Thorsen tools collection

[OilyRascal]

3/8” and 1/4” drive. I have no idea where the box ended up.
-Don

This is a 1963 advertisement for a 3/8" and 1/4" drive "Red Box Special"

[d42jeep]

Thanks for posting the ad. The lower set is pretty close except my set included deep 3/8” drive sockets.
I found this USN marked 8 point on eBay recently.
-Don

[OilyRascal]

This ad is from 1965, and includes deep sockets in a 3/8" and 1/4" drive RBS - no photo or illustration.

I have to wonder the occasion for USN markings.  I realize they were for the Navy, but for no more than I have seen I don't think every tool going to the Navy was marked USN.

[d42jeep]

Sometimes tools are Navy marked and sometimes they aren’t. I have a WW2 Navy NAF toolbox full of various WW2 aircraft related tools. Here are some Thorsen sockets with Quartermaster Corps markings. Thorsen was apparently a fairly small player in the world of WW2 tool suppliers.
Thanks for the Red Box Special ad. That has to be my set.
-Don

[OilyRascal]

I have not seen the Quartermaster markings before.  Thanks for sharing that.  Now I have something else to be on the lookout for.

I ran across this Thorsen box last night.  She would not entertain the notion of shipping.  Price is right if you know somebody near to help.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/803809097164866

[d42jeep]

That might be the set but unfortunately I don’t know anyone in Kansas. Here is another USN marked socket.
-Don

[OilyRascal]

I found but 1 USN marked too I. My whole Thorsen collection.  We do have a airforce base fairly close.

[OilyRascal]

This is wrench set PC-10 of the Emeryville CA production (and Oakland CA advertised) era.  "Our Price $3.29"

[d42jeep]

Unfortunately the “Our Price” area is obliterated on my DOE set pouch. Maybe the retailer decided that the price shown was a little too low.
-Don

[OilyRascal]

Since we have been on the discussion of "Emeryville, CA" marked Thorsen tools.

Save your knuckles

[OilyRascal]

Unfortunately the “Our Price” area is obliterated on my DOE set pouch. Maybe the retailer decided that the price shown was a little too low.
-Don

But still - that vinyl pouch :)

[d42jeep]

Looking at the image on Google Maps, there may be some building going on at the former factory site. The second picture I took in 2019 and the site was pretty deserted.
-Don

[four.cycle]

whole bunch of Thorsen catalogs now available at International Tool Catalog Library for your reading enjoyment!
https://archive.org/details/internationaltoolcataloglibrary?query=four.cycle&sort=-publicdate

[d42jeep]

Since I’m always looking for my childhood red box special set, I immediately grabbed this when I spotted it at a local estate sale yesterday. After a little cleaning, I started going through spares and added them to the set. There is still some fine tuning to be done but it’s coming along. It’s slightly different than my original set but pretty close.
-Don

[d42jeep]

I completed the set above but it wasn’t the configuration of the original. I bought a set on eBay that was a match to my original from 1964. I cleaned it up today and added the missing spinner.
-Don