Hi Russell. I registered on this forum to thank you for this little bit of history. I remember when Sidchrome went down the tubes so to speak. However, I still have a number of Sidchrome sockets and spanners that were in my dad's kit after he died. He did his mechanic apprenticeship in the late fifties if I recall correctly. I was born in '63 and I believe he was working as a mechanic then. He then went on to be a diesel fitter. Sadly, many of his tools have been stolen from me, including a set of Sidchrome 3/4 drive sockets and associated hardware. As a digression, I spent my high school years in Strathpine QLD and knew Victor and his brothers in the days when he would drive his '57 from Kallangur (up the road from Strathpine) where his family had the Tomato farm to Surfers Paradise to the drags. We used to get a kick out of seeing Victor in the Chev (sans front bumper) tooling up Gympie Road. Victor was our hero, and I guess still is. I was also lucky enough to see the first truck drags at Surfers, and in the late 80s, went to Melbourne to see the first Truck Grand Prix. Surfer's was funny. When the truck drags were on, you'd rock up there and there would be 20 odd trailers de-hitched on the road outside the circuit because in those days they were all work vehicles, not purpose built beasts. I still remember the old Green round nose Mack that would always destroy the competition. Anyway, thanks again for that Sidchrome history lesson.
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Originally Posted by Russell9318
Hi Rog246,
I was not aware that Scruttins had a stake in Sidchrome. As far as I know Scruttins were an industrial supply company and would never have had the legs to purchase Sidchrome. I knew that Stanley bought them out in 1990 and proceeded to change the name to Proto-Sidchrome and then dropped the Sidchrome name altogether and replaced the product with Proto. Aussies reacted to this move in no mean fashion and boycotted Proto as an over priced Made in USA product and would not have a bar of it.
After a long period in the wilderness, Sidchrome advertising started cropping up on bill boards all over the place with the re-invented "you canna hand a man a grander spanner" slogan and this was the time that Victor Bray and his door slammer started sporting Sidchrome sponsorship.
Sidchrome manufacturing never resumed in Australia and were supplied from Taiwan from the same suppliers that supply several large tool brands available here, same product, different brands and all are acceptable quality
The arrogance exercised by the purchaser of Sidchrome to change the name of an icon and expect to get away with it was beyond belief. I was working in the tool industry at the time (and still do) and can remember the disbelief when we first started to hear the rumours. Reminds me of the time the boffins decided to change the Re-Po polish bottle from a glass container with a finger hole to a plastic squeeze bottle, sales disappeared over night. Re-po came back to the market with a plastic bottle with a finger hole and exists to this day.
Rog246, if you know some more info than what I have about Scruttins, please let me know as I have a great interest in Australian tools, particularly being the Agent for one of Australia's "still standing" hand tool manufacturers which got it's start in 1921.
I am also digging out my Sidchrome tool set (open end, ring and socket set) that I got from my parents for my 21st birthday in January 1971 and giving it a clean up this week end. I also have John Siddons book "Spanner in the Works".
All info will be greatly received.
Cheers
Russell
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