SNS 253: Tapered Ball Joint Stud, Gerstner Tool Chest 

Haven’t had tv for 17 years. Thanks to Abom (and other craftsmen/women) I’ve never been happier with my decision

A man who questions what he sees, and makes changes when needed, is a good machinist. When you saw that it looked too steep, you were not afraid to question your setup. Great find on the tool box and indicator stand.

GL 6-6931 was his telephone number. 'Way before Abom they used two-letter abbreviations for central office names (you can see the letters on old touch phones). That was later changed to all numbers, in this case 456-6931 when they expanded into direct long-distance calling (in the 1960s) by adding area codes. That office runs out along both sides of Palafox street up from about Texar to around present day I-10. They probably split that office as Pensacola grew, Citrus St. is S. of Mobile Hwy.

Had to take lunch break in the TIG class today to watch! So awesome how you can just whip parts out like nothing. I'd be scratching my head and the part trying to make it happen. Thanks again for the awesome work!

The tapered ball joint stud project is an example of my favourite kind of content - lots of different set ups and measuring challenges - thanks Adam!

Sometimes, when I see your work, I see artistry in the finished piece(s); some may not, but it's more than just craftsmanship.

Used to work at conserving old wooden furniture, just wipe the wood down with this mix. 1/3 each - turpentine, boiled linseed oil, and real spar varnish (not poly - get the old kind). Mix it in a jar and wipe on with a rag. The mixture helps restore the volatile oils and moisture that wood looses over time.

Love you show, I'm a Fitter and Turner retired I started my apprenticeship in 1965 , your work shop takes me back to a very good time , thank you for that

Great video as always Adam. I'd like to point out that you are a great language teacher for all of your's non american viewers, including me as well. Thank you, greetings from Poland.

Im always awed by the skill and patience it takes to turn out a part like that. It seems like theres no way you could make something like that from a piece of round stock, and yet it turns out so damn perfect.

Outstanding work. I really appreciate you showing when you make mistakes and what you do to correct it.

May I recommend using Murphys oil soap and warm water on the box, gently with a soft washcloth. Let dry then oil with cedar oil. Old timers trick. Nice score! I have Union and Craftsman boxes from the 1940 s

GL is "Gladstone", (or GLencourt, GLendale, GLenview, GLobe ) the numbers "45". When 7 digit phone numbers were introduced, they used words , the first two letters of which indicated the numbers / the exchange. If memory serves (and if frequently DOESN'T, but that is another story) we used that terminology in our household into the 1960's . I remember being shocked to have to learn 7-digit numbers and to convert our prefix (IVanhoe) to "48" See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_exchange_names

Great to spend some lazy time with you on a Saturday. Thanks my friend. Great visit.

The 1965 date on your Gerstner is right on. I believe that to be the first year they omitted the top leather handle. It cost about $60 new at that time. It is made of quarter sawn oak, hence the O52 model number. O stands for oak and 52 stands for the size. It was called the Journeyman size. The 420 number was for individual hand fitting at the time it was made. That number kept all the pieces together. It will clean up real nice by using gasoline (recommended by gerstner at the time) as a solvent. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I do my original 1967 model that I purchased new for $66.

Adam: I also agree with Murphy's Oil Soap to clean up the Gerstner tool chest. Just follow package directions. If you then want to polish it up, use a NON-SILICONE type wax. Johnson's Paste Wax is what the pro furniture refinisher guys use. There are others, and a quickie research with Fine Woodworking or WOOD magazines will get results. See you at the Bar-Z. Jon

A massive plus for Abom is he doesnt edit out all the mistakes. A lot of channels only show you half the story.. cheers

Your Grandpa & Father would be so proud of the path you have conquered and the lovely one you have on your side . You're living the life that most men can only dream of, (me included). Keep following your dreams and plans .

Nice recovery on the taper. Even pro golfers make big mistakes, but they know how to recover.

I’m glad to see you appreciating things like that box. As a mechanic I appreciate Old snap on tools and boxed.

I had a "sinus" problem.. My Doctor told me to stop picking my nose. He also told me he could not fix ugly. I like this Doc.

Nice, reminded me some novelty gearshift knobs I made decades ago from ball joints by cutting off the threads and drill and tapping them. Memory for ya.

Believe or not your channel is the best channel for me because this kind of works moves in my blood 👍👍

Hi Adam. Back in the day phone numbers started with a two letter prefix. I think that's what that number was.

Justin's weld instruction videos are quite good. His current suspension fabrication series is very inspirational.

Drove by the Gerstner factory in Dayton dozens of times before realizing it.

Adam, when cleaning these old boxes use a gentle soap. I use Murphy's Oil soap. It does a really nice job and doesn't affect the wood or finish at all. Real nice case.

For cleaning that Gerstner, use a good Orange Citrus cleaner or Murphy's Oil Soap with a lint-free cloth. If you need to "repair" the finish, use Rustin's Danish Oil low luster finish. It's a simple wipe on finish that you buff in with a good clean cotton cloth and provides good protection and a low luster finish.

11:50 It's so tempting to be quick and leave the machine running while you flip the piece. You must always resist the temptation though, because giving in is the no. 1 cause of losing body parts. I'm always very respectful of machines, because I am quite attached to my fingers and I'd like to keep them attached to me.

i would like to see a whole video on a complete full restoration on that box man, i know its a bit out of your comfort zone. but that learning experience would be cool to share. IMO.

My Cadillac lathe has a taper attachment, never used it in 40 years. Nice to see it in action. My Bridgeport mill has a broaching attachment on the back side, also never used it.

You Sir are the biggest inspiration for me....Greetings from Amman Jordan.... And keep up the great work....

I was puzzling over how I was going to do the steering linkages on two early 1950s pickup 4X4 conversions. This video was timely and I than you for making it.

Regards to your purchases of the tool box,as a retired tool and die maker of 43 years I own a large box reported as being a 75th edition, sure is pretty after all these years. I bought it used in1988,it has either box no or serial number on the bottom side of each drawer. I use WD 40 on it about every 2 years and looks good

That's funny youngun! @23:16 We had the same 3digit area code and 7 numbers in 1965 last century too. 😄

Murphy Oil Soap works great on old dust/dirt on wood. It's cheap and effective, used it on so many dirty boxes and cabinets.

Easily the #1 machining channel on RU-vid. Thanks for sharing, keep it up

Gerstner, made about 40 miles from my place. Thanks for the great videos!

I had and used a Gerstner tool chest for years that I got from my dad 40 years ago. Gave it to my nephew to keep it in the family. It also had the same marking on the inside. They are over $1000 new today. They also produced a "International" verson for 1/3 the price. I purchased 10 of their shop aprons about 20 years ago at a trade show and still use them today. They say "Gerstner Toolchests Trademark of the Professional" on the front.

The GL6-6931 was the phone number of 1965. Remember, back then phone numbers started with two alpha digits followed by five numerical digits. Nice find! B.T.W. the Gerstner finish restorer is great to use after using Murphy oil/soap, or use by itself. Also works great on all of those old Starrett wooden boxes, too. KenS.

Good to see some machining content. I've enjoyed the auction, shop organization and shop tours but I learn so much about machining from you. I use it, too.

Gerstner's web site has information and videos about restoring their wood chests including hide glue, felt and replacement parts. I'm sure you will do a fine restoration on this chest. I have a few of the Gerstner Tool chests and if taken care of properly should last for a few generations. My Grandfather on my father;s side was a machinist and I have his very small hand made manual Lathe about 10" long for fine metal cutting and drilling. My Dad had an electric hide glue melting pot he used to make cabinets in his pharmacy back in the 1950's.

I never realized Gerstner was made in my city. If i get a chance to get over there I will at least get some pictures of the building for you.

That Gerstner brings back memories - I think it is the same one my dad had when he was an apprentice at International Harvester in Moline, IL. It was in our garage for many years when he became a Tool&Die designer there.

That finished taper is so beautiful. Really lovely. It is a delight to see something so well made.

I have one of those covered in Black leather. Wonderful box. The drawers are arranged exactly the same.

Mineral Spirits is an excellent cleaner of all wood products and of most grunge (dirt, dust, etc). I use it all the time to clean my wood projects before I stain or seal or clear. It flashes off pretty quickly and with no residue--hence why it is so good as a general cleaner. There is no water in it so if the finish on the chest is compromised anywhere, it won't do anything to it like water might. Just pick up some of the odorless stuff at your local box store.

Hi Adam - I'm a woodworker by trade, and I love that piece. Nice! I'm considering making a repro pharmacists cabinet with (metric) tons of drawers for my workshop. If you're cleaning an old piece, first thing to do is to figure out what type of finish it has so any cleaning products don't damage the existing finish. Shellac or other drying lacquer might become solvent with alcohol, so start by checking if ethanol melts the lacquer in a hidden area. Cleaning the surfaces should start with a little distilled water (too much might swell the wood, displacing any existing finish), perhaps some naphthalene. Anything harsher and you're getting into riskier territory. That Oak looks beautiful....perhaps fumed with ammonia? Really cool stuff man. I'd love one.

As someone with dyslexia I feel yah with getting the math backwards in your head at times @abom79. Your reaction to the mistake, as well as explaining to the viewers is amazing and helps us learn that much more. I know when I get numbers in my head backwards I usually end up using a few expletives. Your relaxed and attentive demeanor is excellent. Keep it up!

A stud like that sitting on some acrylic v-blocks would make a good conversation piece.

I have 2 of those Gerstner tool chests identical to the one you purchased. One my father bought new in 1962 the other I bought new in 1977. No sons to pass them on to so when I retire in about 4 years they are going up for sale.

Gerstner still does repair and restoration work on their boxes. Saw a pbs show on it. Very neat company.

I'm sure I'm not the first - but the GL is a telephone exchange that they used before the all number system

I restore antique radios with the elaborate wood cabinets. I clean them with GoJo hand cleaner. Just be sure it's the type with no abrasives. It works better than anything else I have used, and it's good for the wood itself. To preserve the cabinets I use almond oil based products. Liquid Gold makes a furniture polish that is perfect. Both of these products are cheap enough to use for everyday projects and are gentle enough to use on museum grade stuff. I'm sure they would work wonders on your chest.

I make all the woodworking tooling for the Gerstner company.

The GL number is very likely the key number GL could be Gerstner Lock. Mine has a Yale lock and Y and the key number hand written in pencil on the bottom of the box. 420 is the revolving production number. Look on the back end of each drawer and you will find 420-1 to 420-11. You can also use those numbers to put the drawers back in the right place if they have gotten mixed up. Nice find. Congratulations.

The 'GL' is the exchange. Nowadays, we just say all the digits, like 555-1212. but in 1965 'GL' was the first two letters of the local Bell Telephone exchange so GL could stand for Glover, Gladstone, Gleeman or something else. A bit more research would yield what the exchange name was in on Citrus Avenue 55 years ago.

Thanks Adam. Love the video and the history of that Gerstner tool chest. As long as you know not to pull the drawers out too far and dump your tools on the floor you're good to go. Kennedy has drawer stops to prevent that but what the heck, they're made of metal.

One of my favorite channels thus far.. 👍

You gotta love old documentation , in my line of work it's about camera's and stuff .

Great to see the K&T do some work!

Great looking job on the spindle.

The Mrs. got one for Christmas to store her jewelry, no kidding. And got ones for our 2 daughters. Abbey, did you start this ? lol

The "GL" is the prefix for the telephone number in those days. All phones in the 60's and earlier used "a name" such as Hillcrest or 44 and Atlantic or 28. Back then, folks would utter the name and then the five numbers. People could then tell by the name where they resided as they got familiar with them. Not sure why phone co's did it that way but from the user end, that's how it worked out. Obviously, as the nation grew and with multiple business lines being ordered and then when faxes came into the market, this arrangement couldn't fulfill that type of platform. So, it seems that is the mans telephone number in Pensacola. an old Bob Hope film called "Boy Did I Get A Wrong Number" used these names many times in the film but the most noted one was "Pomeroy". Elke Sommer played the part and uttered that prefix often.

Nice work Adam! Get well soon, i am in the same boat.

Need to start seeing some videos of the collection! So much cool stuff, let's see it all together!

Your thought on those numbers is correct, they are an old format used for telephone, back when an operator had to hook you up. CL17763, for example, would be 251-7763 ...

holy shit that tool chest was signed the day and year I was born.

I was in work for 12hours machining, couldn’t wait to get home and now I’m lying here watching machining.

Saw the episode where Justin from @TheFabricationSeries used this part, and had to check you out and sub. Loving the videos!

I love the sound of carbide hogging off steel!

That’s some lovely Machine wow

I would bet that in 1967 your area was still using G L 6 for your prefix in your telephone numbers

That end mill just paid for a portion of your total cost at the auction. And it will continue to. What a great deal. Also, I Love collets.

nice work and nice box , thanks for the video..

Hi Adam, being an old woodworker from way back I would be doing a complete restore on that Gerstner Tool Box including new green baize (felt).

10:14 you can tell how rigid that whole setup is, it sounds great

Nice videos Adam. I will have to invest in some collet blocks for future work, so quick to use.

Hi Adam, my wife and I are at Walt Disney world and fixing to ride something to do with an elevator where the floor dropped out and then its off to Cape May. All you can eat. Leaving tomorrow heading back to Ohio, Just figured I would say hi It's been awhile.I'll be buying some more T shirts pretty soon Stay Safe.

Adam this is one of your best ever. It demonstrates the depth of knowledge and experience needed to be a machinist. Your struggles with the math & setup on the taper illustrates this point perfectly. In the end you got it correct because your experienced eye saw it was not correct, so you went back over your calculations and setup.

Adam, please show us the complete restoration of the Toolbox !!

Favorite show on RU-vid

Just ace Adam look forward to the next one :-)

Back to work....mmmmmm! Thx Adam.

Gerstner is not far from where i work, in the lovely city of Dayton! Right on the river, surprisingly small place.

Great work and video, amazing history on the toolbox.

(@15:20) - Because everyone needs a tapered ball joint stud! 🤗

The GL is the old time type of phone numbering. I remember that very well Mine was GA.

Haven't seen the part installed, but it looks like a pretty common type of part. Tapered end goes in the socket where the factory put a ball joint; straight end gets a Heim joint (rose joint, [spherical] rod end) threaded on. More often I've seen them made to weld the joint on instead.

GL96331 is most likely also a telephone GL9-6331. Nice find Adam.

Great job on the Ball Joint stud Adam

Adam the GL is part of the phone number from that era, as stated by someone else down in the comments..I just acquired a 7 drawer old wooden machinist box today real cheap...:)

I read that some people have trouble installing felt. Maybe a small drawer to practice on. Good luck. Don't know what good felt is but, pool tables have good stuff. Lol

The GL plus 5 numbers is an old phone number. In the early days of phones, they were organized in exchanges manned or more likely womaned by an operator. They usually were named for their neighborhood or area. These were also known as Central Office names. My grandparent’s phone started with BE for the BEverly exchange. GL might have stood for anything from Grand Lake, Gladiolus, or Glendale. Once there was no need for humans to remember which exchange to connect to and switching was performed by a room full of crossbar switching relays, there was no need for names anymore. Numbers aren’t really tied to physical locations either. They can be virtually anywhere.

Mr. Sinclair below has it right GL is the prefix for telephone number they use back in the day like AL for alpine

All right, good to see you making some chips...hope theres lots more for you to come..

adam, the weight loss is really coming along. doing great my friend stick with it!

i think that indicator stand ,the arm with ground end looks like a replacement bar, in the catalogue the 2 bars look equal in length and they arnt plus 1 bar is aged and the longer one is clean, every tool tells a story if you care to listen.

Definitely want to see that chest cleanup!

I like lemon oil to luster and revital old wood like that.