Old Radar
Well-known member
The last hand tool I bought new was an early-'80s Craftsman 'G' series 3/8" socket set. As with most of you, there's no love lost on any tool made in the last seven or so decades.
The Lugzsonian - A Virtual Tour
- Thread starter Private Lugnutz
- Start date
The last hand tool I bought new was an early-'80s Craftsman 'G' series 3/8" socket set. As with most of you, there's no love lost on any tool made in the last seven or so decades.
JonahBrown
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- Joined
- May 5, 2025
- Messages
- 95
When is the Wizard going on display in the Curator’s Corner? I can’t wait to see your display setup for this one!
JonahBrown
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- May 5, 2025
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Greenfield Tap & Die has some branches before it. FE Wells & Sons —-> Wells Brothers —-> Greenfield Tap & Die. I have some of the catalogs from the late late 1800’s.
OP
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Good catch.
OP
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
I hate to disappoint, but I don't have a plan. It's on a shelf in the Oddfellows Wing right now.
JonahBrown
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- May 5, 2025
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- 95
Greg,
I told you backwards earlier. It is Wells Brothers (1870’s) —-> FE Wells & Son (Early 1900’s) — Then Greenfield Tap and Die (Wasn’t this like 1915-1917ish).
I have one of their lathes. My grandfather removed the flat belt pulley and added a motor. The nameplate is missing as well.
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
No worries. I was going to double-check it anyway. The merger (it was Wiley & Russell and Wells Brothers) and the series of successive acquisitions and mergers that resulted in a successor sweeping up J.H. Williams in the 60's is very well documented on AA, Vintage Machinery, and elsewhere. I was just being lazy on that one. Thanks for the prompt. Looks much better.
Nice. We have a large /G\T/D\ Screw Plate No. 40 tap & die set in a double-decker wooden box and two of the fairly common /G\T/D\ "Little Giant" reversible pipe wrenches. Ironically, despite the lack of acknowledgement on the chart, we also have a very large Pre-/G\T/D\ Wells Bros die stock as well as a Pre-/G\T/D\ Wiley & Russell “Green River” Screw Plate No. 2029 tap & die set.
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
On a fixed and reduced budget and showing the kind of eye and selectivity we have been imploring of him, the Aquisitions Dept found this unusual brass tool at the flea market this morning.
While we wouldn't completely rule out Duro Metal Products, which made all kinds of weird things, including kitchen implements, before they got into hand tools, we are not sufficiently swayed.
Our hunch is the Lunkenheimer Company. They made all kinds of brass and iron valves, *****, gauges, pumps, and whatnot for all classes of machinery in the very early part of the 20th century, they used "DURO" as a brand name, they did supply tools such as wrenches, strap wrenches, hook spanners, and keys as accessories, and wethinks this could be one of them, in theory.
Then again, Burnett-Larsh used "DURO", too, believe it or not, for their well and cistern pumps.
We're not too concerned about definitively identifying it. We just like it!
The male key is 3/8" sq., the female key is 7/16" sq., and the wrench is 3/4".
It makes for a nifty looking trinket and, because it stands up, it might actually make its way up into the Curator's Quarters, where Mrs. Lugz allows anything that looks ornamental and fits our funky Victorian decor to be appropriately displayed as weird objets d'art.
While we wouldn't completely rule out Duro Metal Products, which made all kinds of weird things, including kitchen implements, before they got into hand tools, we are not sufficiently swayed.
Our hunch is the Lunkenheimer Company. They made all kinds of brass and iron valves, *****, gauges, pumps, and whatnot for all classes of machinery in the very early part of the 20th century, they used "DURO" as a brand name, they did supply tools such as wrenches, strap wrenches, hook spanners, and keys as accessories, and wethinks this could be one of them, in theory.
Then again, Burnett-Larsh used "DURO", too, believe it or not, for their well and cistern pumps.
We're not too concerned about definitively identifying it. We just like it!
The male key is 3/8" sq., the female key is 7/16" sq., and the wrench is 3/4".
It makes for a nifty looking trinket and, because it stands up, it might actually make its way up into the Curator's Quarters, where Mrs. Lugz allows anything that looks ornamental and fits our funky Victorian decor to be appropriately displayed as weird objets d'art.
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Outlawmws
Well-known member
That's a cool one Lugz!
Was the wood folding chair also acquired? or a left behind? I rebuilt a similar but more modern one for camping use last fall. keeping an eye out for an older one.
Was the wood folding chair also acquired? or a left behind? I rebuilt a similar but more modern one for camping use last fall. keeping an eye out for an older one.
OP
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Acquired! A pair of them. I loaded one, absent-mindedly and in a hurry loaded the other things on top of it, snapped the photo - my habit for many years, and almost tripped over the other one going around the corner of the Jeep!
I love old wooden folding chairs and probably have a half dozen or so, some of them from famous makers. I think these may be homemade. Not sure. No markings. I plan to restore them. I like the shape of the seat.
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Beerhippie
Well-known member
Isn't P. Reines a marking?
3baygarage
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Those have Catholic school lunchroom written all over them. I don't think they're homemade though.
Cruzan80
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Definitely not homemade. I have several of that exact design.
Beerhippie
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I'm sure some issue of Pop Mechanics back in the day had the plans for them....
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
It's "P. REINER" but I assumed the owner (and perhaps the maker), because it's rather unevenly punched in, one crooked letter at a time.
By marked, I meant badged or decaled, something like this...
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
You had a lunchroom?! Dang. My school (Sacred Heart) was so small we were dismissed for lunch. My brother and I would walk to our grandparent's house, grab a Coke out of the wooden case of pony bottles left on their back porch every week for free as hush hush compensation for the disruption and blockage of access to their garage in the alley adjacent to the bottling plant, plop ourselves down in front of a tv tray, watch "Kimba the White Lion" while gobbling down some homemade pirohis or a bowl of butter-slathered kaspusty halushky, then trot back to school, usually late, having dallied catching salamanders under rocks in the park creek.
Are they marked?
3baygarage
Well-known member
It was the everything school hall. Cafeteria, makeshift gym, bingo hall, pancake breakfast, fish fry dinner, spaghetti dinner, bazaar, Chinese auction, talent show, CYO, raffles, meetings, etc.. The famous one and done "7th Grade Dance" 
I was long gone when that rolled about, so it was fun being back there and off the radar of teachers and staff. I remember putting a friend together with the stepsister of another guy. They wanted to dance together but didn't know how to ask each other. They danced like a couple of robots, and not the cool "robot" dance.
There were only a few who lived close enough to walk home for lunch. Like, across the street and around the corner.
I remember when a different wood folding chair appeared, that didn't match the rest . It was so out of place, lol.
I was long gone when that rolled about, so it was fun being back there and off the radar of teachers and staff. I remember putting a friend together with the stepsister of another guy. They wanted to dance together but didn't know how to ask each other. They danced like a couple of robots, and not the cool "robot" dance.There were only a few who lived close enough to walk home for lunch. Like, across the street and around the corner.
I remember when a different wood folding chair appeared, that didn't match the rest . It was so out of place, lol.
OP
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Soooo much fun. We got to walk around and act like adults, shopping, with real money, having little to no cognizance that the things we were buying, some of them future presents for Christmas or birthdays, had been donated, so, in essence, just being moved around from one house to another in a working class town where nobody had anything more than anyone else, and nobody cared or noticed.
I didn't expect folding chairs to be noticed let alone unlock so much nostalgia and folk philosophy. Lol
Speaking of school..., those booklets called THE WORKER, a fin de siecle industrial school journal, are incredible. More to follow on Beemer's 'Books' thread.
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Cruzan80
Well-known member
Not marked, but the hardware seems commercial, and the ones we have are all identical (better than someone could do with just plans).
Ours were painted at some point previous, so it would have erased any stamping.
Ours were painted at some point previous, so it would have erased any stamping.
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Mintgrun
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Shouldn't you give Old Man Roger first try?
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Snerk.
(I'm not sure how he ended up with that rep, when the joke has been around as long as Whatzit threads, 95% of which have always been the tool in question, but it never gets old.)
Mintgrun
Well-known member
Maybe it's because 95% of his posts have to do with that tool.
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
HAHA!
WisJim
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I'm going to say a # 42 sawset, since "saw set" has been already assumed
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Yessir!!
(Just posted it.)Outlawmws
Well-known member
You sort of beat me to it:
Because he worked it overtime, and "earned" it....
d42jeep
Well-known member
You inspired me to dig out and clean up this somewhat younger model 51. It has only the single standard opening, and the transparent component only occupies the lower portion of the shavings receptical. I vaguely recall a different model sporting (I think) green celluloid in the cellarway of the house I grew up in. Maybe the green was painted on the metal.
I’m definitely late to the pencIl sharpener game but I found this one at a family estate sale yesterday. The only way it could have been less expensive was if it was free. It came complete with pencil shavings not too surprisingly. It’s a Dixon EnduroI was inspired to take photos as well, but the cleanup only involved dumping the shavings. It's fun to compare the different style variations. I think someone poked a couple holes in mine using the point on a compass. It was in the scrap bin, due to rust; but functions just fine. The wooden knobs are a nice feature.
I suspect this one had a suction cup base.
I have a few others, but they're nothing fancy. (The wood block makes it easy to grab in a vise).
I like the way they tilted the O in BOSTON. That one has 8 holes to choose from.
Tom
The late afternoon sun shining through the plastic was nice and it did a great job on some pencils.
Now I have to find it a position of honor for it in the basement.
-Don
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Snerk.
Guessing 50's or 60's on that one. It has a nice elephantine shape!
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
^ HA!
Outlawmws
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Stubby1743
Well-known member
I've just posted pictures of my vintage Swiss Wyna2 pencil sharpener in this thread.
www.garagejournal.com
Pencil Sharpener
During my years in the cabinet shop, I learned to use hard lead pencils and to keep an electric sharpener right on the bench. That was years ago and I still abide by it. Sharpeners are cheap.
www.garagejournal.com
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Hey, thanks for letting me know, Stubs. Rarely and barely venturing outside of the cozy confines of the Vintage Forum, I didn't know we had a 'Pencil Sharpener' thread up there on the General Forum. Unsurprisingly, I see that most of the examples posted are vintage. (I suggested "Modern" or "Contemporary" for the name of that forum instead of "General" during the Great Divide, which would've more clearly delineated the purpose of the two, in my opinion.) I'll check it out in a minute.
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
It seems so obvious I was certain I would find one made as a gag/novelty in the vintage era. But no. I did find a beaver where you turn the pencil in its mouth, this blue elephant (yikes!), and some kind of animal with the reverse action - the pencil goes in the mouth and the tail is the crank, complete with shavings excrement.
Humans are weird.Attachments
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
One of my duty stations has this 'Auto Hobby' shop next to the base's vehicle maintenance and repair facility, with a shade tree that seems perfectly suited for shade tree mechanics, just a big open bay with a couple lifts, drill press, etc, and a tool room staffed by a low-ranking disgrunted-looking enlistee (who's probably in trouble for something) where you can check out tools, open to anyone with a base badge. Anyway, it's usually empty, seems clubby when it's not, and for whatever reason, I've never used it (shame on me), but walked past it hundreds of times, and went inside for the first time on a whim.
What do I see?
A big ol' Schiller Park era vintage Wilton (guesstimating 8" jaws) with nice industrial grey finish patina on the bench, for one thing!
And, after snooping around, this abandoned tool board, with hand-painted tool outlines! (In case you forgot, or you weren't yet with us for Day 4/Page 15 of the Lugzsonian tour back in 2019, we loves us some tool outlines!)
A broad range of DOE and Combo wrenches, a hacksaw, a selection of pliers, machinists' hammer, mallets, several vise-grips with various jaws, a few clamps, and a range of adjustable wrenches. Guessing this is from the 70's or 80's and no later.
It was a nice, fun surprise.
What do I see?
A big ol' Schiller Park era vintage Wilton (guesstimating 8" jaws) with nice industrial grey finish patina on the bench, for one thing!
And, after snooping around, this abandoned tool board, with hand-painted tool outlines! (In case you forgot, or you weren't yet with us for Day 4/Page 15 of the Lugzsonian tour back in 2019, we loves us some tool outlines!
)A broad range of DOE and Combo wrenches, a hacksaw, a selection of pliers, machinists' hammer, mallets, several vise-grips with various jaws, a few clamps, and a range of adjustable wrenches. Guessing this is from the 70's or 80's and no later.
It was a nice, fun surprise.
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Outlawmws
Well-known member
Wow, someone made some effort on the tool outlines!
Beerhippie
Well-known member
Being a military base, I'm surprised they weren't outlined in white-painted rocks.
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Right? Had me fooled at first. There was a ladder and a shopvac and other stuff in the way and I would've sworn they were real! All the brush strokes (like an oil painting) gave them depth, unlike our actual GMTK inspection layouts (linked above), which are black, flat, and unmistakably silhouettes, and of course the board and hooks contributed to the look. Here's all three together...
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Oh, and by the way, what the heck is this tool supposed to be?
And if you're thinking sawset , trust me, you're not alone, but it would be way out of place on this board, and I think our minds have been conditioned by too many whatzits!
And if you're thinking sawset , trust me, you're not alone, but it would be way out of place on this board, and I think our minds have been conditioned by too many whatzits!