Just started working on Snap On Box and Rolla Bench. Near as I can determine early to mid fifties. I think KR 56 and KR 300D. Looks like the top box was originally painted wrinkle grey (hammered grey) and sprayed red.
I posted pictures of this box when I first acquired it but at the time it was missing the handle that the sockets hook up to. A friend of mine who lives a few doors down was at my shop the other day and I showed him the box and explained about the missing handle. When he found out I had made drawings of it with the idea of making a replacement he offered to do it for me. As he works as a prototype machinist for the German auto exhaust manufacturer Eberspacher and had made me a couple of items previously I gladly accepted his offer. He took the drawing and the tools and promised me he would get right on them. Imagine my surprise when I returned home from a job the next day and found that he had already made it and brought it back! The piece is a marvel of workmanship. Rather than turn the whole part from a single piece he elected to make it in 3 pieces and weld them together. He advised me that he didn't know if the welds would be strong enough to actually function as a wrench but it didn't matter because I wanted it mainly as a display piece. He enhanced it by deliberately putting a few small dings in it to simulate use and then gave it a quick dip in naval jelly to blacken the steel a bit to match the original forgings.He even etched the original patent date on the shank with a laser that closely mimics a stamping. All told he had about 7 hours into the construction and he did it with his boss' blessings as the shop was a bit slow coming up on the holiday. So here are the pics of the set with it's new/old handle in place. The history of the company was short;it started in 1904 and filed for bankruptcy in 1916. The sockets are unique in that instead of having fractional sizes on them,they use numbers from 1 to 8.On the inside of the box lid is a chart showing which socket to use with which bolt head or nut. It used the USS system which measured the bolt shank size rather than the head which kind of fell from favor in the early 1920's. In addition to the sockets,there is an open end wrench and a screwdriver blade that fit the handle as well. In an ad for the company they show a whole set of open end heads to fit the handle. If interested they are pictured in the manufacturer's section of the Alloy Artifacts website.They have a ton of old tools pictured there along with the company's histories.
Wow, so much has changed in my shop since I first posted here. Here is my set-up: 513090.jpg by -Brent- posted Apr 16, 2014 at 8:42 PM The intermediate boxes are not vintage, everything else is.
Mac over Kennedy. Nice boxes and loaded with tools that have been cared for. Family friend just passed and wondering about a value for his widow. If Hambers can help, let me know.
Here is mine from when I was a diesel mechanic for Freightliner and Peterbuilt back in early 70s. This set replaced a stolen set I got from my dad when he was a VW mech back in early 60s. Top, bottom and Side boxes are built into a steel rolling work bench we used to build to roll around the diesel shops. It was great for adding a vise to have handy near the boxes. 45 years later still have all these tools in my garage. Thank the lord I kept them all these years considering I quit mechanicking professionally about 35 years ago.
Man...I used to have one just like it I used to haul slot cars from race to race back in the 60s. talk about stirring old memories
Have the same torque wrench. We used them with ratcheter to run the racks on Cummins motors back in the day. Very nice tool, just don't use very often any more
Well I have since acquired three new tool boxes. The first is a Union that I bought because it had a very unique handle setup:the handles are cast aluminum and fit together via a pin and hole setup. Not in too bad shape(had to pound out a couple of dents)for $5. Today I scored two boxes. One is a set of Blackhawk sockets (either a 22-c or a 32-C)that is missing a couple o pieces but is a very unusual set. And the price was right;ten bucks! The second is an unmarked box that is trapezoid in shape and has three tiers. A hinged cover on the top serves as a locking mechanism and the top lifts off to show the trays. They are hinged and will go to either side.It was full of old tools and cost me $25.
As far as I know they are the standard 1/2 inch square drive. Some of the sockets in the other tool box were 7/16 hex drive which seemed to be a popular setup in the early 1930's. I have several sets;primarily Duro and Indestro that used this system. One of the sockets in the box was actually a 7/16ths 12 point drive! Only one I've ever seen.
For more than you ever want to know about the 7/16-drive "Nuggets" go to https://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/blackhawk-innovation-p5.html and scroll way down the page .... I've been trying to score a bunch of these to go with my Blackhawk bomb-shaped toolbox, but the eBay gods haven't been kind. Cached Similar
I have been trying to replace one of these boxes for quite a while had one handed down to me and it was stolen out of my truck one day while I was at work ,thing is someone close to me that worked in same complex got me . It was the type of place that most everyone looked out for each other, I guess I was the exception to the rule
I thought I had bought myself a tool box of sorts. I was in a hurry and scooped it for $10 and a pair of well loved Vixen files for a buck each. Tool box turned out to be a trunk once I found the makers seal. I think I found place to store body tools. Old ford box will fit inside [/ATTACH]
My dad recently got a toolbox from a customer and we're not exactly sure as to what it is and i was wondering if anyone could help me out or refer me to a place that could. thanks
I haven't been able to find a vintage toolbox, so I made my own. I mean, I bought a cheap used one for 25$, then painted it to look like a vintage VW mechanic toolbox. It ain't perfect, but I wanted it to look rough anyway.
Hello all, first post on the HAMB. I "kinda" collect old boxes and thoroughly enjoyed browsing this thread! Here are some pics of my hoard! Twins by Twertsy posted Dec 10, 2015 at 9:23 AM Lined-up by Twertsy posted Dec 10, 2015 at 9:23 AM Boxes2 by Twertsy posted Dec 10, 2015 at 9:23 AM Boxes by Twertsy posted Dec 10, 2015 at 9:23 AM Above1 by Twertsy posted Dec 10, 2015 at 9:23 AM Above by Twertsy posted Dec 10, 2015 at 9:23 AM
One of the many I have that I guess I should post pics of. Rusty and covered in house paint when I got it.
I found this 1957 Snap-On rollaway in an antique mall. The drawers still slide like silk, and the locking front is pretty cool.
Just came across this thread. Mostly Craftsman boxes, a couple were my dads, a couple I bought new, some I acquired as I ran out of space. Still running out of space.
Geez... It's kind of a shame that you obliterated the sign painter's logo on the the bottom of that roll cab. If that was hand gilded and lettered I'd have given you $25 just for that bottom panel.