Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

[Smokeshow69]

yep, you have a spare lid?

I do not but you could fabricate one on a sheet metal brake


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[BUGTHUG]

I do not but you could fabricate one on a sheet metal brake


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thanks

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Most of the guys who do duct work fabrication could make one pretty quick

 

[RagTopTA]

I'm still looking for the tray that came with these 9998 boxes. Got this plomb pry bar in today.

 

[davethorik]

I'm still looking for the tray that came with these 9998 boxes. Got this plomb pry bar in today.

I have a Craftsman USA version of that bar, and I wish it had the square or hex shank yours has. Mine is round. A lot of times the foot hung off the edge of something and away she'd go. Can't say I've seen a plomb before, very cool.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Got this plomb pry bar in today.

Is that 16"?

 

[RagTopTA]

I have a Craftsman USA version of that bar, and I wish it had the square or hex shank yours has. Mine is round. A lot of times the foot hung off the edge of something and away she'd go. Can't say I've seen a plomb before, very cool.

These things are usually pretty cheap on Fleabay! I got this big Craftsman Crowbar last week at an Estate, its got a AP or maybe AB code on it. Im guessing a date code.

Is that 16"?

It is a 16" Lugs

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice. There might be some droolingly jealous WWII collectors looking at that for their Plomb-oriented GMTK boxes!!

 

[RagTopTA]

Nice. There might be some droolingly jealous WWII collectors looking at that for their Plomb-oriented GMTK boxes!!

Whats a GMTK box? I dont guess theres a date code on it. I cant see one anywhere. When I bid on it it seemed to have the same patina as the old Plomb LA punch I got a few weeks ago. I lost the bid on the last one I saw on there.

 

[gpw_42]

Whats a GMTK box?

GMTK = General Mechanic's Tool Kit. A generic term for any of the World War 2 through modern tool kits issued to company-level mechanics in the Army; all of the WW2 kits were based on the same tool box, with variations in contents according to when the box was issued (or collected to represent!). There were 5 (IIRC) during the course of WW2, and I haven't studied the number since.

Steve

 

[RagTopTA]

ahh ok thanks for the explanation!

 

[bmwrd0]

I thought I had put this up in here, but I guess not. I found this old puller in the box at an old guys shop in Eugene. 80 if a day, Burt is one of those fix anything types and he is starting to clean out his shop and yard. About a hundred riding mowers, old sewing machines and refrigerators (even monitor tops). Anyway, this was one of the treasures I have found there.

Before (on the left)

After. I thought the paint would be a better match, but oh well.

 

[Smokeshow69]

I thought I had put this up in here, but I guess not. I found this old puller in the box at an old guys shop in Eugene. 80 if a day, Burt is one of those fix anything types and he is starting to clean out his shop and yard. About a hundred riding mowers, old sewing machines and refrigerators (even monitor tops). Anyway, this was one of the treasures I have found there.



Before (on the left)



After. I thought the paint would be a better match, but oh well.

The paint is off but at least you cleaned it up and it is not rusting any more! Good save


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[bmwrd0]

Yeah, I thought it would be closer, but fixing that is low down on the list.

 

[r_olson_06]

Does anyone know what a part number starting with K is for and what a part number starting with C is for? I remember something about something about contract productions. Does anyone have any light they want to shed on this subject?

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[BUGTHUG]

I thought I had put this up in here, but I guess not. I found this old puller in the box at an old guys shop in Eugene. 80 if a day, Burt is one of those fix anything types and he is starting to clean out his shop and yard. About a hundred riding mowers, old sewing machines and refrigerators (even monitor tops). Anyway, this was one of the treasures I have found there.

Before (on the left)

After. I thought the paint would be a better match, but oh well.

that's a nice healthy puller. BUG

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Not mine, but an interesting look at what I make to be late pebble minty tools, packaging, and presentation
https://www.ebay.com/itm/PLOMB-1-2-...m=382467477847&_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982

 

[Oldtuleguy]

That's looking minty

 

[Username already in use]

Fortunate to find a couple of 3/8" drive Plomb pieces today. Extension and WF breaker bar.

 

[DD T/A]

I take it they used to pebble design on these Proto's for quite some time unlike the other pebble/recessed plomb-type tools they phased out by the mid-to-late 50's.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Funny you wold mention that, I just today got a name grinded Proto pebble cad plated tubing wrench with the circle R
Here it is with a malformed 3041, and another wrench which had been ground to another size, so I left those two at the pawn shop.

I dug through a lot of sockets, and found almost a set of 3/8 WF regular sockets, a couple small WF universal sockets(I may only be missing 1/2"), My first WF-79 DBE a Chrome WF-82, and (after looking 3 years) a chrome WF-83 without a hammer head on it.
Also an 1-1/16 or so DOE, a couple misc sockets, and a Proto BS/Whitworth socket.
They area all taking a bath, so pics will wait.

Did the WF contract predate the WPB L-216 restrictions?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Does anyone know what a part number starting with K is for and what a part number starting with C is for? I remember something about something about contract productions. Does anyone have any light they want to shed on this subject?

Hi Roy. If the context is early tools (mid 20's), when they were still using an alphanumeric part number system, many of them phonetic, all the Ford special purpose tools started with an F, and all the other car maker's special purpose tools (e.g., Chevy, Nash, Buick, etc) started with a K. I don't remember what the C tools were. I would look through the 1925 or 1928 catalogs.

Not mine, but an interesting look at what I make to be late pebble minty tools, packaging, and presentation

Yeah they look unused. Strange seeing them with what appears to be a wartime toolbox made by E.J. McAleer. $1,000 is way overpriced for that lot, though! Late Pebble with some other special purpose mfgr's and a coupe old Bonney thrown in.

I take it they used to pebble design on these Proto's for quite some time unlike the other pebble/recessed plomb-type tools they phased out by the mid-to-late 50's.

If you're referring to the Registered Trademark symbol, this came up the other day on a different thread and nobody knew when they first started using it. Your post implies that it was later than mid-to-late 50's. Do you have some info on when they first started using it? The symbol was established by the USPTO in 1946.

Did the WF contract predate the WPB L-216 restrictions?

Plomb has a total of nine (9) contracts with the US Army Air Corps listed in the War Production Board's Alphabetic Listing of Major War Supply Contracts: Cumulative, June 1940 through September 1945, published in 1946. Three (3) of them were awarded prior to war being declared, in January, June, and November 1941. EDIT: Strangely, when chrome-plating was precisely abolished is actually a little vague. WPB Material Order M-18 took control of chromium on July 7, 1941. WPB's weekly bulletins throughout late 1941 talking about alternatives and panels looking at alternatives imply that it has either already been restricted or soon about to be. WPB Limitation Order L-216, which concerned commercial production, wasn't first issued until December 1942. The consensus on chrome WF tools seems to be either pre- or possibly immediate post-war.

 

[MR.X]

I know virtually nothing about Plomb contracts compared to some on this board. I see Lugnutz covered the early stuff. The 40's "K" prefixed stuff I've seen has been aircraft stuff and specifically Douglas Aircraft who would have been pretty close neighbors to the Plomb factory.

 

[twertsy]

Hi Roy. If the context is early tools (mid 20's), when they were still using an alphanumeric part number system, many of them phonetic, all the Ford special purpose tools started with an F, and all the other car maker's special purpose tools (e.g., Chevy, Nash, Buick, etc) started with a K. I don't remember what the C tools were. I would look through the 1925 or 1928 catalogs.


Yeah they look unused. Strange seeing them with what appears to be a wartime toolbox made by E.J. McAleer. $1,000 is way overpriced for that lot, though! Late Pebble with some other special purpose mfgr's and a coupe old Bonney thrown in.


If you're referring to the Registered Trademark symbol, this came up the other day on a different thread and nobody knew when they first started using it. Your post implies that it was later than mid-to-late 50's. Do you have some info on when they first started using it? The symbol was established by the USPTO in 1946.


Plomb has a total of nine (9) contracts with the US Army Air Corps listed in the War Production Board's Alphabetic Listing of Major War Supply Contracts: Cumulative, June 1940 through September 1945, published in 1946. Three (3) of them were awarded prior to war being declared, in January, June, and November 1941. EDIT: Strangely, when chrome-plating was precisely abolished is actually a little vague. WPB Material Order M-18 took control of chromium on July 7, 1941. WPB's weekly bulletins throughout late 1941 talking about alternatives and panels looking at alternatives imply that it has either already been restricted or soon about to be. WPB Limitation Order L-216, which concerned commercial production, wasn't first issued until December 1942. The consensus on chrome WF tools seems to be either pre- or possibly immediate post-war.

There are no "circle R" registered TM symbols on Proto LA tools, therefore, it was at least 57, but I think it wasn't until they were acquired that it started being used.

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[r_olson_06]

Attached are the C sockets. As you can see the 3/4 drive look nothing like any Plomb or proto. The 1/2 drive looks identical.


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[Oldtuleguy]

Isn't the speculation that war contract stuff was made at old bog plant?

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Not mine, but an interesting look at what I make to be late pebble minty tools, packaging, and presentation
https://www.ebay.com/itm/PLOMB-1-2-...m=382467477847&_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982

What jumped out at me was the packaging. That is hard to come by. But 1000$? We will see.

 

[r_olson_06]

Never heard that before but still pretty new to the whole tool collecting game.

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[MR.X]

Anyone have a WF 61 or thereabouts to compare to that "C"-5542?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Isn't the speculation that war contract stuff was made at old bog plant?

Otg,
In addition to the nine (9) US Army Air Corps contracts, they had six (6) Navy contracts, two (2) US Army Ordnance Dept contracts, and two (2) Treasury Dept contracts. In those days, Treasury had the Federal Standard Stock Catalog and those tools could've went to any federal agency ordering tools by Federal Stock Number - this was the forerunner of todays GSA Schedule and NSN system. Almost all the contracts were overlapping after 1942. They were using every factory they could get their hands on to fill orders, including Cragin/Bog, including P&C (which also made WF- marked tools). Todd's got a source that puts a crazy number on the number of factories.

 

[r_olson_06]

Ahh I have never seen a WF in 3/4 drive. You are probably on to something there.

Anyone have a WF 61 or thereabouts to compare to that "C"-5542?

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[Oldtuleguy]

Otg,
In addition to the nine (9) US Army Air Corps contracts, they had six (6) Navy contracts, two (2) US Army Ordnance Dept contracts, and two (2) Treasury Dept contracts. In those days, Treasury had the Federal Standard Stock Catalog and those tools could've went to any federal agency ordering tools by Federal Stock Number - this was the forerunner of todays GSA Schedule and NSN system. Almost all the contracts were overlapping after 1942. They were using every factory they could get their hands on to fill orders, including Cragin/Bog, including P&C (which also made WF- marked tools). Todd's got a source that puts a crazy number on the number of factories.

Thanks for clearing that up! That would make sense considering how stuff they were producing.

 

[Smokeshow69]

Picked up these 2 body hammers and this transitional marked wrench this weekend from a antique store. Normally I don’t buy tools at antique stores unless the price is right! $30 each in the hammers and $12.50 on the wrench which looks pretty minty


The hammers have their original handles[emoji16]


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[twertsy]

Otg,
In addition to the nine (9) US Army Air Corps contracts, they had six (6) Navy contracts, two (2) US Army Ordnance Dept contracts, and two (2) Treasury Dept contracts. In those days, Treasury had the Federal Standard Stock Catalog and those tools could've went to any federal agency ordering tools by Federal Stock Number - this was the forerunner of todays GSA Schedule and NSN system. Almost all the contracts were overlapping after 1942. They were using every factory they could get their hands on to fill orders, including Cragin/Bog, including P&C (which also made WF- marked tools). Todd's got a source that puts a crazy number on the number of factories.

Thanks for clearing that up! That would make sense considering how stuff they were producing.

'42-'45 advertisements in trade magazines have Plomb touting "31 Factories" under their contracting organization (Fleet) making tools for the war effort.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Attached are the C sockets. As you can see the 3/4 drive look nothing like any Plomb or proto. The 1/2 drive looks identical.

The 1/2 drive WF sockets look like that, and I think the heavy duty or power drive 3/4 do as well. Cheaper to not knurl in the grip rings maybe.

Here is my haul from the other day. The WF 1 1/8 1/2 drive socket in the upper left follows that form factor. The deep socket turned out to be a WF 1/2", my first deep well.
the odd socket in the middle isn't Plomb, fail...it is a ??? hex drive metric USA.
One each WF32 and 33 seem to be chrome.
the 9/16 1/2 DBE is an AD910 from 1931

So this is about the state of my 3/8 WF socketry, except the 11/16 flexy is an unfinished civilian socket. (duplicates not shown)

My WF-82 collection. The chromed by Plomb wrench is nowhere near as smooth as the chromed by Enco one.

And because sometimes it is not what you know, but who you know...

 

[Username already in use]

That x-ray pic is awesome!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

And because sometimes it is not what you know, but who you know...

Hip hip hooray, you finally got it x-rayed! But that is the LAST thing I expected to see under that dead blow hammer (predicting, wrongly, the 7/8" box end). So not only did Enco re-purpose (and re-chrome) a Plomb WF-83 for some of their drawbar wrammers, they welded a different end on it? (I guess they would have to, some kind of box for casting the composite hammer around...) You gotta update your thread!

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a socket I recently bought off of eBay. It is the one size of 12 point socket that wasn't included in my recent 1/2" drive set.
-Don

 

[MR.X]

My WF-82 collection. The chromed by Plomb wrench is nowhere near as smooth as the chromed by Enco one.
]

Remind's me of an artist's X-ray style drawing of the steel rod in Plomb's rubber mallet in the 1930 10A catalog (page 7) on Twertsy's Tool Archives site.

 

[DD T/A]

My WF-82 collection. The chromed by Plomb wrench is nowhere near as smooth as the chromed by Enco one.

Can you provide more info on this "Enco" chromed tool, and maybe a better lit picture of their comparison?
This has me wondering...