Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

[z28lsc]

Hmm, very possibly as plomb was a ranger contract supplier. You need to post it on this thread as the people in the know about the AT tools will be able to advise.

Packard Built Rolls Royce Merlin Tool Kit AT9368

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Thanks. I'll post it there.

 

[3baygarage]

Interesting, looks hand stamped.

 

[d42jeep]

I picked up these two wrenches at a sale today.
-Don

 

[z28lsc]

Interesting, looks hand stamped.

Yes it does.

 

[MR.X]

Could this be a plomb made wrench?

That kit had 3 flat handle fixed socket wrenches like that, the 39 (11/16), 450 (13/16) and 585 (3/4) I have a 39 and 585 marked Plomb and another 585 where the fixed socket portion is a Blackhawk Both my 450’s resemble yours with no brand name and an uneven shop look to the stamping. Sooo..make of that what you will.

 

[z28lsc]

That kit had 3 flat handle fixed socket wrenches like that, the 39 (11/16), 450 (13/16) and 585 (3/4) I have a 39 and 585 marked Plomb and another 585 where the fixed socket portion is a Blackhawk Both my 450’s resemble yours with no brand name and an uneven shop look to the stamping. Sooo..make of that what you will.

Thank you for the info. Now I have to find the other 2 to make the set.

 

[RTM]

Thank you for the info. Now I have to find the other 2 to make the set.

Then you need to get the Packard Merlin engine to complete the set.

 

[MR.X]

Then you need to get the Packard Merlin engine to complete the set.

The Fairchild Ranger 6-440 and Packard Merlin V-1650 both have tool kits with "AT" (or A.T.) markings.. but like in the My Cousin Vinny court scene where Tomei says "the Corvette which could never be confused for the Buick Skylark", the Merlin Engine is significantly different than the Ranger 6-440.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

...giving credence to my oft-repeated still unproven theory that it ("AT") is not actually an arbitrary industry prefix, but a government, perhaps a USAAF thing. It's my understanding that the Fairchild and the Merlin numbers don't overlap, either, which would also make sense. Or I could be wrong. It could just be an independent coincidence. There are plenty of aviation toolsets (e.g., PWA, etc) that don't use the same scheme.

 

[MR.X]

...giving credence to my oft-repeated still unproven theory that it ("AT") is not actually an arbitrary industry prefix, but a government, perhaps a USAAF thing. It's my understanding that the Fairchild and the Merlin numbers don't overlap, either, which would also make sense. Or I could be wrong. It could just be an independent coincidence. There are plenty of aviation toolsets (e.g., PWA, etc) that don't use the same scheme.

Correct. They do not overlap.

 

[MR.X]

Thou the Merlin Packard AT8027 valve adjuster does appear on an unofficial, oft circulated Plomb Ranger list. BTW, when I mentioned the 3 fixed socket wrenches, I'm actually not even sure if they were all part of the same Fairchild Ranger "kit". They could have been add-ons, a different echelon kit, or for the follow on, less successful Ranger engine for all I know.

 

[d42jeep]

This crusty little late pebble 1/4” drive ratchet came from an eBay seller who theorized stripped screws but a little cleaning made it look much better and I was able to break the screws loose. It will end up in a red box postwar set.
-Don
Before
After

 

[Provincial]

Thou the Merlin Packard AT8027 valve adjuster does appear on an unofficial, oft circulated Plomb Ranger list. BTW, when I mentioned the 3 fixed socket wrenches, I'm actually not even sure if they were all part of the same Fairchild Ranger "kit". They could have been add-ons, a different echelon kit, or for the follow on, less successful Ranger engine for all I know.

The Ranger AT-39 wrench was listed in the L440 Overhaul Manual as being a wrench for removing unshielded spark plugs. The other two may be for shielded spark plugs, as the hex size for spark plugs was not standardized until well into WWII.

 

[d42jeep]

This crusty little late pebble 1/4” drive ratchet came from an eBay seller who theorized stripped screws but a little cleaning made it look much better and I was able to break the screws loose. It will end up in a red box postwar set.
-Don
Before
After

But it won’t end up in this set that arrived last night. It had a layer of dirt on the surface which did NOT act as a protectant but did mostly come off with a damp paper towel. It was almost totally complete, missing only the 5/16” and 7/16” sockets.
Less dirt.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Today I cleaned the rust off of the ratchet and spinner, replaced the sliding tee with a nicer one and added the missing sockets.

I’m calling it finished.

-Don

 

[Beerhippie]

I'd give that box a wipe-down with a soft rag and some mineral spirits. It won't hurt the remaining paint--in fact, it seems to brighten it up some--but it will take off more of the dirt, oxidation and grease. Then give it a coat of your favorite auto wax.

I use that trick on old paint I want to save all the time. Learned it from a guy who restores classic grand pianos.

 

[d42jeep]

Kennedy recommends cleaning their wrinkle finish boxes with W-D40 which always seemed odd to me but I rubbed the rusty spots on the Plomb box with fluid film and went over the exterior with the WD and it did improve it’s looks. I used to spray down my dirt bikes with WD40 back in the day after using the quarter car wash.
-Don

 

[Beerhippie]

Kennedy recommends cleaning their wrinkle finish boxes with W-D40 which always seemed odd to me but I rubbed the rusty spots on the Plomb box with fluid film and went over the exterior with the WD and it did improve it’s looks. I used to spray down my dirt bikes with WD40 back in the day after using the quarter car wash.
-Don

Pretty sure a major ingredient of WD40 is mineral spirits.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Atf has alot of detergent in it, seems to work well.

 

[bullmastiff135]

Got a few the other day

 

[d42jeep]

Periodically I go through the 1/4” drive Plomb sets in the basement and make sure that they are as correct as possible and adding Fluid Film to any pieces that may be starting to rust.
I gathered the partial sets and replaced incorrect tools with more appropriate ones and determined that a few were ready to move into the basement.
They will be moving into the Plomb overflow shelf.
-Don

 

[autobon7]

Periodically I go through the 1/4” drive Plomb sets in the basement and make sure that they are as correct as possible and adding Fluid Film to any pieces that may be starting to rust.
I gathered the partial sets and replaced incorrect tools with more appropriate ones and determined that a few were ready to move into the basement.
They will be moving into the Plomb overflow shelf.
-Don

Love those garden hose sprayers.

 

[Outlawmws]

Love those garden hose sprayers.

 

[Squez]

Got these today.. wondering the original color of the box as I’d like to restore it

 

[Smokeshow69]

Got these today.. wondering the original color of the box as I’d like to restore it

Those boxes came in green and red.

 

[Catfishdan]

I picked up two big boys today. Shown here with my smallest examples just for fun. 32oz paschall vs a 1oz and a 3070 vs a 3021

 

[d42jeep]

Nice finds! Is there a date code on the hammer head?
-Don
I only found this dark finish 1224 3/4” combo wrench at yesterday’s estate sale.

 

[Outlawmws]

Is there a date code on the hammer head?

Something to look for on mine - is there a pattern, or is it more obvious?

 

[d42jeep]

I think that if there is a date code it would be the same as other Plomb tools. Here is my 1941 marked one.
-Don

 

[Catfishdan]

No date code on the big one. The little guy has a 7b code.

 

[hobie18]

Oh, Plomb, not plumb tools.

I get it.

 

[Catfishdan]

Scored some more plomb today. The wrenches are pretty crusty, but I was stoked to find the dual marked breaker.

 

[genog]

It was a fun weekend....

Got some free time and ran out to the Flea Market, mostly to see some of the Boys
The weather was gorgeous

And.... I found myself a couple of nuggets

Found this Plomb DBE ....and it's NOT a duplicate!


Hey, I'm getting closer to completing the set

 

[Beerhippie]

^ Those aren't nuggets, pilgrim. They're just shiny pebbles.

 

[genog]

That's just one of the nuggets

 

[930dreamer]

Hopefully picking this up today!

 

[d42jeep]

Nice pick up. It may have started life as a late war 3/8” drive set, judging by the remaining pieces. It’s a little hard to find a speeder that fits in the box as there were a few profiles. Have fun with it.
-Don
Here was mine in progress a few years back.
Another one currently in progress.

 

[930dreamer]

Seller contacted me, sounds like they're selling from a family estate and their not there at this time. More to follow.

 

[d42jeep]

Here are a few Plomb acquisitions I’ve picked up recently.
Double stamped spinner
What I believe to be an early 1942 date stamped socket
A 1941 1/4” drive extension
A 3/8” drive 1/2” deep socket from 1941
-Don

 

[Outlawmws]

I fixed up a 1/4” firestone ratchet that came in the mail last week and took some photos of it with the rest of my plomb family 1/4” and 9/32” ratchets.

L-R: 4751, wf-8 oval head, wf-8 figure eight, 4749, 4749 war finish, wf-8 teardrop head, 4749 “made in” pebble, 4749 “mfd. in” pebble, p&c pebble, Firestone, and a Proto.

Resurrecting a 5+ year old post -

@Catfishdan When you fixed you Firestone ratchet, did you use a rebuild kit and if so, which one?