Stevens Walden 1/4" socket boxes

[mark-NJ]

I have my dad's SW 1/4" socket set, and over the last few years I've acquired 2 empty SW boxes. Tonight for the first time I noticed something I've never seen before: The stamping on the lid of dad's set is reversed from the other two!

Dad's set is at the top, the other boxes are below it. Looks normal....

...until you open them!

If I align them so the hinges are all to the same side & the separators are aligned...

...the writing on dad's box is is upside down!

Were they manufactured with the lids stamped randomly, or is dad's kit amiss? Not that it matters, really...just curious. And surprised that I've never noticed this before!

Any way to date these boxes? It was my understanding that dad's set was "gifted" from Uncle Sam when he was discharged from the Navy after WWII, but now I'm thinking that's not the case. The bottom box is distinctly OD military green (over a blue primer), while dad's box, though worn, is clearly a more hunter green color.

Any ideas if dad's was from his stay in the Navy during WWII? Or is it a later set?

ps: is this blue primer an original finish?

Thanks for reading,

mark-NJ

 

[d42jeep]

That isn’t uncommon with Walden boxes. The best was to date the tools is to look at the finish.
As a rule of thumb the earlier boxes have five hinge elements and the later boxes have six.
-Don

 

[mark-NJ]

what aspect of the finish am I looking at / for? Were they finished a certain way during certain periods?

 

[GalaxyRat]

Re: Stevens Walden 1/4" socket boxes

During WWII, these sets were not plated with anything except Cadmium. They had a "War Finish", which was (I think) essentially parkerizing them (black oxide). I'm sure Don could school is on it better. *Quick edit* This was because the War Department was allocating resources/materials for the war effort.

Note how mine are black, and not chrome.

what aspect of the finish am I looking at / for? Were they finished a certain way during certain periods?

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

 

[d42jeep]

Nice set GalaxyRat!
The earlier wartime tools are cad plated and the later wartime tools have a black oxide finish. Postwar boxes are usually red and have chrome plated tools. It looks like the ratchet in your set has been replaced with another brand. Here is an early war set followed by a late war set.
For more Walden info you might like to check this thread.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=383198

-Don

 

[mark-NJ]

My (i.e. Dad's) sockets are all black oxide....the original ones anyway. A few are chrome replacements; I know they're not original. The ratchet is a more recent ('60s maybe?) S&K...no idea what became of the original.

Dad's box is a 5-segment hinge, as is the OD green one in the bottom of the pic. The middle box is a six-segment.

So with black oxide sockets & 5-segment hings, pretty good chance this set was "discharged" ( ) from the Navy at the same time dad was, yes? Doesn't really matter...I'm just curious about what I have. There's a very-high element of sentimental value here & these will never leave my possession.

 

[d42jeep]

It seems likely that it could have been presented to your dad as a “discharge gift”
I’m sure that plenty of those sets came home with the soldiers that used them during the war. A couple of sets have been found with the previous owners names engraved on the front of the box and in one case the gentleman’s service record was available online. Here is that box that now resides in Australia. Some of the boxes had the Federal Stock Number stenciled on the box from the factory. Those are somewhat rare and desirable to WW2 collectors but I believe that many of the military sets were unmarked.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Here is an early war set followed by a late war set.

As you know, I have a few of these, and I've seen your many sets before, but I don't have a near-perfect finish cad set or a near-perfect finish BO set, and seeing the two of them together like that is an amazing contrast.

 

[d42jeep]

Thanks, Lugz. There is some advantage to having several sets to cherry pick examples from.
Lugz did the research on the box above and found the history of the original owner.
-Don

 

[mark-NJ]

Thanks guys!