Always liked these for some reason - I just bought the last 2 he had . I know I have a couple in a box around here somewhere, but I can’t put my hands on them. ‘Course, we all know I’ll find them the day after the new ones show up.

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SAM #0031

Here’s a link to some Xacto history, although it is has mostly to do with that ‘House of Miniatures’ stuff. However, there are some key dates and such that relate to Xacto itself, such as when it was first bought out (by CBS of all people), then by Hunt Mfg and eventually moved to Statesville, NC from the long-held Long Island City, NY address.

Brief, but worth reading if you are like me and like to know what happened and when. Here’s the link: https://www.houseofminiatures.info/history.php


Earl

__________________
Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

These them?

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
SAM #0031

Yep, those on left are the #7 style blades. Like a miniature #26.

__________________
When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, and HAVOC !

Here is a general comparison between what was an early Xacto factory home building from the late 60s (rendering out of the 69-70 catalog) and a present-day Google street view capture of the same street corner. Hey, it's now 'Spandex World'!

This the address on Van Dam Street (48-41 Van Dam Street in Long Island City, NY) as listed in that 69-70 catalog. It seems the address varied a bit over the years, going to 45-35 Van Dam Street a bit later in the 70s (bigger digs, I guess), before being moved to North Carolina after being bought out by Hunt Manufacturing in the mid-80s.

Earl

Attached Thumbnails

   

__________________
Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

The name "Spandex World" causes visualization of hideously overweight people wearing inappropriately tight garments.
Yeccchhhh.

__________________
When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, and HAVOC !

Check out this auction: VERY vintage heavy knife (#6 maybe?) in old, old wood case, but looks ABSOLUTELY mint! Very much NEW old stock...probably from the 50s looks like.

Get one while you can! Seller has a couple other NOS Xacto items.

Link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Vinta...EUAAOSwe~xe-Vvg


Earl

__________________
Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

That one is the same sized vintage #6 I recently got from Sue. Paid $25.

Incidentally, I never thought this thread would be so followed.
I guess there is quite a bit of interest shared about vintage Xacto hobby tools.
Brings back some vintage nostalgia of "the good old days" for me when things were a lot simpler.
Now to just get the time to USE this #89 set....

__________________
When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, and HAVOC !

This one was so veeeery minty and veeeeery old...I think this dates from the very early 50s. This #80 Whittler's set is not even in that 69-70 catalog; it is far older than that. Sue believes it to be early 50s. She said she had two but neither were NOS so she picked up one.

Got my #86 set in today. It is very clean. I can tell it has not been used any, if ever at all. The router blades and such up front took some effort to pull them out of their holes in the wood. No rust or dust on anything. If I can just find a #82 in the same shape, a good part of my work on the Xacto stuff will be done, except for some of the individual handles, some of which Sue has already pulled together, and some of the individual blades, though I have been able to get some NOS boxes of some of the blades.

But that Centuri vinyl pouch custom tool kit is gonna be the bugger to get, I'm sure. Thankfully, it is mostly filled with stock Xacto tools, save for that 6 inch ruler, which was a Centuri labled ruler. So even if I could only find the vinyl pouch by some lucky stroke, I could back-fill it with whatever Xacto tools it is missing.

Earl

__________________
Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

Thanks for posting that link Earl. I bought one of these at lunchtime today and it's already shipped with tracking! Very nice find indeed. Presently I only have the small #6 handle so I just couldn't pass on this.

__________________
Steve Naquin
TRA# 677 L2
NAR# 85518 L2
SAM# 0052

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