Thread: The story of Sidchrome

Enjoyed that vid, how work use to get done before the invention of the Safety Nazi.

DD

It is staggering the huge range of tools they made... Especially when you think every different item needed it's own tooling to make en masse.

The US made machine tools was a surprise..

Anyone know when they stopped making them in Australia... My father bought a full set around 1990 and those are all stamped Made in Australia.

I was lucky enough to tour that place on a trade school excursion. I remember the chrome baths as they checked our pockets when we left that area.

Phil

I heard that Siddon originally used re-forged Ford front axles to make spanners.
They were reportedly chrome-moly steel, not made in Oz at the time.

I like the cute Hughes helicopter.

Jordan

My grandfather gave me a set of 4 Sidchrome open-ended / ring AF spanners in a red plastic wallet when I was in primary school. 50+ years later I still use them almost every week and they are as good as the day I got them and they have great sentimental value. My kids have promised that when the final screw goes into the lid of my box those spanners will be in there with me.

You couldn't say the same about the el-cheapo stuff passed off as tools today.

I read John Siddons autobiography "A spanner in the works"
Gives a good insight into how the old man battled against the odds. And the difficult father and son relationship
as the son tried to modernise and grow the business.

Originally Posted by GSRocket

I read John Siddons autobiography "A spanner in the works"
Gives a good insight into how the old man battled against the odds. And the difficult father and son relationship
as the son tried to modernise and grow the business.

Had a read of this http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/siddons-royston-11689

Seems the father got a bit past it at the end but could not see what damage he was doing...

Interesting Repco tried to buy them in the 60's...Repco must have been a pretty big business by then...

Originally Posted by .RC.

Interesting Repco tried to buy them in the 60's...Repco must have been a pretty big business by then...

Hey they had a F1 World Championship winning engine!
If I remember correctly, developed but didn't use wire wound chromed piston rings(according to Phil Irving)

Stuart

Originally Posted by .RC.

Had a read of this http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/siddons-royston-11689

Seems the father got a bit past it at the end but could not see what damage he was doing...

Interesting Repco tried to buy them in the 60's...Repco must have been a pretty big business by then...

An interesting read, Thanks RC
kryn

Originally Posted by .RC.

Had a read of this http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/siddons-royston-11689

Seems the father got a bit past it at the end but could not see what damage he was doing...

Interesting Repco tried to buy them in the 60's...Repco must have been a pretty big business by then...

I thoroughly enjoyed reading that.
Thanks Richard.

Originally Posted by .RC.

Anyone know when they stopped making them in Australia...

Zenford Zeigler made them an automatic transfer machine, for turning the sockets. That would have been the very end of the 80's, and it was installed in West Heidelberg. I'm guessing 1989.

I still have some soft sockets kicking around. They were machined pre-hardening.

Regards Phil.

The shot of steel bar being unloaded was interesting. I could make out "K1044" which is a quite 'un'-exotic tool steel...
A.

Originally Posted by AndrewOC

The shot of steel bar being unloaded was interesting. I could make out "K1044" which is a quite 'un'-exotic tool steel...
A.

How does it compare to old Ford axles?

Jordan

Originally Posted by Gavin Newman

My grandfather gave me a set of 4 Sidchrome open-ended / ring AF spanners in a red plastic wallet when I was in primary school. 50+ years later I still use them almost every week and they are as good as the day I got them and they have great sentimental value. My kids have promised that when the final screw goes into the lid of my box those spanners will be in there with me.

You couldn't say the same about the el-cheapo stuff passed off as tools today.

It is still possible to buy good tools but they are not made in Oz any longer. We are supposed to be the clever country these days but I don't see much evidence of it.