Waterloo. The two dimples around the lock give it away. I have it’s brother here.
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Id' call that a pretty good deal!Just picked these up. Getting ready for restoration. Wife isn't very happy. "You spent 100.00 on that pile of junk?"
Top: KRA-58 B '63
Middle: KR-421 '59
Bottom: KRA-377A '65
I wasn't actually looking for it when I stumbled across it. I had no idea of it's value given it's condition and made an offer. I probably could have gotten it free as he seemed eager to get rid of it.
That'll probably clean up nice!
To me, the color is "off" compared to the originals. They were more "silver" than gray. It is also not quite the same texture as the spray paint (again, to my eye).
I’ve been working on my 57 Craftsman for a bit now. Started out in similar condition with refinish in mind, however, that changed after I started cleaning. The natural look has won me over, it tells a better story.One of the local scrap guys who cruise the area on trash night brought me this, plus the two iron pots and ladles on top of it.
Is there any way to tell the age?
All the slides are in great shape, it had a good bit of junk inside but mostly just cheap Kmart type tools.
There was one set of Craftsman 1/2 Impact sockets and a set of Craftsman 3/8" swivel sockets. I don't see any dents, just surface rust and two drawers full of wire nuts, sheetmetal screws, and 3/8" clevis pins plus about $7 in loose change in the top and top center drawer. So the $10 I paid for it became $3.
It should clean up and with some fresh paint, look like new again. The only thing is the chrome handles and latch are rusty. I'm not sure what to do about those. I can clean off the rust but don't see it worth the cost to rechrome the handle or latch, the latch may not even be able to be chromed without cutting it apart. I may just give it a rust bath, an paint the latch with the box, and polish or paint the handles separate.
I’ve been working on my 57 Craftsman for a bit now. Started out in similar condition with refinish in mind, however, that changed after I started cleaning. The natural look has won me over, it tells a better story.
Steve
A coat of clear matte over the existing is a good way to keep rust away.
I repainted a very similar 9 drawer Craftsman, it sits on my Vintage Mastercraft/Gray stack. Not perfect, but it works well for me.I've been fooling around with tool boxes recently, trying to get some idea of "market value" on these things.
I realized that this Waterloo-manufactured Craftsman "Homeowner" 3-piece set wasn't really quite up to the task:
I sold it a couple weeks ago for $300. Buyer was happy.
Then I went at this later Waterloo-manufactured 9-drawer top chest:
Craftsman 706.655980 9 drawer chest 04/27/26
I had it all shined up and all the drawer rails fixed up nice and then dropped it four feet onto the concrete patio and bashed the hell out of it.
I bashed it back into shape enough to get the lid to open and close and dumped it the next day for $50 bucks. Buyer was happy.
Midbox is a real find. 300 minimum in my area. Tell the Mrs that whole stack would go for 500 plus where I’m at, if you could even find one; I’ve not seen ANYTHING like this combo before, just the individual pieces and those are pretty scarce.
You shouldn’t be here typing. That’s a major find if it’s original; it’s probably already gone gone gone…That’s funny there’s one for sale by me. They are only asking $300 for it.
Started the paint process. Most pieces stripped to bare metal and etch primed. Rust-Oleum Sunrise Red thinned with acetone and bit of hardener added. If not for so much surface rust I may have preserved the patina. I didn't bother filling the dings, I'd be working at these for months. Now to find the two missing emblems. One will probably cost more than the hundred bucks I paid for the boxes.Just picked these up. Getting ready for restoration. Wife isn't very happy. "You spent 100.00 on that pile of junk?"
Top: KRA-58 B '63
Middle: KR-421 '59
Bottom: KRA-377A '65
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