The vintage Blackhawk Thread

[four.cycle]

This one is completely off topic, but since we're on the topic of O.K. it should be noted that Stevens-Walden-Worcester used the term in their own advertising campaigns.
Lugnutz is correct: "O.K." was not originally "middling" - it only got that way during the last few decades. (One of the wonderful things about the American English lexicon is its flexibility and our willingness to accept and embrace those changes.)


1945 Motor Service Magazine pp 200 Stevens Walden advertisement

 

[RTM]

Lugz is correct once again. A comparative note here is that General Motors used, "OK" as their brand face for used vehicles. This was from the same time frame as the OK brand that Blackhawk was selling. Things sure were different 100 years ago.

Heck, the local Chevy dealership in SoCal before I left 25 year ago still had one of those signs hanging.

 

[thehorse13]

Heck, the local Chevy dealership in SoCal before I left 25 year ago still had one of those signs hanging.

There is a used car lot in northern Virginia that still has this sign out front to this day. All the petro guys have tried to buy it but the owner won't sell. It's been there for over 75 years!!!

 

[thehorse13]

I know that we've seen tons of 7/16th nugget sets but this is a rare find around these parts nowadays. It's also the second Blackhawk pickup in less than a week, which is also a rare event present day. The good news is that I have a recently acquired 49K bomb box that needs to be completed. Not a bad sale day considering the pouring rain and low 50s temps!

 

[Fred Knox]

Here is a recent estate sale find - a Blackhawk / Caterpillar Tool Chest loaded with Blackhawk sockets (most with 1939 date codes), wrenches, etc., but also some old SO, Vlchek, Cornwell, Herbrand and Plomb. They are all 3/4", 1/2" and 3/8"-drive, so still looking for the 7/16" ones too! You can see two of the ratchets in one of the photos, which I believe are considered "baldies". Some of the tee-handle fixed socket wrenches are also Blackhawk (mostly Walden-Worcester).

I am doing the regular Simple green and Evaporust treatment on the tools, but I have not figured out how to clean the bottom of the drawer trays. It looks like the original owner put some sort of felt (or tar paper) cushion in them, and they are all infused with grease/oil/other now and stuck to the bottoms. Has anyone encountered something similar and how did you deal with it? I am trying to avoid damaging whatever paint is left underneath as I try to peal them off.

 

[Smokeshow69]

Here is a recent estate sale find - a Blackhawk / Caterpillar Tool Chest loaded with Blackhawk sockets (most with 1939 date codes), wrenches, etc., but also some old SO, Vlchek, Cornwell, Herbrand and Plomb. They are all 3/4", 1/2" and 3/8"-drive, so still looking for the 7/16" ones too! You can see two of the ratchets in one of the photos, which I believe are considered "baldies". Some of the tee-handle fixed socket wrenches are also Blackhawk (mostly Walden-Worcester).

I am doing the regular Simple green and Evaporust treatment on the tools, but I have not figured out how to clean the bottom of the drawer trays. It looks like the original owner put some sort of felt (or tar paper) cushion in them, and they are all infused with grease/oil/other now and stuck to the bottoms. Has anyone encountered something similar and how did you deal with it? I am trying to avoid damaging whatever paint is left underneath as I try to peal them off.

Boy there is a lot of suckage in there! In terms of the paper felt I would degrease the box and let the drawers soak in hot soapy water a while. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of it came up. Whatever doesn’t come out, I would use a heat gun and plastic razor blades to scrape up. Follow that up with goof off for any stubborn adhesive and then wax the entire box

 

[RTM]

I agree with smoke I would try soaking in warm soapy water first and plastic putty knife or razor blade. I wouldn’t use simple green for fear of you losing the paint

 

[d42jeep]

Those seem like good suggestions to me. I have sometimes soaked the sticky surfaces with mineral spirits to see if it melts the bad stuff without harming the paint underneath. You might rub some on an inconspicuous surface to make sure it doesn’t affect the paint.
-Don
I found a few Blackhawk sockets yesterday.

 

[y'sguy]

Here is a recent estate sale find - a Blackhawk / Caterpillar Tool Chest loaded with Blackhawk sockets (most with 1939 date codes), wrenches, etc., but also some old SO, Vlchek, Cornwell, Herbrand and Plomb. They are all 3/4", 1/2" and 3/8"-drive, so still looking for the 7/16" ones too! You can see two of the ratchets in one of the photos, which I believe are considered "baldies". Some of the tee-handle fixed socket wrenches are also Blackhawk (mostly Walden-Worcester).

I am doing the regular Simple green and Evaporust treatment on the tools, but I have not figured out how to clean the bottom of the drawer trays. It looks like the original owner put some sort of felt (or tar paper) cushion in them, and they are all infused with grease/oil/other now and stuck to the bottoms. Has anyone encountered something similar and how did you deal with it? I am trying to avoid damaging whatever paint is left underneath as I try to peal them off.

Nice Find! I agree with the other suggestion you have received here. Do consider though you should probably replace the tarpaper junk with some kind of box liner though anyway which will cover up any bad paint. Lots of options out there for what you should replace it with.

 

[mritchie77]

This popped up on FB for $100 outside of Houston. If I were a little closer I'd make the drive since I don't have anything Blackhawk.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice pick up on cat box!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Mrritchie that's a nice box for 100$

 

[mritchie77]

Mrritchie that's a nice box for 100$

I know, I just wish it wouldn't cost me close to that amount just to drive there and back.

 

[TexTJ209]

I know, I just wish it wouldn't cost me close to that amount just to drive there and back.

It's been listed for a bit, but same story for me (Waco). Bit too far...

 

[baracus99]

I know this is a long shot but i am looking for a SJ 18 jack. if anyone know of one I've been looking for a while now and haven't had any luck

 

[thehorse13]

I know this is a long shot but i am looking for a SJ 18 jack. if anyone know of one I've been looking for a while now and haven't had any luck

I think we're all looking for one of those. lol. I've been at it for years and have found exactly zero. Others in this thread have been much luckier than me. Some have a few floating around their shops.

 

[930dreamer]

FB MP San Antonio, TX

Facebook

www.facebook.com

 

[baracus99]

FB MP San Antonio, TX

Facebook

www.facebook.com

I contacted him thank you!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Picked up this clunker for 5$ . The ghostly outlines of wrenches and other tools attest to its long dormancy.

 

[thehorse13]

Well folks, today I finally met up with our very own Ricky Joe and I am the new owner of a full restoration project. I present to you the new to me Red Rover.

 

[Ed in Virginia]

Blackhawk socket T-wrench from the 20's:

 

[bmwrd0]

From a tip (thanks Smokeshow) I picked this up yesterday:



A partial #10 set from the late teens -early twenties. There were some Mossberg and Snap-on sockets mixed in, but I had most of the missing sockets and the missing ratchet

Now, I need to locate the wrenches, extensions, pliers, etc. I have my work cut out for me on that.

 

[Shelbylex]

Well folks, today I finally met up with our very own Ricky Joe and I am the new owner of a full restoration project. I present to you the new to me Red Rover.

Great find, thehorse!!! Congratulations!!!
Please post it on https://www.garagejournal.com/forum...e-welcomed-as-well.482368/page-2#post-9280931

Hmm, may be you will get an OCD and decide to figure out what goes where in the top drawer compartments!!!
If you decide to replace the wheels (just wheels, not the hardware), please let me know what you will use (mine is still not restored, the wheels lost their shape from standing on the same spot)


Oldtuleguy, this is also an amazing deal!!! I wish I found a blackhawk for such a price! Please add it as well!

 

[Smokeshow69]

From a tip (thanks Smokeshow) I picked this up yesterday:



A partial #10 set from the late teens -early twenties. There were some Mossberg and Snap-on sockets mixed in, but I had most of the missing sockets and the missing ratchet

Now, I need to locate the wrenches, extensions, pliers, etc. I have my work cut out for me on that.

You bet! Glad to help anytime!

 

[twertsy]

Somebody is proud............

RARE VINTAGE BLACKHAWK NUGGETS TORPEDO TOOLS 7/16" DRIVE | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for RARE VINTAGE BLACKHAWK NUGGETS TORPEDO TOOLS 7/16" DRIVE at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[930dreamer]

Somebody is proud............

RARE VINTAGE BLACKHAWK NUGGETS TORPEDO TOOLS 7/16" DRIVE | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for RARE VINTAGE BLACKHAWK NUGGETS TORPEDO TOOLS 7/16" DRIVE at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Yikes!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Yup, he's got some nice stuff for sale but pricey

 

[twertsy]

Now maybe if it was a one-of-a-kind 1938 Nugget Salesman's Leather Briefcase, with pristine unused tools, and the only one known to exist...........

 

[thehorse13]

Now maybe if it was a one-of-a-kind 1938 Nugget Salesman's Leather Briefcase, with pristine unused tools, and the only one known to exist...........

You know, I'm still kicking myself for letting that yellow Blackhawk sign slip away. I already know that there is no chance of wrestling it away from Don too. lol

 

[Private Lugnutz]

...but pricey

The seller uses the same username here on GJ, and I agree with the term he used here when commenting on an equally exorbitant sum being asked by someone for a Craftsman ratchet, as an "I don't really want to sell it, but..." price, where the unspoken phrase is "...if someone wants to spend stupider than stupid money".

 

[3baygarage]

Somebody is proud............

RARE VINTAGE BLACKHAWK NUGGETS TORPEDO TOOLS 7/16" DRIVE | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for RARE VINTAGE BLACKHAWK NUGGETS TORPEDO TOOLS 7/16" DRIVE at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Don't worry he'll be posting here any time.

 

[twertsy]

That's fine. Anybody can ask whatever they want for anything. Is what it is..........

 

[TexTJ209]

That's fine. Anybody can ask whatever they want for anything. Is what it is..........

Yep. Downside is you get the people who see that listing on eBay and think the old rusty box they have in their shed is worth gold. It is what it is though.

 

[Shelbylex]

Do not worry - the way dollar is going down pretty soon $3400 would be just enough for a Happy Meal!

 

[don long]

I hope he gets his price cause then I know what mis would be worth lol.

Horse
You are correct. That Blackhawk sign is going nowhere soon lol

 

[Smokeshow69]

The seller of the torpedo box has been listing a bunch of craftsman long c era stuff ranging from common to uncommon as well. But he isn’t listing it in sets or individual items, just lots. He can price it however he wants but doesn’t mean he will get it

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Is what it is..........

It is what it is though.

It's always fun and useful when this topic comes up here, although we tend to tip-toe around it. Sonny and/or Todd or anyone who watches Ebay closer than I do could correct me if I'm wrong, but $3,400 is about $2,900 higher than the last complete minty Nuggets bomb box and toolset I remember seeing. Todd's, which was very nice (on a scale of 1 to 10, a solid 7.5, let's just say for argument's sake), sold for $400, as I recall. This one could rightly be called minty-er, I would have to say, at least based on the finish on the box and the condition of the decal, and I would have to give it a 9, just because Bo Dereking anything seems unrealistic, but how much is that uptick in condition worth? $600? $750? We could quibble, I guess. My point is, there's a big noticeable jump between the SOLD at $400 and ASKING $3,400 range. Some people like to insist that things are worth whatever someone is willing to pay, which is not a concept I subscribe to. There are comparisons. They're not THAT rare. We have historical precedence. There are price points to look at. There are trends. And they become going rates. A stupid money spike is not a new going rate until it's sustained, in my opinion.

 

[four.cycle]

Blackhawk "Nugget" torpedo BOX ONLY sold @ $675.00 02/23/21

Blackhawk "Nugget" tool box and set (complete) sold @ $1650.00 04/19/21

(* I have only sporadically grabbed screenshots of sales over the last few years, and only in cases where the prices went into the "stupid money" range, so don't interpret this as "the larger picture". *)

 

[twertsy]

Are you sure you're reading those correctly? In my experience, the "Price" field in those screen shots means it was the asking price, not the sale price.

 

[four.cycle]

^ those are the screenshots taken immediately after the sales ended on those two items, Todd. those were the actual selling prices.