Just finished repaint on this old Craftsman. Was racked, corners were cracked. Sorry for the duplicate photos.
Was looking for a roll cart for my valve grinder. Scored this vintage silver craftsman at a swap meet this past weekend for $15. Lower door still locks the drawers. The red Proto was from my required tool set for high school auto mechanics class.
That's a nice base. Remembering the Proto brand, I am still using a 1/2 - 9/16 Proto box wrench that I acquired as a kid 50 years ago. It has seen hard use, and still looks better than some modern "quality" brands. Bob
The Proto box had some Proto tools in it but the wrench set and socket sets were SK. I graduated 42 years ago and still have most of the tools from the set. Like you said, they've seen some HARD duty and they are still turnin bolts!
I bought my first set of SK lectrolite 3/8ths sockets and combination wrenches in 1958, and they were fantastic. Unfortunately, they were stolen in 1963, and I now have a Heinz 57 mixture of tools that I have collected over the years. Ironically, in 1967, I bought a set of ETF sockets and wrenches from a place called Acme Novelty (no kidding, I even bought my future wife's engagement ring there). I still have them, they still look good and they have never let me down. I never saw that particular brand again. I have a 3/4 inch drive SK set that I have named my watch repair kit. Bob
Did you ever find out any info about your 2-drawer S-K tool box? I just obtained one like it from a neighbor.
Well, I am working on my projects and this thread and others about vintage tools keeps distracting me, probably because I love old tools, tool boxes and almost everything about vintage/mechanic/hotrod life. Here is a picture of a box (not to old) that I got from a fellow mechanic who got carried away with powdering his nose, and so I paid the snap-on dealer what remained on his account. It is the kind that the whole top closes up to cover all the drawers and locks. I would like to know what year it is, is there a way to tell ? I got it in the late 80's. Guess it's time to change the calender, I took the picture this morning. Thanks for listening to my story
MAC top chest found at a garage sale for $75.00. INCLUDING all the tools you see...... mac3 by TagMan, on Flickr Couple of years later, returning from one of many daily radiation treatment, my wife insisted we stop at a barn sale on the way home, to cheer me up. Wound up buying this MAC 16-drawer chest stuffed with tools for $500.00 with all the drawers full of tools MAC, S&K, SNAP-ON, & other good tools), DELIVERED to my house. Also. if you look close, you can see pennies glued to a board on the top. As I recall, I cashed in around $30.00 or so of pennies. BigMAC by TagMan, on Flickr
If you look on the back of the top and bottom boxes, where the series and numbers are, there will be a date. Month and year. Numerical like this: 8/84 or 8-84. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I have the same box. Mine has a extra piece of trim (dark gray) over the front drop down cover and on the front of the bottom box, bottom drawer front. The top box says "Showcase" and the bottom drawer front says "Premier Edition). I bought my boxes used in the mid to late 80's. I'll take some pics tomorrow
OK, here is a pic of my boxes. The top and bottom boxes are a matched set that I bought back in the mid to late 80's. I bought them used from the Snap-On dealer. My box says 65th anniversary on it so 1985 maybe. So, I'll bet Snap-On just took a production box and added the fronting pieces to the top covers and bottom drawer front which means that this style of box had probably been available for several years before 1985. I added the side box at a later time. My side box has full drawers not just the 3 silly drawers near the top. I have them all keyed alike.
I've got one of those Blackhawk "bomb-shaped" tool boxes that needs restoration. I just found a guy on eBay who has repopped the decals for it. And he seems to have other tool-related decals available (Snap-on, Craftsman, Photo, etc). His screen name is jimenginedecals on eBay.
I recently purchased these Powr Kraft boxes after they didn't sell at a yard sale. Had been looking for a 50s era Craftsman set but the price was right so I couldn't pass them up. Would like to know how old they are? They look to be from the 70s.
how bout a vintage tool roll. Heavy waxed canvas material and real leather straps. Perfect in the back of the coupe and doesn't take too much space.
I have one like the top one from WWI. I don't use it, I just stare at it from time to time and wonder where it has been. Bob
My favorite toolbox score of all time. It's an old Kennedy machinist box with a leather handle. Was full of vintage machine tools. More importantly it has a large initials "AJN" riveted to the top. Guy at the swap meet was asking $50. I couldn't get the money out fast enough... since those are my initials! -Andy J Nowka Sent from my Pixel 3 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
This one is from the 70s I believe. Not really my go-to box of tools. Mainly, just keeps old tool overflow and misc. items.
WOW! Haven't looked on this thread in a couple years! Some nice stuff being posted. I've slowed down considerably in my vintage tool box acquisition but managed to come up with this one last summer. Small size Kennedy with a bronze logo attached to the front .Not sure of the age but if I had to guess I would say 1930's.
Again, a lot has changed in my ol' shop. This was the cleanest it's ever been - EVER. Most of the boxes are vintage.
Nice! You get used to seeing the Kennedy machinist's chests in the brown crinkle finish all the time. But that's a fine looking tote box, or maybe even a sign painter's kit. Good to see you're still checking in here from time to time. You still pushing some paint around with dead squirrel parts tied to the end of a stick?
Thanks for the kind words. I had thought about using it as my travel kit but picked up a nice modern one that was used for storing salon items that rolls on all fours or tilts to travel after you extend the handle that holds everything I need.Besides I have way too many vintage kits already.Been keeping busy enough to suit me with body shop repairs(always a good revenue source)and a few antiques that can be really challenging to lettering and antiquing old truck doors.Haven't had the Safari out this year;had some running issues.Hopefully I will get the ambition to repair it over the winter. Here is one of my last jobs:a 1905 Ford Model F.
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