Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

[Smokeshow69]

Finally dropped by Oregon rock crusher's stunning workshop with Provincial and Rileysan...I was by far the least knowledgeable person present but did have a chance to compare our alligator wrenches. Couldn't have been made more than a year or two apart in the mid 20's but you can see the obvious differences.

Wow, so cool to see 2 of them present. Very uncommon and I forgot they made alligator wrenches. Oregonrockcrusher’s shop is amazing and it would take me years to soak in all the coolness of every item.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Finally dropped by Oregon rock crusher's stunning workshop with Provincial and Rileysan...I was by far the least knowledgeable person present but did have a chance to compare our alligator wrenches. Couldn't have been made more than a year or two apart in the mid 20's but you can see the obvious differences.

Great to have a few GJ'ers stop for a shop tour and good tool discussion. Nice to put a face to the screen name. I don't get that many visitors out this way so I really enjoyed the afternoon. It would be nice to go back to a time where companies like Plomb could make design changes so quickly, possibly based on customer feedback or at the whim of the man in charge. Images of a blacksmith pounding out wrenches on an anvil come to mind. Ed.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

While the alligator wrenches are still topical here is another pic I snagged showing one with it's tail clipped. What's interesting to me is the marking is a bit more elaborate than either mine or Mr. X's wrenches minimal stampings. Even has plomb bobs. Ed.

 

[kyrbz]

A vintage tool seller (@sfgaragehunter) on Instagram posted these. They didn't say much about them, but they appear to be old drawers with Plomb advertising on the bottom?

 

[Smokeshow69]

I’ve posted those^^^ picture’s before. I believe I found them on the plomb fb page? I don’t believe the tool seller will sell them? But it looks like someone made drawer bottoms out of some signs. Too bad. Those would have been amazing pieces! If the price was right I would still buy them and remove the drawer sides and hang them up.

 

[d42jeep]

I found this nice GMTK correct screwdriver today at an estate sale. It will be a huge upgrade compared to the one with handle damage currently in my Plomb based GMTK.
-Don

 

[Old Radar]

I’ve posted those^^^ picture’s before. I believe I found them on the plomb fb page? I don’t believe the tool seller will sell them? But it looks like someone made drawer bottoms out of some signs. Too bad. Those would have been amazing pieces! If the price was right I would still buy them and remove the drawer sides and hang them up.

They would also be cool to hang up as they are--kind of like shadow boxes. You could even display a treasured Plomb artifact in them.

 

[Smokeshow69]

They would also be cool to hang up as they are--kind of like shadow boxes. You could even display a treasured Plomb artifact in them.

That’s a great idea!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Hang em up, throw few tools in there

 

[Smokeshow69]

Hang em up, throw few tools in there

I can see it now.. my Plomb weeder, my anvil chorus newsletter, I&V ratchet, paschall can opener and some other misc collections. That would actually be pretty rad!

 

[Arne73]

Rout a small groove for a hidden warm-white led strip?
Very cool regardless!

 

[Old Radar]

They would also be cool to hang up as they are--kind of like shadow boxes. You could even display a treasured Plomb artifact in them.

That’s a great idea!

 

[Fred Knox]

The last few weekends, I’ve been fortunate on my Plomb quest. I’ve never before seen firsthand the Plomb Tool Company #2402,, 2403 and 2406 tool rolls, nor the Plomb Tool Co. 11/16” open end wrench. I don’t see a date code on it, just “PLOMB TOOL CO. L.A. CA.” Are these all late 1920’s - early 1930’s? I’m afraid to even clean the tool rolls, as they are just so cool.

I love the three screwdrivers and the hacksaw. The wrenches are slowly filling out my collection, especially the longer ones. I need some time to clean everything up a little, but I’m too busy looking for the next honey pot. I probably just jinxed myself.

 

[d42jeep]

I like it all but I love the rolls!You ****!
-Don

 

[Outlawmws]

He also ***** for the hack saw...

 

[Smokeshow69]

The last few weekends, I’ve been fortunate on my Plomb quest. I’ve never before seen firsthand the Plomb Tool Company #2402,, 2403 and 2406 tool rolls, nor the Plomb Tool Co. 11/16” open end wrench. I don’t see a date code on it, just “PLOMB TOOL CO. L.A. CA.” Are these all late 1920’s - early 1930’s? I’m afraid to even clean the tool rolls, as they are just so cool.

I love the three screwdrivers and the hacksaw. The wrenches are slowly filling out my collection, especially the longer ones. I need some time to clean everything up a little, but I’m too busy looking for the next honey pot. I probably just jinxed myself.

Excellent finds Fred! Not often to find 3 wrench rolls that are that nice. I would recommend to just leave the wrench rolls alone! They look clean enough and don't want to ruin them. Did you find them at a sale locally? Also that hacksaw isnt super common for whatever reason. Most guys usually find the more convention handle style one but not that early low clearance saw.

 

[Provincial]

Today I found a 4100A puller set at the local auto swap meet. I had to pay more than the original price!


I got a 3734 (1-1/16) Line Wrench along with it.

 

[LesserSon]

Has it been pointed out that Plomb sourced screwdrivers from Irwin? I did an “Irwin” search of this thread and only hit a side conversation on wartime heavy duty wood screwdrivers.
Has anyone looked at a wood-handled Phillips for the license number? I don’t have one.

AND YET…
This Irwin has license no 40. Maybe the story is more complicated than I thought. Other than the link to a different forum site on the Stanley plastic handle thead, is there a full discussion of Phillips Lisc Nos in Vintage Tools?

 

[RTM]

This Irwin has license no 40. Maybe the story is more complicated than I thought. Other than the link to a different forum site on the Stanley plastic handle thead, is there a full discussion of Phillips Lisc Nos in Vintage Tools?

I only know of that list, and the recent addition of #29 was news to me. I’ve gone looking before, and not found much.

 

[d42jeep]

Manufacturers bought blades from various license holders. Here is a thread on G503 that lists some license holders. Your #40 is the highest number I’ve seen. That is the later patent number as well.

phillips Screwdriver Licence Numbers - G503 Military Vehicle Message Forums

-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Other interesting Phillips reading.

Phillips screw and driver

The Phillips screw and driver, originally invented by Portlander John P. Thompson, dramatically increased the speed of manufacturing and made the Phillips scre…

www.oregonencyclopedia.org

-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Has it been pointed out that Plomb sourced screwdrivers from Irwin? I did an “Irwin” search of this thread and only hit a side conversation on wartime heavy duty wood screwdrivers.
Has anyone looked at a wood-handled Phillips for the license number? I don’t have one.

AND YET…
This Irwin has license no 40. Maybe the story is more complicated than I thought. Other than the link to a different forum site on the Stanley plastic handle thead, is there a full discussion of Phillips Lisc Nos in Vintage Tools?

I checked all four of my Plomb wood handled Phillips drivers. Not a license or patent number to be seen.
No 4 & No 1
No 2 & 3
i have two Bridgeport #3 drivers with Stanley blades
A #3 Stanley with License #1 and the early patents.
I have a postwar Williams #4 with Bridgeport’s license #7 marked on the blade. Whole lotta tradin’ goin’ on.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

None on mine either. Had some luck locally this weekend

 

[Smokeshow69]

Today I found a 4100A puller set at the local auto swap meet. I had to pay more than the original price!


I got a 3734 (1-1/16) Line Wrench along with it.

Nice puller Jock! Did you get this from Mike, the body tools guy who lives in Gresham?

 

[Provincial]

Nice puller Jock! Did you get this from Mike, the body tools guy who lives in Gresham?

Probably. I didn't catch a name or location, but he had some overpriced dollys and hammers.

 

[Smokeshow69]

Probably. I didn't catch a name or location, but he had some overpriced dollys and hammers.

I think that’s Mike. Sometimes his stuff is a little spendy but sometimes he deals as well. I’m pretty sure I saw that puller at pir this year but didn’t buy it because i already have a Proto la version. It was a good price

 

[Provincial]

I think that’s Mike. Sometimes his stuff is a little spendy but sometimes he deals as well. I’m pretty sure I saw that puller at pir this year but didn’t buy it because i already have a Proto la version. It was a good price

I bundled it with the big pebble line wrench and the unmarked KD ignition point adjusting tool, so the total price was quite reasonable.

 

[RubiconJK]

Recent delivery from an online purchase that seemed post worthy. I didn't see any other examples of this specific wrench posted here on GJ, but I seem to think I've seen examples somewhere before. It is a Plomb made Kinner H14 with a 9C (at least I think it's a C) 1929 date code. I've seen a few other Kinner related posts before and took the time to do a little research. They were not around long, but at one time were the largest aircraft engine manufacturer on the west coast.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

That double ended Kinner special is definitely post worth Rubicon. Nice one. Ed.

 

[Provincial]

Thanks for posting. My dad flew behind Kinner engines training pilots in Ryan PT-22's during WWII. They specialized in 5-cylinder air cooled radial engines, when almost all the other manufacturers were building 7- and 9-cylinder models, and had the slogan "Five is all you need!".

Edited to correct the number of cylinders used by competing engines.

 

[Provincial]

"I've seen a few other Kinner related posts before and took the time to do a little research. They were not around long, but at one time were the largest aircraft engine manufacturer on the west coast."

This was a somewhat misleading claim. The two other west coast manufacturers were Axelson of Los Angeles (who also made machine tools, mostly metal lathes), who made one model of 7-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, and Menasco Motors, which made its name building small, inverted inline, air-cooled engines mostly for racing. It certified a few models for production aircraft, the most successful of which was the C-4. This was a four-cylinder engine that powered the production versions of the Ryan Sport Trainer. Neither company had significant production, with Axelson selling very few engines and Menasco focused on racing.

 

[Provincial]

Plomb must have recycled the H prefix, since in the 1928 Automotive catalog the H14 was assigned to a hammer!

Maybe it was a joke, or a Freudian Slip!

 

[RubiconJK]

"I've seen a few other Kinner related posts before and took the time to do a little research. They were not around long, but at one time were the largest aircraft engine manufacturer on the west coast."

This was a somewhat misleading claim. The two other west coast manufacturers were Axelson of Los Angeles (who also made machine tools, mostly metal lathes), who made one model of 7-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, and Menasco Motors, which made its name building small, inverted inline, air-cooled engines mostly for racing. It certified a few models for production aircraft, the most successful of which was the C-4. This was a four-cylinder engine that powered the production versions of the Ryan Sport Trainer. Neither company had significant production, with Axelson selling very few engines and Menasco focused on racing.

Good clarification, thanks. Sounds like being the "largest aircraft engine mfg on the west coast" wouldn't have been that tall of a hill.

 

[MR.X]

On the other hand, apparently Amelia Earhardt took her flying lessons at Kinner field and owned a Kinner Airster. The short Bert Kinner entry on wikipedia is worth a read.
BTW, although Plomb did also make some things for Kinner much later than the 1929 tool shown by Rubicon, the K series Crowfoot and other tools that pop up from time to time on ebay are not Kinner related despite some ebay seller constantly referring to them as such ( and as "Kenner" LOL) Dude would refer to a inventory or checklist of Kinner tools that he got from the California Tools museum ( I think he was helping them liquidate their inventory) that they WEREN'T on to imply their scarcity. Eventually other sellers started mistakenly referring to their K series offerings as Kinner too. Those K XXXXX seies tools were for Douglas aircraft like the C47 Skytrain.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It is a Plomb made Kinner H14 with a 9C (at least I think it's a C) 1929 date code.

@RubiconJK
I'm late to the Kinner wrench party, Roob. Cool find.

Is it just my imagination, or do the backsides of the sockets have marks almost like concentric rings? They are so vivid my first thought, viewing on my phone, was of stacked leather washers. Are they from a finishing machine? Or were they constructed like that?

It's not out of the question. I have very early socket wrenches made by blacksmiths at Gruber Wagon Works that started life as octagonal bar stock. Not forged. They heated it and then "upset" the material on the ends, shaped it with a jig and hammers, and drilled and milled the openings. I have other unbranded socket wrenches that look as of the sockets were crudely joined to the bar stock.

 

[RubiconJK]

Is it just my imagination, or do the backsides of the sockets have marks almost like concentric rings? They are so vivid my first thought, viewing on my phone, was of stacked leather washers. Are they from a finishing machine? Or were they constructed like that?

Thanks Lugz. Good catch. The "rings" are so irregular that I had written it off to semi primitive machining until you mentioned the idea that they might have forged washers together. Here are a few additional pics of the interior and exterior of the socket ends and the stacked look shows up on both sides. It even shows up in the "cut-out" section of the ends.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I've never seen anything like that before. Makes it even cooler.

 

[d42jeep]

I added some tools I picked up over the winter to my pebble and postwar box. The box is earlier than the tools. Here is the DBE motley crew, a mix of plain steel and chrome plated examples.


Some 1/2” drive tools, I missed the shorter flex handle in the first picture.
I added the newer spinner to this set.

-Don

 

[Provincial]

I found a few Plomb pieces at an estate sale Friday.

Ignore the P&C combo in the lower left corner.
USA pieces:
1226 combo 13/16
WF21 3/8 dr. Chromed!
1220 combo 5/8
Pebble:
5249 3/8 dr. ratchet
3720 line wrench 5/8
1220 combo 5/8 (2)

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

Got this one for $2 I think it’s something for the plombpire, the name is ground off. I think its plomb era because its held together with a screw and not a pin.