Show your Indestro and Duro-Chrome tools

[Oldtuleguy]

Circa 1930, preceded the sealed head ratchets

 

[MR.X]

Thanks! I was thinking it looked like Bonney and Snap on that I've had pass thru my hands and there you have it in your pic.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Hmm... I have a set of Hinsdale drain plug sockets, and they are all square, not hex. Who had a hex drain plug?

I run into those on heavy electrical connectors too, 300-600kw rental gennies.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

@Jim C.

Your drain (filler!) plug socket was hexing and vexing me, so I looked into it further. The sockets I was thinking of in my initial reply appear on page 25 of the 1940 catalog. There is an asterisk for the hex variants (post 1932 Hudson). The square jobbies they had been making for years appear on page 44, in the Select Steel section. But I found your socket in Duro-Chrome catalog 37-M (1962). See Pic 1 below. That was the latest catalog I could find in which they were advertising any drain plug sockets.

I'm also including some excerpts from the 1982 combined "Duro/Indestro" catalog to illustrate the "/" branding cues I take to be very deliberate, and which match the exact markings on the tools from that era. See Pic 2 below. Again, I think those could much later than your tool and your marking, with a hyphen instead, which I read, again, almost like a fuller echo of the hyphen in the "D-I" marking from wartime.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I think you might be onto something there... although .... looking through photos I've got " - DURO - " on one line, and then " - INDESTRO - " below it on a second line on this late-production NOS socket.... now I'm going to have to start looking more closely. I have very little "Duro Indestro" product, but the combination wrenches in a recently acquired set are marked " DURO / INDESTRO ".

 

[Private Lugnutz]

looking through photos I've got " - DURO - " on one line, and then " - INDESTRO - " below it on a second line on this late-production NOS socket....

If it was all on the same line I would agree it would definitely bust the theory, but who knows with those crazyass Duroindestro peeps. Even AFTER they "merged" (whatever that means!) and published a combined "Duro/Indestro" catalog, they were still publishing Duro only and Indestro only catalogs with identical tools! As you know, rhyme and reason is often elusive with them.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I think you've identified something that I never really noticed. Thinking about it since I posted just above, I cannot think of any earlier product on which both names were stamped, and the later stuff seems to follow that / pattern you mentioned, other than instances like that socket I just posted, and that's probably because of space limitations.

 

[d42jeep]

I can’t say that I’ve seen any early tools with Duro-Indestro markings. Other than during WW2 they were careful to keep the two brands separate During the war apparently all bets were off. My wartime Duro marked sets often have Indestro style and numbered tools. I tend to stay away from the Duro/Indestro era tools.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ same here, because the product quality declined - at least on the open-end wrenches for sure. The sockets (like those I posted just above) appear to be the same. (I have another set of dual-marked sockets as well and they look exactly like the stuff from the 1970s.) The set of Duro/Indestro branded SAE combination wrenches I recently acquired, on the other hand, is really very nice - not at all like the later DOEs.

Either way - I think Private Lugnutz just ID's something I just never noticed myself.

examples from ebay:

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Whole set of shiny double offset dwarfies with the "slash marking" upthread here.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I have a set of those "shorty" metric DBEs - those were made for a military contract. Nicely finished. Not quite as fancy as the S-K equivalent, but still top shelf. The "Proamerica" version of that set had a flat, grainy finish (I gave that set to a buddy of mine.)
The other set of Duro/Indestro sockets I have is a 1/4" drive metric set like this, but like the 1/2" drive socket above, it's spread out over two lines.

 

[Jim C.]

Thanks for digging into it! Nothing gets by you guys (Lugz, Four, Jeep). If one is looking for an answer regarding vintage tools, there’s no better place to start looking.

Jim C.

 

[d42jeep]

I dug out my square socket that I believe is for removing 1/4” pipe plugs. It is stamped 1/4. I don’t know who made it but I had it in with the Duro spares.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I received a small lot of tools in the mail today, mostly D-I sockets and related tools. I added some of them to sets in progress. I believe that the flex extension is unmarked Snap-on.

Here are a couple of D-I 1/4” drive sets inching closer to completion.

-Don

 

[d42jeep]

With the discussion about Duro-Indestro and Duro/Indestro I thought that I should check through my Duro spares.
All of them ended up being simply marked Duro Chrome except these Chrome Alloy sockets that I would like to know more about.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

"I don’t know who made it..."

looks kind of Duro-ish to me.... the only other possibility with that knurling might be...... N/B?

Not sure where "Chrome Alloy" fits in. (Now I'm wondering if AA ever dove into this one....?)

(* after skimming through his "contract production" section on Duro/Indestro, it appears that he has not. I've forwarded everything I have to him for "Chrome Alloy". I think it still remains something of a mystery. Best guess is that it was a private-label line for somebody, but no idea who, and it wasn't just sockets only.

("Chrome Alloy" photos: ebay - note weird code letter on the socket)

* note the weird “Z” production code stamped on the socket. (that sure looks like LATE production stuff to me.) * note that the wrench set includes 25/32” – so we can reasonably assume EARLIER production, right? (When did they stop putting the 25/32” in sets? Late 50s? Early 60s?) * note that Don’s set of orphans includes a 25/32” socket – again, somewhat older. Reasonable deduction from that alone is that whoever they were making these for was buying them over the course of at least a couple decades, if not longer.

In other news....

Ran across an ebay ad yesterday for a widget. Ad had a rather confusing "item description" but I went ahead and clicked "buy now" hoping that what's on the way is what I hope it is.
It looks like Duro/Indestro put this widget back into production - it shows up in the 1982 catalog, of all places. IF these are what I am hoping they are, it's an indicator that there are more of these out there somewhere. Note that the description ties it to the model 2871 1/4" drive refrigeration ratchet, so it may be the case that they only produced these in the 1/4" size in their final days.

 

[d42jeep]

Interesting. I don’t recall seeing that style in 1/4” drive. As far as I can remember, all of mine that look like that are 1/2” drive.
-Don
This Indestro 1/4” drive ratchet has a more conventional plug.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

If you guys are talking about the sockets posted in #2,616, they look Duro-Indestro for sure. I'm not at home, so I can't cite page refs, but the term Chrome Alloy is used extensively in the 1951 catalog, iirc. Whether that translates to markings or not is not apparent, but the catalog is replete with the term. Saturated.

 

[four.cycle]

This Indestro 1/4” drive ratchet has a more conventional plug.

Exactly. As do all of those Indestro 1/4" and 3/8" drive ratchets for which I do not have plugs. I am pretty sure I have several 1/4" models that are missing plugs, which is why I snapped those up before reading the "item description" in the ad. (I just saw the header.)
Which begs the question: WHY would they re-tool to make that mushroom-head plug for a 1/4" drive refrigeration ratchet?
That just doesn't make ANY sense from an economic standpoint. NONE.
We'll see what we got when they show up... no part of this makes sense.

 

[d42jeep]

Just to muddy the water a bit more, I had picked up a couple of these Duro-Indestro marked spinners to try to remove the logo and use as a placeholder in my wartime sets. Since it ended up taking hours with so-so results I decided to forget doing the second one.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

BK,
I could see the plug that you just ordered being useful in this fridge ratchet. Whatever plug they might have come with probably got lost almost immediately.
My cad plated D-I fridge set came with a 3/8” drive female ratchet and this cool plug.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

...to try to remove the logo and use as a placeholder in my wartime sets...[ ]...with so-so results...

If it's not too much fuss or expense to turn the handles amber, Don, I think they'd be very passable, especially from afar, despite the square shanks.

// BREAK //

On the CHROME ALLOY sockets, I just double-checked my memory and I was correct. They made a big deal of the composition in the 1951 catalog. They reference it on every page and every drive size in the socket wrenches section, many of the examples in all caps.

 

[d42jeep]

The square shanks are okay, they are a little too new looking.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The square shanks are okay,

Even better! I would try to dye it amber somehow and distress it!

 

[four.cycle]

@d42jeep - I do not believe the 2871 would have come with the adapter. That one is only showing in the last two catalogs we have and it doesn't show it as coming with the adapter. Now I'm even more curious about what USPS will be bringing.

@Private Lugnutz

RE: "On the CHROME ALLOY sockets..."

You're correct. I never noticed that! Like I had blinders on! It's all over that one - Catalog No. 20 (supposedly 1952) as well as all over Catalog No. 22 (1959) and 22A (1961)
These were being produced concurrently with "Select" and "Super".

 

[four.cycle]

Opening up the package I picked up at the post office a couple hours ago was a nice surprise - the model 4517 Duro/Indestro is a 4-pack. - I was expecting four pieces, not sixteen.

I think it goes without saying that there are most likely more of these out there somewhere in the hinterlands that are yet to be discovered.

@d42jeep - I'll set aside a bag of these for you. no name ratchet listed this morning.

I grabbed the little 1821 obstruction wrench because it looked like a nice clean copy and was super cheap.

did you guys see this KANE set listed this morning? who made this one? doesn't look like an S-K ratchet design to me...

 

[d42jeep]

The Kane sockets sure look S-K though. That would be tempting if it weren’t so expensive. Nice ratchet plugs. Thanks!
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I bought it. Very curious to inspect the innards of that ratchet. Looks like a similar set to raiderhillbillys

 

[four.cycle]

^ the sockets and the other pieces look exactly like raiderhillbilly's set. looks like an interesting design.

 

[Debcrow]

OK, what is this small hammer punch designed to be used for?

 

[3baygarage]

That's a rivet tool for brake shoe linings. I have one, can't say I've used one.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I don't think anyone is still riveting brake shoes!

 

[Provincial]

They are very useful for relining Cleveland Disc brakes used on small aircraft. Two rivets per pad.

I also relined Model A Ford brakes with one, which shows my age!

I used the same tool for both applications, and still have it.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Good to know they are still of use

 

[Debcrow]

I kind of had the suspicion that was what it is. It just seemed awful small for that purpose. I have a full size floor model brake lining rivet setter which uses a foot pedal to set the rivets. And yes, I have used it. Thanks for the info.

 

[four.cycle]

Indestro 824 brake lining riveting tool 1959 Indestro Catalog No. 22M pp 60

 

[bonneyman]

^ I have a set of those "shorty" metric DBEs - those were made for a military contract. Nicely finished. Not quite as fancy as the S-K equivalent, but still top shelf. The "Proamerica" version of that set had a flat, grainy finish (I gave that set to a buddy of mine.)
The other set of Duro/Indestro sockets I have is a 1/4" drive metric set like this, but like the 1/2" drive socket above, it's spread out over two lines.

I, too, snagged a set of those shorty DBE's last year. Paid a bit more than I wanted to but they don't come up often. Very nice finish.

 

[four.cycle]

^ WhatChaMaCallItTools in Oklahoma City has a mess of those for $54.99 (incl. shipping). I don't recall paying that much, but I bought two of them at that time.
THIS ebay seller has some he's dumping for $44.99 incl. shipping OBO

 

[bonneyman]

^ Yeah I paid the $55 plus shipping off of ebay. There was a landscaping outfit on line that had them but sold out before I placed an order.
No sweat - I've gotten so many good deals over the years I can take one sting of a purchase.