13 Ridiculously Specific Things Found In Every ’70s Dad’s Toolbox

Remember when your dad would mysteriously vanish into the garage for hours, only emerging for dinner, the occasional beer, or to yell, “Who touched my wrench?!”

His beloved metal toolbox wasn’t just a toolbox—it was a sacred treasure chest overflowing with weird, slightly greasy relics that somehow fixed everything from toasters to relationships. Saturdays were his sacred ritual: he’d grunt over broken appliances, cars that made “a weird noise,” and furniture that probably didn’t deserve saving.

I’d sit there in awe, watching him battle inanimate objects like a warrior armed with duct tape, WD-40, and enough swear words to make a sailor blush. That garage smelled like motor oil, sawdust, and pure masculinity.

So let’s pry open that rusty box of nostalgia and rediscover the gloriously confusing, hilariously specific tools of the ’70s—the golden age of DIY dads, mullets, and men who thought instructions were just “mild suggestions.”

1. The Mysterious Butter Knife Screwdriver

Kitchen utensils lived double lives in the ’70s. My dad’s toolbox always contained at least one butter knife with a slightly bent tip and handle wrapped in electrical tape. This wasn’t for spreading margarine on toast.

The sacred butter knife was commandeered from mom’s kitchen drawer for those screws that wouldn’t budge with regular screwdrivers. Dad swore it worked better than the real thing for certain jobs, especially adjusting the TV antenna or prying open battery compartments on toys.

Mom would periodically raid the toolbox to reclaim her silverware, but somehow another knife always made its way back in. The great silverware migration was a constant domestic cold war in our household.

2. WD-40 With Crusty Nozzle

The blue and yellow can with its signature red straw was the ’70s dad’s magic potion. My father treated WD-40 like liquid gold—the solution to every squeaky hinge, stuck bolt, or mechanical ailment.

You could always tell how long it had been in the toolbox by the crusty buildup around the nozzle. The little red straw was perpetually missing, forcing creative spraying techniques that usually resulted in oily fingers and stains on mom’s good towels.

Dad claimed it had over 2,000 uses, though I only ever saw about five. Still, no self-respecting father would be caught without this miracle lubricant that somehow smelled like both a mechanic shop and grandpa’s aftershave.

3. Pocket Knife With Genuine Stag Handle

Gleaming with pride of place in dad’s toolbox was a folding pocket knife with a handle made from actual deer antler. This wasn’t just any knife—it was practically a family heirloom that had supposedly belonged to a great-uncle who fought in some war (the details changed depending on dad’s mood).

The blade was perpetually dull from opening paint cans and cutting twine, but dad refused to sharpen it properly. “Takes off too much metal,” he’d explain, as if the knife contained precious ore.

Every camping trip began with a ceremonial removal of the knife from the toolbox, followed by dad’s demonstration of how to whittle a stick into… a slightly thinner stick. Pure masculine magic.

4. Socket Set With Exactly One Missing Piece

Murphy’s Law of Socket Sets dictated that whichever size you needed would always be the one that was missing. Dad’s toolbox contained a beautiful red metal case with foam cutouts for each socket—a masterpiece of organization that was perpetually incomplete.

The missing 10mm socket was practically a family legend. Dad would dump the entire toolbox contents onto the garage floor, muttering about “respecting tools” while searching for it. Sometimes he’d discover it in the lawn mower’s oil drain pan or inside the vacuum cleaner he’d fixed last month.

The real mystery wasn’t where the socket went, but how dad managed to fix anything with this eternally incomplete set. Some dads even bought duplicate sets, knowing the socket-eating garage gnomes would eventually claim their tribute.

5. Electrical Tape Roll Fused to Itself

Black electrical tape was the duct tape of the electrical world—the solution to every wiring problem from frayed lamp cords to car dashboard repairs. The roll in dad’s toolbox had somehow morphed into a solid mass, with only the outer layer still usable.

Watching dad attempt to find the starting edge was like witnessing an archaeological dig. He’d use his thumbnail, curse, try a screwdriver, curse more colorfully, then finally bite it with his teeth while mom wasn’t looking. The victory of finally freeing a usable strip was celebrated with a grunt of satisfaction.

Despite its condition, this tape fixed everything from broken eyeglass frames to leaky garden hoses. The sticky residue it left behind on dad’s fingers would remain for days, a badge of DIY honor.

6. Coffee Can Full of Random Screws

The cornerstone of dad’s hardware filing system was an old Folgers coffee can brimming with mysterious fasteners. This wasn’t just a container—it was a time capsule of every disassembled appliance, furniture piece, and toy from the past decade.

Dad would dump the entire can onto newspapers when searching for the right screw, creating a metallic treasure hunt. The perfect fastener was always at the bottom, naturally. Despite mom’s suggestions to organize them, dad insisted his “system” worked perfectly fine.

The can contained everything from tiny watch screws to bolts that could anchor a battleship. When asked why he saved them all, dad would sagely proclaim, “You never know when you’ll need one exactly like this.” And somehow, against all odds, he was occasionally right.

7. Adjustable Wrench With Loose Jaw

The holy grail of dad’s toolbox—a massive adjustable wrench with a jaw that never quite stayed where you set it. This beast weighed about three pounds and could theoretically adjust to any size, though in practice it slipped at the worst possible moments.

Dad would tighten the thumb wheel with superhuman strength, only to have it loosen the second he applied pressure. The resulting skinned knuckles and colorful language were a Saturday afternoon soundtrack in our garage.

Despite its flaws, this wrench was dad’s go-to tool for everything from plumbing emergencies to backyard grill assembly. The worn chrome finish and handle wrapped with duct tape for better grip told stories of countless household victories and defeats—mostly achieved through sheer stubbornness rather than mechanical advantage.

8. Half-Used Tube of JB Weld

The ’70s dad’s version of modern super glue came in a double-tube setup that looked more like something from a chemistry lab than a toolbox. JB Weld—the miracle epoxy that could supposedly repair everything from cracked engine blocks to broken chair legs.

Dad’s tube was always hardened at the nozzle, requiring surgical precision with a pocket knife to extract any usable product. Mixing the two components on a piece of cardboard was a ritual performed with the concentration of a bomb technician. Too much hardener and it set before you could use it; too little and it never dried.

The back of the package listed dozens of potential applications, but dad’s favorite use was fixing the plastic knobs on kitchen appliances. Mom’s blender sported at least three JB Weld repairs, each uglier but stronger than the original part.

9. Transistor Radio With Broken Antenna

Music was essential to dad’s repair sessions, provided by a small transistor radio with more static than sound. The telescoping antenna had long since snapped off, replaced by a straightened coat hanger held in place with—you guessed it—electrical tape.

This radio survived countless drops from ladders and dunks in buckets of water. Its volume knob worked only when turned to maximum, which meant the entire neighborhood enjoyed Credence Clearwater Revival while dad fixed the lawnmower.

The radio’s back panel was missing, exposing a battery compartment that leaked mysterious corrosion. Somehow, despite looking like it had been run over by a truck, this little music box kept working year after year. Dad would tap it affectionately when a good song came on, as if rewarding a faithful pet.

10. Circular Saw With Questionable Blade Guard

Safety features were more like safety suggestions in the ’70s. Dad’s circular saw had a blade guard that was permanently propped open with a bent nail because it “got in the way” of his precision cutting.

This terrifying power tool had a cord that had been spliced and repaired so many times it resembled a snake that had survived multiple attacks. The plastic handle was cracked and wrapped with—surprise!—electrical tape, creating a grip that somehow became slicker when your hands were sweaty.

Mom refused to be in the same room when this saw was running. Dad, meanwhile, operated it with the casual confidence of a man who still had all his fingers and intended to keep them. The saw’s ear-splitting shriek would send neighborhood cats running for cover and was the universal signal that dad was “building something important.”

11. Collection of Promotional Screwdrivers

Long before swag bags were a thing, businesses handed out promotional screwdrivers like candy. Dad’s toolbox contained at least a dozen, each bearing the faded logo of a local hardware store, auto parts shop, or the oil company where he’d gotten his last tune-up.

These screwdrivers were universally terrible—cheap metal that bent under pressure and handles made from plastic that cracked if you looked at them wrong. Yet dad treasured them, especially the ratcheting one from Bob’s Auto Supply that had exactly three good clicks left in it.

When a serious job needed doing, he’d reach for his good Craftsman drivers. But for quick fixes, these promotional tools were the first line of attack. “Free” trumped “quality” every time, a true ’70s dad philosophy that extended to everything from pens to baseball caps.

12. Pipe Wrench With Family Heritage

The heaviest item in dad’s arsenal wasn’t just a tool—it was practically a family member. This massive pipe wrench had allegedly been used by grandpa to install plumbing in the family home, making it something of a sacred relic.

Weighing roughly the same as a small child, this wrench required two hands and a strong back to operate. Its jaws were permanently stained with rust, pipe dope, and substances better left unidentified. Dad would tell the story of its provenance every single time he used it, regardless of whether anyone was listening.

The wooden handle had worn smooth from generations of calloused hands, and dad swore you could still see grandpa’s fingerprints if you held it in the right light. I wasn’t allowed to touch it until my thirteenth birthday—a rite of passage marked by dropping it on my foot.

13. Mysterious Unlabeled Cans of Paint

No ’70s dad’s toolbox was complete without several small cans of paint with no labels. These weren’t just any paints—they were specific colors mixed for touch-ups around the house, carefully preserved despite having hardened into unusable bricks years ago.

Dad would refuse to throw them away, insisting they just needed “a little thinner” to revive. Each can had a story: this one matched the living room before the remodel of ’73; that one was for the kitchen cabinets we replaced during the Ford administration.

Opening these cans was like unleashing ancient spirits—the smell of decades-old paint chemicals filling the garage with nostalgic toxicity. Sometimes dad would spend an entire afternoon trying to reconstitute a completely solidified can, rather than driving ten minutes to the hardware store for fresh paint. That’s just how dads rolled in the ’70s.