Show your Indestro and Duro-Chrome tools

[r_olson_06]

I picked up this empty Duro socket set box at an Oakland hills estate sale today. It was pure masochism on my part. The box is rusty, dented and bent and I know just what tools go in it, because I already have three complete and one mostly complete sets. Sometimes I have to wonder why I do these things?
-Don

I did the same thing yesterday. I saw a 1/4 Plomb socket box on a sale and picked it up. I have 6 now but I couldn't leave it there for a $1.

Looking for the following Plomb Pebbles Wrench 3061

 

[Outlawmws]

It'll Buff out!

 

[LesserSon]

If the great Indestro Ell experiment doesn’t work out, I have a couple of Duro Ells to spare.
-Don

Duro-ly noted, Don!

 

[d42jeep]

I spent a little bit of time on the masochism set today. I took a body hammer and dolly and beat out a few of the dents. I wiped it down with Formula 409 and started adding my worst example of each correct (or incorrect if I didn’t have a correct one) tool. Hopefully, some of my tool buddies will send me a few rusty pieces to help complete it.
-Don

 

[LesserSon]

So...Lugz had said some of these are early WWII, I guess the ones with the Duro-Chrome arc? Is the straight logo (near the small red “1”) late WWII, then?
And how about just “USA”, not even a “Duro” (upper right) - pre- or post-War?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nobody has solved the riddle on the arcing/no arcing name, but if they're black oxide or dark steel vs plated, and "E" (early to mid war) and "G" series (late war) 61 to 69, they're generally considered legit regardless of the arcing/no arcing name, although arcing is definitely considered more preferred/less questionable, if that makes sense.

The 861-869 series is considered postwar, and probably contract, but that is deduction (they're identical in style/profile and finish except for the marking) not documented. I've got a bunch of those, too.

 

[LesserSon]

Thank you.

 

[Provincial]

I found a Duro ignition set at an estate sale today. It had a bunch of unrelated (but ignition maintanence) tools mixed in, so it was only after I got it back to my truck and took inventory that I realized that all the wrenches were there!

Photo #1 is as-found.
Photo #2 is the Duro items only with a replacement screwdriver
Photo #3 is the unrelated items
Photo #4 is the pair of "Cross Country" ignition pliers from the unrelated items.

The wrenches are G61, G62, G63, G64, G65, G66, G67, G68, and G69. The pliers are G2110. Missing is the original screwdriver.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Missing is the original screwdriver.

Extremely hard to find. Nice pick up, though, on the near-whole set in the original leatherette roll-up. Late WWII.

 

[d42jeep]

Here are a couple of late war sets. The canvas roll is pretty rare.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The canvas roll is pretty rare.
-Don

It is. The only other one I know of was in my "Living History" GMTK (link to my GJ thread here), now safely ensconced in a well-guarded garage/collector's depot in Patagonia, AZ!

Jock, your find was exceptional for the wild, by the way, in my experience. I've had very good luck finding several wartime ignition sets at flea markets over the years, including Duro, Cornwell, and Herbrand, all moved on to other WWII collectors now, but only two of them have been the "large" (late war, including two additional wrenches and mini-pliers and mini-screwdriver) sets and I don't think either of those was complete. You had a very nice estate sale find.

Here are three of the smaller, earlier war sets - two less wrenches and no mini-pliers or clip-on mini-driver. Two of them are Duro E-series. Most of these came in impregnated oilcloth roll-ups, very few in leatherette roll-ups, from what I can tell empirically. Conversely, nearly all of the late war sets came in leatherette roll-ups, and very few in canvas, and those were very late. You can literally see the progression from prewar to war to late war to KW era (when they were all canvas).

 

[d42jeep]

I had previously found another canvas roll that was frayed on the left side of the smallest pocket so I was lucky enough to find another on eBay without any correct tools. I filled it up and that is the one I posted upthread. My wife was nice enough to repair the frayed roll today and it came out really well. The first two pictures are before and after shots. The other sets are late war ones I’ve managed to collect.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Here are some earlier E series ignition wrench sets.
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice. Looks like metric set box.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

My wife was nice enough to repair the frayed roll today and it came out really well.

Kudos to the seamstress, Don!

 

[d42jeep]

I'm a sucker for those nice little socket boxes, too. Picked up this one a couple weeks ago. The push button latch feature is particularly nice on this one. No clue what to do with it, I don't do Indestro.

Other than some wartime pieces, I don’t collect Indestro either but this little ratchet was too nice to leave behind. I wonder if one like it might have come in your box? Here it is next to it’s much larger Wizard cousin.
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Here is an odd indestro select wrench. Have not come across one of this style before.

 

[d42jeep]

Here is an odd indestro select wrench. Have not come across one of this style before.

I think I may have one with that same logo. The circle DC marking indicates wartime production. They are more commonly branded Duro Chrome or Indestro.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Super-Quality was prewar and wartime. It became just Super after the war.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Thanks guys. Had not seen that logo before.

 

[outofbounds]

My Indestro Collection is small but Mighty!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Some indestro deep sockets

 

[outofbounds]

These little fellers made it out of the bucket to say hi!

Indestro Box Wrenches & Duro-Chrome D-2 Tappet Wrench

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Looks like the collection is growing!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Here is a clearly d-I set marked only western. Don't know if it is a western auto variant or something else.

 

[d42jeep]

I’m sure they were Duro/Indestro manufactured tools for Western Auto. I have a well worn but similar socket. This one is marked Westcraft.
-Don

 

[toolmutt]

Here is a clearly d-I set marked only western. Don't know if it is a western auto variant or something else.

Wow! Those are the white snow leopard of sockets for me. I've been trying to finish a set for years. I now just need a long extension to feel complete. I even communicated with the folks at AA but they had never heard of "Western". I posted some pics with some scattered discussion in posts 562 thru 574 in this thread.

I have a few extras if you have gaps you want to fill.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Thanks toolmut I will check them!

 

[d42jeep]

These came in the mail yesterday and are a mix of mostly Duro Chrome and D-I sockets with an earlier Chromium Vanadium socket thrown in. The spinner is unmarked and looks like some of the ones in my other D-I 1/4” drive sets. There are traces of a decal left on the box but I don’t recognize it. Any thoughts?
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Wow that decal is rough. Hard to tell on that one.

 

[lardy1]

There is a pretty extensive set of D-trapezoid with ratchet, a couple speeders and what might be the original box at my local auction. I'm high bidder but there is some time to go.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

TThere are traces of a decal left on the box but I don’t recognize it. Any thoughts?

Isn't it the same decal that's on all your other, bigger set boxes, Don? Red, shaped like shield, with TOOLS OF PROGRESS across the top and a yellow banner across it about 2/3rds of the way down? Sure looks like it to me.

 

[d42jeep]

Isn't it the same decal that's on all your other, bigger set boxes, Don? Red, shaped like shield, with TOOLS OF PROGRESS across the top and a yellow banner across it about 2/3rds of the way down? Sure looks like it to me.

I hope you are right. The colors seem correct. I thought that it was a possibility but I haven’t seen that exact box configuration in a Duro set before. The way the box only opens 90 degrees and the tray layout is reminiscent of a postwar S-K 1/4” drive box which it obviously isn’t. Thanks for taking a look at it.
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

The earlier chrome vanadium and wards sets had that style box

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I think I had a Duro midget set and box like that years and years ago. I'd have to go through G503 or old pictures on my computer from 2012 or 2013.

 

[d42jeep]

I did a little more checking and found a couple of Indestro Chrome Vanadium marked boxes with that design. I moved some sockets around and completed some sets. I put some chrome Duro Chrome tools into the new Duro marked small box. I got tired of looking at the unpainted rusty interior of the 3/8” Duro set so I spray bombed it with some OD. Here are the complete and incomplete sets. All of the larger box sets have D-I sockets. The 3/8” drive set is made up entirely of found individual pieces.
-Don

 

[GalaxyRat]

Hey, everyone. I just bought and cleaned up this Indestro 19-piece socket set.

From what I understand, there were two different model numbers for this set: No. 1234 and No. 1452. I am unsure of the age on my set, but believe it is the late 30's model No. 1234 because it isn't stamped anywhere with a name or model number (feel free to educate me if I'm wrong). I think this is such a neat set, besides the cadmium coating.

I soaked them in evaporust and shined them with oiled steel wool.

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

 

[transam81]

Picked this up today thinking it could be plomb due to the font style but the number doesn't seem to match. No name markings that I can see yet. Found a few newer Indestro super that matched the same number (2785) on ebay.

Believe this is cadmium covered, would it be WWII era? I didn't see much on AA unless I missed it. 3/8" drive

 

[Capt. Curt]

Only have a few Indestro Super hand tools myself.

Recently put all my Indestro Super hand tools in a drawer in my recently acquired S-K Wayne 5 drawer tool chest.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice stuff. Transam that is probably the case. Capt curt that's all good stuff. My favorite ignition pliers. Here is a box full of fridge stuff.