Proto Tools Picture Thread - Post Yours!

[Smokeshow69]

It looks like it is from one of these displays. If the ad is drawn to scale 10” seems like a good guess

Correct, it is the top of a rotomat display! Some of them even had flashing lights.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice!

 

[bmwrd0]

I picked this old girl up yesterday, and you can see how someone modified it by putting a carry handle on at some point:


I removed that, but there was another issue with it:


As you can see, someone removed the hasps, leaving the latches untouched. I had a Challenger case laying around, rusty, no label, no internal divider, so I used it for parts.



I took the rusty hasps off and soaked them overnight in Evaporust, which didn't make them perfect, but did clean them up a bit. Pry up the old springs, slipped them in, and Bob's your uncle!


Now to fill her up. I decided to make a 5200 ABM set, so I dug up all of my metric spares and anything else that should be in the set:


A couple more sockets, a speeder, and I am pretty sure I have another long extension around here. That should keep me busy for a bit.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice. I like the handle.

 

[3baygarage]

I found an interesting crank handle at an estate sale today. It has a 3/8" square female drive, and has no markings whatsoever. I would not have given it a second thought except for the rotating handle on the back end of the shaft. I thought it looked Plomb/Proto and when I got it home I compared it to Plomb WF-23 and Proto LA 5280 spinners and the handle is identical.

I am thinking that this was a custom piece made for a specific purpose, and the customer didn't want it permanently marked. I imagine it was used to turn the square shaft of a valve or other 3/8" square drive application.

The chrome plating is typical of the earlier Proto era, so I am operating on that theory.

Proto had that tool as a catalog item. I forgot what purpose it served but it had a part number and everything. I’ve seen a number of them over the years. No markings is certainly a mystery.

 

[Smokeshow69]

I picked this old girl up yesterday, and you can see how someone modified it by putting a carry handle on at some point:


I removed that, but there was another issue with it:


As you can see, someone removed the hasps, leaving the latches untouched. I had a Challenger case laying around, rusty, no label, no internal divider, so I used it for parts.



I took the rusty hasps off and soaked them overnight in Evaporust, which didn't make them perfect, but did clean them up a bit. Pry up the old springs, slipped them in, and Bob's your uncle!


Now to fill her up. I decided to make a 5200 ABM set, so I dug up all of my metric spares and anything else that should be in the set:


A couple more sockets, a speeder, and I am pretty sure I have another long extension around here. That should keep me busy for a bit.

Nice pickup! Even with the holes drilled, it still looks pretty good! Nice work! If you have any metric 3/8 shallow sockets, I need some for my socket tray that currently has zero in it

 

[Provincial]

Proto had that tool as a catalog item. I forgot what purpose it served but it had a part number and everything. I’ve seen a number of them over the years. No markings is certainly a mystery.

You got me excited and I spent some time going through all the Proto catalogs on archive.org with no joy. Is there another source online for proto catalogs, and do you have a rough idea the time frame this was offered?

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I would speculate around 1960

 

[Provincial]

I looked at all the Proto catalogs on archive.org from 1948 to 1963 and found nothing. Perhaps it was in a specialty catalog that isn't on the net.

 

[Provincial]

I notice that some refrigeration tools have 3/8" square female drives/openings. Could this have been for that purpose? It would have been a quick way to open or close a valve if you had the room to work.

 

[c1504]

I found this mfd era 5249 today. Does anyone have any info? Is it a previous owner’s modification or original? The detents Are pins rather than balls. I have a hard time believing that the guts from another brand ratchet fit in the proto body perfectly, but I wasn’t aware proto made a dual drive ratchet

 

[bmwrd0]

Pins are often used in industrial settings to ensure that a socket does not fall off in a particularly bad place, or that it is intended for a single-use. I have a couple of Vogel ratchets, which are double-sided Proto ratchets with a longer handle. What does the name plate look like?

 

[c1504]

The name plate just looks like any standard mfd era proto ratchet, saying “5249 proto mfd usa.”

 

[four.cycle]

^ didn't Proto make those for Vogel?

Vogel / Vogel Tool Co. / "double duty" ratchet patent 2803980 / (manufactured by Proto) /

 

[bmwrd0]

Yes, Proto did manufacture them. I have two, one says Manufactured by Proto, the other does not. Sorry I wasn't being clear.

But, there is no reason Proto couldn't make a double-sided gear with pins instead of ball detents for a special sale. I can see them being used by scaffold erectors or other industrial clients.

 

[four.cycle]

yeah.. I'm just trying to confirm that my information in my list is correct. the Proto/Vogel connection is from the patent documents, as I recall.

 

[c1504]

Thanks guys. I had seen the Vogel ratchets before but I guess I was just a little confused because I had never seen a Proto marked one. It probably is just some special purpose thing

 

[four.cycle]

^ I'd be more inclined to think that it was repaired with a PROTO brand repair kit.

I've seen a lot of odd ratchets listed on Ebay where the brand name on the selector knob was completely different than the brand name stamped on the handle, so I don't think it's all that uncommon.

 

[bmwrd0]

Wow nice catalog! I have been looking for a catalog listing for this roller. Any chance it's in there?

I found it! It's in the '67 catalog, and as soon as I can get some software downloaded I should be able to scan the page for you. It comes as a master set, and also a stand-alone:






My scanner is being... recalcitrant right now, so pics will have to do.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice!

 

[Smokeshow69]

I found it! It's in the '67 catalog, and as soon as I can get some software downloaded I should be able to scan the page for you. It comes as a master set, and also a stand-alone:






My scanner is being... recalcitrant right now, so pics will have to do.

Well done! I forgot we hadn't pinned down the dates on otg's roller stack.

 

[outofbounds]

Curious about this Proto Los Angeles Cub Extension....... seems to present Part No. as 5261 "-S" or "-5" Hard to make out. Only reference catalog I saw from the period (1954) doesn't reflect the add-on to the standard 5261. Might it be for the larger holes to accomodate a tommy bar? Submitting to the experts for comment. Thanks!

 

[RTM]

My 2 extensions 5261-6 are 6" long. I have a 3" that I can't decipher the number. IS your extension 5" long?

 

[outofbounds]

My 2 extensions 5261-6 are 6" long. I have a 3" that I can't decipher the number. IS your extension 5" long?

I'll have to go back and measure it. Now that you mention it, the catalog shows a 5260 at 3-1/2" long, and 5261 as being 7-1/2" long (and modern iterations of that P/N as 8" long) I'm certain that it's shorter than that. I'll assume that will provide my answer. Thanks RTM!

 

[Smokeshow69]

oh hey, whats going on in here ?

 

[bmwrd0]

Yesterday I picked up this rather worn Proto 9970 tombstone box, and while the paint is nothing to write home about, it is solid and very useable.


So, I went through the toolbox and pulled out all my user Proto 1/2" and stuck them in the box

Sockets up to 1-1/8", ratchet and two breaker bars, ratcheting adaptor, flex, and so on. This will free up one more drawer in the main box as I downsize. I almost never use half-inch anymore at home, but it is nice to have when I do need it.

 

[c1504]

oh hey, whats going on in here ?

If that’s what I think it is I am already going to say you ****

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I knew someone here would buy that light

 

[3baygarage]

Nice ratchet find C1504.

Jock- I could have sworn I saw that speeder in a catalog but I have no source. I’ve definitely ran across a bunch of them, several in the wild and several online.

 

[3baygarage]

Picked this up today.

4042 battery terminal puller.

 

[Smokeshow69]

Picked this up today.

4042 battery terminal puller.

Very nice find!

 

[Smokeshow69]

Per my trolling post, yes I was able to purchase that roto mat topper from the seller on craigslist. I called the day someone posted it in this thread but the seller wouldn't sell it to me right away. He said another buyer was interested in it plus a bunch of gas pumps and other petrolina he was selling. I kept in contact with him throught the week. Finally wednesday he said he would sell it to me! Super cool dude. He took the conduit tube off it to ship it and packaged it up really nice and tight. I offered to pay $75 plus shipping so it came to about $115. I am going to put a bulb in it and put it on my shelf next to my proto boxes! Super cool piece. Now I just need to find a roto mat It measures 10" across and 6" tall. I put a 6" extension inside it just to show perspective. It is really dusty and the metal lids have some slight surface rust I will clean up.

 

[c1504]

Super cool! I’m gonna say you **** one more time!

 

[Smokeshow69]

Super cool! I’m gonna say you **** one more time!

Thanks! I dont recall seeing another one this style before. A forum member Jocosawdust has a roto mat that I would love to own but no topper. I am on cloud 9 just to get this!

 

[3baygarage]

Very nice! Conduit? Was it being used as a light already? That would make a most worthy garage lamp/light.

Edit. Sorry, missed above post.

 

[AngryBeaver]

Are new protos included?

 

[Smokeshow69]

Are new protos included?

Of course the new stuff is welcomed! NIce set of dbe's !

 

[Smokeshow69]

On Saturday I met up with BMW in his neck of the woods on my way down to help my grandma with some yard work. We did some horse trading and I think he was happy with his blackhawk items I traded him and I was certainly happy with the proto I received. It really helped fill some holes on my proto tool boards.
Proto trades
-Uncommon "ruby line" screw driver. This was proto's short lived entry level screw drivers.
-proto metal dinger
-5 whitworth sockets for my uncommon metric/whitworth tool board

 

[Smokeshow69]

I have a tale of defeat, not victory to tell. Last week while scanning facebook market place, I found my unicorn...a proto la era tool mobile, with the most drawers offered in any configuration-7 total. (You could purchase these in a 4 drawer configuration and then add more drawers as you bought them as the lower compartment is modular). I quickly sent a message to the seller who was located across the state from me (5hr drive each way). I asked if he was coming my way any time soon and he said yes, in the next few weeks. I asked if he would be willing to bring this with him. He shockingly said yes. I offered to pay half the price up front, immediatley and even upped to price to $180 just to get the seller motivated. He was a bit skeptical of electronic pay and would only accept cash as a payment. I kept in contact with him every few days just to show my interest but regrettably this sold. I do know SS Dave, the op lives out near this seller. I wonder if he perhaps bought this ? He hasnt logged on in a while. If someone near me has one of these, I would sure love to buy one. I have been looking for one of these for years. I have seen 2 local but none worth saving-1 was ran into by a car and was horribly over priced. 2nd one was super rusty and also was overpriced for the condition at over $600. If you guys ever see one of these, they have roller bearing slides and are made by waterloo. Jocosawdust found a minty one with the upper drawer configuration last year for a steal of a price.

 

[Ricky Joe]

I have a tale of defeat, not victory to tell. Last week while scanning facebook market place, I found my unicorn...a proto la era tool mobile, with the most drawers offered in any configuration-7 total. (You could purchase these in a 4 drawer configuration and then add more drawers as you bought them as the lower compartment is modular). I quickly sent a message to the seller who was located across the state from me (5hr drive each way). I asked if he was coming my way any time soon and he said yes, in the next few weeks. I asked if he would be willing to bring this with him. He shockingly said yes. I offered to pay half the price up front, immediatley and even upped to price to $180 just to get the seller motivated. He was a bit skeptical of electronic pay and would only accept cash as a payment. I kept in contact with him every few days just to show my interest but regrettably this sold. I do know SS Dave, the op lives out near this seller. I wonder if he perhaps bought this ? He hasnt logged on in a while. If someone near me has one of these, I would sure love to buy one. I have been looking for one of these for years. I have seen 2 local but none worth saving-1 was ran into by a car and was horribly over priced. 2nd one was super rusty and also was overpriced for the condition at over $600. If you guys ever see one of these, they have roller bearing slides and are made by waterloo. Jocosawdust found a minty one with the upper drawer configuration last year for a steal of a price.

If I find one I’ll buy it for you. I hate ball bearing drawers.