Spreading the Bonney affliction!

[MR.X]

Man, that's a great catalog and resource. That little T-7 crowfoot is a fairly common tool but I came across a couple 6603 variations and here's one with an old NAF marking.

 

[LesserSon]

Returning to PA from MO, trying to get ahead of the snow. Maybe another time…

EDIT - didn’t get ahead, but managed to get through this mess

 

[danej]

Saw these today. Each has an unusual model number and opening. Pretty sure all Whitworth and wartime. At $5ea, I considered, but passed them up.

Ah, shoot, I’m looking for those!

 

[danej]

Here is the picture that Snapmom posted some time back of that set. Those wrenches are both shown in the lower row, right of center. Hopefully she already has those in her set. Edit. I just re-read her thread and it looks like she has those covered.
-Don

I’m also working on building up one of these kits. I’ve got an aircraft with an original Packard built Rolls Royce Merlin engine, and it’d be great to have original tools for my work on it.
I’ve got about 13 items in the kit now, need to type up what I’ve got and what I’m missing soon. I’ll do a separate post on that soon.

 

[MR.X]

I’m also working on building up one of these kits. I’ve got an aircraft with an original Packard built Rolls Royce Merlin engine, and it’d be great to have original tools for my work on it.
I’ve got about 13 items in the kit now, need to type up what I’ve got and what I’m missing soon. I’ll do a separate post on that soon.

The bright side is that, while def. worth $5.00 apiece those are some of the easier ones to find. I'd be surprised if having 13 of the kit you didn't already have those or most of them.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

A little bonney cv catalog from 20s

 

[LesserSon]

That’s beautiful, OTG!
I came back from a few states away to a delivered eBay purchase, which is also CV. I had been looking for a 2840 Chevy 6 main bearing wrench to mirror-match a Zenel 2840 for some time. Here it is, but for some reason, it’s nearly 2” longer than the Zenel version! Oh well - I won’t be throwing it out for that failing.

 

[JjKk40]

I finally found a v25 ratchet with "made in usa" opposed to "usa"!!! It's chrome plated so I believe its pre-war. I added it to my v51 set which is, I think, '39-'41(ish), as it's in the poop brown box but all chrome plated tools.
Also found war-time 1/4" drive sockets and drive tools as well! I still have to slightly clean things up but here are pics of everything including some other 1/4" drive sets. I'd like to find the war-time finish flex head and Tommy bar to complete the set and also a v10 5/16 socket as its missing in the war-time finish. I added a chrome one as a place holder for now!

 

[LesserSon]

Wow! Beautiful pieces!
I had stopped believing that “Made In” 1/4dr ratchet existed, despite affirming assertions.

 

[Username already in use]

@JjKk40 nice find on that ratchet. It’s a tough one to find.
Your midget sets look fantastic!

 

[JjKk40]

Thanks guys I've only seen 1 other "made in usa" on the g503 forum. I thought I would never find another! Lol! I tell ya, I overpaid for sure, it was in a lot with a bunch of other newer Triangle era stuff. I tried to buy just the ratchet, sockets, and tee handle, to no avail! All good tho, im happy! Still gotta find a v22 driver. Not easy.

 

[bonneyman]

Very nice!

 

[Username already in use]

Thanks guys I've only seen 1 other "made in usa" on the g503 forum.

Here's 2 more:

Still gotta find a v22 driver. Not easy.

Not an easy thing to find, at all. But, they're out there. I think the handles have that bad habit of decomposing that we've seen with some other brands.
Some of these are marked BONNEY on the handle and V22 Made In USA on the shank. Some are marked V22 USA on the shank and Bonney and Made in USA on the handle. Pretty sure Stanley was making the handles for Bonney at the time.



Here's a few wartime sets. The V22 driver just barley fits in the box.

 

[JjKk40]

Nice! There all the v22's are!!! Hahaaa! Love thise midget sets! I'm always on the lookout!

 

[LesserSon]

MrsLS spotted and bought this for me at Jake’s flea this morning. It’s the box for the 22pc 1/2dr B-80470 or 30pc 3/8dr B-80308 set shown in catalogs 1977, 1981 & 1986, but the red&black paper label on the underside of thd lid makes me think it’s from the early end.

I got the plastic nameplate off without damage, to clean it separately from the box, and discovered some info on the back.


EDIT - Here it is cleaned up. I soaked it for a day in water, then carefully pried the globs of gray paint off.

 

[Shelbylex]

That's an interesting one, LesserSon! I do not remember seeing another one like this here.
Congratulations on the addition to your collection!

Any guess on the age?

 

[Mikeske]

MrsLS spotted and bought this for me at Jake’s flea this morning. It’s the box for the 22pc 1/2dr B-80470 or 30pc 3/8dr B-80308 set shown in catalogs 1977, 1981 & 1986, but the red&black paper label on the underside of thd lid makes me think it’s from the early end.

I got the plastic nameplate off without damage, to clean it separately from the box, and discovered some info on the back.

The Bonney logo on the outside would have me date it from the late 1970's to mid 1980's. The logo I have that is on my Harbor Freight toolbox originally came on my old Waterloo tool box that was from 1982. I originally bought the toolbox in June 1983.

 

[LesserSon]

Agreed, and thanks, Mike. I was having some issues with the post - it may have not included the catalog dates when you guys were first looking at it.

 

[Shelbylex]

Thank you, Mike.
I also now see the info in original post (missed it somehow).

 

[LesserSon]

Actually, those sets did change the number of pieces during that span. And the 3/8dr set came in a blowmould case toward the end. I guess the part number forbthe box by itself is 81615-91.

 

[Mikeske]

Yes the tool catalogs never showed my complete set in the 1981 or the 1986 catalog as in 1983 I got a 27" Waterloo manufactured roller cabinet and a matching top chest and both had the Bonney logo (a side note on the roller cabinet as I seen a couple exact duplicates to mine in both the Waterloo name and Craftsman logos on them) but the top box had a Bonney sticker and the lower roller box had the metal logo All my tools were not in a blow molded cases and I as I acquired the tools as a complete setup from Grainger they probably set it up and tossed the blow molded cases. All the sockets were on rails and the wrenches were in vinyl rollers. Of course in use for the past 39 years the vinyl was badly worn. I found on eBay a partial set of the SAE wrenches that the vinyl roller and it was in for its age in excellent shape. I kept the best wrenches and the vinyl roller bag and bartered and sold the rest of the wrenches I did not want.

But I could of date the logo you had LesserSon as it is very much similar to the logo I now have on newer toolbox. The differences I saw was the R circle is moved from mine to Lessersons. Transferring to a replacement box as the original 27" was so worn out and rusted out int he bottom and my patching it up winter I retired 5 years ago the box ended up sans the log with a neighbors son who is not using it anymore as he went in the Army and the box is sitting in the back corner of the neighbors garage.

 

[Ricky Joe]

Waterloo also made that same box branded New Britain and S-K, also Proto, probably others.

 

[GreenMars]

Hey Bonney tool fans! The YouTube channel for Resto Rob has a lot of videos about Bonney Tools because he collects them. Check out his channel. Here is a link to a video about a Bonney Vise!

 

[LesserSon]

Too bad about that vise. It was a nice old one in great condition. Best to experiment on newer, more common stuff.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Too bad about that vise. It was a nice old one in great condition.

It was in terrific condition in need of nothing but maybe a little wiping down! How ironic that he starts his video with the catalog page showing a description of the original baked-on black enamel, which he proceeds to strip with a grinder and sander, only to portray his PermaBlue "antiqueing" as noble in the end.

Best to experiment on newer, more common stuff.

I think you're giving him far too much credit. I got the impression his experimenting days are far behind him and he's been proudly performing these mutilations for a long time.

 

[Mikeske]

Really it does not matter what the dude does to his vise. He spent the time to strip off the vise and redo the finish as he saw fit. His money and his time. A few years ago I had a dude get all over me on my tractor when I added a LED light bar and reinforcement to the sun shade on my tractor saying something to the effect that I lowered the value of MY tractor. I politely showed him the door and told him never to come back. One advantage is the fact nobody has to watch Youtube and so it is.

 

[RTM]

One advantage is the fact nobody has to watch Youtube and so it is.

unless I’m looking for specifics on how to repair something, tools aren’t on the agenda. Too many hackers with grinders and welders.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

With all due respect, that's a poor analogy, Mike. I'm not telling "Resto Rob" what to do with his vise on his time and with his money. I'm not even telling GreenMars, who posted the video. I'm discussing antique vise restoration do's and don't's with LS, with whom I happen to share some aesthetics and virtues. I wouldn't deign tell anyone what to do with their own antique or vintage collectibles and never have. That doesn't mean I have to like it, though, as a matter of principle, and it doesn't mean that anything anyone does on their own money and time with their own tools is beyond reproach as a subject. I always find the old 'you don't have to watch it' retort to be meaningless and absurd. In general, I don't watch YouTube. Ironically, I only watch them when they're posted here. But people who post videos on a public forum are doing so with the explicit purpose of other people watching them. If you're going to post videos, you have be prepared for comments. The idea that the content is somehow shielded from commentary because it's his vise, time, and money is not something I can agree with.

EDIT: The funny thing is there are obviously a lot of people - apparently hundreds of them! - who like those kinds of "restorations". My obscure minority opinion to the contrary on our little niche of the 'net has no affect on that.

 

[four.cycle]

^ Do you recall the photo images I posted of the blue-painted Gellman "Polly" a short while back? That guy does that "complete overhaul" on every wrench he sells. Crazy as hell. Makes for great photo images, though.
And believe it or not, there's a market niche for that - people buy his stuff! Go figure.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

There's a 'painted tools' guy at one of my fleas. Lots of axes, hammers, and vises, and sometimes they're all the same color.

 

[Mikeske]

There's a 'painted tools' guy at one of my fleas. Lots of axes, hammers, and vises, and sometimes they're all the same color.

I have seen that also and at one flea they had a guy with a set of 1970's Craftsman wrenches that he painted the ends in one color then plastic dipped the handle. I took one look at the finished product laughed and said it would never stand up to the use I have for tools. He kind of looked funny at me and I told him I was a working mechanic. The tool needs to be functional for me. The plastic dip would not last a day on the abuse I give my old set of 1970's Craftsman wrenches.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I wonder the same about the paint on striking tools.

 

[Mikeske]

I wonder the same about the paint on striking tools.

Gone in a heartbeat, the only thing with my Craftsman tools is the fact I beat the living snot out of them. I have taken hammers on them and I do not care it they get marred up. My Bonney tools on the other hand are not abused that way. The Craftsman **** sure.

 

[leg17]

MrsLS spotted and bought this for me at Jake’s flea this morning. It’s the box for the 22pc 1/2dr B-80470 or 30pc 3/8dr B-80308 set shown in catalogs 1977, 1981 & 1986, but the red&black paper label on the underside of thd lid makes me think it’s from the early end.
..........

What is that Bonney Ford wrench peeking out? What number is it? Is if for sale?

 

[LesserSon]

It’s a 23F from before May 1925. I’m not ready to sell it, as it brings me to 3ea of the Ford Owners set, with the exception of the Reverse Gear Wrench.

 

[LesserSon]

Mike, adding an LED and reinforcement is reversible, if/when you’d pass the tractor on to some kind of purist.
Removing original paint and (more essential in my valuation) steel by sanding is not reversible.
I share the disdain for recently painted/embalmed tools. It irks me when sellers want to charge a “value added” premium and complicates checking for structural damage. On the other hand, an old paint-over (usually for tool identification) is often easy to remove.
My suggestion to experiment on newer stuff was meant for readers here that might be “inspired” to immitate Rob. That particular vise is more than a century old (preAllentown, I think). I’ve seen only one like it in person. He could have tried bluing a piece of scrap iron to learn the effects.
Personally, I’d never purchase liquid bluing agent. The effects are superficial, for cosmetic touch-up; it wears off. At the hobbyist level (as opposed to high volume production) I fail to see a reason not to do rust bluing. In his video, he states that the “flash rust was killing” him. Ha! Flash rust is exactly what creates rust bluing. Brush it off and let it rust over again. Repeat until it stops rusting, then oil. But why remove the base layer in the first place? Just brush off the rust from the anvil, jaws, screw & handle, then oil.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I didn't even see any rust in his BEFORE images. And the AFTER images are showing less of the surface area covered with his bluing finish than BEFORE. I think what happens with the guys like this who are into stripping and "restoring" is they get so enamored with the process and the refinished look that their assessment criteria of the original condition gets weaker and weaker over time. Everyone knows I am not opposed to stripping something when it's beyond preserving. Usually toolboxes. Some wrenches. Believe it or not, I have taken a hand grinder and a sander and an occasional flat file to a deeply rusted tool. Reluctantly. Only when necessary. That vise was in very good condition!

It's only original once.

EDIT: Pic added

 

[Username already in use]

If you're going to go that far, why not polish the exposed metal bits to a mirror finish.
Also, that video taught me, I've been using a file wrong. It's supposed to be a back and forth sawing motion. Who knew...

 

[leg17]

It’s a 23F from before May 1925. I’m not ready to sell it, as it brings me to 3ea of the Ford Owners set, with the exception of the Reverse Gear Wrench.

Just had to ask.
I have all six 'later' ones, (shield only, large font).
Just need 23F and 29F 'earlier' ones, (USA, small font).

What is the significance of May 1925?

 

[Raineman]

It's only original once.

This applies to many more collecting hobbies than just tools, IMO.