Show your Indestro and Duro-Chrome tools

[Lesserstore]

The other side isn’t much more help - just “Made in USA”Another weirdness about it: there is no adjustment bolt, but more importantly, no threads inside the hollow of the handle. I was going to try tapping it to accept a typical Petersen adjustment bolt.

EDIT - oops, sorry! I see from the others, there is a missing insert that is threaded. Not so weird on that point, then.

This version with the model number on the bottom jaw first appeared in the 1977-78 catalog, and continued until at least 1995. I remember reading on the Progress is Fine blog about Parker and how they got bought by Stanley in the 1980s and you'll see Stanley versions of these as well, so I guess they were supplied by Stanley after that. As for the finish, the catalogs say nickel plated, and my pair were dull like yours but after some chrome polish they shined right up.

 

[four.cycle]

"Rust Resistant plated finish" is all they say:

Indestro 3432 spark plug and 3432 locking pliers 1971 Indestro catalog No. 55 pp 39

looks like they only made them in a 10 inch size.

the RE24465 is Parker's patent

 

[d42jeep]

I found a Craftsman pair last Saturday. Here are the markings.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

that looks like "I" to me.

 

[d42jeep]

I looked through the Duro catalogs available online from prewar to postwar and i didn’t see where Duro was offering any Vise Grip type plier. They did offer one much later and that one didn’t resemble Lesser Son’s Craftsman. I‘m not sure what to think at this point.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I'm still thinking that's a buggered extra deep Circle-I stamp.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I think d42jeep's last example is clearly Parker - the logo more resembles "I" than the "DC in a circle", and the profile of the piece is different than the Indestro shown in the catalog image.

The finish on the Indestro was more like 1970s-1980s production Petersen Vise-Grip - shiny but not polished - and not a smooth surface, but more "grainy".

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Sorry. I was referring to LesserSon's. Essentially, I think Mintgrun solved this even though he doesn't think he did. I think LesserSon's is the same tool made in the same era by Parker and the deep way the Circle-I was stamped is only fooling us into thinking it looks like a Circle-DC, which is by all other evidence anachronistic (wartime-ish) and unfounded (they didn't make them) and unprecedented (codes, not OEM logos). In short, seeing stigmata in oatmeal. I could be wrong. I could be overstating. I am on my third bottle of Mad Elf and one tall glass of Gregg Nog. And yes I know what time it is on the Beast Coast.

 

[four.cycle]

"... LesserSon's is the same tool made in the same era by Parker and the deep way the Circle-I was stamped is only fooling us into thinking it looks like a Circle-DC, which is by all other evidence anachronistic (wartime-ish) and unfounded (they didn't make them) and unprecedented (codes, not OEM logos). In short, seeing stigmata in oatmeal...."

Sloppy stampings notwithstanding, I have to agree with you.
Judge Judy often said "If it doesn't make sense, it can't be true."

 

[d42jeep]

Here are some D/I Circle DC markings for comparison.
-Don

 

[saukit]

Here's another example of the circle X, just dug this out of the Evaporust. It's not marked Duro Chrome but I assume it is, 1027C DOE.

 

[d42jeep]

Here's another example of the circle X, just dug this out of the Evaporust. It's not marked Duro Chrome but I assume it is, 1027C DOE.

Nice wartime example of a Duro GMTK correct 41-W-1005-5

 

[d42jeep]

At four.cycle’s urging on the eBay permathread, I made a low offer on this smooth working NOS Indestro ratchet that was accepted by the seller. It will be joining the other ratchets in my user toolbox
-Don

 

[saukit]

Some Indestro out of the cleaning pile: Hex rat and a 9/16 socket, this is the only one I've found with the D shaped stamps. The rest of the wrenches have the Indestro stamp up if they have one. The ones with no stamp are unlabeled but I'm assuming Indestro due to the shape of the inset. The weird little extension is probably not Indestro but I found it with the hex rat from what I remember.

 

[d42jeep]

Some Indestro out of the cleaning pile: Hex rat and a 9/16 socket, this is the only one I've found with the D shaped stamps. The rest of the wrenches have the Indestro stamp up if they have one. The ones with no stamp are unlabeled but I'm assuming Indestro due to the shape of the inset. The weird little extension is probably not Indestro but I found it with the hex rat from what I remember.

I think the little socket with the square sticking out is for use on pipe plugs with a recessed square, commonly used in transmissions and differentials. I have run across several in different sizes.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The weird little extension is probably not Indestro but I found it with the hex rat from what I remember.

The male drain plug wrench (for the female drain plugs Don is describing...) looks like a Hinsdale. The knurling is not quite right, but maybe very early.

 

[four.cycle]

The knurling is not quite right

no it is not.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

This 5/8 one came in a duro set. Only marking is size

 

[four.cycle]

The knurling on the item in post #2054 does not appear to be as deeply incised as your sample. :

Now I'm wondering if d42jeep has any examples in his Duro stuff. I know I have nothing in the way of a square drain plug socket.

 

[d42jeep]

For some reason I had stashed this one in my Blackhawk set. It doesn’t seem to have any identifying markings.
-Don

 

[saukit]

Here's a closer look at mine. The knurling seems to be a series of dots, I don't see much cross hatching going on. I also apologize for the lack of focus, my phone camera is not up to the task.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The knurling was the first thing I pointed out, but, as I said, it could be early. The reason I said Hinsdale is because I don't recall seeing a drain plug socket like this from any other mfgr, including Duro or Indestro, here or AA or in catalogs. Not from any of the majors (i.e., Walden, Blackhawk). Not Bog. Not RAY. Etc. Williams made a whole set, and I have a BSPCo. But OTG's example is the first one I recall seeing in a Duro kit. Does anyone have a cat reference?

Edit: I'm curious if OTG's, Don's and saukit's unmarked examples have a little ****** dead center on top of the drive stud? It's a manufacturing artifact that all of my Hinsdale logo examples have.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Looks like 2 of them in this duro set. 1/2 and 5/8, there is a little bump in the center of the square end.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice. Thanks. That machining nub is too common to be a distinguisher. And yeah, my recollection is terrible. Jock found one a few years ago that he ID'd as Duro, too.

Help Identify This Drain Socket

Friday I picked up a 1/2" square drive socket with a male 11/16" square working end. I assume it is a drain plug socket. It was covered with a thick coat of old hardened cosmolene, and the finish indicates WWII era. It seems well-made. The only identifying feature is the knurling. I call it...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It's interesting that Duro and Hinsdale apparently made them the same way. Lifted like that, with necks. Williams and Walden are different.

 

[Old Radar]

I don't have a dog in this fight, but I see a difference in the knurling. Leaving aside saukit's little dots, Lugz's Hinsdales have the diamond portion raised, as would happen if the knurling process impressed the straight lines, while OTG's have the striaght lines raised from impressing the diamonds.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Agreed. If you click on Jock's link, he pointed out the same thing. I think Saukit's socket was knurled like the Duro (the spaces are indented, not the lines), but not with diagonal lines. It is cross-hatched, but square, like a window or door screen pattern, instead.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

These types of sets seem to have been available in new britain, hinsdale , duro indestro, sk, Fulton, Brazil. I suspect the common link is the machines/process used to make them. The variations in knurling aside, they are all very similar

 

[d42jeep]

Mine has the little lathe mark on the top. After looking at OTG’s examples, I threw mine in the Duro box.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

meh... disregard that.

 

[Provincial]

The nub on the male square end is indeed a manufacturing artifact. It was left when the parting tool cut the piece off the bar that had been turned to diameter, length, and probably knurled. It appears that the square was machined either in the same operation or in a later operation.

In order to get the female drive square, the blank may have been a forging that was long enough to provide a place to hold the blank while it was machined, then parted off. That would make more sense than machining bar stock before broaching the female drive.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Your Walden orphan, linked here, JjKk's fabulous Williams set, linked here, and my BSPCo, linked here, just for a few squatter (no neck) approach comparisons.

 

[four.cycle]

Indestro 2553 magnetic pick-up tool (patent 3582123)

Indestro 2820-1 1/4" drive Flexible Driver (driver handle only)

After reviewing the company's catalog and talking with Debbie on the phone at SE Tools in Lapeer, Michigan yesterday morning, I am fairly sure that Indestro was outsourcing both of these items from SE Tools.
The company's owner is on vacation this week, so I'm waiting for his confirmation (if and when it ever arrives.)
In the meantime, because of some points mentioned during the phone call yesterday, I'd put money on SE Tools being OEM on these items not only for Indestro, but many other tool sellers as well, including some that drive around in large white panel trucks.

The 2553 magnetic pick-up tool is pretty self-explanatory, and we probably all own some variant. Amazingly, that little unit still picks up nuts and bolts and sockets after banging around in my tool box for 50 years.

The 2820 "Flexible Driver" may look familiar to some. They were also marketed under various brand names, including one sold out of large white panel trucks.
Currently I have the attachments 2820-2, 2820-3, 2820-4, but I'm missing the 2820-5, should any of you just happen to have one laying about that is currently not in use or needed.

As an odd coincidence, somebody just listed one of these this morning on Ebay for $24 + shipping. I wonder if he'll get that. I didn't pay anywhere near that for mine, and I bought it when there were still Delco point-triggered distributors and Rochester Quadrajets on the road and there was actually a practical use for this gizmo.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Yup. I have a snapon set for distributors, carburetors. Does not get much use anymore.

 

[four.cycle]

While digging around I found another Indestro 2553 magnetic pick-up tool and a small pocket inspection mirror which I'm guessing I bought branded as K-D as I don't find it in the Indestro catalog.

and I found an empty pouch for an Indestro 198 12-pc SAE hex key set

 

[four.cycle]

1961 Indestro catalog No. 22A available for download at ITCL here

there are some other items that have been recently uploaded to the site as well.

 

[d42jeep]

After finding several auto kit Indestro marked wrenches at an estate sale yesterday, I combined them with ones I had to make a complete (I hope) set.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

1937 Indestro Tool Catalog and Price List NOW Available for Download at ITCL

This one was done on Mr. Stansbury's brand new scanner. Resolution is excellent.

Thanks Mark!

 

[four.cycle]

1982 Indestro Catalog No. 60 NOW available for download at ITCL

Thanks Mark!

 

[four.cycle]

A conversation in another thread led to my acquiring full sets of both the Indestro Clutch-Head Screwdrivers and 3/8" drive Clutch-Head Bits.
To keep them all together, I asked my girlfriend if she could make me a roll-up pouch for them. She took a couple pairs of my old work pants home with her and sent me the photos a few minutes ago.


Pouch for Indestro Clutch-Head Screwdrivers and 3/8" drive Clutch-Head Bits

Pouch for Indestro Clutch-Head Screwdrivers and 3/8" drive Clutch-Head Bits

I wasn't really expecting a work of art, but she's pretty good with that Bernina of hers.

You can't see the tools when they're each inserted into their own little pocket, but that was by design so they don't get lost. I'll have to
shoot photos of the tools by themselves when I get them back.

Here are all the "Clutch Head" Screwdrivers and Bits in the 1971 Indestro Catalog No. 55: