Spreading the Bonney affliction!

[Mintgrun]

Well, you found the earliest!

I plucked five pairs of $2 from the bin yesterday and these felt like the trophy. I'd have brought them home even if they hadn't been marked, due to the unique jaw shape. They're not listed in the 1919 Bonney catalog, but are shown in the 1923 version (next earliest on IA), along with (only) three other plier designs.

A while back, you posed a question about tool organization, with regard to tool type vs. maker. As my collection grows, it's been shifting towards grouping by maker and these will go into the Bonney box; as opposed to the pliers drawer.

Having a tool box collection to house the tool collection seems like a necessity now and it's become a game of musical boxes as they outgrow one and get moved into a larger box. It's crazy to think about how much of my mental RAM is dedicated to what's-where up in the shop and that's only part of the memory game. Add to that any historical information, plus where I bought it and what I paid and it's getting to the point where I'm going to need a larger mental-hard-drive. A larger shop would be nice too.

Tom

 

[Private Lugnutz]

A while back, you posed a question about tool organization, with regard to tool type vs. maker.

I still struggle with it, honestly. And it's really more of a problem on the back end of the dilemma than the front. Bonney is not so bad. I keep most of my Bonney in two Bonney boxes: the wooden chest for very early/antique (late 1890's to 1920's), and the red flip top for vintage (1930's-1950 or so), but the tappet wrench roll-up and orphans are with the tappet wrenches, and I have wartime things in an in-process GMTK catchall, which I do forget about. A better example is me recently finding a really cool pair of CRAFTSMAN pruners in a drawer of miscellaneous shears, scissors, pruners, etc. (I would never remember they're there if I wasn't looking for a few things to use for a project.) And I really messed with my own mental hard drive (yes, I read strike-through! ) when I packed up a bunch of stuff to offload at Jake's and Columbus last year. It got brought back down into the Lugzsonian and never put back where it was, which started a dominos effect. Like moving stuff around from folder to folder on your computer with no rhyme or reason.

 

[LesserSon]

Oct1934 plain-font marked Zenel no2893 DBE.

 

[loganb]

My first Bonney, part of a collection picked up from a forgotten toolbox out of a family members basement.

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

My first Bonney, part of a collection picked up from a forgotten toolbox out of a family members basement.

15/16 is about the most desired size I use on these old garden tractors. Can't live without it.

 

[Raineman]

My first Bonney, part of a collection picked up from a forgotten toolbox out of a family members basement.

If you’re going to start collecting the grooved panel ones, let me know. Probably have a few I can send you.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

15/16 same as 24mm

 

[genog]

I found this cool ole Lehigh vise today

Hey, this little guy has a covered screw!
I found that kinda neat!
Or, that's Boss!

Groovy

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

I found this cool ole Lehigh vise today

Hey, this little guy has a covered screw!
I found that kinda neat!
Or, that's Boss!

Groovy

Yea that's a first. Allways relate that to Quality.

 

[LesserSon]

Yea that's a first. Allways relate that to Quality.

Not a first for the thread.
947 @Private Lugnutz posted a Champion, which has a covered main screw.
2250 I posted a Lehigh.
I’m not sure those were firsts, either. The “search” function has seemed to me to deliver incomplete results since the platform migration a few years ago.

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

Not a first for the thread.
947 @Private Lugnutz posted a Champion, which has a covered main screw.
2250 I posted a Lehigh.
I’m not sure those were firsts, either. The “search” function has seemed to me to deliver incomplete results since the platform migration a few years ago.

Thanks. First for me.

 

[genog]

Wow.....that didn't come across well
Maybe it was I who should have used the Search function...

Sorry Mike, you shouldn't have been lectured like that

 

[leg17]

Some Lehighs at post #2940

 

[genog]

Yes....
Thank you

I like the fact that it has a covered screw.... OK?

 

[Tom "Python" Aycock]

Is there a specific Bon-e-con catalog?
Looked through the Bonney on ITCL and didn't see anything. I got this box recently and trying to ID it and any of the apparent 3/8 drive sockets etc... and yeah, its got one of those hasps like the Snap-on and Thorsen boxes.

 

[four.cycle]

^ If it was a "low end" line, odds are you're going to be hard pressed to come up with "catalog".
Indestro's "Select" line actually DID have a "catalog" of sorts, but I was never aware of it even when we were stocking the line in the warehouse.
I've never seen a "catalog" for any of Thorsen's "Action" line.
A lot of stuff was sold off single-sheet "fly sheets" that got disposed of somewhere along the way.
Indestro's "X-pert" line was an example of that.
Can't think of any others off the top of my head other than those two, but there were several of them where "catalog" seems to just not exist.

Williams "Hornet" <-- another one.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Is there a specific Bon-e-con catalog? Looked through the Bonney on ITCL and didn't see anything.

There are a couple Bon-E-Con Price Lists on IA/ITCL. I don't know how helpful they'd be for figuring out what went in that box. Might be able to use the model numbers for searching Google Books for magazine ads.

 

[four.cycle]

Bonney "BON-E-CON" ZEB-26 13/16" Combination Wrench

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Cleaned up my old hercules ratchet. Still works like new!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Cleaned up my old hercules ratchet.

Looks fantastic. I don't remember what it looked like originally. Did you paint it and then remove the paint on the raised lettering? Or is that original paint. Either way, it really pops.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I found the "585-18" (9/16" x 11/16" (ISN 27-C)) version of the rare pseudo-mythical "585" DOE engineers' wrench series at the flea this morning. I used to have a near-complete set that I flipped for some serious moolah back in 2013. Now I have two (2) again. Shown together below. Just four (4) more to go for a complete GMTK set.

If you don't know/remember the backstory on these, "585" was the Engineering Specification number that the US Army QMC gave DOE engineers' wrenches just before WWII. Bonney adopted it as the prefix for their model numbering scheme, ostensibly for QMC contract wrenches, using a suffix for individual wrench identification. Much more info in an old WANTED ad linked here for further reading.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Looks fantastic. I don't remember what it looked like originally. Did you paint it and then remove the paint on the raised lettering? Or is that original paint. Either way, it really pops.

Here is a before pic

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Yeah, you nailed that. Nice work.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Hung it up with a bunch of bonney stuff

 

[Shelbylex]

... A while ago I posted couple of posts throughout GJ telling that I found a Bonney Box and was trying to make the deal with the owner. Postpone couple of years. Eventually we agreed on the price (I lost, but price became better). This summer I was planning to make my roadtrip North with the family and send a message to the owner that I will be picking up the toolbox in July. Well, things can be sitting forever for sale, but they will promptly disappear when you decide to go get them...

Fast forward another month - two and I see the same box listed for sale up North in a different location. It took a little bit of time for me to make my way up North. Last weekend I met a nice gentlemen who bought the box I was tracking, but found it a little too small for his use. This gave me a second chance to go and get it (long ride, but we had a nice road trip with one of my college friends)

Not in the best shape and not cleaned yet. Not cheap either...

Bonney C roller with the chest (139, 43 and C1 catalogs)

I guess I will need a lot of tools to fill it. May be AVI socket and tool set from C1 catalog? (83 tools). I was not interested in Bonney, but my interest grew as I found the box and was getting closer to getting it originally in the middle of the summer. I have only a few pieces and will post them once I clean up the box.

... Wished I got it earlier: missed a C1 catalog for $15 (actually there were two of them on e-bay as well as passed a older looking 3/4 drive Bonney socket on one of the yard sales...

Does anybody know what lock I can put in the roller? (tried a couple - they did not fit...)

Any education on what period tools (with the pictures included) would be welcomed!

... Edit - I just realized that I posted pictures which are huge and not fitting the page. I changes them for smaller ones

 

[Beerhippie]

^I said it before and I'll say it again: WHOAH!

 

[Shelbylex]

I downsized the pictures from the post above, but decided to leave one large one in case somebody wants to look at the emblems
Interestingly, I noted that emblems for sale on ebay are not the exact copy (airplane is a little different, color as well)

 

[Oldtuleguy]

That's pretty old, 1940ish

 

[Shelbylex]

I found it in the following catalogs: 39 catalog was from 1939 (page 44) , C1 from 1947

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I found it in the following catalogs: 39 catalog was from 1939 (page 44) , C1 from 1947

Here's what I said to Andy ( @alinc100 ) when he found his.

You may have missed my post on the GS thread, Andy, but I had it dated to 1939-1946 based purely on the color and logo. The wartime brown ("crackle tan") boxes coincide with the wartime logo stretching into 1946 (that jobbers cat No. 46J has a February 1946 date on it). I've seen that 1947 catalog No. C-1, and I know it includes graphics inside that show the wartime logo and brown boxes, but I didn't trust it, frankly. That is the next generation Bonney logo and red-and-black plaid color scheme on the cover, the same one that appears on the cover of No. C-2 (1950), and throughout all the 1950's catalogs,

 

[Shelbylex]

Thank you, Private Lugnutz! Then 83 tool set (AVI) is probably for the next box.
I will have to look through 39 catalog in detail: I think previously a 74 tool MC set ("A Dandy Bench Set") might be an appropriate one

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The roller, (top box), and several very large qty master type tool-sets are shown in the 1939, 1940, 1941, 1943 and 1947 catalogs.

 

[Shelbylex]

Thankyou, Private Lugnutz! I think I will need to start reading once archive.org starts working for me again (its not consistent for some reason - may be something about my internet?) Given your comment above, I will need to concentrate on 39,40,41, 43
I think I have 139 (1939) and 43 (1943) downloaded somewhere as PDF. I will need to look for the other two as well as print the set content (I still prefer paper in hand rather than computer page)

 

[Private Lugnutz]

All cats available on IA/ITCL.

 

[Shelbylex]

What is IA/ITCL? Is it a format of saving information or a web site?

 

[four.cycle]

International Tool Catalog Library is your friend.

Site administrator is GJ member @Mark Stansbury

 

[alinc100]

Well, since there is no rest for the wicked I managed to dig up another Bonney Box today:
BONNEY TOOL BOX

Sockets all 1/2” drive
CV 4016 1/2” 6 pt shallow
CV 4018 9/16” 6 pt shallow
CV 4019 19/32”6 pt shallow
CV 4020 5/8” 6 pt shallow
CV 4021 21/32” 6 pt shallow
CV 4022 11/16” 6 pt shallow
CV 4024 3/4” 6 pt shallow
CV 4032 1’’ 6 pt shallow
CV 4118 1/2” square
CV 4095 universal
CV 4093 ratchet with 2 drive plugs
CV 4090 5 inch extension
CV 4091 speed extension with 4092 cross tee handle
CV 4084 12” speed handle
CV4055 20” speed handle
LD36 1-⅛” 12 pt deep socket

2866 1/2” torque adapter
2868 9/16” torque adapter
2870 5/8” torque adapter
2872 11/16” torque adapter
2874 3/4” torque adapter

WRENCHES
2721 5/16” x 3/8” angle head obstruction
2723 3/8” x 7/16” angle head obstruction
2725A 7/16” x 9/16” angle head obstruction
2026 1/4” uss x 3/8” uss angle head obstruction
2027 5/16” uss x 3/8” uss angle head obstruction
2724 5/8” x 3/4” angle head obstruction
2730 5/8” x 13/16” angle head obstruction
2732 3/4” x 1” angle head obstruction
2032 25/32’’ X 31/32” angle head obstruction
2033A 7/8” x 15/16” angle head obstruction

2812A 1-1/4” x1-7/16” deep offset
2811 1” x 1-1/8” deep offset
2830 15/16” offset/straight box
2828 7/8” offset/straight box
2824 3/4” offset/straight box
2822 11/16” offset/straight box
2805 1/2” x 9/16” deep offset box short

1723 3/8” x 7/16” doe
1729 5/8” x 3/4” doe
1028 5/8” x 25/32” doe
1033 7/8” x 31/32” doe
1731A 3/4” X 7/8” doe
1733 7/8” x 1”doe
1033-C 15/16” x1” doe
1038 1-1/16” x 1-7/16” doe
1725 7/16” x 1/2” doe
1025 11/16” x 25/32” doe
1731 3/4” x 13/16” doe
1035 31/32” X 1-1/16” doe
1735 1” X 1-1/8” doe
1037 1-1/16” X 1-1/4’’ doe
1738 1-1/8” X 1-3/8” doe
1739A 1-1/4” x 1-1/2” doe
1041 1-7/16” x 1-5/8” doe

SNAP ON

1/2” drive
3/8” 8 point 1927
7/16” 8 point 1927
1/2” 8 point 1929
5/8” 8 point 1929
11/16” 8 point 1927
3/4” 8 point 1927
7/8” 8 point 1927

7/16” 6 pt shallow 1927
25/32” 6 pt shallow 1928
15/16” 6 pt shallow 1927
7/8” 6 pt shallow 1927
31/32” 6 pt shallow 1927


Cornwell
⅜” drive
7/16”,1/2”,9/16,5/8” 12 pt swivel sockets
1/2” ,5/8” 12 pt shallow chrome
3/8” ,9/16” 12 pt shallow black oxide
3/8” JR-30 ratchet
3/8” x 7/16” dbe
7/16” angle doe


Arc-Joint pliers from Herbrand,Channellock
Perfection 3/8” x 7/16” offset dbe
2 Bonney 6” pipe wrenches
Small Hatchet, files, misc metal

 

[Shelbylex]

This is amazing! Do you have a picture of how everything is organized for you in the box?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I hate you. Look at all those obstruction wrenches! I have managed to onesy-twosy five total over time, all of them as ugly as sin with box rot.

 

[alinc100]

This is amazing! Do you have a picture of how everything is organized for you in the box?

No I literally bundled many of them with shrink wrap as I was typing the inventory and I almost forgot to move the box before putting everything back in. I had to empty it in segments to get it out of the truck and on to the table. As far as organization goes, it's gonna be hard pressed to organize. The lower compartment is just open, wrenches will just splay about.

I hate you. Look at all those obstruction wrenches! I have managed to onesy-twosy five total over time, all of them as ugly as sin with box rot.

You would have gasped at the price and walked right on by, LOL. I was amazed at how large and heavy some of these wrenches are. The story goes the seller was cleaning out (late)Father in Law's house, selling tools to repair the porch/etc fix up for sale and stumbled across "Uncle Bill's tools" from the 20's or 30's . Has no use for them so away they go. The ad photo: