Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

[MR.X]

This code?

Yep

 

[Beerhippie]

Yep

Thanks!

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

I picked up a 5849 1" Plomb ratchet at a swap meet a week or so ago. It was pointed out to me by Provincial. It's sporting a Cad finish, some of it roughed up a bit. Likely the result of bouncing around in a service truck. I thought I had at least a couple sockets for it but only found some Proto and a mix of others covering quite a few sizes. Shown with a later Proto 5849. The Plomb does one trick the Proto can't match....

 

[bmwrd0]

I think I have a couple 1" Plomb sockets, Ed. I will throw them in the truck for the next time I run into you. probably on the 20th.

 

[Outlawmws]

The 1" Plvmb ratchets are massive and heavy! 12 Lbs IIR!

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

A link to AA and their discussion on the 5849 and mention of a 5848 which they say sports the removal drive plug...which implies the 5849 did not. At work I made use of 1" drive tools often but with less frequency now as I get further from repairing heavy equipment. Still, for $40 I figured I had a spot for it in the shop.

Plomb Tool Company [Page 3]

Page 3 of an article on the Plomb Tool Company.

alloy-artifacts.org

 

[bmwrd0]

Nice. I was at an estate sale up in Mill City, and spotted a Snap-on 1" set, of course, the estate was from an old logger.

 

[Outlawmws]

mention of a 5848 which they say sports the removal drive plug...which implies the 5849 did not.

My big ratchets:

1"	Plvmb	5848
1"	Plvmb	5849 + a 3/4" plug
3/4"	Plvmb	5649

All have plugs....

 

[Private Lugnutz]

A link to AA and their discussion on the 5849 and mention of a 5848 which they say sports the removal drive plug...which implies the 5849 did not.

If you mean this: "Plomb also offered a very similar model 5848 ratchet with a female drive gear, for use with a drive plug," it's an odd phrasing, and I can see how it could be confusing, Ed.

Here is the way I have put it more succinctly and less confusingly in an older, similar conversation:

4748, 5248, 5448, 5648, and 5848's were female ratchets. They did not come with drive plugs. Conversely, 4749, 5249, 5449, 5649, and 5849 did.

The drive plugs (4752, 5252, 5452, 5652, and 5852), which were all removable, could be purchased separately, and inserting them would essentially convert the xx48's into xx49's! The shanks would still read xx48, of course. Examples like that have confounded collectors about the factory/catalog scheme.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Thanks for that clarification Lugz. It was indeed the structure of that sentence in AA that seemed odd to me. I took it as an example of AA delivering less than clear info despite their best efforts to do so. It happens. Ed.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Here's a 5849 with a proto professional drive plug

 

[Steven 33]

Here's a plvmb plug and a plvmb sliding T in some special wax. I cut a little piece off to identify it then heated it up a little bit to re seal. No idea what to do with this thing

 

[AntiqueBen]

I already posted this one on Lugz Plomb Lawsuit thread, but I thought I would post it here too for reference (pics below). It's a Plvmb 1/2" WF-38 ratchet that is stamped Proto. It has Proto & WF-38 on the face plate. One side of the handle has the WF-38 & Made In USA & the other side of the handle is blank.

I thought this was odd since the WF series stopped after the war (1945) & the Proto stamped tools didn't show up until around 1949 or so. They received the Proto trademark in late 1948, so the Proto couldn't have been added until then. I guess they were still using old stock & stamped Proto on it. Anyone seen any other WF-38 or any WF ratchets marked Proto? Would love to see pics of other examples if they're out there.

 

[RubiconJK]

I already posted this one on Lugz Plomb Lawsuit thread, but I thought I would post it here too for reference (pics below). It's a Plvmb 1/2" WF-38 ratchet that is stamped Proto. It has Proto & WF-38 on the face plate. One side of the handle has the WF-38 & Made In USA & the other side of the handle is blank.

I thought this was odd since the WF series stopped after the war (1945) & the Proto stamped tools didn't show up until around 1949 or so. They received the Proto trademark in late 1948, so the Proto couldn't have been added until then. I guess they were still using old stock & stamped Proto on it. Anyone seen any other WF-38 or any WF ratchets marked Proto? Would love to see pics of other examples if they're out there.

Every year or two we see another variation of Plomb design ratchets show up! Below is a link to a post I made a couple years ago where I showed my collection of different versions of 1/2 drive Plomb design ratchets. I did just double check my Proto WF38 example and confirmed that it doesn't have the WF-38US stamp like yours, but didn't take the time to remove the plate to see if it might be on the reverse side.
Plomb 1/2 design ratchets

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I already posted this one on Lugz Plomb Lawsuit thread,

And for situational awareness of others, I posted several replies, starting here.

Would love to see pics of other examples if they're out there.

Here is a Proto WF-38, just like yours, that @Username already in use posted on the 'Ratchet collection' thread back in 2016.

And here is a funny, funky Proto WF-21 that @3baygarage posted on the 'Proto' thread just last year.

Below is a link to a post I made a couple years ago where I showed my collection of different versions of 1/2 drive Plomb design ratchets.

Thanks for the reminder of that stunning lineup!

On the current topic, the classic beaver-tailed pear head ratchet with the mysterious "I&V" customer's forged-in marking is a good example of Plomb Tool Co exploiting the "WF" tooling and dies outside the parameters of their production for the wartime era US Army Air Corps contracts from which the internal nomenclature prefix originated. (Still have not found any literature to confirm the "Industry & Vocation" theory.)

In my replies to Ben on the 'Lawsuit' thread I had alluded to the 'leftover theory' of Plomb Tool Co getting rid of old stock or stretching the use of the dies etc, Plomb WF- style ratchets, sans "WF" markings, showing up in postwar Craftsman sets and depicted in postwar Craftsman catalogs, in parallel or just after the Circle-U contract, and in particular, the "[S.R.]" series they were making for Sears, Roebuck, as well as other no-frills 'Industrial' customers.

My hunch on the Proto era examples is still the last vestiges of that inclination.

 

[d42jeep]

I just spotted this Plomb WF8 on eBay. I can’t think of an earlier WF tool that I’ve seen. Must be from around 1939-40.
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I have one as well. Bit unusual.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

@Catfishdan has one of those prewar teardrop WF-8's. We talked about it briefly back in 2019 when he first posted his ridiculously well-appointed array of Plomb midget rats.

What makes them even more unusual is that the first Air Corps contract in the WPB records was not awarded until January 1941. They had one earlier nondescript contract with the Army, no contract number, no agency, very small, awarded in June 1940. Note that there are no contracts earlier than that, for any mfgr/supplier, with any agency. That's when the WPB started keeping track of what they considered wartime contracts.

The commercial teardrops (1/4-dr, 3/8-dr) just had the ON OFF stamped there, right?

 

[d42jeep]

Here are two 1939 commercial 3/8” drive ratchets. I believe that the 1940 versions look the same. One came from Catfish Dan and was a detent donor.
-Don
From Dan
Mine

 

[bmwrd0]

 

[d42jeep]

Nice! I don’t have one of those 4768 spinners.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Here are two 1939 commercial 3/8” drive ratchets. I believe that the 1940 versions look the same.

Hmm. I thought there were commercial teardrops. I'm not sure about a 47xx version, but I thought there was a 52xx version. Maybe I am misremembering.

 

[Catfishdan]

Hmm. I thought there were commercial teardrops. I'm not sure about a 47xx version, but I thought there was a 52xx version. Maybe I am misremembering.

You remember correctly, sir. Here’s a 5251 with a push through plug, a 4748 and a tear drop wf8.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Seems to be some interesting variants. I have a 1/4" removable drive plug version as well.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

You remember correctly, sir. Here’s a 5251 with a push through plug, a 4748 and a tear drop wf8.

Thanks, Dan. (You, too, OTG!) Most helpful. It's interesting to see how they used the space underneath the ON and OFF for the part number and/or the 1940 date code. I have to admit I was kinda sorta half-wondering/entertaining the notion of the plausibility of the WF 8 ratchets being made in 1940, but not stamped with the WF 8 marking until such a thing existed in 1941 with the first Air Corps contracts. As if they filled the early orders with surplus. But, they were not making a teardrop commercial 9/32-drive ratchet. I'm back to these WF 8 rats being potential proof of Air Corps contracts awarded before June 1940.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Here's a cool looking balljoint separator.

 

[d42jeep]

Nice. The pebble ones only appear in an early Proto catalog.
-Don

 

[Outlawmws]

Nice!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Here's a cool looking ballpoint separator.

That's a little extreme. I usually just twist the cap off.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Sorry got spellchecked

 

[Private Lugnutz]

No need to apologize, OTG. We've all been foiled by auto-uncorrect or fat fingers..., I just couldn't resist the auto-chortle.

On topic, the pickle fork is the same situation as the puller pieces. All editions of the early Pebble Era catalogs (19-R, 19-R 2nd, 3rd, and 4th printing, and 19-R Reprint) show the old tools, not pebbled, but they could have been made any time late 1944 to 1947 just as well as the 1948 that Catalog 4820 implies.

 

[Beerhippie]

First thing I do when I get a new phone is turn off auto-complete and auto-correct. They drive me nuts with their tiny vocabularies. It's like having a third-grader edit my writing.

Anyone remember Clippy? No one mourns Clippy.

 

[Outlawmws]

VR (Voice recognition) also provides endless entertainment or frustration; depending on the day...

 

[Beerhippie]

VR (Voice recognition) also provides endless entertainment or frustration; depending on the day...

As much trouble as I have with arthritic and dyselxic hands and typing, I just ain't going there.

The fact that talking to people no one else can see, in public, often loudly, is now considered normal... somehow troubles me.....

 

[four.cycle]

^ on the flip side, crazy old men who talk to themselves now appear to be perfectly normal

 

[Outlawmws]

The fact that talking to people no one else can see, in public, often loudly, is now considered normal... somehow troubles me.....

It's taken me years to get used to "normal" people apparently talking to themselves as they walk around in public. - are they on the phone? (Bluetooth) or are they "Talking to God" (crazy)...

 

[RTM]

It's taken me years to get used to "normal" people apparently talking to themselves as they walk around in public. - are they on the phone? (Bluetooth) or are they "Talking to God" (crazy)...

Just looking to avoid talking to you! Or me, or anyone near them.

 

[Beerhippie]

^ on the flip side, crazy old men who talk to themselves now appear to be perfectly normal

But that's how we used to tell the difference between "crazy old men" and the rest of us. Like there actually is difference.....

 

[d42jeep]

I found a 5480 1/2” drive speeder at today’s garage sale. It was kind of rusty but looks better after treatment with a little steel wool. It’s very similar to the one in my Plomb based GMTK (41-H-1508).
-Don
As found
After a little cleanup

 

[Squez]

Todays haul