old tool boxes

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Princess Valiant

Princess Valiant

A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
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as many of you know already, i have a love for craftsman tools...especially the older stuff.

well i found these old tool boxes that my dad thinks are from the 70s .....i found two at a flea market for five dollars each and the third one on a trash pile by the street that was going to be picked up by the trash collectors.

i want to restore these and use them to replace the plastic cases that come with the new tool sets now.

so any hints or tips on how i can restore these ....i think the color is silver hammertone ....not sure. all three are complete with the tray that goes inside.

i think they are really cool and i would be very happy to make them nice again and get rid of the plastic cases i have and have some older craftsman items.
 

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I had one like the mid size one you have... My very first tool box and I remember running over the tray and bending it but it was still usable.. Wish I still had it.. I bet Cuda Chick could make them look new..
 
Nope, mine was like the biggest one you have.. It had the red tray..
 
I vote to leave them as they are fix any mechanical or function issues and use them. the nostalgia sure looks good on them.
 
I have one of these old boxes and I was thinking of doing the same thing with my craftsman tools. the plastic boxes stink! But, I have not figured out a good way to organize everything.
 
I have the two latch one out in the shed. but i painted mine red and an even older one that is much smaller in my jeep
 
72ScampTramp said:
I vote to leave them as they are fix any mechanical or function issues and use them. the nostalgia sure looks good on them.
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i never thought to just leave them as is ....i might restore the worst one and leave the best one as-is


they all are functional now ...all latches and hinges work already :glasses7:
 
My current tool box at work is a early 70s snap-on 5 piece box. rusty and covered in stickers. ill probably keep it forever.
 
got ahold of another one for dirt cheap ...this one is heavy but after a good cleanout and buff out it should be nice :D
 

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Very nice, I'm a sucker for all things tool related. Worked in the tool industry when I graduated high school and was there for 13 years before i changed careers. never got it out of my system I guess.... nice scores
 
There are TONS of tool box restorations on GarageJournal.com Rani. Have fun!!!

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Afterthought Edit:

When I started driving at 16, my dad gave me a little red Craftsman box for my (then) meager tool collection to keep in my trunk for roadside issues. I kept it in every car I've ever owned and it served me well for many years.

A couple months back I walked up to my work bench and saw a little tool box in 'exploded view' blasted to bare metal. I asked Billy where it came from ... he proudly proclaimed that it was mine and that he thought I might like to redo it since the stickers were all faded and the paint was flaking off. "That Flag Red you've got will look great!"

Truth be told, it upset me that he'd do such a thing as a surprise without asking me first. Nice and shiny and new looking is all fine and good ... but that media blasting wiped out a whole bunch of memories. I still can't make up my mind how I feel about it, and it's still laying in the back of the blast cabinet waiting for me to decide.
 
I have one like this that I travel with along with a 120 piece craftsman tool set.
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They shouldn't be restored other than checking the bottoms for excess rust. MAYBE pound out a few dents. I still have a similar gray box that I did in fact buy back in the 70's. I also have a fancy wrinkle finish black one that has a couple pull-out drawers in the front. I'd show a pic but I don't want to flaunt it :smile:
 
Nice boxes Rani! :thumblef:

I think that we had each one of those between me, dad, and my brother. :cheers:

I used one for junk yards and "travelling". Carried it through many junk yards. Eventually had it too full of tools and it started bulging at the seams and then started falling apart. These new plastic POS couldn't take half the abuse that my old metal Craftsman went through. :sad5:

I say to clean up your boxes and see what they look like. Then decide if you need to refinish them or keep them as "original paint survivor tool boxes".... :glasses7:
 
This is probably the oldest Craftsman I have.
 

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Why not clean, degrease and then clear coat to prevent further corrosion? Keep the nostalgia, have an added layer of protection?
 
I agree with the others, if they are functional leave them as is, actually look nice IMO. Your not going to be able to put a quality finish that will last for 40+ years like what's on them now unless you go with powder coating. I love the authentic nostalgic look personally.
 
I was leaning towards restoration.....I know nostalgia is nice and a lot of people like it ...but with them restored ....its 1975 again.

I mean most people get these old cars and the first thing they do is restore to re-live ......and I don't like the newer plastic boxes.
 
I was looking at the red drawer box and it seems to have some kind of overspray on it ,......so im thinking of going over it with some 1000 maybe 1500 grit and even if it takes a long time sand off that outer layer of whatever was sprayed on it and if I can get down to the red paint ....with a light grit like that I might be able to buff it back.

that's assuming the original paint was in decent shape before the overspray showed up ...I have reason to believe the original paint was in great shape ...but only one way to find out. lol
 
The new plastic ones are junk and the new metal ones are getting hard to find.I found a nice one that was my Grandpa's not a craftsman but well built probably from the mid 70's.I did get his Craftsman drill press and I think its from the 50's or 60's and it still works.
 
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