What year did plastic Hit the scene

[Bigwheels]

There are several posts on plastic and when it became an option over metal cases for tool sets. Anyone know approximately?

 

[Plombob]

My guess is the late 1970s. I had a Craftsman socket set in a plastic case that I bought around 1980.

 

[PugetDude]

The 1920's
For some tools.
Celluloid plastic.
Tortoise shell before that.

What specific question do you have that might be addressed?
This one is too general to answer.

Ducks, never heard of a Tortoise Shell Tool Case

(Well, maybe on the Flintstones...)

 

[rlitman]

My guess is the late 1970s. I had a Craftsman socket set in a plastic case that I bought around 1980.

I have a Husky socket set from around 1980 that came in a plastic case. And a more recent SK set that still came in metal. I recall having Makita and Porter Cable tools into the 1990s that still had metal cases.
So I can't say that plastic cases took over in any one year, or even decade.

Plastic, in one way or another, dates back a LONG time. The 19th century saw widespread use of hard rubbers (gutta percha) and celluloids, to name but a few. Bakelite hit the scene in 1909. Styrenes, acrylics (perspex/lucite/plexiglas), nylon, polyethylene (the thermoplastic responsible for blow molded cases) and teflon were all in use before WWII. Polypropylene came shortly later.

 

[ganymede]

Plastic tool cases for socket sets date to at least the late 60's. That's when Craftsman introduced permanex blow molded cases for socket sets.
The plastic inserts are earlier.

 

[bill300d]

Plastic tool cases for socket sets date to at least the late 60's. That's when Craftsman introduced permanex blow molded cases for socket sets.
The plastic inserts are earlier.

 

[2oolhound]

1967, Just after the movie "The Graduate" came out.

 

[Musicinabottle]

1967, Just after the movie "The Graduate" came out.

Which was a Tuesday, Aug first.

 

[notlob]

Mr. McGuire: I want to say one word to you. Just one word.
Benjamin: Yes, sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Benjamin: Yes, I am.
Mr. McGuire: Plastics.
Benjamin: Exactly how do you mean?
Mr. McGuire: There's a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it?

Note: the bolded line is ranked #42 in the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema.

 

[2oolhound]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^



That movie moulded itself into young adolescent's minds for all these years and now I find out it was because of Mr. McGuire's one liner and not Mrs. Robinson's underlying character. .

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

I was thinking when did plastics hit the world.. how wrong I was.. lol

 

[Private Lugnutz]

...and now I find out it was because of Mr. McGuire's one liner and not Mrs. Robinson's underlying character.

Nothing against investment advice or Ann Bancroft and her naughty black bra and *******, but I always thought it was because of the red '66 Series 1 Spider 1600! My first car was a '73 Series 2 Kamm-tail Spider Veloce 1750 and it's still one of my favorite roadsters!