Show your “Crowntop” Craftsman

[LesserSon]

Is it possible there is no thread for posting Crowntop logo Craftsman tools, supplies, and boxes? These products are about fifty or so years old, still functional, but often showing their age.
I’ll start with my latest two purchases: a 12’ tape measure (today) and a carry box (couple weeks ago). Each cost me a dollar.
The box I am calling the zombie box. It is coated with the ugliest, most grotesque verdigris overspray, or perhaps the most tenacious algae that ever was. A bath in Simple Green has barely lightened the grime. But I plan to bring it back from the dead. If I don’t make some headway soon, I may pop the logo plate off and subject the steel to some more abrasive attention. I already yanked the plastic handle off for separate treatment. The original hammered gray paint has rusted off the bottom and there are some pinholes need patching.
Yeah, it’s finally coming off.

 

[d42jeep]

It’s quite a coincidence that you started this thread since I spent the morning putting =v= tools into my Crown boxes. Here are some of today’s pictures. The last picture is a 3/8” drive set.
-Don

 

[3baygarage]

Thread’s still where we left it fellas.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199000&highlight=Show+crown+top+love

 

[LesserSon]

Thanks, 3Bay, for the redirect!
NOW, I’m subscribed. (Have to go more cautiously on the Heritage...)

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Well damn I was hoping this new Crown top thread would take off. The existing one isn't (at least to my knowledge) in the vintage tool section (nor is the Heritage thread I don't think). LS, if you do end up removing the logo from that box and want a couple of rivets to reinstall it let me know. I did a Heritage box a while back and minimum order on the rivets was 200 so....I have some extras.

d42: Damn that's a nice family!

 

[JoCoSawdust]

I'm gonna post on this one anyhow. Here's my latest Crown acquisition:

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Picked this up about a year ago. Unused Crown set with handwritten (in pencil) receipt. No sales tax. Sold when I was 4 months old.

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Little lightweight Crown carry box

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Crown 10 drawer

 

[JoCoSawdust]

The only Crown wrench rack I've ever found

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Another unused Crown set. The sockets in the tray are metric.

 

[d42jeep]

Nice. Those early metric tools aren’t all that common. I think this thread being in the vintage section is right where it belongs. I only go to that other place to post on the Garage Sale thread.
-Don

 

[JoCoSawdust]

I agree Don. I've got both the Crown and Heritage threads bookmarked but don't check them out much as they don't get much traffic. This is the perfect place for them.

 

[Macduf]

Another of those $1 it followed me home foolish finds.

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a Crown picture frame clamp set and a stapler both gone to new homes.
-Don

 

[Zrxrunner]

I have a habit of buying whatever boxed craftsman item I come across, lots being crown top. I'll post those when I get more time, here's what's on the phone already.

 

[thehorse13]

Picked this up about a year ago. Unused Crown set with handwritten (in pencil) receipt. No sales tax. Sold when I was 4 months old.

$39.99 is about $330 today. Amazing to think of it this way considering that most of us are used to seeing cheap prices on Craftsman/Sears tools.

 

[d42jeep]

Here are a couple more Crown socket sets that have come and gone.
-Don

 

[JoCoSawdust]

$39.99 is about $330 today. Amazing to think of it this way considering that most of us are used to seeing cheap prices on Craftsman/Sears tools.

Exactly. I was bored once and took the price of a set of Long C turning knives, compared that to median income for the time and discovered that set of turning knives would cost the buyer about 2 months of income. It's no wonder that Sears used to have an installment plan.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

Here's my torque wrench I got from Dad right around the time he started farming out most maintenance tasks. The gear teeth are chowdered a little in one spot and I'm thinking of taking the other pictured ratchet apart to source replacement parts. It works fine except when you get the pawls digging into the bad spot and high torquing can make for some painful slippage.

 

[JoCoSawdust]

This is more action than the other Crown thread has seen in months. Makes a big difference having this in the Vintage section. I know some would argue that Crown isn't vintage but dating back to 58-59 it's close enough. I love seeing this stuff as it's what I grew up with.

 

[JoCoSawdust]

I seem to recall somebody mentioning that there had been a request to move the Heritage thread to Vintage Tools section and it got no traction. Is that correct?

 

[d42jeep]

I hadn’t heard about that, but it would make perfect sense. The moderators were very responsive to a request to move the Duro/Indestro thread to the vintage section and that seems to have been successful with plenty of current postings.
I found a few Crown items to take some pictures of today.
-Don

 

[txlonghorn1989]

This is more action than the other Crown thread has seen in months. Makes a big difference having this in the Vintage section. I know some would argue that Crown isn't vintage but dating back to 58-59 it's close enough. I love seeing this stuff as it's what I grew up with.

I absolutely think stuff from the 60s qualifies as vintage. Antique from the 60s? No.

JCS You're just showing off now! I love all that Craftsman stuff you've got! ;0)

Here is some of my Crown badged stuff...

PS I've picked up a quench tray for the grinder since that pic was taken.

PPS Added a couple more pics...

 

[JoCoSawdust]

I can't help but pick up Crown stuff when I run across it. It's the stuff I grew up with. I figure if I snag it now while it's still in good shape and take care of it, it'll be antique for somebody one of these days!

Nice stuff Tex. I really like that larger machinist chest. I set mine on one of my benches and it's perfect for all my "cleaning up stuff". I envision an uncharted island someplace where all the missing quench trays for those blocks are. Glad you were able to find one!

 

[JoCoSawdust]

I hadn’t heard about that, but it would make perfect sense. The moderators were very responsive to a request to move the Duro/Indestro thread to the vintage section and that seems to have been successful with plenty of current postings.
I found a few Crown items to take some pictures of today.
-Don

I've requested the Heritage thread be moved here but only sent a message through the "Contact Us" link in the bottom margin. Do you happen to know the screen name of a moderator I could contact directly?

Love the jigsaw blades! One thing that's fun about Crown stuff is there's still so much of it out there in original packaging.

 

[d42jeep]

I don’t know how to specifically contact a moderator. As I recall, I went to the last posting on the Duro/Indestro thread and used the “Report” button at the lower left of the post and made my request there. It’s been a while and my memory is suspect, however.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I absolutely think stuff from the 60s qualifies as vintage. Antique from the 60s? No.

JCS You're just showing off now! I love all that Craftsman stuff you've got! ;0)

Here is some of my Crown badged stuff...

PS I've picked up a quench tray for the grinder since that pic was taken.

PPS Added a couple more pics...

It looks to me like we have toolbox twins. The first picture is yours. I think mine is slightly more abused than yours.
-Don

 

[JoCoSawdust]

I don’t know how to specifically contact a moderator. As I recall, I went to the last posting on the Duro/Indestro thread and used the “Report” button at the lower left of the post and made my request there. It’s been a while and my memory is suspect, however.
-Don

Heritage is now in Vintage Tools Don. That was fast service!!

 

[txlonghorn1989]

It looks to me like we have toolbox twins. The first picture is yours. I think mine is slightly more abused than yours.
-Don

Don,
Those do look like the same box. I use mine as my travel box when I'm going to look at a woodworking machine or might need to remove a vise, etc. Loaded with old Craftsman -V- tools for the most part. I'm sure you could have filled your X number of times!

Mike

 

[txlonghorn1989]

I can't help but pick up Crown stuff when I run across it. It's the stuff I grew up with. I figure if I snag it now while it's still in good shape and take care of it, it'll be antique for somebody one of these days!
...

I feel exactly the same Sawdust. Now having three grandsons ages 8, 6 & newborn I probably ought to start trying to build each one up a good toolbox of Craftsman that they can pass on to their kid(s) after they've used it for a lifetime. Nice to have just come up with a new long term project! :0)

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Okay, I completely forgot about this Crown box I have which holds my 3/4" -V- socket set. Thank you again for that box Don!

PS As you can see in my sig I'm still trying to finish that set up. Hint! Hint! To anyone listening out there. ;0)

 

[d42jeep]

Here are a few more Crown pictures. This is a Waterloo made box I found loaded at a private estate sale in October 2017.
-Don

 

[Zrxrunner]

D42, not doubting you, but what are the tells that your machinist box is a waterloo and not a kennedy? I just got one recently that's very similar

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Zrx, there's a thread in here somewhere that takes a pretty deep dive into the makers of the Craftsman branded machinist chests (which I'm unable to quickly find at the moment). The biggest take away for me is the presence of dimples on each side of the lock indicates Waterloo as the OEM. Same dimples can be found on all the Waterloo made top chests in the gray/red era. If I can find that thread again later I'll post a link to it here.

 

[d42jeep]

D42, not doubting you, but what are the tells that your machinist box is a waterloo and not a kennedy? I just got one recently that's very similar

Here is the discussion that JoCo references above. I absolutely thought my box was a Kennedy until I was educated in that thread. Here is a very similar looking Kennedy box. My Craftsman box doesn’t have the two spring loaded pins to retain the front cover like the Kennedy machinists boxes do, besides the dimples alongside the lock.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=380481&highlight=Craftsman+Kennedy
-Don

 

[Whca]

Nice! Would like to get some of those clear plastic bags for Allen wrenches!

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Here is the discussion that JoCo references above. I absolutely thought my box was a Kennedy until I was educated in that thread. Here is a very similar looking Kennedy box. My Craftsman box doesn’t have the two spring loaded pins to retain the front cover like the Kennedy machinists boxes do, besides the dimples alongside the lock.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=380481&highlight=Craftsman+Kennedy
-Don

It's interesting to compare your 8d Crown machinist chest with my 8d Crown machinist chest Don. Mine obviously has all the Kennedy traits. Lid supports, locking pins and lack of dimples. It would be interesting to know if Sears was sourcing these boxes from two different OEMs at the same time or if there was a change at one point and if so, when that was.

 

[GalaxyRat]

Here's mine!

Sent from my SM-G973U using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[406Rich]

Picked my Crowntop up in `71 new.