GMTK Toolboxes

Manufacturers, configurations, Shovels, Axe, Wrenches, Oiler, F/E etc.
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Silly's MB
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Re: GMTK Toolboxes

Post by Silly's MB » Tue May 24, 2016 3:51 am

Wingnutt wrote:That's Giller.
Silly Me ! :D
And I was thinking earlier (50s), but just conjecture.
I found it in a 1969 manual but it could of come from sooner.
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Re: GMTK Toolboxes

Post by Wingnutt » Tue May 24, 2016 4:50 am

Silly's MB wrote: I found it in a 1969 manual but it could of come from sooner.
By "it" do you mean a photo/figure of the box? Or the NSN? If the latter, I'm not exactly sure of the date range of that format, but it's the mfgr and box characteristics that make me think 50s. Especially the welded handle fixtures and the feet. I wouldn't expect to find those on a late 60's box.
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Re: GMTK Toolboxes

Post by mudbox » Tue May 24, 2016 4:58 am

Tin Medic wrote:Unmarked box that has lived a very hard life.
Image
The box looks rough, but nothing that a bit of time with a hammer and dolly can't fix.
Really neat box. I like it.
That Giller box looks spot on an older Union made box. The tabs inside to hold the tray, the many hinge knuckles, and the rounded corner feet.
I'll keep an eye out for a tray this summer at the flea.
-Jason

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Re: GMTK Toolboxes

Post by Silly's MB » Tue May 24, 2016 5:17 am

Wingnutt wrote:
Silly's MB wrote: I found it in a 1969 manual but it could of come from sooner.
By "it" do you mean a photo/figure of the box? Or the NSN? If the latter, I'm not exactly sure of the date range of that format, but it's the mfgr and box characteristics that make me think 50s. Especially the welded handle fixtures and the feet. I wouldn't expect to find those on a late 60's box.
You caught me out as always, it was the NSN. 11 digit FSN was from 1953 to 1974 according to Wiki.


AA does not have much to say about Giller.
Giller Tool

Hydrometals had previously acquired the Giller Tool Corporation of Dallas in 1963, with the acquisition noted in the November 15, 1963 issue of The New York Times. Giller appears to have operated primarily as a defense contractor, and the February 19, 1966 issue of The New York Times notes that the Giller division of Hydrometals had received $1.9 million in new defense contracts. After the 1969 acquisition of Thorsen, Hydrometals reorganized its subsidiaries to make Giller Tool an operating division of Thorsen Manufacturing.
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Re: GMTK Toolboxes

Post by Wingnutt » Tue May 24, 2016 5:36 am

Giller is on alot of 50's era tools. I'm guessing Giller put the set together for the Army in a Union box in the 50s. In other words, perfect to cart around in Tin's M37! :D
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Re: GMTK Toolboxes

Post by Tin Medic » Tue May 24, 2016 1:39 pm

But I like my other box better. :cry:
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Re: GMTK Toolboxes

Post by henry501 » Fri Jul 08, 2016 8:23 pm

All,

Time for me to start cleaning up and restoring my GMTK tool box. Sorry if the is has been asked and answered, if so please direct me to the proper thread... Big question for me is, for you guys restoring yours, what color and finish of paint are you using? Specifically, the remnants of the OD on mine (and so it appears on several of the boxes posted to this thread) look like it is a gloss (semi-gloss?) OD that was used on the ammo cans. It is definitely not the flat OD that was used on the WWII vehicles themselves. Further thoughts and suggestions?

Thanks very much,
Henry

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Re: GMTK Toolboxes

Post by mudbox » Sat Jul 09, 2016 7:10 am

My suggestion would be to take the box to an automotive paint store like KOI or something. They should be able to custom match the shade that's on the box now. They'll even put it in a spray can for you. Takes more than 1 can to do the box and tray.
-Jason

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Re: GMTK Toolboxes

Post by Wingnutt » Sat Jul 09, 2016 9:56 am

I don't agree that the shade of OD on every box is the same as on the ammo can. I've had several boxes and they all had a few different shades. Some more olive, some more green/yellow, some dark, some lighter. But, they were all semi-gloss. That's for sure. I've never see one that was lustreless.

Have you ever shown a photo of your box, Henry? I don't believe I've seen it.

Does it need to be restored? Have you considered preserving instead?

This is totally a subjective matter of preference, of course. In my opinion, boxes that have been blasted or sanded and re-painted with a perfect, uniform, even finish lose their authentic appeal. And for me, they look odd with any tool inside them that doesn't also look mint/unused/NOS. But, I understand that some guys prefer the opposite. And, I understand that some boxes are too far gone to preserve. The only box I ever restored was one I acquired that had already been blasted and primed. If you recall, I disliked the perfectly restored finish so much I distressed it on purpose using painterly techniques to make it appear to be old and preserved.

If you're interested in preserving, let me know, I have some tips. If not, I won't foist them on you.
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Re: GMTK Toolboxes

Post by Gordon_M » Sat Jul 09, 2016 10:10 am

I have a couple, McAleer and Proto 100HR, that are in original gloss paint, but the green on the McAleer isn't olive at all.

Anything I have that needs repainted just gets cleaned and coated with OD, as I'm assuming that's what the army would have done back in the day.
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Re: GMTK Toolboxes

Post by henry501 » Sat Jul 09, 2016 5:43 pm

Jason,

Thank you very much for the suggestion. Unfortunately no KOI's anywhere near me in New Jersey. I'll check out the other automotive chain stores (Pep Boys, etc.) and see if they offer paint service.

Thanks again,
Henry

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Re: GMTK Toolboxes

Post by henry501 » Sat Jul 09, 2016 5:55 pm

Greg,

Absolutely agree with preserving vs. restoring. The one box I am thinking of has already been "dealt with" by the previous owner and is presently in a respelndant shade of red primer so... It is definitely a candidate for restoration.

I do have a couple others that have 95% or so of the original paint but they are also mottled with some surface rust where the years of wear and tear have scratche or chipped the paint and exposed the bare metal (and then being left to sit around in the previouos owner's damp basement, barn or garage) So what are your thoughts on rust removal on a box such as that?

I recently put together an electrolysis tank (BIG thanks to Jason for steering me through the process) and it is yielding really good results for wrenches etc. but I'm leery of putting a tool box in there lest the process strips off the paint on the otherwise nice sections.

Thanks again for your suggestions amd let me know tour further thoughts.

Henry

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Re: GMTK Toolboxes

Post by Wingnutt » Sat Jul 09, 2016 7:19 pm

henry501 wrote: I do have a couple others that have 95% or so of the original paint but they are also mottled with some surface rust where the years of wear and tear have scratche or chipped the paint and exposed the bare metal (and then being left to sit around in the previouos owner's damp basement, barn or garage) So what are your thoughts on rust removal on a box such as that?
DE-RUSTING

Scrub hard only the mottled rusty areas with 0000 gage steel wool (and a soft brass brush for the corners, if needed) dipped in EvapoRust or Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner (blue). This is 9.5% HCL, so you may want to dilute it. I have gotten used to working quickly and lightly with it, but it will remove paint if you're excessively heavy handed. I wouldn’t worry too much about removing some paint around the rusty areas if you're going to touch it up.

Rinse/swab areas very thoroughly with cold water.

Dry well with a chamois.

TOUCHING-UP

Whatever your paint choice, you want to sop up a rag with it and wipe it on the bare areas, liberally. (Don’t spare it, and don’t worry too much about overlapping onto the areas of remaining original paint, because you’ll be working in layers, rubbing it down, and re-applying.)

Let dry for a couple days.

Rub it down with 0000 gage steel wool doused with a very thin dab of paint thinner. This will take the new paint down. It will also take some of the old paint down and blend in the new paint around the edges of the mottled areas.

Put another heavy layer on those areas with a sopped up rag.

Let dry for a couple days.

Rub it down again more lightly with 0000 steel wool to your desired finish coat.

For the final coat, you have a couple options. You can spray the entire box with clear gloss. Let dry. And very lightly take some of the gloss off to your liking with a tacky rag. Or you can rub the entire box with car wax. And then wipe off the excess lightly with a shop rag.

The nice thing about preserving like this is, any results are better than what you have, and because it's already mottled, and your desired outcome is a preserved look, it's okay to not have a perfect even finish. Even if the paint doesn't match perfectly, the slight discolorations are not distracting.
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Re: GMTK Toolboxes

Post by henry501 » Sat Jul 09, 2016 7:53 pm

Greg,

Thank you very much for the detailed reply. I'll definitely give it a try. So, as to the color of the paint... What do you recommend?

Thanks again,
Henry

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Re: GMTK Toolboxes

Post by Silly's MB » Sun Jul 10, 2016 12:56 pm

Henry,
I don't think it is as simple as what colour. I have 3 different coloured toolboxes, one of which matches an ammo box but then again I have 3 different coloured ammo boxes.

Here is a sample picture I took a while ago.
colour mvmts.jpg
colour mvmts.jpg (89.78 KiB) Viewed 2631 times
Original tool box on left, ammo box top right, standard ( :!: ) Jeep OD bottom right. I don't think anybody can argue with an ammo box colour if you are not trying to match to any existing paint on your box.
M1 .30 caliber ammunition boxes showing color variations.� From left to right, the color of the first box is a light faded looking OD. This box was repainted while in service. Box 2, 4 and 5 appear to be a light green shade of olive drab, possibly military OD shade 34088. Box 3 is the darker OD shade found on many WWII and later boxes, probably close to OD shade 24087.
ammo box colours.jpg
ammo box colours.jpg (27.83 KiB) Viewed 2644 times
http://browningmgs.com/AmmoCans/T-Chial ... 01_WW2.htm
The colour of box 3 would be my favourite (OD shade 24087) (But then Landrover Bronze Green might look quite good :? ) Definitely a semi gloss though.
Last edited by Silly's MB on Mon Jul 11, 2016 12:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
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