Is there any significance in a SK tool box being Blue instead of Green? Picked up one this weekend with the standard hammered finish, just Blue. TYIA
If there's also some gold on it, it may be an official toolbox from the University of California Berkeley engineering program...
I believe some time in the 60's they were blue, I want to say the sk-wayne era but I will have to look it up.
Here are a few I have of the non green boxes. All 3/8" socket sets.
(http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac6/chillylulu/Tools%20Sized/20151207_120419_zpspcpyk1yc.jpg) (http://s880.photobucket.com/user/chillylulu/media/Tools%20Sized/20151207_120419_zpspcpyk1yc.jpg.html)
From the labels it looks like it pre-dates SK-Wayne, but they could have used blue then, also. I have several SK-Wayne, but all of them are green. I'd love to come across a blue box from the S-K Wayne period. It makes sense, S-K / Lectrolite were acquired by Symington-Wayne in 1962 (AA)
From Alloy Artifacts (AA):
"Lectrolite's association with S-K appears to have been a joint marketing arrangement rather than an actual business merger. Lectrolite filed a trademark for "S-K Lectrolite" with the first use date reported as June of 1953, and later in the 1950s the companies published joint S-K/Lectrolite catalogs. In addition, Lectrolite began marking wrenches with "S-K Lectrolite"."
I think the boxes in the picture are 1950's / early 1960's vintage 1953-1962+, except the blue box with the Sherman Klove label. I think it may be from the period just before the others. The tools are similar, if I remember correctly. Also, if I remember correctly, all were bought from estates, together with their contents. One of the sets was missing its 1/4" socket, that I replaced with one of the same style as the rest in the kit. Note that the 1/4" drive handles are amber, rather thaN S-K clear green, or green w/ white paint.
I just bought a blue box to refinish from another member. It is for an early 3/8" set that included swivel sockets.
Chilly
here are the two I have:
1/4 set says SK Electrolite defiance Ohio tools marked SK
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4193/34572824202_fde79fef3b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/UF5L8U)DSCF4530 (https://flic.kr/p/UF5L8U) by Skip Albright (https://www.flickr.com/photos/skipskip/), on Flickr
3/8 set labeled S-K Wayne
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4171/34572824552_93b604d781_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/UF5LeW)DSCF4532 (https://flic.kr/p/UF5LeW) by Skip Albright (https://www.flickr.com/photos/skipskip/), on Flickr
Thanks to all for the info. That helps. Here's a pic of my Blue box along with three of the four SK Wayne boxes I picked up today at an estate sale. I've pictured them together so you can see the contrast between the green and blue. If I keep finding these empty boxes, I'll have to buy more tools to fill them up. Such is the life.....
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t74/SKI1019/Tools/SK%20Tools/IMAG1760_zpsxr6s4knw.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/SKI1019/media/Tools/SK%20Tools/IMAG1760_zpsxr6s4knw.jpg.html)