a feriend was over at my hobby shop the other day and we got to talking about the tools we had in 50's. i'm in fl, he's from wi, funny we had about the same tools. tarp for a garage, claw hammer ,chisel,wood handel screwdriver that the shaft turned in the handel so you used the worn out pliers you had to hold the screwdriver and it would slip and gave you blood blister, 1/4'' twist drill to drill everything, when you broke through you grabed the gear w/your hand to twist and another blood blister pinch. put a metal top on my model A sedan w/twist drill.set of 4 wrenches and worn out monkey wrench for big stuff. hi teck spray paint w/mothers electrolux vacuum cleaner. borrowed hoist and spring spreadder from local ford dealer, later he told me to just keep them, he knew where the were,that was 55 years ago, still have them. my dream was to have a full set of tools...1960 got a job and started buying tools, any good deal, my dream shop now, but now i'm running out of mango seasons. oh well....
A 1/2" - 9/16" box wrench used on bicycles at ~7 or 8 years old, still have it 55 years later and use it on old cars
My dad gave me a small set of Husky tools when I was 13,,I still have most of them some 50 years later,there old on worn like yours truly! HRP
My first set of tools I bought from a Mech friend who was switching from Craftsman to Snap On- bought a whole box full for $40.00- still have and use them almost 50 years later- until buying them I used my Dad's tools and always caught Hell for leaving them dirty and lying out in the back yard- no garage to work in-
First tool I got was a hammer. You always need something that you can use to hit something else, then you can start fixin' it. I now have quite a range of hammers Lucky me. (Got some other tools too, but a hammer is a good start) Oh yeah, blood blisters got me thinking about the hammer rash I used to give myself on my left hand when I was pounding on chisels, screwdrivers, etc. The first (mis-)hit (of any given day) would cause my hand to swell up and turn purple where I hit it. The second or subsequent hits were just a whole new world of pain, causing said chisel or screwdriver to become somewhat unguided missiles accompanied by copious quantities of swearing. Ah, those were the days.
When I was 17 (60 years ago) I got a part tine job at the local Sears store auto center. It put me through college and gave me a discount on tools. I still have them in the utility box in my truck. Can't find the 1/2 inch drive ratchet though.
'Industro', bought through JC Whitney in 1964.... $24.95, got a 1/2" drive socket set (3/8" through 1", included a u-joint, 6" extension, ratchet and breaker bar, 13/16" plug socket), 3/16" through 3/4" offset box wrench set, 1/4" through 7/8" open end set, screwdriver 'set' (handle with interchangeable shafts), hacksaw frame, and a tool box.... all for $25! My dad took the hacksaw frame away first thing ('you'll hurt yourself with that kid...') and replaced it with one of his 'professional' used ones (he was an electrician) which I still have. The screwdrivers didn't last very long either. The open end wrenches were too thin to be useful, but I still have the complete set of box wrenches. These are unlike any others I've ever seen, and are perfect for brake work. The socket set slowly disappeared and I broke the ratchet with a long 'cheater extension', but I still have the breaker bar, extension, and about 1/3 of the sockets.... and the tool box!
My Dad's day job was as a diesel mechanic in the local steel mill, so he had some tools at home that I would borrow when I was 9 or 10. But I had a bad habit of losing them and got my butt whipped a few times for doing that . He died when I was 11 and I inherited his tools and used them until I was about 20, then they were stolen. After that, I bought a Montgomery Ward tool set that I used for a lot of years, but one by one they all got broken or lost. Now I take better care of my tools. Don
After replacing piston rings and bearings in a rambler with little more than visegrips hammer and a couple wrenches,,and the car started and ran i decided it was time to purchase Craftsman set 40 years ago,,still using them.
My first was a S&K 3/8 drive socket set from my Father about 55 years ago. I added many tools over the years. But I still have that first S&K set complete in original metal box, and use it almost daily.
My best set of wrenches are JCPenney that I got when they went on closout and were piled in a bin. They must have been private labeled from Snap-on as they have the same thin polished smooth beams. Much better than my Craftsman.
I got a craftsman starter tool set and box in 1966 for christmas,I still have them,Even thou alot of them are broke I couldn't bring myself to turn them in and get replacements so I just kept them.
Set of Klein wrenches in a roll up tarp sleeve with string tie when I was 8 to work on bikes. My dad had a side business selling tools to metal building contractors and was a Klein distributor. Soon after was a set of craftsman sockets in the plastic case. Then a Black and Decker Industrial drill, before black and Decker line went cheap and before dewalt came out. That drill could break your wrist if it got hung up.
Of course I had bicycle wrenches, my dad got us a big set so we would stay out of his tool box. If we did borrow something from his box (which was in his car) it had to go right back when we were done. I did a valve job on my '64 Olds at age 18 with those tools. The first wrench I got, I found when I was 9. Crossing the street, it was right on the yellow line. A 9/16 combo, brand was Par-X. Which I found out were made by Snap On. I still have it and it gets used often. My first set was a Craftsman, one of those $29.99 sets that came with the small hinged box. The box is gone, but I still have most of the tools.
My first wrench and screwdriver came with a used meccano set I got for Christmas and a box of screws and nuts spent hours building stuff on my bedroom floor.
When I was 13 (1966) for Christmas I got a two drawer Craftsman tool box, and a 'buzz" box arc welder. I still have the tool box and have the small screwdriver blade on my key ring. In 1980 I traded the tool box in on a Matco full set. Four years later when I started my race team, Mark, our driver walked in the shop with "my" tool box he had bought from the Matco tool man.........cool
Dad gave me a 3/8" drive socket set from Montgomery Wards, when I was 13. Before that, I used his meager tool collection (which did not include any sockets or even combination wrenches). I still have some of it. Working at the junkyard took a big toll on them.
Plastic hammer, screwdriver, wrench, and pliers when I was about 3 or 4. Had a play tractor that the tools could be used on to take parts of the plastic engine off and put them back on. After that, mostly inexpensive tools as gifts, and castoffs from Dad's. I still have some of those, though they don't get used. They're just sentimental. First tools I bought myself where a set of Craftsman combo wrenches and a set of screwdrivers. Paid for those with money from working in the bike shop. Wore most of them out and they've been replaced a few times, but they're still the same set, like the woodsman's axe where the handle and head have been replaced. A few still have the paint marks on them, which was how you had to keep your coworkers from upgrading their tools when you showed up with new ones.
My uncle was a carpenter. He often worked on a projects at our house I would hang out (get in his way) he would give me a chunk of 2x4 some nails and a hammer to give me something to do. I then graduated to some pieces he cut out that I could nail together and make stool. He gave me my first tools, a set of Fuller wrenches from Central Hardware. He later gave me His 1/2" SK socket set when i helped him work on my moms washing machine. 35+ years later I gave the same well used set to my nephew when he started tech school to be a mechanic.
My dad was a mechanic and I just borrowed his...sometimes forever! He gave in and put together a tool box for me of his cast-offs and doubles. A lot of it was Plumb brand or as it shows on the tool...Plvmb. When I got enough tools, I bought a Kennedy machinist box and still have it.
Mom and Dad were big into yard/Estate sales. I wanted tools and they found a "Machinist " set. J.H. Williams, for working on big machines. They weren't really good for cars because the nut-slot is both thick and beefy. They were in a canvas roll with individual slots. Still have em, rarely used em.
In 1954 my first car blew a head gasket and I asked a mechanic friend to fix it. He said no but he would teach me how and I could use his tools and yard. After that I bought a Proto 1/2" socket set complete with breaker bar, ratchet, extensions and sockets for $35, $5 down and a couple bucks a week. The parts store owner told me to buy the best and they would last a lifetime. Well, my life is going strong at 77, still have the tools plus a few more, and am still building cars. Great investment, great hobby.
The first tools I bought were Bonney, from the local parts store, a half inch drive set, the folks gave me a cheap, really cheap, barely above stamped end wrenches but I really didn't do that much to need really great tools. While in the Army 66-68 I picked up an "extra" tool box of Giller tools. My dad farmed and when he saw the box of tools he said I had more tools than he had farmed with for 40 years, I now have his tools although Craftsman replaced some of them over time as they were broken. I really don't know what happened to the Bonney tools (and I really liked their ratchet which quit working--wish I would have kept it) but I have most of dad's tools and the Gillers. Thanks for stirring up a memory, I just used dad's beat up Craftsman 3/4 inch socket yesterday
The Jalopy Journal
