Plomb tool picture thread - show your stuff!

[four.cycle]

After being lost somewhere in my post office for three weeks, the 1948 Plomb Tools catalog No. 4821 finally just appeared like magic!
There's a stack of catalogs here about an inch thick now - I'll get these off to Mark this next week.

1948 Plomb Tools catalog No. 4821 (© copyright date of 1948 inside front cover)

 

[Drmtsu]

I inherited this from my grandfather. From the little research I’ve done, these were made under a govt contract for wright air base? Can anyone tell me more about what I have?

 

[Smokeshow69]

I inherited this from my grandfather. From the little research I’ve done, these were made under a govt contract for wright air base? Can anyone tell me more about what I have?

Hello and welcome! The plomb tools stamped wf are for wright field- which was where the military quartmaster office was based out of. Those tools could have been used anywhere around the world once distributed to the military unit that would use the tools. Did your grandfather use them in the military or did he acquire them after the war from military surplus?

 

[Drmtsu]

Not sure. He was in the Army, in France in WWII. But beyond that, I am not sure. They are very well used, that’s for sure. There is an assortment of other sockets in the set including some proto, and snap-on. Not all this drive size though. There is an unmarked 1/4 drive in there as well that the other sockets fit. Sadly, there is only one plumb socket for this drive.

 

[Drmtsu]

Any suggestions on something to clean these up with?

 

[mritchie77]

After being lost somewhere in my post office for three weeks, the 1948 Plomb Tools catalog No. 4821 finally just appeared like magic!
There's a stack of catalogs here about an inch thick now - I'll get these off to Mark this next week.

1948 Plomb Tools catalog No. 4821 (© copyright date of 1948 inside front cover)

Saw that one sell. I like the dual name use. Eventually another 19-R will pop up that I'll snag....

 

[RagTopTA]

Any suggestions on something to clean these up with?

I got my Plomb start from my Grandfather giving me a ratchet also! I like to clean my old tools up by holding them in a vise, then spraying them down with simple green. I then use a little hand held wire brush and loosen all he rust and wipe it away with a paper towel. Works like a champ and saves the Patina under the rust and grease.

 

[c1504]

Not mine but I thought it was worth posting. Yesterday my dad and I went tool hunting and he got this 716-s 16” dual marked adjustable.

 

[Outlawmws]

That's a rare one!

 

[Smokeshow69]

That's a rare one!

You can say that again! Heck of a find there!

 

[LesserSon]

I spotted this in an antiques store today, priced $75. A bit drab on the outside, but better on the inside.
I don’t collect Plomb, though I occasionally rescue it from oblivion. This looks safe enough, and I only had $10 in cash, which I spent on something else, so still where I saw it.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

That's a decent one, but sounds like they wanted full price!

 

[Smokeshow69]

I spotted this in an antiques store today, priced $75. A bit drab on the outside, but better on the inside.
I don’t collect Plomb, though I occasionally rescue it from oblivion. This looks safe enough, and I only had $10 in cash, which I spent on something else, so still where I saw it.

Dang, that one would probably clean up nice! At $75 that’s not a bad deal at all

 

[saukit]

I paid more than full price probably for this 9980, am I correct in assuming that this is pre war because of the round O and LA markings? The catalogs don't show anything with the cover closed but in a bit of initial digging I only saw this type face in the earlier catalogs.





Also here's some stuff out of the Evaporust recently.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Prices certainly vary based on where you are. Nice box!

 

[Outlawmws]

Saukit, your steel stamps are round, but the sticker isn't...

 

[saukit]

Saukit, your steel stamps are round, but the sticker isn't...

So does that make it later then? Here's a snip from the 1940 catalog where they are using the labels with the inverted triangle. But you'll notice the stamping on the 9980 also has the triangle, and it's USA not LA.



Here's a snip from the 1938 catalog where they are using the stickers with the triangle logo as well. This catalog didn't have a 9980 in it, I haven't been able to find one with a 9980 and LA stamping.



I don't particularly care what age this box is, it's more just a point of curiosity. I was under the impression that the round O logos were earlier than the inverted triangle, but that's an assumption on my part and not anything I'm confident about.

 

[Outlawmws]

It may be that the box was made and stocked earlier, then used later and the newer stickers landed on it. A lot of orders were stopped at the end of the war, causing a lot of inventory to pile up.

 

[saukit]

It may be that the box was made and stocked earlier, then used later and the newer stickers landed on it. A lot of orders were stopped at the end of the war, causing a lot of inventory to pile up.

Ah, that does make sense. I'll keep digging around in the ITCL to see if I can find anything that provides more clarification. Thanks for the help!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

The round "o" continued on for a while. I have seen a number of the boxes with a round o stamp and the triangle decal

 

[Ricky Joe]

It may be that the box was made and stocked earlier, then used later and the newer stickers landed on it. A lot of orders were stopped at the end of the war, causing a lot of inventory to pile up.

Inventory actually piled up because of war policy. The momentum of war production was so efficient that there was actually a surplus going into 1944. Consequently, businesses pushed for relaxation of war restrictions. This was fought by many of the big companies such as GE and others. Almost immediately the surplus disappeared, on paper. Therefore, production continued at an unnecessarily high rate while citizens were rationed and supplies accumulated. After the war, when restrictions were relaxed, there was a huge demand for everything from refrigerator s and toasters to cars. It was an artificial shortage and a great boon to the economy after the war.

 

[d42jeep]

Plomb was very casual about using the round O boxes for years after the tools were marked PL∇MB. On boxes with labels on the interior those paper label are also often marked PL∇MB.
-Don

This was discussed a bit back in 2020. Since it was already occurring in 1939 when my Challenger set was made, I’m not sure that WW2 had anything to do with it. I think that Plomb had large box runs made and used them up over time.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

This was discussed a bit back in 2020. Since it was already occurring in 1939 when my Challenger set was made, I’m not sure that WW2 had anything to do with it. I think that Plomb had large box runs made and used them up over time.

^ This. I was in the discussion and that is still my position. I will repeat what I also said back then with respect to some suppliers being slower than others to respond to the logo change on their old PLOMB embossing dies and Plomb not really caring that much, since they could plaster stickers with the newer PLVMB logo on it.

Also, and not to keep harping on this, but just how much satisfaction do you think the Fayette R. Plumb people must've felt wiping the passive-aggressive smug look off Morris Pendleton's face when they won the lawsuit in 1947 and again in 1949? Not only does Morris insist on continuing to use "PLOMB" as a brand/TM, he makes it worse by deciding to make the name look like more of an allusion to PLUMB by stylizing the "O" to look like a PLUMB BOB! We can call it a stylized "O" all we want, but it's freaking plumb bob and they used the plumb bob imagery in all their marketing to accentuate it! I know we're all fans, guys, but we have to be objective. If your name was Plumb and you were making mainly construction tools for a hundred years and a company called Plomb showed up wanting to use their name and plumb bob imagery in their branding, you wouldn't object?! It wasn't just dvmb. It was foolhardily dvmb!

 

[saukit]

Thanks all for the education, as always it's much appreciated!

 

[Ricky Joe]

I was actually addressing why inventory piled up, not the specifics of Plomb marketing. A completely different subject altogether.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I was actually addressing why inventory piled up, not the specifics of Plomb marketing. A completely different subject altogether.

My post wasn't addressed to you, RJ, and the second paragraph in my post, regarding Plomb marketing, had nothing to do with the subject of the markings on the Plomb boxes.

The first part of my post was agreeing with Don's recollection of the older discussion we've had on the subject. If you don't understand his point, and my elaboration on it, I will put it more directly.

The Plomb Tool Company changed their branding from "PLOMB" to "PLVMB", on paper and on their products, in 1934 or thereabouts, well before WWII. However, in the late 1930's, in 1940, and in 1941, before our official entry into WWII, Plomb Tool Company boxes of all shapes and sizes were still showing up with the old "PLOMB" logo embossed on them, rather than the newer "PLVMB" logo. The phenomenon occurred before WWII and continued into WWII. Plomb Tool Company boxes eventually started showing up during WWII and continued after WWII with the newer "PLVMB" logo embossed on them. Again, for Don and I, at least, and if I recall, Outlaw and Roy also concurred, it sure looks like they had a **** ton of "PLOMB" embossed boxes made in the early to mid 1930's, and they were using up that old stock in the late 1930's - before the war, and into the war, before they had their suppliers start making them with the "PLVMB" logo sometime during the war.

 

[Smokeshow69]

My post wasn't addressed to you, RJ, and the second paragraph in my post, regarding Plomb marketing, had nothing to do with the subject of the markings on the Plomb boxes.

The first part of my post was agreeing with Don's recollection of the older discussion we've had on the subject. If you don't understand his point, and my elaboration on it, I will put it more directly.

The Plomb Tool Company changed their branding from "PLOMB" to "PLVMB", on paper and on their products, in 1934 or thereabouts, well before WWII. However, in the late 1930's, in 1940, and in 1941, before our official entry into WWII, Plomb Tool Company boxes of all shapes and sizes were still showing up with the old "PLOMB" logo embossed on them, rather than the newer "PLVMB" logo. The phenomenon occurred before WWII and continued into WWII. Plomb Tool Company boxes eventually started showing up during WWII and continued after WWII with the newer "PLVMB" logo embossed on them. Again, for Don and I, at least, and if I recall, Outlaw and Roy also concurred, it sure looks like they had a **** ton of "PLOMB" embossed boxes made in the early to mid 1930's, and they were using up that old stock in the late 1930's - before the war, and into the war, before they had their suppliers start making them with the "PLVMB" logo sometime during the war.

I have a couple as well. Round o boxes with the more modern “styleized” o on the stickers. We all know that plomb was pretty careless when it came to inventory. They were not a fan of the first in first out inventory control method. We know this carried into the Proto era as well. I have multiple sets of wrenches, pullers, etc that are a mixture of Proto la and Proto mfd. I swear they did it just to give us collectors something to talk about . I don’t think companies back then were as concerned about having consistent logos as they are today. Marketing campaigns didn’t evolve as quickly as they do now.

 

[d42jeep]

^ This. I was in the discussion and that is still my position. I will repeat what I also said back then with respect to some suppliers being slower than others to respond to the logo change on their old PLOMB embossing dies and Plomb not really caring that much, since they could plaster stickers with the newer PLVMB logo on it.

Also, and not to keep harping on this, but just how much satisfaction do you think the Fayette R. Plumb people must've felt wiping the passive-aggressive smug look off Morris Pendleton's face when they won the lawsuit in 1947 and again in 1949? Not only does Morris insist on continuing to use "PLOMB" as a brand/TM, he makes it worse by deciding to make the name look like more of an allusion to PLUMB by stylizing the "O" to look like a PLUMB BOB! We can call it a stylized "O" all we want, but it's freaking plumb bob and they used the plumb bob imagery in all their marketing to accentuate it! I know we're all fans, guys, but we have to be objective. If your name was Plumb and you were making mainly construction tools for a hundred years and a company called Plomb showed up wanting to use their name and plumb bob imagery in their branding, you wouldn't object?! It wasn't just dvmb. It was foolhardily dvmb!

I’m thinking of hanging this on my PL∇MB display.
-Don

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

I'd also think there's a good chance the didnt change a die till it wore out, leading to potentially years of sticker/stamping mismatch.

 

[Smokeshow69]

I’m thinking of hanging this on my PL∇MB display.
-Don

Sounds good Morris B .

 

[Ricky Joe]

My post wasn't addressed to you, RJ, and the second paragraph in my post, regarding Plomb marketing, had nothing to do with the subject of the markings on the Plomb boxes.

The first part of my post was agreeing with Don's recollection of the older discussion we've had on the subject. If you don't understand his point, and my elaboration on it, I will put it more directly.

The Plomb Tool Company changed their branding from "PLOMB" to "PLVMB", on paper and on their products, in 1934 or thereabouts, well before WWII. However, in the late 1930's, in 1940, and in 1941, before our official entry into WWII, Plomb Tool Company boxes of all shapes and sizes were still showing up with the old "PLOMB" logo embossed on them, rather than the newer "PLVMB" logo. The phenomenon occurred before WWII and continued into WWII. Plomb Tool Company boxes eventually started showing up during WWII and continued after WWII with the newer "PLVMB" logo embossed on them. Again, for Don and I, at least, and if I recall, Outlaw and Roy also concurred, it sure looks like they had a **** ton of "PLOMB" embossed boxes made in the early to mid 1930's, and they were using up that old stock in the late 1930's - before the war, and into the war, before they had their suppliers start making them with the "PLVMB" logo sometime during the war.

I have a 1935 Plomb 3/4” socket set. Two of the sockets I know are dated 1934 and 1932. Now I have to find that box and check the logo.

 

[Ricky Joe]

I have a 1935 Plomb 3/4” socket set. Two of the sockets I know are dated 1934 and 1932. Now I have to find that box and check the logo.

1932 and 1934 sockets both have the round O, all 1935 sockets ( the rest of the set) have the triangular representation for the O. The box has the round O.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Perfect transition example.

In sets from soon thereafter and later in the 30s and especially early wartime, though, the tools are all PLVMB, but the boxes are still PLOMB. Then late war the tools and boxes are matching again.

 

[mritchie77]

Hoping to call on some wisdom of those that frequent this thread. I'm working on a 9900B veterans set from the pebble area and have run into a question regarding pebbled wrenches, specifically if the obstruction midget, and tappets wrenches came pebbled. Relevant # are: 3210, 3215, 3220, 3225 for the midget and 3425 and 3426 for the tappet. I have gone through many GJ threads and have found a single example of one of these wrenches in the "pebbled" style. Can anyone confirm that they weren't pebbled? If not, how would one identify them as the correct period? Would lack of date codes be the only way (like on pebble era sockets?)

EDIT: clarified midget obstruction vs electrical

Examples of obstruction midgets without date codes:


Tappet without a date code (that I can tell)

 

[MR.X]

I don't pay much attention to pebbled Plomb minutiae but I have a few ( as well as many on this board do too) cool looking recessed panel Plomb ignition wrenches that are more reminiscent of the pebble style than the ones you are showing.

 

[MR.X]

yeah, so i just did a "plomb ignition" search on the bay and scrolled down and there is a 3324 example to give you an idea....not exactly pebbled but...anyway if they're shown in a catalog shouldn't take long for someone to pipe in.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Have one recessed panel version in this box of them

 

[mritchie77]

In clarifying my question, I incorrectly asked about electrical midgets when I should have asked about obstruction midgets. The set I'm working on consists of several obstruction midgets (series 32xx) as opposed to the electrical midgets (series 33xx). I too found some of the 33xx series online to have the recessed panel, but didn't realize my wording was off until looking at this 19R catalog.

 

[MR.X]

OK got it. Wish I was near my stash so I could verify that all my examples are 33XX or not, I KNOW they're not 34XX......OK, i'm over it already.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

3200 on left, wf middle, 3300 on rt