Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

[RagTopTA]

Thanks now all I look for are Pebble plomb or proto

Shhhh.... dont tell CrotalusAtrox about P&C stuff.... theres a few pebbles in there as well....... a whole other can of worms

 

[d42jeep]

I finally got around to cleaning up the red box for my 3/8" drive set. I'm not exactly sure of what the original contents would have been but the sockets range from 7/8" to 5/16". I have a shorter extension on the way but it would be nice to find a pin handle (crossbar). It's a good match for my red box 1/4" drive set.
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice. I have been collecting some stuff for my green 3/8 box. I think speeder is too short.

 

[Mintgrun]

How long is the one in your kit? I have one that is 17" long...

What is the significance of the up and down arrows? I thought AA'd said it was a mystery...

 

[Oldtuleguy]

13 1/2". Don't know about arrows

 

[d42jeep]

Nice. I have been collecting some stuff for my green 3/8 box. I think speeder is too short.

misterbill and I were having a discussion about the length of the speeders because he had one that was too long for his box. It turns out that they were made in different lengths and different bends. I sent him the plain finish speeder for his green box and it fit perfectly. See post 3891
-Don

 

[Mintgrun]

Interesting. Now that you mention it, the top of mine (above the bend) looks like it would be too long to fit in Oldtuleguy's box.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I have a line on another one, maybe it will fit in there!

 

[r_olson_06]

I need to organize my 3/8 drive drawer. Still looking for that longer 3/8 breaker bar.

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[Oldtuleguy]

You already have 10 of every thing!

 

[droach77]

Thought I would post some of my Plomb socket sets. The first is a one inch drive set that includes two ratchets, and I believe all but 3 1" drive sockets Plomb made (based on Alloy Artifacts website). I can put my fist in the largest (3.5") socket and includes the box that still has the Plomb label. The second is a 3/4 drive set with box I just picked up. The third are two other 3/4 drive sets I have, one that came off a fire boat in Chicago.

Hope you like them as much as I do!

 

[RagTopTA]

love all the box sets! Since I got stuck working the last few weeks ends I just ordered stuff of flea bay cause I had the itch so bad. few things came today....

 

[notlob]

Nice. I have been collecting some stuff for my green 3/8 box. I think speeder is too short.

What length do you need? I have a bunch of Plomb speeders.

 

[notlob]

love all the box sets! Since I got stuck working the last few weeks ends I just ordered stuff of flea bay cause I had the itch so bad. few things came today....

Those P&C hammers are beautiful!

 

[Mintgrun]

yes they ARE!

 

[RagTopTA]

Those P&C hammers are beautiful!

thanks! I have a couple more that have blue handles!

 

[Smokeshow69]

thanks! I have a couple more that have blue handles!

So you are the one who bought those hammers [emoji23] glad they went to someone on here !


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[RagTopTA]

So you are the one who bought those hammers [emoji23] glad they went to someone on here !


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haha I am!! When I get stuck at work on week ends I have to sit at my machine for 12 hours a day and I have internet on my pc. Prob not a good things I buy a lot of **** off ebay and amazon : )

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a batch of odd 1/4” Plomb I bought off of eBay recently. They were rusty but I wanted the shorty spinner because I seldom see them. Here they are before and after some de-rusting. Of course they didn’t come with the 4708 I’m missing. The box came with another Plomb set but is unmarked.
-Don

 

[RagTopTA]

Here is a batch of odd 1/4” Plomb I bought off of eBay recently. They were rusty but I wanted the shorty spinner because I seldom see them. Here they are before and after some de-rusting. Of course they didn’t come with the 4708 I’m missing. The box came with another Plomb set but is unmarked.
-Don

those look great! So much stuff I dont have..... YET...

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice stubby, Don.

 

[d42jeep]

Thanks, Lugz. I think that Tin Medic may have one too.
-Don

 

[Catfishdan]

Here is a batch of odd 1/4” Plomb I bought off of eBay recently. They were rusty but I wanted the shorty spinner because I seldom see them. Here they are before and after some de-rusting. Of course they didn’t come with the 4708 I’m missing. The box came with another Plomb set but is unmarked.
-Don

Ha! I bid on that lot for the same reason. Some cool stuff in there. Congratulations.

 

[d42jeep]

Ha! I bid on that lot for the same reason. Some cool stuff in there. Congratulations.

Aha! Now I know why it was so expensive. Sorry!
-Don
Go Giants!

 

[RagTopTA]

Aha! Now I know why it was so expensive. Sorry!
-Don
Go Giants!

I am pretty sure I had it on my watch list to buy, but as usual, I miss half the stuff not paying attention. But in the end, I'm saving money lol Only one I really kick myself for. about a month ago I watched an early round O Plomb 1/4 set in nice green box for a week, then missed it in the last 20 min getting busy in the garage.. was gonna buy it at all costs and just let it slip away, my hope is that at least one of you guy got it!

 

[Catfishdan]

Aha! Now I know why it was so expensive. Sorry!
-Don
Go Giants!

I wish I could see who was bidding on stuff on eBay. I'd never bid against another giants fan!

 

[Summersteel]

Picked these up today at a local haunt of mine.
Small item was identified as a caulk scraper. Does that look right to you guys?
Thanks.

 

[RagTopTA]

Picked these up today at a local haunt of mine.
Small item was identified as a caulk scraper. Does that look right to you guys?
Thanks.

nice finds thats a big o chisel. Looks Plomb LA maybe from the font.

 

[Mintgrun]

I found my first Plomb L.A. tool today

 

[notlob]

Picked these up today at a local haunt of mine.
Small item was identified as a caulk scraper. Does that look right to you guys?
Thanks.

Not a caulk scraper, but rather a "calker", used by plumbers back when cast iron pipe joints were sealed with oakum and molten lead. More info here:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7148720&postcount=3786

 

[Summersteel]

Thanks for the info!
What do you mean it looks like Plomb "LA"? What does the LA mean?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

By "LA" RagTop means "Los Angeles", as opposed to "MADE IN U.S.A."

One problem with using that term in Plomb tool dating discussions is that "LOS ANGELES" didn't appear on all early tools (in fact, unless I'm missing it, your elbow calker is a prime example of that). Another problem is that "LOS ANGELES" also appeared on tools with a "v PLVMB v" branding in the mid 30's. Your elbow calker, with the "PLOMB TOOLS" brand (no plumb bob shaped O, no plumb bobs front and back of the name) is older than mid 30's. It's at least 20's to early 30's.

 

[Mintgrun]

cool. I have seen them marked with LOS ANGELES, but also LA, like the wrench I posted.

Does that difference indicate placement on the timeline?

The example I found on AA just said ' "LA" indicating early.'

 

[d42jeep]

cool. I have seen them marked with LOS ANGELES, but also LA, like the wrench I posted.

Does that difference indicate placement on the timeline?

The example I found on AA just said ' "LA" indicating early.'

The 8 on your wrench indicates that it was made in 1938 regardless of the LA or Los Angeles.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Does that difference indicate placement on the timeline?

If you mean whether the LOS ANGELES is spelled out or abbreviated, I have no idea, Mintgrun. I've never studied that, and I've never seen anyone else publish any conclusions on the difference in the public domain (i.e., here, GG, TA, AA, etc).

The example I found on AA just said ' "LA" indicating early.'

I don't know what AA means by that. As Don said, your wrench is conclusively 1938. Even if it didn't have a date code it could be dated to 1934-1938. It can't be any older than 1934, when Plomb Tools first started using the plumb bob O in their brand, and it can't be any newer than 1939, when the "MADE in U.S.A." first appeared.

Summary of AA number-letter era dating:
PLOMB LOS ANGELES / L.A. - 7,8,9,0,1,2,3 (1927-1933)
PLVMB LOS ANGELES / L.A. - 4,5,6,7,8 (1934-1938)
PLVMB MADE IN U.S.A. - 9,0,1,2 (1939-1942)

And as long as we're on date codes, Tool Archives has proposed a very compelling theory for the PLVMB MADE IN U.S.A. tools found with letter-letter codes.

Summary of TA letter-letter dating:
LA: December 1941
AB - LB: January 1942 - December 1942
AC - LC:- January 1943 - December 1943
AD - LD: January 1944 - December 1944
AE - ?E: January 1945 - ? 1945

 

[DD T/A]

^^^ That still doesn't explain all of the other ridiculous codes, "BB" "BC" "DB", "DC" "DE", I gotta go through all mine, I have quite a few.

Funny you should post that stubby driver, I found a Proto version of that just a couple months ago and was pretty surprised, never seen anything like it.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

^^^ That still doesn't explain all of the other ridiculous codes, "BB" "BC" "DB", "DC" "DE", I gotta go through all mine, I have quite a few.

There are some strange inexplicable codes out there, DD T/A. Your examples aren't them, though. Your examples fit. According to the TA theory, BB = Feb 1942, BC = Feb 1943, DB = April 1942, DC = April 1943, and DE = April 1945. The format, if my summary wasn't clear, is first letter (A-L) for months (Jan to Dec), and second latter for years (A/41 through E/45). I would personally like to see your examples. If they're tools with 1940's construction features, a plain steel finish, marked "v PLVMB v" and "MADE IN U.S.A.", they would probably support the TA theory. If not, they may challenge the theory. Either way would be helpful.

EDIT: Note that there are many unquestionably wartime Plomb tools that have no code whatsoever, and conversely, some tools that have the "wartime" code (letter-letter) that appear to be chrome-plated. So I am still on the fence on this.

 

[Mintgrun]

Thank you for the explanation.

I was abbreviating Alloy Artifacts, with AA.
I won't do that anymore.

Tom

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I knew you meant Alloy Artifacts. I use the same abbreviation. When I wrote, "I don't know what AA means by that," I was also referring to Alloy Artifacts. I literally don't know what they mean by ' "LA" indicating early.'

 

[downsizingnow48]

My grandfather gave me these flare nut wrenches many years ago.