Old(vintage)tools...another obsession.
Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 7:02 pm
Let me start by saying that I am(among other things)an old tool addict...but I can quit...anytime.How I started collecting is relatively simple:I collected old tool boxes;mostly to paint up and antique and auction off for various charities I'm affiliated with.A lot of times these old tool boxes would contain(surprise;surprise)TOOLS! I became fascinated with some of the older tool designs and another addiction(obsession) was born.
I guess the one that got me really hooked on tools was a huge heavy box I nearly tripped over going into a friend's shop one day.Looking almost home made with it's squared corners and 14 ga steel construction,it was filled with a bunch of rusted old tools to the point that I had to have him lift it into the back of my car.
When I asked what he wanted for it he said,"If you just want the box it's $7;but if you want the tools it's another $7." Thinking there might be something worth salvaging I bought the whole thing.The front panel was missing but I figured I could make one with relative ease.I forgot how difficult steel is to cold bend.
Getting it home I emptied it's contents on a table in my shop and dragged the still heavy box from the car. Sorting through the contents I found all manner of interesting things. From a couple of huge old manual soldering irons to cold chisels and the largest drift punch I'd ever seen(it barely fit in the box)to some really strange looking socket wrenches.The ratchets had a hole in them rather than the more familiar square stub and one of the ratchets had a hex drive.Also the sockets were of many odd sizes:19/32;25/32;31/32 and there was even a set of 4 point(square)sockets.
Doing some research I found that this particular set was from around 1920 and except for some rust(that readily cleaned up)in very good shape.A session with a fine wire wheel and some Break-Free and I had a nice functioning antique tool box.
My next one was a vintage Craftsman box with tools that cost me $60 in an antique shop.I really just wanted the box but the lady wouldn't break it up.The set was kind of unique in that I had never seen this particular style of Craftsman logo.More research turned up the fact that it was used for about 1929 to 1948.These tools needed only de-greasing to be perfect.One down side was that one socket in the set was cracked.This set now resides in my 1955 Pontiac wagon.
I started looking for tools now at yard sales in addition to everything else.My next find was a box that looked for all the world like a Model T Ford hood.Imagine my surprise to find a bunch of Ford branded tools inside! And the price was great! $5!Another heavy gauge monster.
My most recent find was last Sunday.Went to the opening of the flea market across from my house and a friend had a set of old tools displayed that I had never heard of.The name was Hinsdale.For $20 I bought the box full.Both the box and the tools needed cleaning which I readily accomplished and the research found that this particular set(G-20)was a popular addition to Model T Fords in the early 1920's.The site(Alloy Artifacts)had a description but no picture of the set. In the set was a single most unusual socket made by Walden-Worcester;another firm unknown to me.The drive;instead of being square or hex was an oval shape and there was an Allen screw in the side to hold the socket to the wrench..Reading about it I learned that they were only made for a short time in the early 1920's as the style didn't catch on.
Anyway that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I guess the one that got me really hooked on tools was a huge heavy box I nearly tripped over going into a friend's shop one day.Looking almost home made with it's squared corners and 14 ga steel construction,it was filled with a bunch of rusted old tools to the point that I had to have him lift it into the back of my car.
When I asked what he wanted for it he said,"If you just want the box it's $7;but if you want the tools it's another $7." Thinking there might be something worth salvaging I bought the whole thing.The front panel was missing but I figured I could make one with relative ease.I forgot how difficult steel is to cold bend.
Getting it home I emptied it's contents on a table in my shop and dragged the still heavy box from the car. Sorting through the contents I found all manner of interesting things. From a couple of huge old manual soldering irons to cold chisels and the largest drift punch I'd ever seen(it barely fit in the box)to some really strange looking socket wrenches.The ratchets had a hole in them rather than the more familiar square stub and one of the ratchets had a hex drive.Also the sockets were of many odd sizes:19/32;25/32;31/32 and there was even a set of 4 point(square)sockets.
Doing some research I found that this particular set was from around 1920 and except for some rust(that readily cleaned up)in very good shape.A session with a fine wire wheel and some Break-Free and I had a nice functioning antique tool box.
My next one was a vintage Craftsman box with tools that cost me $60 in an antique shop.I really just wanted the box but the lady wouldn't break it up.The set was kind of unique in that I had never seen this particular style of Craftsman logo.More research turned up the fact that it was used for about 1929 to 1948.These tools needed only de-greasing to be perfect.One down side was that one socket in the set was cracked.This set now resides in my 1955 Pontiac wagon.
I started looking for tools now at yard sales in addition to everything else.My next find was a box that looked for all the world like a Model T Ford hood.Imagine my surprise to find a bunch of Ford branded tools inside! And the price was great! $5!Another heavy gauge monster.
My most recent find was last Sunday.Went to the opening of the flea market across from my house and a friend had a set of old tools displayed that I had never heard of.The name was Hinsdale.For $20 I bought the box full.Both the box and the tools needed cleaning which I readily accomplished and the research found that this particular set(G-20)was a popular addition to Model T Fords in the early 1920's.The site(Alloy Artifacts)had a description but no picture of the set. In the set was a single most unusual socket made by Walden-Worcester;another firm unknown to me.The drive;instead of being square or hex was an oval shape and there was an Allen screw in the side to hold the socket to the wrench..Reading about it I learned that they were only made for a short time in the early 1920's as the style didn't catch on.
Anyway that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Those long wooden boxes in the picture are packed with gardening tools.
