Show your Indestro and Duro-Chrome tools

[four.cycle]

Oldtuleguy - I'm fairly confident about the connection to Riverside on that particular model ratchet. In the "Duro Ratchet?" thread, I posted dozens and dozens and dozens of images of various iterations of the Duro-Indestro "pressed flange" ratchet (patent 1902878) to show the different designs that were used.

Lesserstore: Your 360 "Slip-On" set (patent 111026) is the third (and last) iteration of that model: the clear and white handle dates from the 1960s-1970s.
Curiously, the datamp.org page for that patent says the driver shank does not have a screwdriver tip end. I have to assume the previous owner of their example must have ground it off. I own two of the early versions (one with an orange painted handle and one with a RED painted handle and they both have screwdriver tip ends, as does my "middle era")(clear yellow plastic handle) model as well as the two later (clear-and-white plastic handle) models like yours.

Beware of cheap imitations!

 

[d42jeep]

Here is one I sent to four.cycle a few years ago. It’s probably lost in his garage.
-Don

 

[Lesserstore]

Thanks for the info four cycle. I think mine is towards the end of production because most of the clear and white ones are branded Indestro Super, but mine is simply Indestro. I do wonder why they branded under the Super brand instead of Select Steel since the sockets are carbon (or manganese) steel.

 

[four.cycle]

It’s probably lost in his garage.

Along with quite a few other items!!!

"I think mine..."

You may well be onto something there.... I didn't even notice that. I have no idea where my others are, so I cannot check them at the moment. I have to wonder if the re-branding to simply "Indestro" might have coincided with their late-in-the-game push of their "Classic" branding.

 

[Macduf]

The ratchet Came in a box of wards branded sockets, it's unmarked. The indestro driver I've got in orange handled as well.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Some wards duro indestro ratchets and sockets. Some marked Wards chromium vanadium, some wards riverside chromium vanadium, some just chromium vanadium which could have been sold by western auto.

 

[Rkcubed]

Years ago I purchased a lot of Indestro wrenches, sockets, and ratchets. This is my go to 1/2“ ratchet.

 

[d42jeep]

They are pretty close to indestructible.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ yeah... unless you rip the selector lever off! they built those things for over 30 years and my guess is most of them are still in operational order. pretty simple design.
that's wild that you've got drive buttons for almost all of those, Don.

 

[four.cycle]

1948 Indestro Tool Catalog No. 16 now available for download at International Tool Catalog Library

Be sure to check out all the NEW ADDITIONS at International Tool Catalog Library!

thanks again Mark!

 

[four.cycle]

1952 Indestro Tools Catalog No. 20 now available for download at International Tool Catalog Library!

thanks Mark!

 

[four.cycle]

1962 Duro Chrome Catalog No. 37M and 1962 Price List now available for download at International Tool Catalog Library!

thanks Mark!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Some late 40s early 50s duro stuff

 

[Username already in use]

Some late 40s early 50s duro stuff

Interesting. The cross hatch knurling on the sockets would speak to late 30s very early 40s production, but the ratchet doesn’t match that time frame.
Neat sets.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

From the 51 catalog. Duro 699 sealed round head ratchets. We're not made very long as the heads were not rebuildable. Cross hatch knurling continued to early 50s.

 

[four.cycle]

earliest appearance I've found of that model was 1946.

no idea where I got "4499" from.

 

[four.cycle]

ahh... it's stamped on the 3/8" drive model:

(photos ebay)

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Supposedly made in 3 sizes, but 3/8 and 1/2 are the only ones I have seen.

 

[four.cycle]

Advertised as being available in 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" drive sizes, but that 3/8" drive model (from one of Shamata's ebay listings) and the 1/2" drive model (part no. 669) are the only ones I've ever seen on the web. (If I had seen a 1/4" model I would have bought it, even though they were apparently a rather troublesome model which was discontinued by Duro Chrome in fairly short order.)

 

[four.cycle]

1972 Duro-Chrome Catalog No. 40 now available for download at International Tool Catalog Library!

thanks Mark!

 

[saukit]

Here's what I assume is probably an Indestro/Duro hex rat (unmarked), Duro combo from the 50's-60's I think, and older 1/2" Indestro speeder. The only speeders I could find with this logo on AA were pre war but I know that's not the final authority on things.

 

[JjKk40]

Found these 2 doe's rescemtly. Some kind of oxide or phosphate coating. Maybe war-time or industrial?

 

[d42jeep]

The wrench on the right with the Circle DC markings is Duro/Indestro and wartime. Probably cad plated. The Wizard wrench was made for Western Auto by Duro/Indestro. Might be cad plated too. Clean with solvent or brake cleaner only and no wire wheel or brush.
-Don

 

[genog]

Found 6 Indestro Super sockets and two Power-Kraft and Wards Master Quality
They came from multiple sellers
two happen to be 1/2"
the other six are 9/16"
I can't answer why I bought all of them ;-)

 

[d42jeep]

A few recent Duro arrivals, mostly from eBay sellers. First is an increasingly rare Duro-Chrome 1/4” drive ratchet
Next is a D-I 3/8” drive NOS deep socket that I hadn’t seen before.

This 1945 Duro ignition wrench set arrived yesterday. I’m out of original rolls so I put them into one of my leather repro rolls.
The hard to find D-I 1-1/6” socket was part of a trade and is currently in the evaporust vat.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

saukit, your speeder is definitely pre-war.

 

[matthew]

Picked up two more D-I wrenches yesterday. Also found two DuroChrome swivels in among my grandfathers sockets - 1/2” and 5/8”:

 

[Old Radar]

Found a single Indestro 6pt 13-16 star socket yesterday and it was one I needed for my No. 1522 set. Still looking for all the **-32 sockets (which I cannabalized for my 1536 set), 3-8, 15-16 and 1-1/8. Also missing the short adapter and screwdriver bit (also cannibalized).
Still a good way to go...

 

[d42jeep]

I was concerned that the unattractive but rare 1-1/6” D-I socket I posted upthread was losing it’s cad plating but it turned out to simply be silver paint over plain steel, much to my relief. Before and after pictures below.
-Don

 

[Ricky Joe]

Her TWO late husbands?
I guess her third refused to eat the mushrooms...

Probably not polyandry, but interesting. I used to frequent a bar and the bartender had two concurrent husbands, one worked days, the other nights, all cohabiting and congenial.

Thread may resume now.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Probably not polyandry, but interesting.

Definitely not polyandry. It was sequential. We talked about it in November, before moldyjim's comment. See posts #2,001 thru 2,004 on pg 51.

 

[d42jeep]

I picked up this 3/8” drive Indestro ratchet off of eBay. Thanks to Tin Medic, I have a decent supply of the ratchets but none came with original plugs.
-Don

 

[Stillgottimefor1]

I picked up this 3/8” drive Indestro ratchet off of eBay. Thanks to Tin Medic, I have a decent supply of the ratchets but none came with original plugs.
-Don

I don’t know who made these, they are unmarked

 

[thisistheshow]

Great thread. Wish I had more to contribute! Indestro Super 742 deep offset DBE 1/2" x 9/16" ,length 5 1/2" . From what I've found these are post-war. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[d42jeep]

Found a single Indestro 6pt 13-16 star socket yesterday and it was one I needed for my No. 1522 set. Still looking for all the **-32 sockets (which I cannabalized for my 1536 set), 3-8, 15-16 and 1-1/8. Also missing the short adapter and screwdriver bit (also cannibalized).
Still a good way to go...

I looked through my spare Duro/Indestro sockets and the only socket I found with the star markings was another 13/16”. Of course it’s the one you just found. I have plenty of odd sizes without the stars.
-Don

 

[Old Radar]

Thanks for thinking of me, Don! Beautiful decal on your big box, BTW.

 

[genog]

Years ago I purchased a lot of Indestro wrenches, sockets, and ratchets. This is my go to 1/2“ ratchet.

It's cool to hear that some of these ole tools are still in use!

Sometimes I think that it's a shame for them to be on display and not used again.
Never to be used again....

It kind of reminds me of the kids movie Toy Story where Stinky Pete is still brand new in the box for all these years with no kid ever playing with him....

 

[four.cycle]

^ I'm not sure I'd really want to be trying to do much real "work" with old carbon-steel sockets from the 1920s and 1930s, made when torque values on fasteners were significantly less than they are now. With my luck, the one I broke would be the unobtainium size.

 

[genog]

I wouldn't use an ole tool that could break or was valuable.

I meant good ole high quality vintage tools that are still being used today.
Nothing unobtainium nor valuable. That wouldn't be smart

The metallurgy in my old Plomb, Williams, Indestro, et al sockets, ratchets and wrenches are high enough quality and I am not afraid of them blowing up in my face.

It pleases me when I put them to use again to wrench on the old truck

 

[four.cycle]

^ I was referring to the two sets just above that Don posted, both of which are Indestro's "Master" series carbon-steel composition.

Contemporaneously, they were also manufacturing "Super Quality" chromium-vanadium sockets, drive accessories, and wrenches, which are still on a par value with any of the top-shelf manufacturers of the current era (as would be the brands you just mentioned.)