Show your Indestro and Duro-Chrome tools

[RyanE]

@four.cycle

Thanks for the quick response!

I wonder if they were actually made by Williams or if they were outsourced to someone else. It seems like the 15" and up Indestro and Williams are a different style than the smaller 12" and down. I will have to spend some time looking at catalogues to see if similarities are noted for other brands. I am guessing my 2 examples are 1950's to 1970's but that's just a guess.

Cheers!

 

[four.cycle]

^ I have no clue. I have smaller Indestro adjustables, but honestly - I don't think Indestro was making them. There were other tool manufacturers who had the tooling already set up and were very good at making adjustables: Diamond, Danielson, and others.

 

[d42jeep]

I/4” drive Duro extension to fill out a set.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Snagged this Indestro Super No. 360 kit at the flea this morning. It's got the Hosford design patent number (111,026 / 1938) on it as expected. They're not rare (there are already a few on the thread), and not as cool, in my opinion, as the Perry-Fay version of the sockets-on-a-shank spinner kit, but they are neat, and I was happy to find it.

 

[burnin53]

Can we assume this is a Perry-Fay?
It is a 7/16" hex drive 5/8."
I think I may have some 1/4 in my "archives."

 

[four.cycle]

Indestro Super 774 777B 778 780 Long Handle Series SAE Combination Wrench (late production ca. 1970s)

 

[four.cycle]

Duro and Indestro "Combination Wrenches" (Alloy-Artifacts.org)
Duro "020" series "Combination Box and Open End Wrenches" (Alloy-Artifacts.org)
Indestro Super 77X "Combination Wrenches" (Alloy-Artifacts.org)

There seems to be some confusion regarding these types of products which were produced both by "Duro Chrome" and "Indestro" concurrently.
Duro offered a different product selection than Indestro, part of which included their wrenches with the "dart" design on the beams.

Indestro did not call their "combination wrench" a "combination wrench" at first. For that matter, nobody did. Somebody here sent me down a rabbit hole quite a while back with the question "Who made the first combination wrench?"
When you start searching for the answer to that question, you'll discover that nobody called them "combination wrench" until they'd been on the market for two decades.
They are "2-Way Box End Wrenches" in the 1935, 1937, and 1948 Indestro catalog. Not until the 1952 catalog No. 20 (page 29) does Indestro refer to them as a "Combination Wrench".

The manufacturer's own nomenclature is part of the cause of the confusion here.

All of these wrenches - Duro's "020" (or "Combination Box and Open End Wrenches", as they are called in the 1935 Duro catalog); Duro's "Combination Box Open End Wrenches" (as they are called in the 1940 and 1947 Duro catalogs); Duro's "Combination Wrenches" (as they are first referred to in Duro's 1951 catalog on page 30); and the various iterations of Indestro's "SuperQuality" "2-Way Box End Wrenches" and "Combination Wrenches" (mentioned above); and their succeeding counterparts simply branded "Duro Chrome" or "Indestro Super" went through evolutions in design, the earlier versions having thinner beams and heads than their later counterparts.

However, it is worth noting that none of the early "SuperQuality" or the early Duro "020" wrenches (as they are referred to by AA) were advertised or marketed as "thin".
There exists no extant documentation making any claims in respect to the thickness of the beams or the heads.

Here's my request:

Get out your calipers (or micrometer) and give me beam and head thickness on your early "SuperQuality" combo or Duro "dart" combo. I don't own any of those - all of mine are the later "Indestro Super" (see post #3086.)
In order not to clutter up the thread, shoot them to me via P/M please.

Thanks.
BK

 

[Oldtuleguy]

This one has a receipt in the box for some pistons dated 1945

 

[PSCo1867]

This one has a receipt in the box for some pistons dated 1945

For a motor-head, this torque wrench has off-the charts cool factor. But wait, I don't see the small-block chevy head diagram!...

 

[PSCo1867]

Duro-Chrome 5/8" No. 2235 thin combination wrench with X-circle logo (apparently designating it a war-time wrench). Interesting how the logo side of wrench is convex (along the length), and the other side is concave.

 

[Beerhippie]

Found a Duro ratchet and a couple of Duro tools to go with it today:





The ratchet is broached for a 1/4" drive plug at each end, with a 1/2" 12pt box end opposite the ratchet. It also has a smaller square broach by the BE end.

Tool mounted on the wrench is Duro Chrome. It's made from two pieces and I don't know what it's for. Some kind of locknut? The only thing I have that it might fit would be the tang nut on an old stacked-leather knife handle. The tool on the right is Duro Metal. Again, not sure what it's for--I don't often see 7/32" square-heat nuts with domed shoulders.



The other tools are Bonney and Hinsdale.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Duro fridge set, for gland nuts square end valves

 

[d42jeep]

Here is my wartime fridge D-I set.

 

[Beerhippie]

Cool!

Looks like all I need to complete my Duro De Lux Refrigeration set is... EVERYTHING ELSE!

No problemo.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I have those 3/16" square and 7/32" square sockets in a Walden mish-mash. refrigeration / AC stuff.

 

[four.cycle]

1963 Hardware Age SKIN PACK

1963 Hardware Age Indestro ad pp 152 skin pack

@Private Lugnutz - be sure to catch the USMC blurb

 

[Beerhippie]

Thanks again for the swift ID of the refrigeration wrench set!

I'm helping a friend sort through his late father's stuff and he gave me this 1/2" ratchet today:



Indestro Super 3201. This thing is heavy!

From no Indestro/Duro tools to several in two days....

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Happy to find this wartime 10-1/2" 666D "Swing-Head Handle" at the flea market this morning. Double-duty as an extension with that male drive stud on the end. It did not come with a cross-bar, but I have a pile of just-in-case orphans.

 

[Mark Stansbury]

Sept. 1928 Indestro plant tour article in Metal Stampings magazine. Just added to Archive.org.

 

[d42jeep]

These wartime ignition pliers are a recent eBay find. They have the wartime Circle DC (X) marking and the part number is Duro-Chrome 2110.
-Don

They originally came in the larger 9 wrench Duro ignition wrench sets containing wrenches E61 to E69 plus a rare screwdriver

 

[Beerhippie]

Today's addition:



Indestro 2775. 72 teeth and runs smooth as silk. For a buck, I just couldn't say no.

 

[four.cycle]

^ only 52 on that one. later one (2775A had a 60-tooth mechanism in it.)

 

[Beerhippie]

^ only 52 on that one. later one (2775A had a 60-tooth mechanism in it.)

I recounted. Where did those twenty extra teeth go?

 

[RTM]

I recounted. Where did those twenty extra teeth go?

So many paths we could take that down, old age, meth, prison, Rocky, etc.

 

[Outlawmws]

I always start with a 1/4 turn count (X4) - It's so easy to lose track of the rotation...

 

[RTM]

I always start with a 1/4 turn count (X4) - It's so easy to lose track of the rotation...

Put a socket on it, hold socket. Start with handle on your wrists, count to 24, stop when back on your wrist. I got a bunch of old ratchets, so even 52 might be high for mine.

 

[Beerhippie]

I always start with a 1/4 turn count (X4) - It's so easy to lose track of the rotation...

I marked "witnesses" with a Sharpie, then counted. I guess I got distracted the first time around.

Definitely 52--still not bad for an older wrench. It goes in the toolbox.

 

[four.cycle]

^ it is one of the better RHFT American-made ratchets of the 20th Century.

 

[Outlawmws]

Put a socket on it, hold socket. Start with handle on your wrists, count to 24, stop when back on your wrist.

I hold it in my hand with the drive facing me and "square" it; then count for 1/4 turn rarely off much, and if indeterminate, go a full 1/2 (was that 12 or 13? OK, at 26 I know...

 

[Beerhippie]

Just out of curiosity, I just checked my SK 45170, my previous finest-tooth 20th century rat. It has 40 teeth, making the Indestro my finest-tooth 20th C ratchet yet--next to my T&E SRC150, of course, which has no teeth. For low backdrag, the T&E takes it again, followed closely by the Indestro. The T&E can be fiddly to use, as it has the push-through drive plug instead of a reverser switch--and is unmarked for direction.

 

[four.cycle]

but... isn't the T & E ratchet a "gearless" model?

Yes, the Indestro has a finer-tooth mechanism than its S-K counterpart.
I think you'll find if it's cleaned and lubricated properly it will run quite smoothly.
They're not fond of heavy grease. Just light oil is all you need.

 

[Beerhippie]

To quote myself: "...my T&E SRC150, of course, which has no teeth."

I think T&E referred to it as the "Infinity Drive".

 

[Outlawmws]

Some new Indestro and DC additions the DC has the "DC (X) in a circle.

 

[GaryM909]

I picked up this 3/8” metric set last week. It’s missing the 13mm and the 17mm sockets as well as the 5” extension. I have never seen a 5” extension before. Plastic case with a broken latch of course. There is also a 8mm and 9mm included. All 12 point sockets. I am not sure of the year

 

[four.cycle]

I have never seen a 5” extension before.

Long prior to their introduction of their "Select" and "Classic" lines, Indestro's 1935 catalog shows their longer 3/8" drive extension, model 2732, was marketed as being 4-1/2" inches in length:

Indestro 2731 2732 2733 3233 3.8 dr extensions - 1935 Indestro catalog pp 15

By 1971, they had expanded their selection of extensions, offering their 3/8" drive model 2733 in a 6-inch length:

Indestro 2730 2732 2732 2733 2734 2735 2737 3.8 dr extension 1971 Indestro catalog No. 55 pp 5

Generally speaking, for most sockets and drive accessories, you can replace "27" with "62" and get the same item in Indestro; the "27" being their "Super" line, and the "62" being the "Select" or "Classic" line.

But oddly, the 1971 Indestro "Classic" catalog No. 10 shows their medium-length 3/8" drive extension as being 5 inches in length:


Indestro 6230 6233 6235 3.8 dr extension 1971 Indestro Classic catalog No. 10 pp 9

First time I've ever seen that question. I'm going to have to go dig out sets now and compare extensions to satiate my curiosity.
Your 7790MM set dates from the 1970s. It does not appear in the 1971, 1982, or 1984 price sheet so I have to assume it was one of their "promotional" sets.
(Socket part numbers should be 46010, 46011. 46012, 46013, 46014, 46015, 46016, 46017, correct?)

 

[Beerhippie]

I picked up this 3/8” metric set last week. It’s missing the 13mm and the 17mm sockets as well as the 5” extension. I have never seen a 5” extension before. Plastic case with a broken latch of course. There is also a 8mm and 9mm included. All 12 point sockets. I am not sure of the year

Here's a, 1/2" X 5" extension, make and vintage unknown:



It's the first I've seen.

 

[GaryM909]

Here's a, 1/2" X 5" extension, make and vintage unknown:



It's the first I've seen.

I imagine it will be an absolute fluke if I ever come across a 3/8" extension 5 " long. I might have to shorten a 6" just to satisfy my ocd.

 

[Outlawmws]

There are lots of 5" extensions in 1/2" drive - fewer in 3/8" (None in 1/4" that I'm aware of):

Cornwell E26
Indestro 6233
Plvmb WF-17
Thorsen 53J


The 1/2" list:

Penens 1666
Wright N12-54
P-K 84-4861
P&C P6203 - 100
P&C 6203
Snap-on SX-5
Snap-on S-6
SK? - Unmarked double band
S-k diamond 40161
S-k double band 40161
S-K Wayne 40161
BlackHawk 49966
Craftsman Long C - circle H
Craftsman Long C - BH
Proto 5461
Plvmb 5461
? 41-B-307
indestro 1155 Impact
Snap-on PS6 impact
Fleet 1666
Mac V5E

These are all from my inventory list.

 

[GaryM909]

Long prior to their introduction of their "Select" and "Classic" lines, Indestro's 1935 catalog shows their longer 3/8" drive extension, model 2732, was marketed as being 4-1/2" inches in length:

Indestro 2731 2732 2733 3233 3.8 dr extensions - 1935 Indestro catalog pp 15

By 1971, they had expanded their selection of extensions, offering their 3/8" drive model 2733 in a 6-inch length:

Indestro 2730 2732 2732 2733 2734 2735 2737 3.8 dr extension 1971 Indestro catalog No. 55 pp 5

Generally speaking, for most sockets and drive accessories, you can replace "27" with "62" and get the same item in Indestro; the "27" being their "Super" line, and the "62" being the "Select" or "Classic" line.

But oddly, the 1971 Indestro "Classic" catalog No. 10 shows their medium-length 3/8" drive extension as being 5 inches in length:


Indestro 6230 6233 6235 3.8 dr extension 1971 Indestro Classic catalog No. 10 pp 9

First time I've ever seen that question. I'm going to have to go dig out sets now and compare extensions to satiate my curiosity.
Your 7790MM set dates from the 1970s. It does not appear in the 1971, 1982, or 1984 price sheet so I have to assume it was one of their "promotional" sets.
(Socket part numbers should be 46010, 46011. 46012, 46013, 46014, 46015, 46016, 46017, correct?)

I will check tomorrow

 

[GaryM909]

Long prior to their introduction of their "Select" and "Classic" lines, Indestro's 1935 catalog shows their longer 3/8" drive extension, model 2732, was marketed as being 4-1/2" inches in length:

Indestro 2731 2732 2733 3233 3.8 dr extensions - 1935 Indestro catalog pp 15

By 1971, they had expanded their selection of extensions, offering their 3/8" drive model 2733 in a 6-inch length:

Indestro 2730 2732 2732 2733 2734 2735 2737 3.8 dr extension 1971 Indestro catalog No. 55 pp 5

Generally speaking, for most sockets and drive accessories, you can replace "27" with "62" and get the same item in Indestro; the "27" being their "Super" line, and the "62" being the "Select" or "Classic" line.

But oddly, the 1971 Indestro "Classic" catalog No. 10 shows their medium-length 3/8" drive extension as being 5 inches in length:


Indestro 6230 6233 6235 3.8 dr extension 1971 Indestro Classic catalog No. 10 pp 9

First time I've ever seen that question. I'm going to have to go dig out sets now and compare extensions to satiate my curiosity.
Your 7790MM set dates from the 1970s. It does not appear in the 1971, 1982, or 1984 price sheet so I have to assume it was one of their "promotional" sets.
(Socket part numbers should be 46010, 46011. 46012, 46013, 46014, 46015, 46016, 46017, correct?)

You are correct. All the socket #s start with 460. Indestro tools aren't very common up here. I never even seen them when I started buying tools back in the 70's. Even my dad who did maintenance for a living never had any.