds is a practical venture, on the other hand)

I have some small number of wrenches and other small tools which I've polished, one time and another, really just for amusement. It is, for me, a sort of 'soothing' pastime to work the part, or tool, through the various grits of abrasives, whilst carefully maintaining the flats and radii. Any good steel will eventually come to the old-style 'lime-polish' with an accurately reflective surface, if one has the skill and patience to do it.

Whether its 'worth the time and effort' to do aesthetic work on relatively simple and common basic tools is, of course, an intensely personal choice. If you enjoy doing it, and find some enjoyment in 'pride of ownership' of the finished product, that's really all that matters......well, to me, anyway.... : )

It occurs to me that you may be asking regarding 'preserving originality' as a 'collector's issue'. Well, 'nuts'.......some tools may have historical value, to be sure, if owned by, say, Henry Ford or John Browning, and should be carefully preserved as historical artifact.

As to such as common wrenches, well, there are plenty to go around....if some wish to collect them as the stamp collectors collect stamps, that's their choice, if others wish to enjoy polishing them, or to just turn fasteners with them, that's an equally valid choice.

cheers

Carla
 

Rileysan

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

Plomb Los Angeles, anyone?

- Plomb 96 5/8 drift/punch
- Plomb 5348 & 5353, 3/4" & 1" deep sockets.
There are stamped numbers (7B & 9A) after Los Angeles. Can anyone shed light on what those numbers mean?

Brian
 

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twertsy

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

Plomb Los Angeles, anyone?

- Plomb 96 5/8 drift/punch
- Plomb 5348 & 5353, 3/4" & 1" deep sockets.
There are stamped numbers (7B & 9A) after Los Angeles. Can anyone shed light on what those numbers mean?

Brian

Those are date codes..........Feb, '27 and Jan '29
 

Carla

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

Those are date codes..........Feb, '27 and Jan '29

Hi, Todd,

Some sources, such as Ed Boudinot's work, give the beginning of the use of the 'triangle O' as 1934, approx, so wouldn't those sockets be of 1937 and 1939 production?

cheers

Carla
 

twertsy

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

Hi, Todd,

Some sources, such as Ed Boudinot's work, give the beginning of the use of the 'triangle O' as 1934, approx, so wouldn't those sockets be of 1937 and 1939 production?

cheers

Carla
Yes, correct. Coulda swore I looked at round O's! It was early (at least that's my excuse). Changed over from LA to USA in 9/39.


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Brorex

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

Picked up my 2 plomb tools at yard sales this weekend. .25/each at different sales
44c2621f8fa373063090589d187ddbcc.jpg
ab38076e6ccb0f23a8470388c361b59b.jpg

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twertsy

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

Got a nice little Plomb war era 1/4" ratchet in with a bunch of other tools last week. Markings are 4749 Plomb with the plumb bobs before and after Plomb, and the triangle O. The back is stamped MADE over IN USA (with dots between letters) - VC

The C date code should be 1943 according to Todds site, but no clue what the V means. It's clear, so not a misstamp of A through L.

I don't collect Plomb, but think I'll keep it to go with my 1942 Midget Snap-on. I don't want to say anything sacreligious, but I think if I was using it, I'd like this Plomb better than the midget. And the midget is my favorite 1/4" ratchet.

That's another oddball code for sure. I've referenced your post on my study page.
 

Smokeshow69

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

The drivers I don't really use very often but they feel pretty good in your hand. For sure they feel better than the snappy of the same era. The proto better-grips feel even better than these and I think they feel better than the snappy's as well. I like these screwdrivers because you can see the progression of the screwdriver from wood handle to this style and then to the better grip. I also like how you can see that snap on totally stole the design of the handles of their screwdrivers from these drivers that where out years before their "hard handles" came out. On a side note I went back to the habitat yesterday and found another different plvmb driver handle :rocker: and another plastic handle plvmb long flat tip. I will post some pics later

As promised here is a picture of the other 1/4 drive handle I found at the same habitat a week later. I did not even realize it was plvmb first until I looked at the stamping in the light. I am wondering what time period this is from?? If I had to guess I would say right before the name change??

 

ssdave

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

That's another oddball code for sure. I've referenced your post on my study page.

Todd,

I saw another one in the thread a few pages back marked MC. I speculate they continued on in 43 with M through V?

Postscript: Found the picture, it was the Plumb set on ebay. Here's the picture of the ratchet marked MC:
 

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twertsy

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

Todd,

I saw another one in the thread a few pages back marked MC. I speculate they continued on in 43 with M through V?

Postscript: Found the picture, it was the Plumb set on ebay. Here's the picture of the ratchet marked MC:

Funny how those oddballs always seem to be on ratchets.........I have an NC and a real oddball NR code also.
 
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Provincial

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

Kind of off topic, but today I saw a socket at a garage sale that was obviously a Plomb 1/2" drive 1-1/16" 12-point. It had the correct part number and made in USA, but the Plomb name had been ground off, and very carefully. I wonder if Plomb did this in response to the lawsuit. Maybe for a little while until they could replace current stock with Proto marked production.
 

Carla

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

Kind of off topic, but today I saw a socket at a garage sale that was obviously a Plomb 1/2" drive 1-1/16" 12-point. It had the correct part number and made in USA, but the Plomb name had been ground off, and very carefully. I wonder if Plomb did this in response to the lawsuit. Maybe for a little while until they could replace current stock with Proto marked production.

Some years ago, I'd come across a surprising number of 'name ground off', but obviously Plomb, tools at the old San Jose 'Pulga de Sanjo' flea market, which I offered up cheaply on ebay, when ebay was new. Every one of those tools had some grinding/polishing flaw, unsightly when inspected closely. (I've no idea as to whether those were condemned before heat-treat, or afterward, so I never actually tried using them)

I don't have any first-hand information, as, say, from a retired Plomb/Proto employee, to be sure, but I'd think that the greatest likelihood would be that those tools were sold as 'factory seconds'. Whether the Plomb works might have had a 'factory seconds' store at the plant, or they sold them by the hundredweight to some salvage dealer, or whether the plant workers got to take them home, is an 'unknown', to me, at least.

At one time, the San Jose flea was 'deluged' with 'name ground off' Thorsen tools, which a Thorsen employee was buying up cheaply as 'factory seconds' and selling at the flea, and selling fairly cheaply.....and 'in volume' at the flea. Quite a few of the regular flea market sellers bought up quantities of those tools, and had them at their stands, for years afterward.

cheers

Carla
 

RedVise

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

Anybody familiar with the WF 7 breaker bars? Found a 7.5" bar.
Alloy Artifacts has the 5.9 " bar, but I am not finding anything for a 7.5" bar.
The longer one is 1/4" drive. Looks like a chrome finish (I think) and it has the hole for the crossbar.

Brian
 

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LesserSon

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Re: ~ Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

What years were Proto LA tools made? This is my first, a ¾ combination wrench with a good amount of finish wear, though the openings seem good enough.
 

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