Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

[d42jeep]

One of the perks of being a WWII guy - no chrome whatsoever!!

Ain't that the truth. I have even more success because my wife is great at spotting the WW2 tools.
-Don

 

[Steamed Hams]

Hey guys first time poster! I love USA made tools and try to keep all of my tools COO that way! I recently got my first tool box and my old man let me go through his old stuff. I found a 1/2 breaker bar that caught my eye, I didn't know what brand it was until I googled it and eventually found this thread. I kept the tool because it reminds me of how things used to be. Solid built and dependable. I am impressed that the breaker bar is still solid with no play despite it being so old.

 

[stormking]

since some of you like plomb yellow tails. Thought you might like to see this. I have all but one I think got to dig them out and put em up. The wood handles go on a different board.
Plomb yellow by https://www.flickr.com/photos/119819727@N06/, on Flickr

 

[RubiconJK]

since some of you like plomb yellow tails. Thought you might like to see this. I have all but one I think got to dig them out and put em up. The wood handles go on a different board.
Plomb yellow by https://www.flickr.com/photos/119819727@N06/, on Flickr

Nice! Let us know which one you are missing.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Those are hard to find these days. The handles are usually beat up

 

[RagTopTA]

you guys have some awesome collections!! Even with boards! too cool!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

As first reported in the 2018 Garage Sale thread, I picked up a Plomb 3644 (1-3/8" jaws) water pump wrench at my flea market this morning.

Like Williams and others, they made them in a range of jaw sizes to fit different gland nuts. As far as I can tell the line was discontinued by Plomb in 1939, or at least that's the last catalog they appear in. Not surprisingly, as adjustable slip-joint and tongue-and-groove water pump pliers were making the wrenches obsolete.

These are quite literally marked "LA", instead of Los Angeles, followed by a "5" (1935).

The catalog excerpt (c/o Tools Archive) is from 1936, because the 1939 catalog, showing the stylized logo, is a fuzzy scan.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

As first reported in the 2018 Garage Sale thread, I also picked up an interesting DOE wrench from the Plomb Empire.

It's a 723 (3/8 x 7/16) made in the J.P. Danielson factory in November 1950.

JPD made these as part of their "Controlled Steel" brand in the late 1930's and throughout the war before being bought out by Plomb in 1947. After that, they were a factory for Plomb brands. The profile and date code is unmistakably JPD and the "MFD. USA" mark is unmistakably Plomb Empire.

I am showing it next to a slightly younger (March 1948) cousin, also made in the J.P. Danielson factory, lifted out of my PENENS Master Wrench set for the family photo. Since it's not branded Proto, PENENS, PENENS Fleet, or Challenger, I suspect it may have been contract production for whichever auto stores Plomb was supplying in 1950.

 

[d42jeep]

Quite a few items from the Plomb empire at the estate sales this morning including a PWA socket. The first three pictures are from the first sale. The last picture is from the second sale. The ell handle is unmarked but very much resembles a Plomb ell. This is the second one I’ve found. The Proto screwdrivers weren’t in too bad of condition.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I got into an old toolbox full of stuff today at my flea market and pulled out a bunch of 1/2- and 1/4-inch drive sockets. I probably spent a good twenty minutes hunched over that box. I posted most of the 1/2-inch drive sockets in other threads (Blackhawk, Thorsen, Snap-On, and Mystery), and here are the tiny Plomb and some interesting Plomb-related cousins.

From left to right:

- Plomb 4707 7/32" 6-point
- Plomb 4708-S 1/4 8-point
- Plomb WF-12 5/16" 12-point with a cad or possible phosphate finish
- Duplicate Plomb WF-12 5/16" 12-point with a cad or possibly phosphate finish, but note that it's a full 1/8" taller than the other one!
- Plomb 4710-S 5/16" 8-point
- Unmarked 3/16" 12-point that sure looks Plomb to me, steel finish
- Duplicate unmarked 3/16" 12-point
- And the only Plomb-made [S.R.] marked 1/4-inch drive socket (7/16") I have ever seen!

 

[d42jeep]

I found my second one on Friday. It this rate I’ll complete a set about the same time as your Mustang set.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Those are 1/4-inch drive?

 

[d42jeep]

Nope, 3/8” drive. Oh, now I get it. You said it was your first 1/4” drive socket. I took it to mean it was your first socket marked like that. Sorry!
I took a few minutes and took a picture of my rope banded sockets. It looks like one is from 1929 and the other from 1930.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Oh, now I get it. You said it was your first 1/4” drive socket. I took it to mean it was your first socket marked like that.

I had a bunch of the 1/2-inch drive that I sent to RagTop, and I have commented on them on several threads. But I didn't know they came in other drive sizes.

 

[RagTopTA]

I found some more SR but still no info... I hope someday someone finds a Box or carton or something that they came in. May give us some clues!

 

[d42jeep]

I wonder how many I’ve ignored because I didn’t know that they existed. I’m looking more carefully now. More information would be great.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Just to close the loop on this 1/2-inch drive spark plug socket with optional tommy bar holes and a 1" service opening - it started out on a Mystery thread, and moved too hastily to the Snap-on thread. Based on comparison to an example d42jeep has, almost certainly Plomb-made.

 

[Username already in use]

I managed to find a few Plomb goodies this weekend.
19/32" socket, drag link bit, and well used punch.

 

[d42jeep]

I hope whoever used that punch last was wearing eye protection. That one is a little overdue for dressing up! Good Plomb finds!
-Don

 

[RagTopTA]

Today at the flea I found an old Herbrand Van Chrome socket with a 3/8-1/2 adapter in it. got it home and cleaned it up... Plomb 5253. Also found a 3035 Pebble with a bent end for a special purpose. Also found a PWA wrench and a small P&C DBE.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

I managed to pull a little Plomb and P&C out of a local swap meet over the weekend. The box was missing the lower cover but at $10 the price was right. A couple pics. I'm not sure what the battery pliers are yet until I clean them up a little but they looked Plombish to me. Ed.

 

[Smokeshow69]

I managed to pull a little Plomb and P&C out of a local swap meet over the weekend. The box was missing the lower cover but at $10 the price was right. A couple pics. I'm not sure what the battery pliers are yet until I clean them up a little but they looked Plombish to me. Ed.

With the lathe and everything else you bought you probably won't have room to store the plomb box [emoji16] you better let me hold onto it for you [emoji23] very nice finds !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

The shop is getting a little crowded Smoke....I think it may be about time to start planning another wing off the back. I can still drive my PU in one end and out the other though so I may have a little room left.

 

[MR.X]

Here's a side by side of the Snap-On and Plomb NAF 1110-13, in my experience both of these are pretty common. The Plomb shown on the mystery socket thread by d42jeep is a little older than this one and harder to come by, as is that 41-W example. In these examples the Snap On is a 12 pt. but the Plomb is a 6 pt.

 

[btrnuthatch]

More pictures please of that jewel !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Back now. Here is the toolbox I bought and promised I'd send images from earlier in the month. You can see the rust in the bottom section and a little paint on the lid and side. And then, there's the ugly fix on one hinge which I'll clean up. Anybody know a paint color match? Otherwise, good condition.

 

[bmwrd0]

I managed to pull a little Plomb and P&C out of a local swap meet over the weekend. The box was missing the lower cover but at $10 the price was right. A couple pics. I'm not sure what the battery pliers are yet until I clean them up a little but they looked Plombish to me. Ed.

You must have gotten there a bit before me, as I would have grabbed that little C-man box. As it was I circled the Bonney wrenches about a half-dozen times, going "you have three sets of metric, and you barely use metric" in the back of my head!

 

[RagTopTA]

Back now. Here is the toolbox I bought and promised I'd send images from earlier in the month. You can see the rust in the bottom section and a little paint on the lid and side. And then, there's the ugly fix on one hinge which I'll clean up. Anybody know a paint color match? Otherwise, good condition.

that box is nice!!! Great find.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

You must have gotten there a bit before me, as I would have grabbed that little C-man box. As it was I circled the Bonney wrenches about a half-dozen times, going "you have three sets of metric, and you barely use metric" in the back of my head!

I made pretty good time getting to the fairgrounds and was in line when they opened. The C-man stood out right away along with a couple pebble wrenches so it was first in the basket. The Bonney and Blackhawk wrenches were there a long time. I left them on the first pass. They were one of the last things I picked up. I wanted the adjustable angle plates that vendor had and he was willing to bundle in the wrench sets. The Plomb box was with the vendor right behind that guy. I was looking around but didn't see you there. Ed.

 

[bmwrd0]

Yeah, he had a neat Walden set I came close to getting but am saving my money for lathe tooling (yeah right)

 

[Smokeshow69]

Back now. Here is the toolbox I bought and promised I'd send images from earlier in the month. You can see the rust in the bottom section and a little paint on the lid and side. And then, there's the ugly fix on one hinge which I'll clean up. Anybody know a paint color match? Otherwise, good condition.

Very nice find ! You don't find one that original in the wild very often or in my case ever [emoji849] I have no clue on the paint color but on my plomb tool mobile, I used testors model paint mixed together with several colors to get close to the original color. May work for you ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[tym]

I managed to pull a little Plomb and P&C out of a local swap meet over the weekend. The box was missing the lower cover but at $10 the price was right. A couple pics. I'm not sure what the battery pliers are yet until I clean them up a little but they looked Plombish to me. Ed.

Nice haul!

 

[jabberwoki]

Which swap was it Mr Rock crusher?

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Thanks tym. This was the annual Corvallis car show and swap meet Jabber. Free parking and $5 to get in. I've always had pretty good luck there and it's less than an hour drive for me. Should be a few more in the area the next few months. ed.

 

[twertsy]

Back now. Here is the toolbox I bought and promised I'd send images from earlier in the month. You can see the rust in the bottom section and a little paint on the lid and side. And then, there's the ugly fix on one hinge which I'll clean up. Anybody know a paint color match? Otherwise, good condition.

Just my opinion but that is one of the nicest Plomb boxes we've seen, at least in terms of paint. There's no way I'd touch the original paint on that box.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Yes they are usually not that nice. I would leave that alone

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I assumed that butternut was talking about the rusty panel (inside of the drop down), but I wouldn't even paint that. I would probably try to manage that, in place, with some WD-40 and light rub with 0000 steel wool.

 

[RubiconJK]

Back now. Here is the toolbox I bought and promised I'd send images from earlier in the month. You can see the rust in the bottom section and a little paint on the lid and side. And then, there's the ugly fix on one hinge which I'll clean up. Anybody know a paint color match? Otherwise, good condition.

Really nice, congrats! I agree with the other guys and think it looks great as is.

 

[Smokeshow69]

Just my opinion but that is one of the nicest Plomb boxes we've seen, at least in terms of paint. There's no way I'd touch the original paint on that box.

I agree... The paint is way to nice to mess with. If you must absolutely paint the hinge, only paint the repaired area. You probably don't need to as it may develop a surface rust but will not harm the hinge. In my opinion I would also not paint the inside of the lid. The more paint the box, the lower the value it will go. It is one of the nicest originals I have ever seen! If you are looking for a box to use, several members would jump at the chance to trade, including my self! In my opinion this one should stay on the shelf in a collection since it is so nice


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[btrnuthatch]

I agree... The paint is way to nice to mess with. If you must absolutely paint the hinge, only paint the repaired area. You probably don't need to as it may develop a surface rust but will not harm the hinge. In my opinion I would also not paint the inside of the lid. The more paint the box, the lower the value it will go. It is one of the nicest originals I have ever seen! If you are looking for a box to use, several members would jump at the chance to trade, including my self! In my opinion this one should stay on the shelf in a collection since it is so nice


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I should have been more clear. I only asked about paint for ONLY the hinge, nothing more. I would like to carefully clean up that ugly hinge repair. Perhaps only to bare metal and coating with a clear sealer? Opinions from this shy group?

 

[d42jeep]

Most of those are not punches. They are calkers or yarning irons used by plumbers back when they used oakum and molten lead to seal pipe joints.

Here's a video showing how they were used:

Notlob's posting reminded me to take a couple pictures of my yarning iron.
-Don