Used, on auction sites, they're a bit more affordable. Mine even arrived with Machinery's Handbook in the special drawer at the center, for less than the cost of a new all-metal chest of like size:
The Gerstner is the fancy one at upper center, a generic import occupies the lower shelf. The perceptive observer will note my tool selection skews retro, including a set of late-19th century Jennings auger bits in the top section of the lower toolbox (wooden case at the left). They work as good as new!
Good idea to buy used, an old Gerst is a great toolbox. THe new ones have dropped in quality, some even have composite (plywood) pieces. Can particleboard be far behind?
ReplyDeleteBeckman meter????
ReplyDeleteA lot of the machinists I used to work around had those; I ought to get my dad's old one (he was a master machinist and millwright for quite a few years) sometime from my mom. Somebody should be putting it to use with him gone now.
ReplyDelete100+ year old Jennings bits?
ReplyDeleteswoon.
Gerstner still makes the "good" toolboxes. They also now sell made in china crap.
ReplyDeleteThe "good" ones are priced into the stratosphere, so the ones you now see all the time are the ones made in china(Gerstner int'l, vs. Gerstner USA). So be wary of some of the "deals" on ebay.
I have to say, considering all the little bits and bobs I need for my jewelrymaking/silversmithing - this kind of made me drool. Want one.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, Phlegmmie, the other thing Gerstner makes is a line of professional makeup cases, used by the motion picture industry! --This general kind of toolbox shows up on eBay and low-end versions are available from outfits like Sportsman's Guide. The Real Thing is pricey and nice; but even the cheap ones are handy for small tools and supplies.
ReplyDelete...Yes, L, that's a Beckman (Tech 330B?), gone a bit whimsical with age. My Simpson 260 sees more use.
Bob G: darned right it should! Tools need to be used.
NJT: oh, it gets better; after I bid on them and won, I found out the seller was local to me. When the arrived, they wre stamped with name of the store on the Jennings label: Vonnegut's Hardware! That's the late author's relatives, no less.
Og, HTRN, I had to buy used; the real ones are way too much for my budget. It took a number of tries but this one was just what I was looking for, leatherette exterior and all.
Well, considering that you have what appears to be a model 52 "journeyman" which is just under a grand new, I'm not surprised you bought it used. Heck, even the Kennedy boxes are pricey - I bought mine used.
ReplyDeleteFirst the tinkering links, now pictures of $$$ toolboxes, what next? pocketwatches and vintage cameras? :)
Ah yes, the Simpson 260. The perfect tool for tuning up 8 track players.
ReplyDeleteBet'cha didn't know that Vonnegut Hardware had a store in Broad Ripple about, oh... 50 years ago. Was in the building on the north side of the Avenue where Ossip Optometry is now. Yellow-and-tan linoleum tile floor and wooden cabinets with tilt-out bins for the small stuff!
ReplyDelete-----
And my eye was caught by that RF generator (?) on the left.
Back in the day, I had a Gerst that I bought new as an apprentice machinist. IIRC, it cost me 3 weeks' pay, & there was hell at home after the purchase.
ReplyDeleteWell, the wife is divorced, but the Gerst is still with me- smoother running than it was new. The drawers still hold their tools well.
I wish I could say the same...
Oh Aged and Grounchy, that's a sig gen of sorts, a 1940s "eco" covering the ham bands (by means of plug-in coils): a Meissner Signal Shifter. Puts out about 4 - 5 Watts, has a 6L6 final amp. Ancestor of the modern QRP rig? --Back in The Day, hams typically used them to drive something with a bit more power. They can be and were used as stand-alone transmitters. A bit drifty.
ReplyDeleteDoubletrouble: er, no comment.