Tool Talk

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Bad 31 on May 15, 2017, 10:49:05 PM

Title: Blue SK Wayne Tool Box
Post by: Bad 31 on May 15, 2017, 10:49:05 PM

Is there any significance in a SK tool box being Blue instead of Green? Picked up one this weekend with the standard hammered finish, just Blue. TYIA

Title: Re: Blue SK Wayne Tool Box
Post by: Bill Houghton on May 16, 2017, 11:15:37 AM

If there's also some gold on it, it may be an official toolbox from the University of California Berkeley engineering program...

Title: Re: Blue SK Wayne Tool Box
Post by: bill300d on May 16, 2017, 08:49:24 PM

I believe some time in the 60's they were blue, I want to say the sk-wayne era but I will have to look it up.

Title: Re: Blue SK Wayne Tool Box
Post by: Chillylulu on May 18, 2017, 02:00:56 AM

Here are a few I have of the non green boxes.  All 3/8" socket sets.

(http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac6/chillylulu/Tools%20Sized/20151207_120419_zpspcpyk1yc.jpg) (http://s880.photobucket.com/user/chillylulu/media/Tools%20Sized/20151207_120419_zpspcpyk1yc.jpg.html)

From the labels it looks like it pre-dates SK-Wayne, but they could have used blue then, also.  I have several SK-Wayne, but all of them are green.  I'd love to come across a blue box from the S-K Wayne period. It makes sense, S-K / Lectrolite were acquired by Symington-Wayne in 1962 (AA)

From Alloy Artifacts (AA):
"Lectrolite's association with S-K appears to have been a joint marketing arrangement rather than an actual business merger. Lectrolite filed a trademark for "S-K Lectrolite" with the first use date reported as June of 1953, and later in the 1950s the companies published joint S-K/Lectrolite catalogs. In addition, Lectrolite began marking wrenches with "S-K Lectrolite"."

I think the boxes in the picture are 1950's / early 1960's vintage 1953-1962+, except the blue box with the Sherman Klove label.  I think it may be from the period just before the others.  The tools are similar, if I remember correctly.  Also, if I remember correctly, all were bought from estates, together with their contents.  One of the sets was missing its 1/4" socket, that I replaced with one of the same style as the rest in the kit. Note that the 1/4" drive handles are amber, rather thaN S-K clear green, or green w/ white paint.

I just bought a blue box to refinish from another member.  It is for an early 3/8" set that included swivel sockets.

Chilly

Title: Re: Blue SK Wayne Tool Box
Post by: skipskip on May 18, 2017, 08:55:43 AM

here are the two I have:

1/4 set  says SK Electrolite defiance Ohio tools marked SK

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4193/34572824202_fde79fef3b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/UF5L8U)DSCF4530 (https://flic.kr/p/UF5L8U) by Skip Albright (https://www.flickr.com/photos/skipskip/), on Flickr

3/8 set  labeled S-K Wayne

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4171/34572824552_93b604d781_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/UF5LeW)DSCF4532 (https://flic.kr/p/UF5LeW) by Skip Albright (https://www.flickr.com/photos/skipskip/), on Flickr

Title: Re: Blue SK Wayne Tool Box
Post by: Bad 31 on May 18, 2017, 10:57:32 PM

Thanks to all for the info. That helps. Here's a pic of my Blue box along with three of the four SK Wayne boxes I picked up today at an estate sale. I've pictured them together so you can see the contrast between the green and blue. If I keep finding these empty boxes, I'll have to buy more tools to fill them up. Such is the life.....
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t74/SKI1019/Tools/SK%20Tools/IMAG1760_zpsxr6s4knw.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/SKI1019/media/Tools/SK%20Tools/IMAG1760_zpsxr6s4knw.jpg.html)