13 replies to this topic

[BNK]

A few years back my wife says "I found a old wooden tool box full of tools, I think they are machinist tools. It's in the trunk of my car and very heavy". Quickly I go to see what she found and when I see it I was like a kid in a candy store! Vintage Gerstner & Sons box loaded with Starrett, Lufkin, Stanley. Reamers, bevels, bits ect....for just $20!!!

 

Some I already had so I shared with my youngest son who is a tool & die maker. The Gerstner "Leatherette" box is what really caught my eye! After my "drooling spell" and taking inventory I could not stop thinking of the tradesman that owned/used them. The unknown history right before my eyes was overwhelming as I handled each individual piece.

 

I asked her where she found the collection; it was at a "Cares" store in a town near us. 

 

What a find for just $20...thank you my dear, THANK YOU!    

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[jd.rasentrac]

That's a real great find - I hope, you gave your wife a kiss deservedly!

[JimD]

What a magnificent find your wife made. I also thought of the craftsman that owned these tools and use in them. The box is old and well used and a real collectors item in itself. I would leave it as is if it were mine. It needs to show it's history. I ended my career the last with the last 14 years in machining and wish that I had begun there. It's fascinating work that tests the mind and really develops creativity. Congrats on this find and I hope you treasure it for many years to come. :)

[WNYTractorTinkerer]

A lot of Lathe/mill cutters there..  The box looks like the one that a man that trained me to do machining had.  Same type of setup though he had a Kennedy metal box.  A steal @ $20 for sure!

[DennyIN]

What a woman/wife!

[KennyP]

Great score on that! Buy her some flowers or take her out for dinner!

[MH81]

Great score.
I mean on the little lady, the tools are OK too... But the woman that brought them home to you

[poncho62]

Great find by the wife....My wife is good with tools too...says she married one.

[ckjakline]

Wow you made out like a bandit.Looks like maybe you got  a pitch gage.(the one some what like a feeler gage).A depth mic,0-1" mic,1-2" mic.You scored on them.

[boyscout862]

You owe her big time. I picked up a simaler box 25 years ago. It belonged to the woman's dad. He had worked at Pratt and Whitney during WWII and went back to his farm after the war. The box sat in the barn for 45 years until I bought it. One of the drawers has a bunch of papers and newsletters from P&W during the war. Its good to think about the history of the tools and the men who used them. Good Luck, Rick

[HDWildBill]

You have a great wife!  That is a real find for sure and one to cherish for years to come, not only for it's historical value but for sentimental value that some one loves you to think about you.  Really cool.

[BNK]

Thanks to all! Just had to share this one. One time she came home with a small swivel base (2" jaws)  vintage torpedo style Wilton vise. 2-47 stamped in the key way.

[Cvans]

Your a lucky man in a couple of ways. 

I also tend to wonder about the person or people that made their living with old tools. Can close my eyes and see weathered hands with a stained rag wiping each tool off before being returned to it's proper place in the tool chest. 

[pianotuner]

My dad worked for

curtis Wright during WWII and I have those tools.  Not as many as you got but I found a WWII machine lathe that was in good shape with a lot of cutting bits.  I gave that to someone that was making 6 foot long arrows for use with an atlatl.  I call him Spearchucker now.