Show your Indestro and Duro-Chrome tools

[Cruzan80]

Guessing from the price and length of the T-bar, it is 3/4dr? I don't know the numbering well enough offhand to be certain.

 

[Outlawmws]

Spotted this on FB MP, Merced, CA $150, not mine.

Guessing from the price and length of the T-bar, it is 3/4dr? I don't know the numbering well enough offhand to be certain.

Thinking the same mostly 3/4 drive?

 

[natas2000]

Recent pick ups.

 

[four.cycle]

Guessing from the price and length of the T-bar, it is 3/4dr? I don't know the numbering well enough offhand to be certain.

Yes. 2300-series was all 3/4" drive. That's not a bad price for that set.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

I’m going through my tools and deciding what I leave at the lake and picking out some items for my Grandson’s tool box. My Grandpa left me his tools and I never realized that the large socket set was Indestro. Guess it shows you how often I need the big hammer. The cleaner looking are Indestro, I have no idea if the box is or not. The darker sockets are a mystery to me and have never noticed them being mentioned before. They are simply labelled “None Better”. I would guess the Indestro were likely purchased 1950, the None Better likely even earlier. But really just guessing.

 

[d42jeep]

The box looks to me like it very well could be postwar Indestro. Your early None Better sockets were made by New Britain. I have similar sets in smaller drive sizes.
-Don
None Better 1/4” drive set.
Wartime 1/2” drive sets. Indestro above, Duro-Chrome below.

 

[four.cycle]

I would guess the Indestro were likely purchased 1950,

Indestro's 1948 catalog No. 16 shows their 3/4" drive sets in blue boxes, and the part number for the 18-inch "male slide head" being 2363.
Indestro's 1952 catalog No. 20 shows their 3/4" drive sets in red boxes.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Indestro's 1948 catalog No. 16 shows their 3/4" drive sets in blue boxes, and the part number for the 18-inch "male slide head" being 2363.
Indestro's 1952 catalog No. 20 shows their 3/4" drive sets in red boxes.

1948 makes sense. Any idea on the “None Better” labelling on the non Indestro items in regards to dates and manufacturer?

 

[Oldtuleguy]

New britain

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

New britain

Thanks I was just about to post just that!

 

[MisterEd]

Duro-Chrome Elbow Wrench 5/8 x 3/4 “X-Circle”

 

[d42jeep]

Nice find. It’s interesting that during the war that the 5/8” x 3/4” combination was much more popular than either of those sizes paired with 11/16”.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ Curiously, Thorsen did not produce a 5/8" x 3/4" size in that "shorty" DBE series, but Giller did:

Thorsen 2112 - 3/8" x 7/16" -
Thorsen 2116 - 1/2" x 9/16" -
Thorsen 2120 - 5/8" x 11/16" -

Giller 2112 - 3/8" x 7/16"
Giller 2116 - 1/2" x 9/16"
Giller 2120S - 5/8" x 3/4"

These are both far outside the "GMTK" thing (and not related to Duro/Indestro at all) - neither of these companies were contract suppliers during WWII that I know of (although Giller supplied government/military contracts later on.)
Just something I found rather curious... I have to wonder if the 3/4" end was something aimed at the military market?

 

[d42jeep]

Although they aren’t common, this socket could have been sold to the Navy during WW2.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

rather odd size mark for Thorsen.

 

[MisterEd]

I have to wonder if the 3/4" end was something aimed at the military market?

In 1951 it was offered in that size as; No. 2081A, Chevrolet Starter Wrench

Duro Tools of Progress : Catalog No. 35 : Duro Metal Products Co. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

84 p., illus., 27.2 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

 

[four.cycle]

^ That's a "half moon" wrench. I was talking in the context of the "stubby" 45-degree offset double-end box wrenches.

 

[Outlawmws]

^ That's a "half moon" wrench. I was talking in the context of the "stubby" 45-degree offset double-end box wrenches.

Both have the 5/8 - 3/4" sizes, I'm thinking either starters for different engine block configurations, or, someone in the late 40's early 50's used a lot of 5/8 and 3/4" fasteners...

 

[d42jeep]

They must have used fewer 11/16” fasteners back in the day. Here are my wartime half moon wrenches.
-Don

 

[Outlawmws]

They must have used fewer 11/16” fasteners back in the day. Here are my wartime half moon wrenches.

Hmmm not convinced of that, based on an unscientific inventory count of my sockets by size:

Count top row size second row (formatting may suffer):

165​

1​

182​

23​

142​

5​

128​

1​

119​

15​

97​

99​

74​

6​

64​

1/2

17/32

9/16

19/32

5/8

21/32

11/16

23/32

3/4

25/32

13/16

7/8

15/16

31/32

1

 

[d42jeep]

Certainly 11/16“ fractional sockets and wrenches are currently very popular. I have Barcalo and S-K wartime wrenches that are 11/16” x 5/8”. It just seems like they were not offered as frequently in WW2 military toolsets, for whatever reason. They were included in the DOE wrenches, long DBE wrenches and sockets. Their main exclusion was in the shorty DBE wrenches
-Don

 

[Provincial]

5/8 x 3/4 would fit the heads of 7/16" and 1/2" SAE hex fasteners,, and the 3/4 would also fit the nuts of the 1/2" SAE. 11/16 would fit modern 7/16" SAE nuts and also 3/8" USS nuts. But old charts show 5/8 hex for both nuts and bolts in 7/16" SAE. When did that change? The chart in the back of Plomb Catalog 19R is one reference.

Bolts going into threaded castings/forgings/weldments? Shorty DBE wouldn't apply much torque. Maybe if the threads were in soft material.

Holding a bolt head when applying torque to a nut with a longer wrench/socket would make sense. Limited space near the bolt head. These bolt sizes have serious strength, even Grade 2.

 

[d42jeep]

I picked up this partial wartime D-I 1/4” drive set at the post office this afternoon. The excellence of the box interior was the reason for my purchase.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I found this sheath for a convertible T-L Handle wrench at the flea this morning. It's unmarked but a dead ringer for one of the two different styles of convertible T-L handles that Indestro made and advertised in the 1930's.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

What seems odd to me is that this style, with the two pins and the holes for the extra detent ball on the bar to lock in, is much more sophisticated than the other style, which is just a sheet of pressed steel with the ends pinched, and yet the cruder pinched one is the one they patented (1744413 / Peterson / 1930).

They were making and showing them both in the 1935 catalog - this one shown with a bar made from square stock (No. 646) and the other (patented pinched type) for a bar from hex stock (No. 1306).



In the 1937 catalog, the only sheath they show is the patented pinched type, and it's used for round (No. 646) and hex (No. 1036) bars. Almost like they dropped the other type.



I have both types, but only one early Indestro 1/2-inch drive offset bar. (I had a second one, but I think it was part of a massive trade/swap/gifting session with @LesserSon a couple years ago.)

 

[Private Lugnutz]

 

[Leviton]

Anybody need an early pressed steel ratchet for a kit or set?

Is the wrench indicated by the arrow made by Duro/Indestro? I just found one like this that says "MADE IN USA" but it has no other markings. I'm trying to find out who made it?

Thanks.

 

[d42jeep]

Here is an Indestro 1/4” drive flex handle that arrived in the mail yesterday. The logo is tiny and I’m not sure what series it’s from.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I plucked this one piece at a time out of a mess of stuff in an old toolbox at the flea this morning. Spotted a few tell-tale shallow sockets first, then the L-handle, more sockets, and eventually the holder. Marked No. 300 on the L-handle and the holder. I don't recall seeing a No. 300 set here on GJ before (search of thread on "300" returns nil), I don't see one on AA, I don't see it or the Indestro equivalent in the 1935 cats on IA/ITCL, and I can't find any trade mag ads for it on Google Books. The patent number on the L-handle is for the 1931 Petersen/McNaught holder, as expected, but I have never seen one quite like this, and the one shown in the patent diagram and the examples we typically see have a slightly different mechanism at the long end, some little extra holding tabs on top, and a provision for a ratchet. This is also a rather small set. Hoping 4.c knows more.

 

[Outlawmws]

Too bad about the busted socket.

 

[d42jeep]

I have an Indestro set with that patent number on the holder. The holder and knurling on the sockets is different and the set has a ratchet.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I have an Indestro set with that patent number on the holder. The holder and knurling on the sockets is different and the set has a ratchet.

Yes, they're fairly common. That's what I was referring to here...

The patent number on the L-handle is for the 1931 Petersen/McNaught holder, as expected, but I have never seen one quite like this, and the one shown in the patent diagram and the examples we typically see have a slightly different mechanism at the long end, some little extra holding tabs on top, and a provision for a ratchet.

There are a couple other variations, too. But I don't recall seeing one like the one I just found before, here or AA or anywhere else, or with the model No. 300. Hoping 4.c knows more.

 

[four.cycle]

@Leviton - your odd ratchet is a New Britain / None Better
@d42jeep - that pencil-thin skinny-handled number I think is from somewhere between post-WWII and about 1960 or so.

@Private Lugnutz - you got me. I seem to recall that patent 1788535 applied to more than one design of holder, and I can't think at the moment of where the documentation is, if it exists at all.

After just re-reading all this (and checking previous posts with that patent number):

YES, several different holder designs were manufactured that were all "covered" by 1788535.

post in this thread about 1788535

 

[Tom "Python" Aycock]

Morning to all of you!
I recently purchased a whole lot of socket boxes off sleezebay. One box contained some sockets (pleasant surprise as I was just buying an empty box lot). Amongst the sockets (JH Williams, Fleet, Indestro) are a few star branded Indestro hex drives. Along with these was this 2" drive plug. It's not a standard sized drive plug or even standard looking. Its possible it was machined from a larger hex drive handle. Was curious if anyone had seen a drive plug like this?

 

[Outlawmws]

That does not look factory made to me. it may even be hot rolled hex stock.

 

[Tom "Python" Aycock]

That does not look factory made to me. it may even be hot rolled hex stock.

Yes, upon further review and discovery of another manipulated piece of hex stock shaved into a makeshift punch(?), pretty sure this is not a stock item.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I do not think it's "factory" - I have several very odd "drive couplers" that defy explanation - similiar to that one. My guess would be that Grandpa needed something in a pinch and got creative.

 

[ken w.]

Here is a Duro - chrome # 588D 1/2 universal I found in my garage.

 

[dscheidt]

I was working on something, and asked my daughter to bring me a small pliers. I expected to get the little cobras, but she brought me the little Indestro pair instead. I'd forgotten I'd ever had them, let alone given them to her.

 

[d42jeep]

Duro and Indestro tools found in 2016.
Duro spinner found at a sale last week.
-Don