\"Tool Chits\"

[callcoy]

Those of you who will be visting the Model A Museum in Hickory Corners Mich. will be able to see 120 of these in an original drawer. I believe these all were from the Rouge Plant and were donated by a board member of the Gilmore Museum on who's grounds our museum is located. Grand Opening May 18th hope to see and meet some of you there.
Steve Ribeau Trustee

[ford38v8]

I think they were universally called tool checks.

A chit was a voucher in the military, to be surrendered in exchange for food. In Oakland, a recruit's first chit was given him at his initial "bend over and spread your cheeks" party.

The guy who ran the tool crib was usually called "That S.O.B. in the tool crib".

[Mark Slight]

Alan,

Your funny, you should be on the stage!

The next one leaves in a half hour. :-)

Mark

P.S. don't forget the WWII Flying Tigers "blood chits" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_chit. You could not use these at the tool crib!

[Brad in Germany]

Interesting discussion on the Ford tool checks.

The first photo I've attached shows a Ford tool check supposedly from Ford's Russian assembly plant (prior to GAZ). Does anyone have any insight on these tags? The lower letters spell out Ford in Russian: форд = Ford. Thanks Tudortomnz for passing on that the top two characters are Russian for g.4, perhaps designating the persons work area or his personnel number.

I also recently acquired several Ford tool checks that are the same format as the Rouge ones, but stamped "Brazil", apparently from Fordlandia (see second attached photo). These came from the mother of a French photographer who was killed while on assignment for National Geographic while exploring and photographing the remotest areas of the Brazilian Amazon.

Fordially,
Brad in Maryland


Click on these thumbnails for larger photos:

[Brad in Germany]

OK, so for you all who can't decide if it is a took check or a took chit...or whatever else you might call them, the Brits made it real easy and spelled it out on their version of the Ford Tool Check (see attached photos).

From the shape of this tool check, I would guess Model A era?

The other photo is of a tool check from Matford (Mathis and Ford after their merger) in France.

Fordially,
Brad in Maryland

[Mark Slight]

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Thanks Brad in Germany,

It is interesting to see on the model "A" tool check, it is spelled out "Tool Check". There is no question as to what it was intended for. Thank you very much for your input.

Mark

[FL&WVMIKE]

Did you notice in my post #8, that one ring of chits, belonged to FORD employee #54 ? He must have been one of FORD'S first employees and worked on the first FORD automobiles.
MIKE

[Mark Slight]

FL&WVMIKE,

You may want to check into that being one Ford's first employees. This was a DT&I R.R. tool check, not from a Ford Motor Co. production facility. Such as Piquette, Highland Park or Ford Rouge.

Ford Motor Co. was incorporated June 16, 1903. That would make it 17 years between 1903 and 1920 when Ford bought DT&I R.R. The Highland Part plant just outside of Detroit opened in 1911 and by 1920 they were producing one Million "Model T" vehicles a year. (Wikiedia)

With thousands and thousands off employees between 1903 and 1920 at several Ford production facilitys along the way I would guess this pertains to DT&I R.R. numbering only?

How many did the DT&I R.R. have?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History..._Motor_Company

Thanks for your photos and input. Mark

[cdan34]

I found these answers very interesting. I've worked for manufacturing companies in the Bay Area for 45 years and now retired. I went through a four year apprenticeship at Anchor Valve Co. and worked for many more machine shops, Tool and Die, and mold making. They were American Can Co, Calif. Pellet Mill, Renstrom Gear, Standard Oil, Schlage Lock, Caral Inc, Arneson Marine, Arrowhead Jewlery and the last 9 years at two City of San Francisco machine shops both cable car and muni lines. These could be reffered to as tool checks and used when you borrowed tools from the tool crib. In all the places I worked it was always called a "Tool Chip". Didn't mean this to be a resume and it is the Bay Area so there could have been other names elsewhere.

Cdan34

[TagMan]

I started work in 1964 with a machine tool manufacturer that did a lot of their business with the aircraft & automobile industries. I was issued what was refered to as "tool checks" with my employee number on them on my first day. I believe we were issued 10 of them. Ours were brass and were round in shape and we handed one over to the tool crib counter guy when we wanted to take out a fixture or special tool. We only used them for a couple of years before changing to a paper sign-out system. I think I might still have them, but God knows where..........

[Ian NZ]

I worked for a large old engineering firm in New Zealand for some time up to 9 years ago when I retired, who mainly supplied the dairy and wine industry with stainless steel products and they issued all their employees in the workshops with 10 tool checks on a looped piece of wire made out of st/st punchings with your number stamped on it, and we handed them over in the store when you required a tool and they hung your check on a peg alongside the tool that you received and this system was still operating this way 9 years ago after using this system for several decades.

[ford38v8]

Originally Posted by FL&WVMIKE

Did you notice in my post #8, that one ring of chits, belonged to FORD employee #54 ? He must have been one of FORD'S first employees and worked on the first FORD automobiles.
MIKE

Mike, each plant had their unique set of employee numbers, many plants being so large that each department within the plant would be denoted by a prefix letter followed by the employee number.

[FL&WVMIKE]

Mark Slight ......................
I'm sure that you are correct on that.
MIKE

[Nodakwalleyer]

When I was in the Air Force we had a ring with 10 Chits on it, we would check out special tools or vehicles during the day from our tool crib, each person assigned a number, after about 10 years we got rid of the chits and everything was bar coded and scanned.

[Pete/Ct.]

Well you guys just talked me into getting these chits so I bought some on Epay by buy it now. I guess I'm easily swayed. Pete/Ct

[Mark Slight]

Here is a "Ford Tool Check" I've never seen before. Ford Motor Casting Center Flatrock, Michigan. Must have been after my time at the Rouge plant.

Mark

[1930pu]

They talked me into it also!! I bought 3 on Ebay, buy it now also I will put 1 on each key ring thanks for the good idea..

[RENNERS CORNER]

Its odd to me how many from the Ford Rouge plant there are out there for sale. Must be everyone kept theirs when leaving? That Ford Rouge complex is huge they have school buses to transport the workers around. I have only ever seen one for sale from the Ford / Manchester Michigan plant, I am in the market for one from there (my home town). Almost every large plant I have ever been in has a method like this to keep track of tools. They make cool collectibles. David

[Lawson Cox]

Who gives a chit what they were called?

[ford38v8]

Might'a know'd Lawson would go an' get hisself a chitty attitude.