Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

[Provincial]

That stamp should stop any thread drift!

 

[Smokeshow69]

Oh ship, those are nice!


Anchors aweigh!

PayPal had to batten the hatches, I was coming through

 

[Arne73]

This little number has been in the shop at work for a couple years, I think someone ordered the wrong size by accident.

 

[Outlawmws]

Wow! My biggest is 2-5/8!

 

[Old Radar]

This little number has been in the shop at work for a couple years, I think someone ordered the wrong size by accident.

First thing I thought of was the 8-pound socket that fell down the Titan II silo in 1980 and caused a fuel leak in the missile that eventually caused it to blow up in the silo. Most impressive quote from reports: "... blowing the 740-ton launch duct closure door 200 feet into the air and some 600 feet northeast of the launch complex."

How much does that one weigh?

 

[shampton]

I remember reading about that in the book Command and Control. Do you know what size and type socket it was that fell?
Btw, I highly recommend visiting the Titan silo museum if you’re ever near Tucson

 

[Arne73]

First thing I thought of was the 8-pound socket that fell down the Titan II silo in 1980 and caused a fuel leak in the missile that eventually caused it to blow up in the silo. Most impressive quote from reports: "... blowing the 740-ton launch duct closure door 200 feet into the air and some 600 feet northeast of the launch complex."

How much does that one weigh?

About 2lbs I reckon..

 

[Old Radar]

I remember reading about that in the book Command and Control. Do you know what size and type socket it was that fell?
Btw, I highly recommend visiting the Titan silo museum if you’re ever near Tucson

Garage Journal discussion on the subject: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/the-socket-that-killed-a-man-and-a-titan-too.288990/

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Mine go up to 3 1/8. I wouldn't want to drop it on my toe!

 

[shampton]

Garage Journal discussion on the subject: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/the-socket-that-killed-a-man-and-a-titan-too.288990/

Old Radar, thanks for that link, such an interesting story

 

[four.cycle]

I just want to make sure that all of you gentlemen are aware of this:

PLOMB 4748 1/4" drive ratchet w/drive plug

RARE! NOS? VINTAGE PLOMB 4748 1/4” DRIVE RATCHET! Pre-WWII Era plvmb female plug | eBay

I've taken a number of pictures and I've enabled the scroll over zoom function so you can get an even closer look. And as a lifelong inhabitant of Southern California and the Arizona desert, there's no rust, pitting or corrosion.

www.ebay.com

 

[Ricky Joe]

I just want to make sure that all of you gentlemen are aware of this:

PLOMB 4748 1/4" drive ratchet w/drive plug

RARE! NOS? VINTAGE PLOMB 4748 1/4” DRIVE RATCHET! Pre-WWII Era plvmb female plug | eBay

I've taken a number of pictures and I've enabled the scroll over zoom function so you can get an even closer look. And as a lifelong inhabitant of Southern California and the Arizona desert, there's no rust, pitting or corrosion.

www.ebay.com

Wow! That looks very much like the Herbrand with the three position selector! Now I wonder…

 

[d42jeep]

In 1939 and 40 Plomb ratchets had that detent device. I have one in 1/2” drive and 3/8” drive. At that price I probably won’t ever have a 1/4” drive version.
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Here's a couple. The chrome one is 9/32 drive and marked wf8

 

[Project 2501]

I've never seen one with a front cover like this but it looks a lot like it was made by pressteel.. what do you guys think?

 

[Smokeshow69]

I've never seen one with a front cover like this but it looks a lot like it was made by pressteel.. what do you guys think?

Yes, 100% pressteel! I have one that is red with gray drawers and a black cover! I believe the paint is all original. It is currently in my sons room holding his stuff

 

[Smokeshow69]

Got my nos navy sockets today. It is hard to tell but the bottom box has some wavy lines almost like finger prints. Pictured next to a wf 3/8 t handle

 

[Outlawmws]

So are these NOS boxes of sockets going to be like stamp collectors and "plate block sets"? (all the stamps and edges with the markings)

 

[d42jeep]

Got my nos navy sockets today. It is hard to tell but the bottom box has some wavy lines almost like finger prints. Pictured next to a wf 3/8 t handle

Mine should be here tomorrow. I hope they look just like yours.
-Don

 

[Outlawmws]

Somewhere around here I have a NOS box of 6 Plvmb 7/8 deep cad plated sockets in 1/2 drive. Box has been opened however.

 

[Smokeshow69]

Mine should be here tomorrow. I hope they look just like yours.
-Don

Hopefully so! I have actually quite seriously considered buying the others listed as well. This is about as close as you can get to going back in the old time machine. Now if I can just figure out the correct flux capacitor settings for all the dual mark tools, we should be good.

 

[c1504]

This just showed up on ebay. Looks like yet another box variation

 

[d42jeep]

They seem to be coming out of Ohio. Very odd.
-Don

 

[MR.X]

Dude's about an hour from Wright Patterson, all his stuff seems to be Mil. Surplus...maybe Wright or a local depot was a hub for more than WF stuff. I suppose one of you buyers could ask the seller what he knows. I think I've posted before about an antique mall between Dayton and Columbus that had bins of WW2 contract tools like WF 22's.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It is odd, but the US Navy had several activities, including an Aviation Supply Office, at Patterson Field, adjacent to Wright Field, almost assuredly part of the joint logistics (AN) efforts between the US Army Air Forces and Navy aviation. It's possible things got interposed. Also, Rossford Ordnance Dept in Ohio was one of several large depots for long term tools storage (i.e., repacks) after the war. It closed in 1963 and was a major source of surplus in the crazy surplus years of our youth, when there was an Army Navy story in every town. Mainly Army, but you never know. West coast guys like to point to Charlie's in Denver which got all their stuff from Pueblo Ordnance Depot, but most of the repacks I find are Rossford. Lastly, I will just put out the reminder that surplus travels, especially little socket boxes. Dozens of those will ship for flat rate and they've been circulating for a long time. I sold a dozen WF boxes myself years ago, that I got in a trade with a guy from Arizona. No idea where he got them. There's no accounting for where stuff ends up.

 

[MR.X]

"coins travel Dirk".....yeah, surplus travels, but PLOMB NOS wartime stuff has been bubbling out of Ohio for as long as I can remember, likely multiple iterations of acquisition at some local Military auction decades ago for pennies, sat on, reauctioned, and retailed ever since. BTW, speaking of Denver after the first time I ever walked into Charlie's and was stupefied finding 20's era DD Plomb sockets in a bin I left there like the little boy in 'The 5 chinese brothers' scavenging the sea floor and headed directly to a surplus store on Alameda? I think. Where I found masses of Mil surplus tools, many Plomb ( though no sealed boxes of sockets) to the point where it became boring. Oddly among all the 40's era Plomb I found a 20's aviation Plomb t-handled tool which I still have.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Oh for sure. Between Wright Pat and Rossford (which is now a huge community college campus!) alone.

 

[Smokeshow69]

"coins travel Dirk".....yeah, surplus travels, but PLOMB NOS wartime stuff has been bubbling out of Ohio for as long as I can remember, likely multiple iterations of acquisition at some local Military auction decades ago for pennies, sat on, reauctioned, and retailed ever since. BTW, speaking of Denver after the first time I ever walked into Charlie's and was stupefied finding 20's era DD Plomb sockets in a bin I left there like the little boy in 'The 5 chinese brothers' scavenging the sea floor and headed directly to a surplus store on Alameda? I think. Where I found masses of Mil surplus tools, many Plomb ( though no sealed boxes of sockets) to the point where it became boring. Oddly among all the 40's era Plomb I found a 20's aviation Plomb t-handled tool which I still have.

Interesting stories there X! I loved going into surplus stores as a kid but I was looking for equipment, not tools . I would have thought the sealed boxes would have moved quicker after the war and that we would just be down to the loose stuff in this day and age. But given the mass quantities of things produced during the war I have a feeling that folks a hundred years from now will still see ww2 surplus for sale.

 

[d42jeep]

Hopefully so! I have actually quite seriously considered buying the others listed as well. This is about as close as you can get to going back in the old time machine. Now if I can just figure out the correct flux capacitor settings for all the dual mark tools, we should be good.

They came and look pretty similar to yours. I’m happy with them.
-Don

 

[MR.X]

Interesting stories there X! I loved going into surplus stores as a kid but I was looking for equipment, not tools . I would have thought the sealed boxes would have moved quicker after the war and that we would just be down to the loose stuff in this day and age. But given the mass quantities of things produced during the war I have a feeling that folks a hundred years from now will still see surplus for sale.

"looking for equipment not tools".....When I was about 9 or 10 My first order of business was usually the patch bins where I'd promptly promote myself or sometimes even transfer to a different service.

 

[Smokeshow69]

They came and look pretty similar to yours. I’m happy with them.
-Don

Yours looks great! Plus the anchor is a bit more centered which agrees with my ocd much better . Your bottom box matches the lid while mine doesn’t.

"looking for equipment not tools".....When I was about 9 or 10 My first order of business was usually the patch bins where I'd promptly promote myself or sometimes even transfer to a different service.

oh man I loved the patch bins. My favorite was the canteens and pistol belts because I wore those when playing. I can still smell the smell of the canvas gear , especially the tents

 

[d42jeep]

I “borrowed“ this off of an eBay listing.


Here is a hint about my upcoming secret project.
-Don

 

[Smokeshow69]

Less common WF-21 contract filler.

Man this is such a cool ratchet! Odd markings

 

[saukit]

Got my nos navy sockets today. It is hard to tell but the bottom box has some wavy lines almost like finger prints. Pictured next to a wf 3/8 t handle

I'm having a hard time making out the "finger prints" from the pictures, are they similar to this box? I've wondered if this was an original finish...

 

[Cinci5]

Stumbled onto this in my old box in garage today?
Was my fathers, I know I have more Plomb tools.
Also found a 1/4” ratchet newer version.

 

[Smokeshow69]

I'm having a hard time making out the "finger prints" from the pictures, are they similar to this box? I've wondered if this was an original finish...

The wrinkle finish is original but it looks like it was painted silver over the original green color? But now that you mentioned it, my box does have a bit of a wrinkle finish to it. How fitting

 

[saukit]

Yeah it is probably painted...the wrinkle finish must just show up a lot more in this color than the original green. The box is green on the inside.

 

[d42jeep]

Yeah it is probably painted...the wrinkle finish must just show up a lot more in this color than the original green. The box is green on the inside.

Like this?
-Don

 

[saukit]

Like this?
-Don

I'll have to go dig it out when I get a chance, I can totally see the wrinkles in yours!

 

[d42jeep]

If you can’t remove the repaint without damaging the original wrinkle, I would be tempted to paint over the repaint with the Midwest Military green that is a good match.
-Don