Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

[drivesitfar]

Riley: sorry to hear that. maybe the STEAM UP in Salem will be void of so many politics and even be better so i'll try to put it on my schedule and maybe see you all there this summer.

ALL: I was emptying an old tool box before moving it and found a 3/4 Plvmb ratchet and 3/4 breaker bar inside it. not the prettiest, but the ratchet is a pebble. (actually after a closer look 3/4 breaker is a Williams so i'll post it on Williams thread)

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Posting this for shelbylex

 

[Shelbylex]

Thank you, Oldtuleguy!!! Appreciate it! There is a similar Ell bar for sale but it does not have PLVMB sign on it and owner suspected it is PLVMB. I will wait for the proper one to show up...

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Probably generic penens version post war. I have seen them marked proto as well.

 

[tin medic]

Picked up some replacement Plomb tool board stickers from Smokeshow. These are the boards I've complete so far. Also a pic of my original Plomb board and decal.

 

[d42jeep]

Picked up some replacement Plomb tool board stickers from Smokeshow. These are the boards I've complete so far. Also a pic of my original Plomb board and decal.

Those look great.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

tin medic

I don't recall seeing the back of the boards before MR. X posted that photo of his. Did you see my post on dating the re-stickered boards and my comments on the interesting "RETURNABLE ON DEMAND" marking? Last page, post #10392. If I were you, I would hang your Proto Tool News flyer Vol 3. No. 5 (Sep-Oct 1949) on the board somehow. That would be cool!

 

[Catfishdan]

Picked up some replacement Plomb tool board stickers from Smokeshow. These are the boards I've complete so far. Also a pic of my original Plomb board and decal.

Very nice. I especially love the original decal with the ship and train. That’s the one I chose for my faux plomb board.

 

[Smokeshow69]

D42: AGREED!! I don't use other forums cause this one is just easier for me to use even though some of them have great people on them.

GJ is far from perfect, but i've grown to know a lot of you in your posts and some in person and it's a great place to talk about tools, DIY and our stuff.

let's always do our best to make this the place where we come to smile and learn and teach and use PM or emails to discuss how to fix the world!

I agree with that sentiment...I was trying to think of a way that I could respond to your question without going on a rant and I only slightly suceeded...Sorry guys, I do enjoy this place for that reason.... Actually maybe that is the reason I don't frequent facebook much any more.

 

[d42jeep]

Very nice. I especially love the original decal with the ship and train. That’s the one I chose for my faux plomb board.

I like that one too. I put one on my 9989 for that reason.
-Don

 

[Smokeshow69]

tin medic

I don't recall seeing the back of the boards before MR. X posted that photo of his. Did you see my post on dating the re-stickered boards and my comments on the interesting "RETURNABLE ON DEMAND" marking? Last page, post #10392. If I were you, I would hang your Proto Tool News flyer Vol 3. No. 5 (Sep-Oct 1949) on the board somehow. That would be cool!

Lugz, I have a PROTO la tool board with that same stamp... I have posted it before but it was on the plomb/proto tool board thread... here it is again. Which also leads me to a shameless plug- if you guys have any of the wrenches pictured that I need, feel free to pm. Thanks

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Probably 1950 or so since there are no signs of a Plomb sticker underneath, as on MR. X's.

 

[3baygarage]

Here is a little WF-8 that is 1/4”, not 9/32”. Sort of unusual. It has an oval plate head instead of a figure 8, combined with the style of selector seen on other brands in the Plomb family, rather than a traditional Plomb selector. I know there are numerous variations of the 9/32 WF-8, I have a few, but this got my attention.

This one came from the Cleveland area, if that means anything as far as the WF part is concerned.

I can’t get over the condition because ratchets this nice looking don’t usually end up in my collection. It works like new and looks great. Not perfect, it has signs of use, but after a quick wipe clean and hitting it with some Brasso, looks pretty awesome.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

That's the late model with the batwing selector. I have one as well. There was a previous discussion here somewhere about them. Mine is not marked wf8, which is an interesting difference.

 

[3baygarage]

Thanks for posting that. It’s cool to see another variation. Yours has OFF/ON markings.

 

[r_olson_06]

Picked up some replacement Plomb tool board stickers from Smokeshow. These are the boards I've complete so far. Also a pic of my original Plomb board and decal.

Very nice! I love that logo.

tin medic

I don't recall seeing the back of the boards before MR. X posted that photo of his. Did you see my post on dating the re-stickered boards and my comments on the interesting "RETURNABLE ON DEMAND" marking? Last page, post #10392. If I were you, I would hang your Proto Tool News flyer Vol 3. No. 5 (Sep-Oct 1949) on the board somehow. That would be cool!

Mine also have some form of the return to Plomb Tool Co as well. I might have to pull one down to look at it and get some pics.

Looking for a Round Beam Plomb 1068 Double Box End Wrench

 

[stormking]

It's not much fun to go to estate sales these days, the upside is more time to clean up. I got around to cleaning up one of my sheds I used to stuff things I bought at sales in, there was a pretty good pile of plomb in one corner I had forgot about. These are some of the more unusual things from the pile.
Boxoplomb by https://www.flickr.com/photos/119819727@N06/, on Flickr

 

[3baygarage]

Neat stuff.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Cool KOP-R-KLAD's, Stormking. We don't see those too often. From memory, RagTopTA has a few, but I don't remember them being marked like any of these.

For example, I have never seen that "PAT. PEND. Chrome Moly Alloy" marking on any spud wrench, KOP-R-KLAD or not, on the left before. The "C" and "M" being noticeably taller than the "HROME" and "OLY" is considered a unique Vlchek manufacturing tell. I have numerous Vlchek wrenches with that very same marking, in fact. Is there a Plomb marking on that one? Are there any other markings on that one?

The one on the right has the KOP-R-KLAD catalog number scheme (KK26xx), sort of, on it, with the "2613 KK" marking.

But the one in the middle, while clearly also copper coated, just has the regular single end box wrench spud wrench number (2610) on it, like the regular (non copper coated) spud wrenches to the right of it.

 

[drivesitfar]

StormKing: like you i've been going to my own personal garage/estate sales and pulling out boxes of stuff I forgot I owned. I can't say i've found some of the gems like you just posted so nice find.

I can say this that when I go to pay the owner doesn't charge me so it's like FREE STUFF.

 

[Provincial]

Drives, it sounds like the joke about the Alzheimer's Ward:

The favorite holiday is Easter, because they get to hide their own eggs!

 

[drivesitfar]

PROVI: well it's sorta like that. once I do (if I ever do) settle on the cabinets I LOVE and won't ever trade up for another then I will be able to find some of the stuff that just got shoved into a box when moving a cabinet out.

I hadn't heard that one and maybe since my 88 dad smiles more and remembers less these days I'll let him hide his easter eggs (with maybe cookies in them cause he loves cookies) and let him find them in the weeks to follow.

cheers!!

 

[Provincial]

I'm well into Social Security, and have a college-age son. When he points out an example of my doddering, I respond "This is what you have to look forward to."

 

[stormking]

Lugz, Sorry for taking so long to get back, still have to work even though I haven't had power at my office for almost 2 weeks. Stupid ice storm. So front and back of the spuds, all are marked USN and came from the same place. Drives, like you it's a new adventure every time I go digging in my own building, and I usually don't have to wait in line.
Copper lad by https://www.flickr.com/photos/119819727@N06/, on Flickr
Copper lad by https://www.flickr.com/photos/119819727@N06/, on Flickr

 

[r_olson_06]

It's not much fun to go to estate sales these days, the upside is more time to clean up. I got around to cleaning up one of my sheds I used to stuff things I bought at sales in, there was a pretty good pile of plomb in one corner I had forgot about. These are some of the more unusual things from the pile.
Boxoplomb by https://www.flickr.com/photos/119819727@N06/, on Flickr

Nice industrial wrenches! I have been on the hunt for a 1068 DBE and 2650 Spud to finish off my sets.
I think most of mine are copper as well but they have quite a bit of patina from oxidation.

Can't wait for the sales come back!

Looking for a Round Beam Plomb 1068 Double Box End Wrench

 

[Provincial]

Latest finds, Pebble 1236 and 1240 (1-1/8 and 1-1/4) combos, plus a P&C 1234 1-1/16 combo.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Lugz, Sorry for taking so long to get back,

No apologies necessary. Thanks for the extra photos. Very cool that all three have the USN part numbers. Interesting (and common sensical) that they are just regular 26xx spud wrenches that they copper coated (many wrenches in the 30's that were being plated received a copper undercoating anyway). As I already noted, looks they got around to at least punching a "KK" into one of them to indicate the KOP-R-KLAD model number distinction and branding. This was either early in the run or they just weren't too diligent about doing it.

But I am still most intrigued by the "PAT PEND." and the "CHROME MOLY ALLOY" marking on the middle one. Why is it only on that one? Was it made earlier than the others? If the others are later, why don't they have the patent number on them? Which is the usual pattern. Or was it later and somehow novel? What was there to patent, anyway? Spud wrenches were not new. And neither was copper coating. Were they saying the Chrome Molybdenum composition was patent pending? Is there a known Plomb patent for Chrome Moly? Is Plomb even known for using Chrome Moly? I know an OEM who is. Vlchek. And as I already noted, that marking is their marking. I am not aware of Plomb ever using a Chrome Moly marking. Of any kind. Let alone a Chrome Moly marking with the "C" and the "M" taller than the "HROME" and the "OLY." I am not aware of any OEM using that marking except Vlchek. It's almost enough to make me want to suggest that when Plomb introduced KOP-R-KLAD spud wrenches in 1941, they used Vlchek to do it. Almost. That spud wrench is a seemingly innocuous but very intriguing wrench with a seemingly innocuous but very intriguing marking.

 

[MR.X]

Can't help with most of your points but I can add that "chrome molyb" and "chrome molybdenum" was stamped on some Wilpen wrenches and it was spelled out completely in at least one 33 catalog illustration for them. In post 8253 of this thread I mentioned the interesting, to me at least, variety of steel descriptions in their 28 catalog, Moly was in that one too where I noticed it mentioned in their 3/4" drive socket section and who knows where else.

 

[MR.X]

In catalog's that don't mention the copper coating there are still references to the patent pending on the box spuds, I thought maybe spuds hadn't been made with 12 point box ends before and that was what the Pat Pend. notice was referring to, but the similar Industrial DBE's also have the pat pending notice....... the cat's seem to imply Plomb thought there was something significant about the design ref. strength and efficacy of the offset. Maybe a patent was never granted.

 

[MR.X]

I'm sure we can get some more examples with the Pat. pend. mark. Also I feel like I have seen that on some of my Heavy Duty double boxes so maybe someone on here could check theirs too....Hell, check your offset striking wrenches too.

 

[MR.X]

As for the USN-ID SF *** markings.....were those local Unit ? Command? Vessel? markings or?? I have a couple of some other brand tools with this same USN-ID SF format with different #'s.

 

[Ricky Joe]

Chrome plating is a three-part process. First plating, copper; second, nickel; third, chrome.

 

[MR.X]

In the 1940 catalog Plomb advertises Industrial wrenches where they tout "a Plomb development" Industrial copper plating KOP-R-KLAD. They also mention design aspects about the "crescent shaped neck allowing greater clearance without sacrificing strength and also implied that they have "introduced " the concept of a Box end on a tapered spud handle.....the industrial DBE and spud as well as the offset striking wrench all have pat.pend. notices. Anyway, I'm pretty sure they're not talking about a copper layer as part of a chroming process.

 

[d42jeep]

As for the USN-ID SF *** markings.....were those local Unit ? Command? Vessel? markings or?? I have a couple some other brand tools with this same USN-ID SF format with different #'s.

I don’t know exactly what the significance of those USN-1D markings are but they have been found on some wartime D-I tools.
-Don

 

[MR.X]

I don’t know exactly what the significance of those USN-1D markings are but they have been found on some wartime D-I tools.
-Don

Hi Don. So yours don't have a stamped number after the ID? is that right? Anyway, it has to be some kind of physical security thing identifying Navy property right? still wondering about the "SF" and numbers bit.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

X, I'm on the road. Thanks for replies on the PAT PEND marking. I'll have to check it out in the cats later. If you can find a Wilpen photo I'd like to see the marking. It's not the Chrome Moly abbreviation I find interesting so much as the height of the C and M compared to the rest of the letters for reasons I stated. But it could just be a bizarre coincidence. Lastly, I'll see if I can find any information on the USN numbers, which are surely proprietary/logistical, agreed.

 

[MR.X]

Hi Lugz. Yeah, I noticed your mention of the Vlchek similarity and realized the Wilpen markings aren't the same but mentioned it anyway....My examples are not handy but I'm sure AA has a bunch.

 

[d42jeep]

After polishing this pebble ratchet, I added it to my otherwise complete postwar 4700B 1/4” drive set. Looking closely at the label, 4700B can be seen written in.
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice set don, I have a similar one

 

[Private Lugnutz]

For those who aren't familiar with Vlchek wrenches, here are some visuals to go along with my point.

Now, I'm not omniscient, and there may be a few brands of wrenches in this era that I don't have or have not seen, but among the major OEM's, I have never seen any OEM other than Vlchek do this with the taller lead 'C' and the taller lead 'M' with the words Chrome Molybdenum. Not one. More importantly, I am not aware of Plomb doing it. If someone would like to double-check me and prove me wrong by producing an example of any other Plomb tool marked this way, I'd be glad to have this cleared up. But as far as I know, it is a marking practice unique to Vlchek. And note that they clearly used it like a branding technique, because they didn't follow suit on their ALLOY STEEL or any other markings.

My tentative conclusion is there is a connection here of some kind. The era and Plomb's growing interest in the Cleveland area, and their eventual acquisition of Vlchek, only embolden me further.