Tool Talk

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Lewill2 on February 03, 2013, 08:49:14 AM

Title: Blackhawk Bullet/Bomb Shaped Tool Boxes
Post by: Lewill2 on February 03, 2013, 08:49:14 AM
There are 2 of the Blackhawk bullet or bomb shaped tool boxes up on ebay at the moment. These always draw my intrest. I noticed on these 2 that they are different. One has a hinge and clasp arrangement on the lid and one has a removeable lid that is locked in place by the tail piece on the base. Which one is older? They have slightly different shapes too.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Great-Old-1940s-Blackhawk-Bantam-Porto-Power-Torpedo-Tool-Box-/160968652876?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item257a7ab84c

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-ART-DECO-STREAMLINE-MODERN-ART-GAS-STATION-BLACKHAWK-BULLET-NUGGET-TOOL-SET-/121060533963?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c2fc526cb

My guess is the first link shown is the older style with the twist lock tail cone. I can imagine someone putting the top on his tool box twisting the tail cone, picking it up, only to have the lid come loose and dumping the contents on the floor or ground.

Of course the second one is a little pricey but the complete set of tools comes with it.

Title: Re: Blackhawk Bullet/Bomb Shaped Tool Boxes
Post by: Branson on February 03, 2013, 09:18:34 AM
Hmmm... I don't think I will buy one this month...  The eyes and teeth on the one appeal to my sense of whimsy.   The other is drop dead gorgeous!
Title: Re: Blackhawk Bullet/Bomb Shaped Tool Boxes
Post by: rusty on February 03, 2013, 09:43:57 AM

The bomb crews used to paint  faces on the ends of bombs during the war.....
Wish there was history with that thing, I bet it has a story to tell...
Title: Re: Blackhawk Bullet/Bomb Shaped Tool Boxes
Post by: Nolatoolguy on February 03, 2013, 09:59:23 AM
I remember when I first started collecting(just a few years ago) i saw one complete with tools an then some more misc tools at a flea market for two hundred fifty bucks. I thought that was crazy. Now if I could IDE go back an get it in a second.
Title: Re: Blackhawk Bullet/Bomb Shaped Tool Boxes
Post by: Plyerman on February 03, 2013, 10:12:06 AM
Those are fantastic! Way too cool (and pricey) for me though.
Title: Re: Blackhawk Bullet/Bomb Shaped Tool Boxes
Post by: Aunt Phil on February 04, 2013, 11:45:59 PM
You look at those stampings a little and it's obvious they were originally stamped as vacuum cleaner housings and got reworked into tool boxes.  Blackhawk wasn't the only company that did it.

Electrolux produced some too as awards for managers meeting quotas.
Title: Re: Blackhawk Bullet/Bomb Shaped Tool Boxes
Post by: Papaw on February 05, 2013, 12:39:54 AM
Not so obvious, and I'm not sure I agree that they were vacuum cleaner housings. I find nothing about Electrolux producing or sourcing such a box, either.

I might be wrong!
Title: Re: Blackhawk Bullet/Bomb Shaped Tool Boxes
Post by: johnsironsanctuary on February 05, 2013, 08:55:33 AM
This may explain things. Scroll down to the 'Commander'

http://www.1377731.com/museum/sears.htm (http://www.1377731.com/museum/sears.htm)
Title: Re: Blackhawk Bullet/Bomb Shaped Tool Boxes
Post by: Bill Houghton on February 05, 2013, 10:20:48 AM
Vacuum cleaner museum?  Well, I guess everything's got somebody who's interested in it.
Title: Re: Blackhawk Bullet/Bomb Shaped Tool Boxes
Post by: rusty on February 05, 2013, 05:50:56 PM

OK, I have to say it.....all the stuff in the vacuum cleaner museum sucks....

**ducking**

But, yes, Vacuum cleaner was the first thing I thought of when I first saw the toolbox.
The question would then be,
did someone have a bunch of vacuum cleaner housings left over and need something to make out of them?
Or did some mechanic want a rolling toolbox, and scoffed a dead vacuum cause it had wheels, and get copied by blackhawk.....

hmmm
Title: Re: Blackhawk Bullet/Bomb Shaped Tool Boxes
Post by: RedVise on February 06, 2013, 07:59:43 AM
That first one listed could sit up on my shelf where I could see it, just makes me laugh to look at it !!


Brian L.
Title: Re: Blackhawk Bullet/Bomb Shaped Tool Boxes
Post by: EVILDR235 on February 06, 2013, 08:22:41 AM
A now deceased coworker of mine had one that was full of hydraulic body working tools. He got it from his late grandfathers estate.


EvilDr235
Title: Re: Blackhawk Bullet/Bomb Shaped Tool Boxes
Post by: geneg on February 06, 2013, 09:13:18 AM
If you notice, the first listing is labeled as PortoPower.  I assume that this would have had the hydraulic tool set in lieu of the socket set.  Who knows which is rarer.  I just want one of each.
Title: Re: Blackhawk Bullet/Bomb Shaped Tool Boxes
Post by: krusty the clown on February 06, 2013, 10:27:19 AM
i would love to have the one with the tools. the ol lady is even willing to move the longaberger baskets out of the living room to display it........now where do i come up with the scratch?
Title: Re: Blackhawk Bullet/Bomb Shaped Tool Boxes
Post by: jimwrench on September 15, 2016, 12:16:07 PM
 Saw one sell at auction this AM. Brought $155 and it was pretty crusty but not rusted out.
Title: Re: Blackhawk Bullet/Bomb Shaped Tool Boxes
Post by: dimwittedmoose51 on September 18, 2016, 04:28:17 PM
I managed to score one of the bullet ended 5/8" drive ratchets from an estate sale in Evnsdale a month or so ago.  Wasn't sure it was the ratchet I thought it was until I got home.  The red paint inside the handle grooves was long gone, but when I found out it was a 7/16" drive, I scurried back there to see if any of the 4 sons selling off their Dad's tools knew of the box or other pieces on the premises.  No luck there, I'm afraid.  I did score 4 of the sockets that went with it however.  The Snap On vintage tappet adjuster was also in the big box of stuff I bought for $32

DM&FS
Title: Re: Blackhawk Bullet/Bomb Shaped Tool Boxes
Post by: bill300d on September 19, 2016, 02:43:03 PM
There are two different styles of those boxes one (the larger I believe) contained a blackhawk Porta-Power set and the other contained a Blackhawk Nugget socket set. The Porta-Power set has 4 wheels and the Nugget socket set has 2 wheels in the rear and a support in the front.