Does anyone remember Penncraft Tools?

[donald.woolley]

More specifically, does anyone remember what shade of blue their woodworking tools tended toward?

My mother-in-law gave me what is definitely a Sargent No.409 smoothing plane, but it is completely unmarked other than the standard “Made in USA “.

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I know that Sargent made tools for JCPenney under the Penncraft name in the 1950s and, I vaguely recall Penncraft tools being this shade of blue. A now missing sticker on the levercap would have been the only true identification, so I am just going on the blue paint.

After Sargent stopped making planes, Penncraft planes were just low-end Stanley Handyman planes—painted blue. Even that stopped when JCPenney dropped their tool line in the mid-1980s, around the same time they dropped their own branded firearms and automotive products.

So, does anyone have an old blue Penncraft tool that they can give confirmation with?

 

[Mike Davis]

I would say that one has been repainted. Remove the frog and gently scrape the paint to see if there is another color underneath.

 

[donald.woolley]

That was my original thought, but there is nothing but iron underneath.

 

[Mike Davis]

Not mine, but I think this is what you seek.

 

[donald.woolley]

Well, that certainly appears to be a Sargent jack, but it is a much darker blue than I was remembering. Does anyone have any guesses as to other companies that Sargent could have made mine for?

 

[donald.woolley]

And now, I am right back where I started--it might be a Penncraft. I found this picture of Penncraft braces in the same color (either end):



And this picture of a late model (Stanley made) Penncraft smoother



which is in the same dark blue and red color scheme as a Stanley Handyman, but the label stuck onto the lever cap is in the same shade of blue as my plane and the braces. I am going to guess that JCPenney was not that picky about uniformity of color.

I would still like to hear if anyone remembers Penncraft Tools. Or better yet, still uses some.