Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

[honza.vosalik]

Thanks @Private Lugnutz for the wrenches!

 

[Smokeshow69]

Thanks @Private Lugnutz for the wrenches!

I may have a few spare pebble combos. Are you missing everything not pictured?

 

[honza.vosalik]

I may have a few spare pebble combos. Are you missing everything not pictured?

Yes

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks @Private Lugnutz for the wrenches!

That was quick. They're in good keeper hands now!

 

[Smokeshow69]

Yes

I will check my spares and see what I have .

 

[Smokeshow69]

Man this is such a cool ratchet! Odd markings

Speaking of markings, what is on that other thing in the picture?

 

[drivesitfar]

Don: you might have mentioned this before but where can I buy cans of this military paint?

this thread moves maybe faster than any here on GJ so keep it up guys cause love the pics and stories!!

 

[d42jeep]

Don: you might have mentioned this before but where can I buy cans of this military paint?

this thread moves maybe faster than any here on GJ so keep it up guys cause love the pics and stories!!

Here is a link to their website. I’ve been very happy with this particular color.

WWII Military Vehicles, Parts and Accessories, Prior Lake, Minnesota, USA

Midwest Military, Specializing in WWII Dodge, Jeep and other Military Vehicle Parts and Accessories.

midwestmilitary.com

-—
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I guess it’s time to reveal my current project. After our recent discussion about Honza’s new toolbox, Smokeshow sent me an eBay listing for a similar (but green) Plomb toolbox. It was in rough condition but you don’t often see one of these.
After making a lower best offer, it was mine.


After it arrived, I spent some hours with a body hammer and dolly as well as removing the worst of the paint spatters.
It will never be a show piece but I kind of like that it shows it’s age. I replaced the bent and rusty tray with one I had on hand that was a good match for the box.


My plan was to do something I had thought of doing for quite a while, putting together a Plomb based WW2 GMTK. The project was made more difficult by the fact that Plomb never offered some key GMTK tools but I wasn’t opposed to substituting other brands, just as most GMTKs were put together. This will be a long term project as I try to gather more correct Plomb pieces but I’m fairly happy with the progress I’ve made in a short time.
Here are some early pictures with just Plomb tools in the box.


I added a 3/8” 8 point Walden socket to make the Plomb 1/4” drive set closer to GMTK specifications.
Next I started adding other brands of tools that I had accumulated to the set.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Here is an early picture with more GMTK correct tools added.
I went through some other tools and tried to add some brands I hadn’t used in earlier sets. I like the logos on the Forsberg hacksaws.
I like Kraeuter tools as well.
i have quite a ways to go but progress is gradually being made.
Here is the set as of yesterday. I will post more pictures as the missing items roll in.
-Don

 

[RubiconJK]

Great progress on a great project Don!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It will never be a show piece but I kind of like that it shows its age.

Cool box, Don.

I'm guessing the seller's foolhardy description of it as coming off of an "Aircraft Carrier" was derived from the decal. I've always loved that one. It's meant to show an amalgamation of all the industries Plomb supplied, but if you squint, or don't study it closely, it is dominated by the impression of an aircraft looking as if it just launched from a rather long ship. The train is easily lost within the profile of the ship and I can see how the oil derricks and other buildings might be mistaken as superstructure on the stern. I'm betting that's exactly where the seller got that notion from.

 

[nailheadmatt]

43 catalog I just got

 

[Smokeshow69]

43 catalog I just got

Looks like the smaller jobber size? I have a few Proto la versions in the jobber size

 

[nailheadmatt]

Looks like the smaller jobber size? I have a few Proto la versions in the jobber size

to my knowledge, all plomb catalogs were either brochure shaped or "little pages." all the ones that i've seen, have been, anyway. maybe someone will correct me

 

[four.cycle]

^ Those are "mechanics versions" - printed up for wholesale distributors, ostensibly to be handed out to garage accounts. Sort of a "wish book", if you will.
They've caused a bit of confusion for some people.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

43 catalog I just got

Nice. Is it marked "CATALOG NUMBER 19" at the top of page 2? Is it actually dated somewhere? Or are you calling it the "43 catalog" because of other copies of Catalog 19 in the public domain being considered 1943?

 

[nailheadmatt]

Nice. Is it marked "CATALOG NUMBER 19" at the top of page 2? Is it actually dated somewhere? Or are you calling it the "43 catalog" because of other copies of Catalog 19 in the public domain being considered 1943?

im calling it a 43 catalog, because inside it, is had a price sheet, stating "the new prices for '43."

 

[Private Lugnutz]

im calling it a 43 catalog, because inside it, is had a price sheet, stating "the new prices for '43."

Even better! When they come with a PL it's very helpful! Please confirm that it is NUMBER !9. And if not, what number it is. I have invested quite a bit of effort into dating all of the catalogs that are available in the public domain based on numbers, tools inside, wartime restrictions, and PLs. So when a catalog pops up, I become curious. THANKS

 

[four.cycle]

^ date on price list isn't necessarily an indicator of the date of the catalog.

Private Lugnutz:
While we're on the subject (I already asked Don about this), how close am I on catalog DATES and catalog NUMBERS here:


something about it doesn't look quite right, but I'm out of my element with Plomb.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

While we're on the subject (I already asked Don about this), how close am I on catalog DATES and catalog NUMBERS here:

Very close, with the following caveats.

I have seen No. 10-C dated to 1931. Explanation: Except for No. 6, which is generally dated to 1925, all the early prewar catalogs had some kind of cryptic publications numbering system marking. No. 8, for example, is marked "113H-101528" on the title page with the catalog number and considered to be from 1928. No. 11 is marked "10132" and considered to be 1932. No. 12 is marked "10133" and considered to be 1933. No. 10-C is marked "1132-91531." Is it 1932 from the "32" in the "1132" prefix or 1931 from the "31" in the "91531" suffix?

I have seen No. 18-A dated to 1941. It is clearly dated "10-40" on a back page. It may have served as much of the year 1941's catalog, but it was published in October 1940.

That 1942-1947 range dating for Catalog No. 19-R (for Restrictions) is just a broad and erroneous 'punt' job that has been following 19-R REPRINT and 19-R FOURTH PRINTING around for years. I've dated those much more specifically based on analysis of the catalogs and information I have on WPB Limitation Order L-216 and WPB Order E-6, as well as analysis of the catalogs and information about the change from Utica to J.P. Danielson as a supplier for pliers and adjustables. Complementing and greatly aiding the dating of those catalogs is tin medic acquiring and generously sharing No. 19-R SECOND PRINTING and No. 19-R THIRD PRINTING, with PL's. I have posted a chart for dating all those 19-R catalogs of that era, as well as some just before that era, linked here.

What is this list for? I have never seen Catalog No. 16-A or 16-B and did not know they were in the public domain! Where are they located? ITCL?!!!

Conversely, you are missing Catalog No. 6 (1925), Catalog No. 8 (1928), Catalog No. 11 (1932), Catalog No. 12 (1933), Catalog No. 17-B (1939), and Catalog No. 19 (which I date to 1942 and NLT 4/1943). Those were all hosted on Tools Archive, and, in the TA 2.0 reboot, hosted on IA and/or ITCL with links only on TA 2.0. In other words, they are on my laptop because I downloaded them from TA. Todd re-hosted them somewhere. Either IA directly or ITCL on IA.

 

[nailheadmatt]

sure

^ date on price list isn't necessarily an indicator of the date of the catalog.

Private Lugnutz:
While we're on the subject (I already asked Don about this), how close am I on catalog DATES and catalog NUMBERS here:


something about it doesn't look quite right, but I'm out of my element with Plomb

^ date on price list isn't necessarily an indicator of the date of the catalog.

Private Lugnutz:
While we're on the subject (I already asked Don about this), how close am I on catalog DATES and catalog NUMBERS he

Very close, with the following caveats.

I have seen No. 10-C dated to 1931. Explanation: Except for No. 6, which is generally dated to 1925, all the early prewar catalogs had some kind of cryptic publications numbering system marking. No. 8, for example, is marked "113H-101528" on the title page with the catalog number and considered to be from 1928. No. 11 is marked "10132" and considered to be 1932. No. 12 is marked "10133" and considered to be 1933. No. 10-C is marked "1132-91531." Is it 1932 from the "32" in the "1132" prefix or 1931 from the "31" in the "91531" suffix?

I have seen No. 18-A dated to 1941. It is clearly dated "10-40" on a back page. It may have served as much of the year 1941's catalog, but it was published in October 1940.

That 1942-1947 range dating for Catalog No. 19-R (for Restrictions) is just a broad and erroneous 'punt' job that has been following 19-R REPRINT and 19-R FOURTH PRINTING around for years. I've dated those much more specifically based on analysis of the catalogs and information I have on WPB Limitation Order L-216 and WPB Order E-6, as well as analysis of the catalogs and information about the change from Utica to J.P. Danielson as a supplier for pliers and adjustables. Complementing and greatly aiding the dating of those catalogs is tin medic acquiring and generously sharing No. 19-R SECOND PRINTING and No. 19-R THIRD PRINTING, with PL's. I have posted a chart for dating all those 19-R catalogs of that era, as well as some just before that era, linked here.

What is this list for? I have never seen Catalog No. 16-A or 16-B and did not know they were in the public domain! Where are they located? ITCL?!!!

Conversely, you are missing Catalog No. 6 (1925), Catalog No. 8 (1928), Catalog No. 11 (1932), Catalog No. 12 (1933), Catalog No. 17-B (1939), and Catalog No. 19 (which I date to 1942 and NLT 4/1943). Those were all hosted on Tools Archive, and, in the TA 2.0 reboot, hosted on IA and/or ITCL with links only on TA 2.0. In other words, they are on my laptop because I downloaded them from TA. Todd re-hosted them somewhere. Either IA directly or ITCL on IA.

I was wrong, price sheet in it was actually dated for 1944. Catalog 19-a

 

[four.cycle]

What is this list for?

it's just a screen shot of the contents of that file folder. I'd guess the 16A and 16B catalogs came from ITCL. (?)
I'll have to go back over it again.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I was wrong, price sheet in it was actually dated for 1944. Catalog 19-a

That makes perfect sense. That's the same PL, with the same date, that was inside the copy of No. 19-A that is available as a PDF in the public domain.

Again, congrats on acquiring a paper original. Very nice.

it's just a screen shot of the contents of that file folder. I'd guess the 16A and 16B catalogs came from ITCL

Ah, I see now. Those are your PDFs. Thanks. I'll check IA/ITCL.

 

[humber2]

^I too have 19-A with the Jan 1 1944 PL

 

[honza.vosalik]

Did plvmb ever make metric wrenches?

 

[d42jeep]

Not until the dual marked wrenches in 1949.
-Don

 

[nailheadmatt]

I don't think I posted my 30s feeler gauge rack.

 

[Smokeshow69]

Did plvmb ever make metric wrenches?

I believe you can source plomb metric/whitworth off British eBay but it can be a bit spendy…

 

[Smokeshow69]

I don't think I posted my 30s feeler gauge rack.

Love this board! Very nice find

 

[four.cycle]

thanks Private Lugnutz - I have to pick through those catalogs that I have here and compare them to what's available at ITCL. I don't believe I ever downloaded any Plomb catalogs from T/A - I didn't even know they were still available there.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

A 5/16 combo and a screwdriver bit I got in a tool lot

 

[d42jeep]

Two tools for the Plomb GMTK arrived yesterday.
-Don

I found this one in my punch and chisel stash
Some Plomb ignition set tools
Added an Eagle padlock

 

[Smokeshow69]

Got this 1/4 drive box tonight for Christmas! A bit dirty and the bottom has pretty much no paint but is not rusty at all! Now I need to fill it up. I forget what set this was in but it’s not the more common quarter drive box set? Is this a challenger box? I can’t remember… I need a bunch of 1/4 sockets now

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Here are the 3/8 and 1/4 boxes. 1/4 box is 6 1/4" long, 3/8 is 7 3/4 long

 

[Smokeshow69]

Thanks OTG! Looks like I actually got a 3/8 box since it is 7-3/4 long. I forget what years these were offered? I will have to check my catalogs. Your sets look really nice!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I think these boxes were for challenger sets but certainly possible they were used in other applications

 

[d42jeep]

Got this 1/4 drive box tonight for Christmas! A bit dirty and the bottom has pretty much no paint but is not rusty at all! Now I need to fill it up. I forget what set this was in but it’s not the more common quarter drive box set? Is this a challenger box? I can’t remember… I need a bunch of 1/4 sockets now

I think that you better start looking for 1940 3/8” drive tools. In the 1940 catalog, that style box is only shown on the Challenger page. Check out the dates on the tools on my UK buddy’s set. His label was missing but he made a repro from mine.

 

[d42jeep]

A Christmas Eve addition for the GMTK.
-Don

 

[bmwrd0]

Somewhere in this thread (ha!) is a long discussion about those boxes, Smoke. They pop up here in the PNW without the Challenger label quite a bit, and someone, if I remember correctly, theorized Boeing ordered a bunch of them.