That old tool store down the road...

[brtsvg]

Nice pics ! Looks like the paradise for US made tool fans !

What ? none of the good "Made-in-China" stuff ? How refreshing.

 

[Gregster]

While I was there I noticed exactly what you said, Greg. Everyone that came in knew everyone else by name, including the owner. He knew where everything was too, and could describe it in detail to the customer as they walked through the store, 45 feet away. Crazy. What's weird is the guy who owns it and works there lives about a block and a half away from me, and has run that store for the past.. well.. a lot of years. Many more moons ago than I have ever seen.

I think I'll go nuts on the Vise Grips there with my next check (2k+ woooo! That's a lot for being about 12 compared to some of you.) and maybe give a few up to the good folks on here. I know I'm lucky to have found this place so I might as well share a bit, eh?

It smells like old people in there though. Only downside.

Well the local hardware store/garage is where all the men gather and gossip. When I was younger (99-2001) my father was working in Northern PA(Wilkes-Barre area) and the town we were in (West Pittston) had a couple of old hardware stores run by some good folk. On a Friday afternoon or Sat morning the men would gather and talk about everything from Nascar to local politics

I love these type of stores were you can buy nails, screws etc by the pound and have a bunch of old stock on the walls that can tell a story. Sure the prices were always a tad more then a big box but I rather give a couple bucks more to a local guy who's been there for 40 years. At work my supply guy who runs his business out of his house makes Grainger or Fastenal look like a bunch of noobs.

You found a tresure chest.. imagine what he has stored in the stock room! As I've mentioned before I don't get why some people are moaning about prices.. Sure maybe originally they were expensive but nowadays I'd pay those prices in a heart beat for NOS items!

 

[thammel]

Hmm, I live in MD about 10 mile south of the PA line close to I83. I wonder how far this store is from me? A road trip would be fun!!

Tom

 

[Trucky]

Hmm, I live in MD about 10 mile south of the PA line close to I83. I wonder how far this store is from me? A road trip would be fun!!

Tom

2 hours away! I'd drive that... I go about 4 to get to my college

@Trucky

Just curious ... what brand is this locking pliers?

*image here*

Thanks

A shady little thing that pair is... it's a older US made Craftsman. I don't like the whole integrated lever thing, but it holds down stuff just fine.

Thats very nice of you, thank you. Hopefully if any members would like anything, they'd chip in a few bucks just for your time and effort.

I know I'd like some vise grips, but I personally feel that since you're 19 and just starting out, you should buy what you want and keep them for yourself. I'd much rather see a guy starting out get them and use them.

It's quite alright. I'm pretty new to the buy-stuff-n-ship-at-cost thing, but I've done it twice already with the Cman Pro wrench sets on clearance. And I did that while I was at school. I get paid on the 28th folks, so set your orders up soon or I'll be out of cash

Thanks!

Was The Bulldriver the only Vaco they had?

No. They also had allen keys and a few more things.. I bought some. They looked rather nice too... it appears they ground (probably with a form-cut wheel) the tips. I have some pics of my tools I use at work and coincidentally the allen keys with them. I'll put them up in a few mins.

You might have noticed there is only 6 there.. the other one was being used to take out an insert from one of the face mills

 

[TwoInch]

do they stock any wrenches or drive tools?

 

[Trucky]

Thorsen and SK, like I mentioned previously. I didn't really look that much. I'll be there tomorrow morning, I forgot that most things not owned by Walmart actually close on Sundays. (Tried to stop by this morning!)

Any specific things you want me to look for? They have one of those 9 feet tall wrench/socket/extension rack things that stocks a whole line I guess. I'll take a picture.

 

[CD1]

The lever wreanch in the photo was made GLENVILLE NEBRASKA they are very good and were bought out by Vise Grip and production stopped. The Vise Grip now Irvin tool tin snip that cut circles were a product of Lever Wrench and Vise Grip keep them in production.

I would be all every pair on non china made Vise Grips on that rack!!


Capt. Chrysler

I have that same plier. It was my first vise grip type plier!

I also have a Craftsman vise grip plier I purchased new in '79. I suspect those were made by Vise Grip.

I forgot that I have an early Vise Grip that I salvaged out of the trunk of a car at a repair/truck shop I worked at in '79. It shows alot of rusting/corrosion for a tool only a few years old at the time. But it was in the trunk of a car in Houston and I suspect the owners, who abandoned the vehicle, never took care of any of their possessions.

 

[TwoInch]

Thorsen and SK, like I mentioned previously. I didn't really look that much. I'll be there tomorrow morning, I forgot that most things not owned by Walmart actually close on Sundays. (Tried to stop by this morning!)

Any specific things you want me to look for? They have one of those 9 feet tall wrench/socket/extension rack things that stocks a whole line I guess. I'll take a picture.

i must have missed that post. my fault.

this is a very long shot, but keep an eye out for herbrand extensions. i have a couple, and like them. dont know much about em.

maybe try to snap a pic or two of the hard tool rack. that would be cool if you have time.

 

[TwoInch]

man id like to dig through the back room of a store like that. guys like that always have some serious gems they are holdin on to back there...

 

[Trucky]

Will do. I'll try and take more "viewable" pictures this time. About every few feet down the "wall of amazing" that almost all of my pictures were from in the first two posts.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Dude...I am so jealous! None of the stores here (and there are some old hardware stores) have anything CLOSE to that!
In the picture with the lever wrench, what are the green screwdrivers? Also what is the Channellock SL-2?
Is this a different store than the one you mentioned last week?

 

[Trucky]

It's the same store.

For the SL-2, I believe it was either a Phillips 2 or a Robinson style square driver (#2). I'll be seeing it in a few minutes.

As for the neon greenies, I noticed them in store but was too busy picking my jaw up to look too hard at them. I'll snap a few pictures.

 

[jeffmoss26]

I like those old Channellock screwdrivers, let me know!

 

[Steevo]

I love the pics of old hardware store inventory.
I remember a couple of old fashioned hardware stores in my life, and both were places I really enjoyed shopping, because no matter what I went there for, i found something else I had to bring home. Even as a kid, I loved wandering the aisles, opening the bins of nuts/bolts/cotter pins/fittings/etc. and wondering at it all.
When I was in my twenties, I worked in a small foothills town that had a local hardware store that had been there since the 1800's. Their basement was a wondrous place, with boxes of axe handles, hurricane lamp flues, wicks, burners, etc., I remember even seeing an unused antique rug sweeper and rug beaters hanging down there. Their shelves upstairs (ground floor AND second floor) were loaded with tools and hardware of every kind, and the proprietor was able to tell you where anything in the store was from memory. They had a rolling ladder on each long wall for access to the really high shelves.

 

[Trucky]

As I said, a LOT more pictures:

There ya go! I bought the pliers for whoever posted earlier
(can't remember usernames worth a can of beans), and the Vaco drivers are mine. Pricey stuff.. but very nice indeed.

 

[allinon72]

That is just mind blowing how the stuff has been sitting there for that long. Hell the hammers have rust on them. Clearly this store does not make money on merchandise, has to make it on something else.

 

[Steevo]

I want a green-handled Petrosky's Hardware screwdriver.
Maybe two or three if they have flat/philips, etc. available.
If it's a multi-bit handle, I'd get a few for presents.

And these screwdrivers would be worth buying all of them just to get that rack they are in:

 

[Steve_P]

great pics! thanks for sharing. Lots of cool stuff there, and as said, a lot has been there for 40+ years. Pinto key rings? Thorsen wrenches? ( I laughed when I saw that!) Very cool.

 

[Gregster]

mother of god....

 

[Monte]

A tool museum where you can buy the exhibits

 

[jeffmoss26]

wow...just wow.
I would not mind one of those Vaco reversible screwdrivers, unless you got the last one lol
I didn't see any Ridgid pipe wrenches

 

[fivespdcat]

What's really impressive about this store is that the owner goes back and raises the prices enough to stay 35% higher than todays price on stuff that is 20 years old. This is cool, but wow! That guy goes through every six month and re-prices stock that hasn't moved in decades. Now that's amazing!

 

[jeffmoss26]

Lol!

 

[Gregster]

What's really impressive about this store is that the owner goes back and raises the prices enough to stay 35% higher than todays price on stuff that is 20 years old. This is cool, but wow! That guy goes through every six month and re-prices stock that hasn't moved in decades. Now that's amazing!

Perhaps he knows that some are willing to pay it based on eBay pricing ...

 

[warmpancakes]

Talk about throwing good money after bad, even if he sold every single piece at price marked he lost money hes been paying tax on all that inventory for years

 

[allinon72]

Perhaps he knows that some are willing to pay it based on eBay pricing ...

Then why wouldn't he sell on eBay? Some of that stuff has been on the shelf for decades.

This just doesn't make sense...

 

[jdjm]

Trucky, Trying to figure out where this store is located. Is it in Williamsport or Latrobe area. I get to Williamsport in a tractor trailer often and I don't want to bother you with shipping so I'd like to pickup that ratcheting screwdriver with the ball handle on it. Do you mind telling us where it is? thanks

 

[Trucky]

Trucky, Trying to figure out where this store is located. Is it in Williamsport or Latrobe area. I get to Williamsport in a tractor trailer often and I don't want to bother you with shipping so I'd like to pickup that ratcheting screwdriver with the ball handle on it. Do you mind telling us where it is? thanks

Google "Petrosky's Pro Hardware, Latrobe PA". It'll show up, map and all! They don't have a website, not very surprising given the clientele.

wow...just wow.
I would not mind one of those Vaco reversible screwdrivers, unless you got the last one lol
I didn't see any Ridgid pipe wrenches

There's two of the reversibles left.

And Ridgid... HAH. I'll snap a pic tomorrow of the pipe wrench area. There's a lot there.

mother of god....

Exactly

 

[Trucky]

I want a green-handled Petrosky's Hardware screwdriver.
Maybe two or three if they have flat/philips, etc. available.
If it's a multi-bit handle, I'd get a few for presents.
*image*


And these screwdrivers would be worth buying all of them just to get that rack they are in: *image*

I do believe they're multi-bit ones. Let me know how many you want.

Prety sure those Vaco's would total about... 800 dollars or so. Including the nut drivers not pictured.. maybe.

Can't wait to spend my next paycheck in there.. and feel good about it too. That doesn't happen very often.

 

[Jarhead0408]

Good Lord! Sweet Mother of Forgotten Sacred Tools Batman! You've hit the mother load!
I should be passing through Pa within a year or so. I'll have to stop by just to look if nothing else.

 

[allinon72]

GJ members are gonna ransack this place...the owner won't know what hit him

 

[Amitygravel]

Those screwdriver handles look like candy !
That poor store isn't going to know what hit them may be the understatement of the year.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Trucky, PM sent.

 

[NC-Fordguy]

Lots of kewl stuff

 

[Gregster]

I was just reminded of a few hardware stores around here that might yield some NOS goodness... Will investigate

 

[jeffmoss26]

Ditto, there are still a few old time stores I need to check out here!

 

[supersteve]

I wonder if the guy who owns this store has a time machine he uses to restock.......

 

[Skyline]

There is a particular eBay seller who specializes in this type of NOS older American tools. The prices of his listings are insanely high, but he seems to get them. I guess the key is knowing which of the older items can bring the big bucks from collectors. There were certainly some items in the OPs photos that can make someone some serious coin reselling on eBay. Check out this seller's items to get some idea of which older tools have really good potential. Check out his completed listings as well:

http://myworld.ebay.com/luckytools&ssPageName=STRK:MEFSX:SELLERID&_trksid=p3984.m1543.l2533

 

[B17E1943]

WOW, just WOW.

NOS P&C & Indestro wrenches, and and and ... I came across a similar place locally today; he still has some USA Vise-Grips and some other cool stuff. Not nearly on this scale, however.

 

[TwoInch]

ohhh shnap! nothing like this within a hundred miles of me im sure.