Tool Brands to watch for:

MoTo-BunnY

MoTo-BunnY

Member
#101
#101
Obstruction Wrenches by Proto and Hinsdale

So I have found I really needed "obstruction wrenches" after a couple of situations came up where nothing else seemed to quite get into tight spaces (like GM intake manifolds and alternators. I had been looking at the swap meets for some time, with no luck, so I finally scoured feeBay (because buying new would be just too easy and soulless, lol :eek:ut: ). I was mainly looking for Proto, my go-to vintage brand with wrenches usually, and found them in the two smaller sizes (1/2" x 7/16" and 9/16" x 5/8") but noticed their largest sized was kinda redundant (5/8" x 3/4") so I looked around, really wanting one with 11/16" too just to have all the sizes covered. The ONLY one that came up was a neat looking vintage brand I hadn't heard of before (?!) Hinsdale, and it was 11/16" x 3/4" and a good price so I snagged it.

According to my go-to old tools site (Alloy Artifacts Tool History Page):

"...Hinsdale Manufacturing Company, a maker of hand tools active in the Chicago area during the 1920s through 1940s. Although not very well known today, at one time Hinsdale products were sold widely through Western Auto, Sears Roebuck, and automotive supply distributors."
​


According to further reading on the history, looks like this particular wrench dates to somewhere between 1933-1940! I really like the look and heft of this old Hinsdale wrench (kinda looks like a Blacksmith made it) and dig the Chicago connection (near where I grew up) so I will have to keep an eye out for anymore, in the future! :thumbsup:

So, here they are:



 
Z

zotarajohn

New Member
#105
#105
I have some old school blue point stuff. Yes they were less expensive snap on tools! My tap and die set has got to be 40 + years old and all is as sharp and crisp as they were new! Made in Connecticut just like my wife was back in 79,so they must be good! Got to keep her happy so I can continue to spend the whole day out in the shop restoring these old school minis! Long live "made in the u.s.a."!!!!!! By the way,I work for a 3rd generation stamping plant making parts for Chrysler radiator and Harley davidson,etc.proud to be an american,making american made parts for american made products! Let's try to keep quality in our country of quality!!!!
 
Z

zotarajohn

New Member
#106
#106
My dad had the exact same box with the matching lower cabinet! He spent his life as a tool and die maker. Lost him back in 98, he would never understand what ever happened to our american made tools and equipment!!!!
 
ole4

ole4

#107
#107
I have cornwell, old craftsman and a smather of old American brands. These days It's HF impact sockets and HF air tools which have worked very well for me.
 
lostinbaja

lostinbaja

Member
#108
#108
About half my tools are "Snap On" factory rejects that were sent to the scrap yard to be melted down. I have never had a failure or a problem with any of them. The only thing that bothers me is, my friend doesn't work at the scrap yard any longer.
 
Twid

Twid

Active Member
#109
#109
chipper said:
Old mechanic friend I have swears by Cornwell ?
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I was a tech for about 15 years of my life and Iv perched many tools. In my opinion Cornwell = corn hole crap tools and kurt Simons the dealer was a pice of crap him self. Iv worked for Firestone, good year, Chevy, Nissan and ford never have I heard anything good about these tools.
 
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bensminibikes

New Member
#110
#110
KustomKartKid said:
Old Craftsman is pretty good stuff...I wouldn't take the new China stuff for free. My kid has one of the old gray hammertone/ red drawer boxes from the 60's, it's filled with old Craftsman stuff we buy at swap meets.






They seem really great until you go back and pick up a Snap-On wrench..no comparison really but the prices are out there. I bought my Snap-On stuff back in the 70's on the $50 weekly payment plan...could never afford it today.

Proto is good stuff..a guy gave me an old Proto spud ratchet like the iron workers use...black oxide finish, has a ratchet head on one end and a tapered pin on the other for aligning holes. This one came off the assembly line of the long gone GM motor plant here in Linden.



If it held up on the line all those years I'd say it's gotta be a pretty good tool.

I had another one where the ratchet only turned one direction....clockwise. There was no reversing lever. I guess they figured nobody would steal a one-way ratchet. I can't find it now...:shrug:


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My grandpa worked on the assembly plant in linden. He "borrowed" multiple cornwell ratchets with black oxide finish. He gave me one and it is one of my favorites
 
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bruces

Active Member
#111
#111
Clayon said:
Here's the pictures I promised. It is a 7 drawer cabinet, all the drawers are 22-7/8'' by 16-1/8''.


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This is a Beach tool box ,made in Smiths Falls ontario ,I was stationed a few hours drive from there in the military in the 80's ,another mechanic I worked with was originally from Smiths Falls ,and asked me to help him pick up a few things from his brothers house in Smiths Falls .Anyway ,his brother was a manager at the tool box plant ,gave me a little tour ,and told me to pick out the box I wanted and he loaded it in my truck for free .They used to make boxes for many of the big brands including snap on ,Mac ,herbrand,craftsman ,and many others .The plant was pretty neat ,at the time they had a lot of employees ,nice to see as it was the only work in town .
 
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bensminibikes

New Member
#112
#112
bensminibikes said:
My grandpa worked on the assembly plant in linden. He "borrowed" multiple cornwell ratchets with black oxide finish. He gave me one and it is one of my favorites
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The ones with the black oxide finish came off the assembly line in linden and are cornwell. All of them are snap on otherwise, except for the 1/4 one, which is a craftsman.
 
markus

markus

Well-Known Member
#114
#114
Ducati Ron said:
Consider Knipex brand if you want the best pliers. That is all they make. Made in Germany. Not cheap, but will last.
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Those are pretty nice pliers, I have an old set of them that were sold through Matco (far right in the drawer), I like the adjustable pliers better than whatever brand Matco uses as of lately (the set to the left of the Knipex)



If you ever get a chance though check out the newer Snap on pliers, They have phenominal grab, They are really expensive though. I did buy one of the Snap on monkey wrenches, Half the weight, more adjustment, and better grab than the typical old plumbers type. they dont slip. They have a few sizes, I grabbed the mid size when I bought it and it gets used a lot! Not really too expensive for what it is either.



Matco uses Witte screwdrivers too which are also German made like the Knipex. I really like the feel of them over the snap-ons I have, not as bulky but have really great grip. I kept the one basic Snap on set when I downsized though because it had the spot for the box wrench to go on which can come in handy from time to time....I gotta get with the tool trucks to get some of them swapped out, I got broken tips on both brands right now, I am pretty abusive with my tools!

Witte/Matco on the left side of the drawer:
 
toomanytoys

toomanytoys

Well-Known Member
#116
#116
I like the old Williams tools. I have some older Williams super ratchet that is great. Some of the stuff was my grandfathers he took from the mine back in the 70s. Also I am a big fan of wright tools.
 
Clayon

Clayon

#117
#117
bruces said:
This is a Beach tool box ,made in Smiths Falls ontario ,I was stationed a few hours drive from there in the military in the 80's ,another mechanic I worked with was originally from Smiths Falls ,and asked me to help him pick up a few things from his brothers house in Smiths Falls .Anyway ,his brother was a manager at the tool box plant ,gave me a little tour ,and told me to pick out the box I wanted and he loaded it in my truck for free .They used to make boxes for many of the big brands including snap on ,Mac ,herbrand,craftsman ,and many others .The plant was pretty neat ,at the time they had a lot of employees ,nice to see as it was the only work in town .
Click to expand...
Makes sense, I've noticed the older Mac boxes were quite similar to the Beach ones. Since that photo was taken I've bought a old used Mastercraft top box that was made by Beach, as Beach used to make tool boxes for Mastercraft, everything from the smaller hand carry boxes up to the roller cabinets and chests. I always liked the Beach boxes because they have numerous smaller drawers, which I find great for storing my small machinist tools. Also the Beach box I bought is built as heavy as a older Snap On road chest a friend of mine has on his service truck. I really do recommend the Beach boxes, they can be picked up cheap used.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Clayon

Clayon

#118
#118
A handy tool to have is a deburring tool like this. They are made by Shaviv, Noga and a few other manufacturers. Very handy for taking the sharp edge off of a drilled hole and putting a bit of a chamfer on it. I believe you can buy them for $15-$20 and you'll get lots of use out of it.






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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