Unique little homemade tool set

[3baygarage]

Picked this up on ebay.

Someone built a special little set, quite long ago perhaps, based on the old contents. The wood has a nice old smell to it as well.

I was sold on it upon seeing the beavertail ratchet and the Vacuum Grip pliers. The pliers are in fantastic condition other than the crazy owner mark. Forged Steel Products Co. No 34.

Really nice little S-K set. One S-K socket is unstamped.

Too bad the Duro sockets were cannibalized, but something must have called for hex bits. Certainly not the first time I’ve seen home made bit sockets like these. The oddball in there is a Malaysia socket.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nifty.

 

[3baygarage]

Pics of the Vac Grip handle and a nice little 4” Crescent.

Duro sliding t handle and a couple sockets.

S-K set. Complete with cross bar!


The little single end wrenches may be Williams, other than the 9/16 which is cut down from a doe and painted. They may have all been polished and repainted, with only one showing a diamond W Stamp.

The craftsman socket is a 12pt with the hex bit just placed in it.

 

[r_olson_06]

Picked this up on ebay.

Someone built a special little set, quite long ago perhaps, based on the old contents. The wood has a nice old smell to it as well.

I was sold on it upon seeing the beavertail ratchet and the Vacuum Grip pliers. The pliers are in fantastic condition other than the crazy owner mark. Forged Steel Products Co. No 34.

Really nice little S-K set. One S-K socket is unstamped.

Too bad the Duro sockets were cannibalized, but something must have called for hex bits. Certainly not the first time I’ve seen home made bit sockets like these. The oddball in there is a Malaysia socket.

Show some shots of that ratchet. Someone took some time on that set. Love the homemade Allen sockets.

Looking for the following Plomb Pebbles Wrench 3061

 

[3baygarage]

Not exactly a CRTDI style action shot.

The breaker bar is unstamped as well, which is normal.

 

[bonneyman]

Show some shots of that ratchet. Someone took some time on that set. Love the homemade Allen sockets.

Looking for the following Plomb Pebbles Wrench 3061

What he said^^^^^

 

[Catfishdan]

Very cool. Skillfully done. Did it come in a box at all?

 

[d42jeep]

Nice! I would have been very happy to find that set with all those unique pieces.
-Don

 

[lardy1]

Impressive.

 

[3baygarage]

I was happy to find it. A neat little group. It didn’t come with a box of its own, so I’ll have to see what’s around.

 

[abelacres]

That's super neat. If you don't mind me asking, what were you searching for on EBay to run across that?

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It didn’t come with a box of its own, so I’ll have to see what’s around.

It looks like it might've been meant to fit in a tote tray.

 

[3baygarage]

Could well be Lugz. Little stuff in the top tray would make sense.

Ableacres, likely ratchets or sockets I was searching. Funny timing though as I cleaned up a few old Vac Grip pliers lately.

 

[DD T/A]

I'm suprised by how many people react "disgusted" by owners marks. I think they tell a story and like them.

(it shows the tool was more than likely bought by someone who needed it to put bread on the table or their kid in college; instead nowadays when most of these tools are owned in triplicate or even greater numbers simply by hoarding collectors that will tout the tools quality and durability but yet rarely if ever use the tools in such a way)


end rant.

 

[outofbounds]

Reasonable rant. However never "disgusted" per se by owners marks, as a re-seller, or trader of most the tools I acquire, I'm also attempting at least, to put a little butter on the bread I earn elsewhere, therefore I'd rather catch a tool without them. That said, they've never forced me to walk away from any deal to this point.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Could well be Lugz. Little stuff in the top tray would make sense.

That, and the size of it, and the fact that it isn't designed to be picked up and moved around as is. I suppose it may have also been an insert in a metal case with a lid. What are the dimensions?

I'm suprised by how many people react "disgusted" by owners marks.

There have been a few threads on that subject (which reminds me to add them to the Sticky Index...) and the opinions always fall into three categories:

(1) Hate them no matter what

(2) Like them no matter what

(3) Tolerate them, at least, and perhaps even like them, if the owner's marks are applied in a classy, stylish, smallish, and inconspicuous place and way that matches or even attracts rather than detracts from the aesthetics of the tool.

Personally, and for the record, being a deplorable hoarder (umpteen of some many things...), tool polisher (the cleaner and more presentable for photographs or guests the better), curator (whether people want to acknowledge it or not, antique and vintage collectible tools have a value beyond the utilitarian, as artifacts of an American way of life and industrial heritage), and refusenik (they earned their retirement in a high and dry place in the Lugzsonian, they will never get used again, and the thought of using them is as repugnant to me as the notion of making my 93 year old mother do chores around my house to earn her keep), I fall squarely into category three.

But unless I missed it, I didn't see anyone disgusted by the owner's mark. I saw 3bay call it "crazy," an assessment that seems almost impossible to argue with. It is a large swirly unintelligible mess of lines that defies interpretation. Three small dots, two small initials, or one small symbol, well-placed, and well-punched, preferably, inside the handle grips somewhere, would've served the original purpose, and not been so unsightly, then or 60 years later.

And I don't see any reason for any of the 3 groups (like 'em, hate 'em, tolerate 'em with conditions...) to not respect each others' opinions.

 

[bmwrd0]

I also fall into category 3, and it also varies by the handwriting of the engraver. (I have some newer Proto sockets that the guy must have been drunk and angry when the initials were ground in.)

 

[3baygarage]

I tolerate owner marks, rust, etc., if the price is fair. Just see some of the rusty stuff I bring home.

 

[outofbounds]

Re: Unique little homemade tool set

"The little single end wrenches may be Williams, other than the 9/16 which is cut down from a doe and painted. They may have all been polished and repainted, with only one showing a diamond W Stamp."

3baygarage,
I maybe, just maybe have a Williams 9/16 machine wrench to match those single ends. If I do, you can have it for the price of shipping and a thank you.

Absolutely love that set. I will be in my garage working a rehab assignment on some deplorably corroded old Snap On and can look for that wrench in the meantime. Let me know otherwise if it's not worth my time to rummage through a pile of 200 odd wrenches.

Regards, outofbounds

 

[damon18]

And I don't see any reason for any of the 3 groups (like 'em, hate 'em, tolerate 'em with conditions...) to not respect each others' opinions.

True Dat (as they say around here) I'm mixed on this, when I'm buying used tools for my own needs of course I'd rather have pristine unmarked tools, why not?

But I also have a lot of my Grandfathers tools and a lot of them are etched with some version of "Stolen from JT" (his given name was John Terry).

To me that just reflects the fact that his tools were some of the most expensive things he owned and that it never crossed his mind that he would ever sell them, so as a family man working in the 1930's, 40's, and 50's it was much more important to hold onto his way to make a living rather than worrying about keeping the tools perfect for "future generations" or some collector.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

"Stolen from JT"

Haha! Hilarious, and classic!

Two comments on your point, though.

The first is that collectors not liking or not preferring or even being upset with owners' marks on their collectible tools now is not always a derogatory reflection on the owner who put them on the tool 50 or 100 years ago. I can understand why mechanics did it, I can understand that they did so with no forethought to a future sale, and I can even understand that some of them did it with little to no regard to aesthetics (size, style, placement, etc), safety, or preservation - but at the same time, I can also still wish and hope and prefer that the tools I find with PO marks are small, inconspicuous and pleasing rather than big distracting eyesores. People tend to conflate the two things needlessly and erroneously. It is an impersonal preference.

The second is that family heirlooms are completely different. The markings are more than just special in those cases. They are an indelible artifact of your own kin on this earth. EDIT: This has a huge intersection with the WWII hobby, where soldier's markings are actually desirable, often identifying and authenticating the piece in ways unmarked pieces don't enjoy.

 

[3baygarage]

Out- I appreciate the offer. I may have a Williams that size.

 

[outofbounds]

3bay,
After I made that offer I actually thought you'd see fit to want to preserve the archive "as found" anyway. Hard to improve on the charm you came into with that set.

 

[outofbounds]

My name is Ralph Winthorpe Katzenjammer, and this is MY wrench!!

 

[3baygarage]

 

[3baygarage]

Lugz, I saw that you asked the dimensions and never checked. Roughly 11-13/16”x4-1/2”x3/4”. Is that a GMTK spec?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Haha. Thanks. No, I wanted to see if it matches any of the various smaller socket-type boxes and metal cases I have laying around. My hunch is it was made as an insert.