Vintage tools -- collect or actually use?

[MikeH]

Morning all. I've enjoyed all the information available on this site, and I have a question about older tools, specifically Craftsman, but I guess applicable to any older hand tools. Do you just collect, or actually still use tools over a certain age--say ratchets or breaker bars from the Circle H period in the 30s? I'm no metallurgist, but does the metal weaken with 80 years of use?

I try to buy used to save money, which usually means tools from the 70s or 80s; the 30s seems like it might be a different story. I'm not a hard user by any stretch of the imagination, but I use the stuff I buy. So is there an age at which tools are "great for collecting, but I wouldn't want to rely on it"?

 

[Gmonkee]

Any ratchet
sockets newer than WWII if not worn out
wrenches about the same
any usable screwdriver or pliers.

To throw a blanket over the past market in the US those are pretty safe bets.
The key thing is fit to fastener. Do not use worn out **** that fits poorly.

SAE is easy in old stuff. Metrics look to mid tier brands if unsure of a boot sale partial set. The cheapest old ones were not always good. Into the 90's that changed a lot to where most can be good users. But not all.

Do not fear Asain imports. Many are quite good and run dirt cheap prices in used
condition.

 

[woody 73]

Good question some would yes indeed use them and others would say they belong in collections...

This is how I tend to see things, if the tool is very vintage meaning 50 years or older, (1968 and before) then I take a greater care not to abuse them knowing if they break getting a replacement will be very tough to come by.

Then again if made after 1968 all tools are collectable, because some were only made for a very short time, for example bicentennial machines or hand tools, like knives or other items only made for that special year, then again special care should be taken because finding replacements will be a challenge.

Again your call just use common sense and don't use a cheater pipe on every vintage item or grab them for impact use when they are not rated for such use if you see what I mean.

 

[matthew]

I have some '30's to '50's vintage stuff from my Grandfather that's in regular use. But it depends on what it is. Some of it is really excellent - and anything that stands that sort of test of time probably is - but there's some stuff that's really outdated, and some stuff that wasn't as good (often evidenced by mismatched pieces where broken ones have been replaced).

In the last 20 or so years everyone has switched to flank drive type sockets and wrenches, which are better. So I wouldn't necessarily see vintage as being the holy grail. But I would agree, especially for inch sized stuff there is a surplus of good stuff on the used market. Some of my favourite pliers are older than me. Good hammers never go out of style. And there's lots of things that you'd have quite a hard time telling the difference between modern tools. Ratchets vary from being almost indistinguishable from modern to sometimes a bit clunky. If you handle it, and it feels good in your hands, you'll know you've found a gem.

 

[jgromada]

I love old pliers. I have a bunch of OLD Utica stuff that is very functional. Also some old Klein stuff.

For sockets most of the stuff i work on is metric based so old sockets have limited use.

I love some of the old Proto stuff i have accumulated as well.

 

[J.A.F.E.]

I try to use all my tools even the ones I have mainly to collect. I want to know how they feel and work. I wouldn't give a second thought to using something 100 years old including wrenches and sockets as long as it wasn't worn as Gmonkee points out. In fact most of my users are early 50's to about mid 80's.

Some caution is good practice after all these are going to be hard to replace as woody73 mentions so I tend to use the collectors a little gingerly.

 

[davethorik]

Depends on the task and the tool. I have some stuff that is NOS and I generally don't use it.

 

[PFSard]

I try to buy used to save money, which usually means tools from the 70s or 80s; the 30s seems like it might be a different story.

How many tools are you buying that pre-date the 70s? How much are you paying?

I don't find that many tools around here that are from the 30s, 40s. I buy them at estate and garage sales if they are cheap enough. I use them but not a great deal. If they are in great shape, they sit in a drawer.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

As far as the metal itself, there should be no change in functionality unless it has been heated or otherwise used far outside its design.

I get older, 80s and up, sae to make my home sets. Lots of older power equipment uses it, although metric is happily becoming more common. Even at work I have some vintage sae, simply because I use it so rarely. Having top tier brand new sae tools doesnt make sense for me, being that I work on a handful of classic cars per year. 1/4 and 5/16 are common for hose clamps, other than those and sockets for taps, I can go a month or two without using any sae stuff. Vintage tools fill my need nicely, and leave more money for tools I use much more frequently.

 

[ex-x-fire]

If its a size that I use, I will use it regardless of age.

 

[Cruzan80]

I too tend to use it (within reason). I have newer stuff that I will abuse (cheater bar, etc), but some of my best tools are pre-70's. And all of my standing power tools are pre 1980.

 

[Al Borland]

A lot of my "Vintage" tools I have had since the 70s.
Some were old when I got them (circle H, etc …).
If they work, I use them.

 

[WWheeler]

I collect them to use them. Most were collected long before they would have been considered 'vintage', but not all. If it's a tool then it's meant to be used. i don't own any just for polishing and looking at.

 

[davethorik]

Depends on the task and the tool. I have some stuff that is NOS and I generally don't use it.

To expand on this, I have a small collection of older pre-Cooper Lufkin tape measures, made in Saginaw, Michigan and most with original packaging. I tend to find very clean NOS examples for not much money.

Would I collect them? Absolutely. Workmanship on these is top notch, they have a nice heft to them, and I particularly like their dull grey chrome clad blades on some models. I have a NOS 50' Ni-Clad which has a bright polished nickel finish and is basically unusable in the sun unless you're wearing a welding hood. Probably why there are no tapes with shiny finishes today. They even offered a couple models of stainless tapes, which I postulate were ahead of their time. Of course, a lot of these old tapes a hook was optional or an add on accessory, and most don't have one, another strike as I don't have time to hammer a nail into whatever I'm measuring.

Of course I do have a trusty newer (but still vintage) Lufkin winder that I use for anything my Stanley's can't handle, so past 30 ft to 50'. I bought it used but specifically because it is graduated in 16ths, has a chrome clad blade, and most important a hook. 2.5 years of construction use and it might have some scuffs.


Would I use them daily? No, to preserve NOS and also, the old hand wind tape measures are annoying in use esp if you have a lot of tape ran out. my users are mostly modern USA Stanleys...a mix of older Leverlock and current powerlock...no triple chromed, mirror finish brass housings, no stitched leather. Plastic, some have rubber bumpers, and dinky pocket clips, but still with their own kind of toughness. The modern sealed mechanisms are more foreign body ingress resistant than the old ones, too although someone must still want this wind up style as Milwaukee makes one, and it is a totally open design which seems like a bad idea.

I hope this rambling post makes sense.

 

[don long]

I found and old Craftsman roller and top box a couple of years ago.
It came out of a garage that had been locked up since 1975.
I sorted out all the non Craftsman tools cleaned the boxes up nicely and put it in my 30's garage display.
Now when I'm working in the party garage I walk into the 30's garage to get the tools I may need instead of going out to my shop for tools

2018-07-22 19.46.33 by don long, on Flickr

 

[Jaydb07]

I found and old Craftsman roller and top box a couple of years ago.

It came out of a garage that had been locked up since 1975.

I sorted out all the non Craftsman tools cleaned the boxes up nicely and put it in my 30's garage display.

Now when I'm working in the party garage I walk into the 30's garage to get the tools I may need instead of going out to my shop for tools



2018-07-22 19.46.33 by don long, on Flickr

Oh man I want that.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Al Borland]

I found and old Craftsman roller and top box a couple of years ago.
It came out of a garage that had been locked up since 1975.
I sorted out all the non Craftsman tools cleaned the boxes up nicely and put it in my 30's garage display.
Now when I'm working in the party garage I walk into the 30's garage to get the tools I may need instead of going out to my shop for tools

2018-07-22 19.46.33 by don long, on Flickr

Looks like a Kennedy

 

[JUNK-MAN]

Anything older than say the 60s I usually avoid myself, anything i have i bought to use, if someone gives me any old tools they go in a box in the corner to get sold.

 

[woody 73]

Strange this post should come up today...

I picked up a tool from the early 1920's just this morning and I am working on a post story for it to be put into the vintage tool section. Would I use it not really as it is no longer made and finding any parts for it would be out of the question so a machine shop would have to make parts if it got broken.

 

[Jim C.]

I do both.

 

[southalabama]

Sweet old craftsman box by Don Long

Both my grandfather and great grandfather were carpenters. I have their hammers. Do they have any tool collectibility? Probably not worth anything but a couple bucks. From time to time I use them just feel a connection to them. I certainly don't want to damage them though lest they end up like George Washingtons hatchet. First they replaced the handle then later the head.

 

[MikeH]

Seems like the consensus is that the age wouldn't harm the tool's strength or functionality, but just make damaging it more of a problem because of parts. Since the tool that sparked the question in my mind was a breaker bar, I guess there'd be nothing to worry about.

How many tools are you buying that pre-date the 70s? How much are you paying?

I don't find that many tools around here that are from the 30s, 40s. I buy them at estate and garage sales if they are cheap enough. I use them but not a great deal. If they are in great shape, they sit in a drawer.

True, not too many. What made me wonder was a breaker bar on CL that was a circle H (which I think dates it to the 30s or 40s, right?). I wasn't shopping for a collectible, I was interested in a breaker bar. It definitely isn't in "display" condition, it has worked. I wasn't sure if the seller was looking for collector prices ($15 for a 15 inch 1/2 inch drive), but I wondered if my vintage USA made nostalgia was the only thing making this look better that whatever HF is selling cheap.

A lot of my "Vintage" tools I have had since the 70s.
Some were old when I got them (circle H, etc …).
If they work, I use them.

I don't think many of mine are vintage yet--I got most of them in the 90s--but since finding this site I've realized that a) they'll be vintage soon enough, and b) since they are US made they are at least worth holding on to and keeping an eye on.

 

[finn]

Many of my “vintage” tools were new wham I got them, like my SK socket set from 1966, so I guess I am getting old, despite myself.

I ended up with tools that I suspect were my grandfathers, likely as old as the 1920s, some of which I still use, like a Stanley utility knife with the original blade protector, 1950s Plomb hammer, Proto breaker bar, etc.

Most of the truly old tools are obsolete, though, ie Carpenter saws,monkey wrenches, open end wrenches, planes, etc.

Power tools prior to the seventies are space hogs, never used.

I love old ball pien hammers with patina handles, some wrapped with old friction tape io keep the cracks handle together.

 

[PhysicsDude]

I have a few of these older style adjustable wrenches. They're pretty cheap and abundant, so its not like you're ruining an heirloom. They're not better than a modern adjustable wrench, but I think they're fun to use, and have a nice heavy substantial feel in your hand.

 

[bczygan]

I'm vintage, so vintage tools are just tools from my past.

I use em!

I hate collectors. They take usable old tools out of circulation and make them expensive and unavailable. Each tool they add to their collection takes one away from someone like me, who would like to use it. So I buy them up for cheap whenever I can find them.

And then I hoard them, which is just as bad!!!

Bill

 

[unslow1]

I don't really collect old tools but have some to work on very old cars. The old monkey wrenches I really like for plumbing work. They fit where it can be too tight for an adjustable wrench.

 

[MShaw]

Use. I "collected" what I needed to do the service work at hand. Since I started "collecting" over 60 years ago most of what I have is vintage and was bought to be used.

 

[Gmonkee]

Hey Bill. Even you would find it hard to use the rusty **** in my collection. They were made to fix stuff a century old. Nobody fixes what was scrapped for the war effort.

 

[Kev442]

If I own it, I will use it and enjoy it. My only concession is to try and keep clicks down on my vintage Williams S-53. If I am doing a huge project, I will use the S53 to break the bolts loose a couple turns, then switch to a shorter ratchet. This saves time too.

Knowing I can get a rebuild kit, I use my Dad's SK 1/2" set. It was close to NOS when I got, it's not that way anymore!

 

[thinman]

When I'm working against the clock I generally use newer tools. If I break something, I'll buy a replacement. When I'm working in my home shop and not in a hurry, I enjoy taking my time and using old tools, some of which my Dad gave me. The old tools remind me of working with my Dad on projects when I was a young guy, and he taught how to repair things.

 

[wout]

Collect and use.
I have to many to use them all but I use whatever I need.

gr
Wout