OT Old tools

Derek uttered summat worrerz funny about:

For all the tools I have been given It would probably be worth buying a kit... I understand they aren't that expensive, but I'm not sure what the guy who was telling me this was getting paid an hour.

Lee D

That was my first job from school ( Electroplating lab techie until the company 'downsized' a year later) the problem is getting rid of the solutions when you have finished down the plugole is a no no .However electroless nickel is magical stuff you need to keep it hot and it just deposits without any electrical input

On or around Sun, 01 Oct 2006 14:15:22 GMT, "Derek" enlightened us thusly:

I have one of them, too. probably the same model. I wouldn't plate it, IIWY, "war finish" means "no plating" AFAIK. "normal" ones had chrome on 'em. I don't think the actual tool was compromised.

Without doubt the best spanners and sockets i have are Britool, and not one of them is under 30 years old.

Alex

I was doing a little research on the subject (as you do) and war finish is also applied when as the toolmakers craftsmen are away to war lesser mortals ( inc women) were doing the finishing and producing what the manufacturers rated as a very basic product. Not having the machining skills of the craftsman they merely removed burrs and sharp edges not polishing tools to the high level expected of 1st grade tools apparently it applies to machines as well so I will be on the lookout. When you think about it though out in the field with happy chappies taking pot shots in your direction with large calibre weapons I reckon war finish would be much safer than highly polished. Derek

That Caswell site looks intereesting - it'd be nice to plate stuff I've turned on the lathe, but they don't seem to have an email address so that I could enquire if they had an Australian distributor. Guess I'll have to Google around ...

buried on the home page: info@...

you could try

may be links from there to Oz or NZ based companies

Wolfie

I actually rate my Japanese (yes, Japanese!) socket set rather highly. It's over 30 years old now, was bought from a catalogue (yep again, a catalogue which my mum used to agent for) when I was a brassic 17 year old with my first pride and joy - an 11 year old Austin A40, the original hatchback, that I bought for £50. The socket set is unlabelled apart from "Made in Japan", is still in its original tin box, has had a new ratchet handle because I lost the original in a scrap yard (dropped it between a pile of cars into some bottomless goop when changing a socket) and has just had to have a replacement 19mm socket bought as the original cracked a couple of weeks back whilst splitting a John Deere tractor in half. Oh yes, it has a full range of sizes; metric AF and Whit and has been well used over the years, quite often with a length of pipe increasing the leverage. However, for everything else it's Britool. Ones I'd definitely steer well clear of are King Dick, more often seen with a little arrow stamped on 'em somewhere, usually open-ended and usually made with something with the strength of cheese.

Steve

I have the remnants of a thirty year old socket set (made in japan), does Kamasa ring a bell.

Steve.

Does indeed, got a very passable set of combi spanners of theirs, about that vintage, although the plasic roll is showing its age a bit.

No I'm almost 100% certain it's not a Kamasa one, although I did get a 3/8 drive Kamasa socket set from somewhere at a later time. The only markings on the items in this one are as I said before, "Made in Japan" plus "Cr-Mo" and the size of each socket. There's nothing embossed into the tin box lid either. The main thing I like, apart from the fact that they've lasted so long and paid for themselves an unreckonable number of times, is that they're a bit deeper than the standard sockets you seem to get these days and will fit properly and snugly on a nut that's got more than a gnats eyelash of bolt thread showing through it. They're an old friend in the workshop and the full range of Whit sizes is an absolute boon (....said the man with a Series!).

Steve

My old socket set was in a metal box, (long since gone), I replaced it with "Mac tool" socket sets. I've still got one of those big red tool boxes on wheels which now lives in my shed since I gave up the paint business.

Steve.

I wonder if you can still buy them, giving that you ever manage to identify them of course?

Steve.

On or around Mon, 02 Oct 2006 15:03:48 GMT, "GbH" enlightened us thusly:

Kamasa, like Draper, doe several ranges of quality all under the same name. The top-end kamasa is pretty good, ditto the draper "expert" stuff.

elcheapo kamasa are made of toffee.

I've got a set of them too - which I've passed on to my 12 year old son now he's showing an interest in things mechanical. A fair proportion of my tool collection is Snap-On or Koken, both of which seem to handle unworldly amounts of abuse (impact wrenches and stupidly long breaker bars).

GEDOR ring a bell, mine still complete & well used after 30 years Chris

(snip)>>

Stephen

Derek uttered summat worrerz funny about:

I'd just like to point out that as of October 1st in the UK due to new legistlation work colleagues who are able to get on a bus for "half" can no longer be refered to as "OLD TOOLS".

Nor can you take the piss in a birthday card it has been suggested!

Worlds going mad. My counter part at work will now have to be referred to as Grumpy git which doesn't quite have the same ring to it as Grumpy old git.

:-)

Lee D