The VISES of Garage Journal

[Smitty]

The mail came today and it was one of my best days ever. I got 7 Wilton baby bullets and 4 PowerArms in one shot. They’re all in great condition and can’t wait to start working on them, the yellow paint goes first. There are two patent pending models with the raised anvil and a 1945 model with the horizontal jaw pattern. Big shout out to Zoomie for sending them my way. I just cracked a cold one and I’m getting ready to put some stare time in On them.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

The mail came today and it was one of my best days ever. I got 7 Wilton baby bullets and 4 PowerArms in one shot. They’re all in great condition and can’t wait to start working on them, the yellow paint goes first. There are two patent pending models with the raised anvil and a 1945 model with the horizontal jaw pattern. Big shout out to Zoomie for sending them my way. I just cracked a cold one and I’m getting ready to put some stare time in On them.

I keep forgetting to blame all of you for why I can’t find the vises I want. Thanks for the reminder Great haul!!

 

[bigmaq]

Record No 5 Vise, Made in England. Before/after after restoration. Previous life was probably a mechanics shop as theres some pitting, maybe from constant brake cleaner dripping or something like that. Not too bad though.

I tried to take out the jaws but they were too stuck. They’re not bad and still work of course. I use copper inserts anyway. Maybe a future project.

I’ve never seen a No 5 on a swivel base; all of the ones I’ve seen pics of were just the fixed base. I guess this makes it technically a No 5S. I saw on a catalog that they did offer them as an option on these engineers vise. The paint, if anyone is interested, is Rustoleum Satin Ink Blue.

 

[Smitty]

I keep forgetting to blame all of you for why I can’t find the vises I want. Thanks for the reminder Great haul!!

Thanks, glad I could help.

 

[skmbabon]

Ran across some "Gelatin Silver Film Negative" interior shots of Williams & Wilson Inc. Machinery Suppliers, Montreal, QC, 1920. This one has a few nice vises. More old machinery pics from the same series:

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collections.musee-mccord-stewart.ca

 

[CRSINMICH]

skmbabon: Those were some very nice photographs. I'm going to spend a lot of time looking at them. I looked closely at the vises on the floor and wasn't able to tell if any of them were MacFarlane's. The drawing in this 1921 ad shows a vise with a hexagonal hub. It also mentions that they made "all types of vises" so there could be one in the photo.

EDIT: For some reason I thought MacFarlane was in Montreal but it was in Paris which is closer to London than it is to Montreal.

 

[Willy Wilson]

Cleaned up and built a stand for my American Scale 79.

 

[90roadster]

Mantel (fractal) vise in action: https://www.instagram.com/p/CqjMZbxMxQo/

 

[TheRealZeus]

I got $5 on it. 🫳

 

[TheRealZeus]

Mantel (fractal) vise in action: https://www.instagram.com/p/CqjMZbxMxQo/

I watch that Dude weld repair one of those models, and was wondering how it would look brand new. That is amazing. Good stuff.

 

[va.grouseman]

Willy W., that 79 is a 10.---That's a righteous set-up you have there.---Will you actually use it or just look at it for eye candy?

 

[Willy Wilson]

Willy W., that 79 is a 10.---That's a righteous set-up you have there.---Will you actually use it or just look at it for eye candy?

Use. I wanted a swivel jaw on a stand.

 

[banditbigdog]

1-1/2" USA Stanley mounted on a Noga arm.
Handy for soldering, holding small stuff at any angle.

 

[skmbabon]

skmbabon: Those were some very nice photographs. I'm going to spend a lot of time looking at them. I looked closely at the vises on the floor and wasn't able to tell if any of them were MacFarlane's. The drawing in this 1921 ad shows a vise with a hexagonal hub. It also mentions that they made "all types of vises" so there could be one in the photo.

EDIT: For some reason I thought MacFarlane was in Montreal but it was in Paris which is closer to London than it is to Montreal.

Thanks for reminding me of MacFarlane, @CRSINMICH. All I've found for that company is a full ad you previously posted, from which the section you posted may be taken (https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/vise-info-thread.355753/post-9716893; Canadian Machinery V 25 N 13 31 Mar 1921 Pg 63), and brief bio of the founder, GW MacFarlane, in the 1927 Whos Who In Canada. I just sent the latter to Vintage Machinery, where there's a bit more history: http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=12144&tab=0.

The only vise I can ID for sure in the Williams & Wilson picture above is a National, the black vise 4th from the left on the floor (http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=12149&tab=0)
@Dave600 and I think that the National vises were likely made by Rae, based on physical similarity and known connections between the companies.

 

[MisterEd]

Planning our weekly seek-and-ye-might-find trip and this Vise is for sale. Should we care?

 

[Willy Wilson]

Planning our weekly seek-and-ye-might-find trip and this Vise is for sale. Should we care?

Nope

 

[MisterEd]

Not caring can be a good thing!.

 

[Shiftless]

Lowly homeowner grade vises get very little respect here. (This is a Columbian Red Arrow. I already have a nice one on the shelf. )
Here is one I spiffed up for the next guy. Charity shop price was $15. I rounded it off to $20 because it was a good cause. The grinder marks on the sides of the jaws were just about the worst I have ever faced. I left remnants of the very deepest one that you see in the last photo.
One or two hours actual labor at minimum wage and some left over paint and I might break even if I sold it. I think I will just donate it back to the charity thrift store. Or should I list it on the GJ classifieds and donate cash?

(full disclosure… there is a crack on the dynamic jaw support shelf)

 

[Maui]

New here, the 434 1/2 is my first restoration and still a work in progress. The 25 I recently got from a yard sale. I am having trouble finding info on the 25.

I have a 434 1/2 that is missing the collar and the pipe jaws. Could you remove the pipe jaws from the vise and lay them flat on a table to provide a picture of just the pipe jaws with a machine ruler next to them so I can get a good idea of how they are supposed to be designed? I'd like to machine a set, but have nothing to go on. Thanks for any help you can provide!

 

[TheRealZeus]

May get some touch ups here in there, but happy overall.

 

[mikeinri]

Wow, did you restore that one, @TheRealZeus? Any pics before / during the process?

Mike

 

[TheRealZeus]

Yes Sir… she was Pinkish, Crusty, and Mad.

 

[TheRealZeus]

Missed the “during” part. my bad.

 

[mikeinri]

Very, very nice job! That looked to be in excellent shape, maybe the pink paint did its job?

"Oakland, CA" but also "Made in Japan." Seems like an oxymoron...

Mike

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

It was an Oakland company absorbed and offshored in the Thorsen Allied Olympia conglomeration.

 

[SkyPuncher]

Cleaned up and built a stand for my American Scale 79.

Hey Willy Wilson, do you mind sharing the build specs of that stand? Weight? Looks good with that A-S 79 perched on it!

 

[c7z06]

I picked up an old Columbian 504 1/2 vise the other day and disassembled it. The main nut literally floats around in the ways of the vise body. It fits snuglyly in my 504 vise, so I assume it's from a 504. The spindle fits it however. The base of the nut is .900" across tapering down to .450".

Needless to say the looseness causes unwanted backlash, plus I can't imagine it's good for the vise. Am I correct that it's from a 504, and where can I get a correct replacement nut? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

I picked up an old Columbian 504 1/2 vise the other day and disassembled it. The main nut literally floats around in the ways of the vise body. It fits snuglyly in my 504 vise, so I assume it's from a 504. The spindle fits it however. The base of the nut is .900" across tapering down to .450".

Needless to say the looseness causes unwanted backlash, plus I can't imagine it's good for the vise. Am I correct that it's from a 504, and where can I get a correct replacement nut? Any help would be appreciated.

Can you bend the pin that holds the drive nut in place? I usually hammer mine with the threads engaged to take up the slack.

 

[c7z06]

I like the Swag finger brake, although I don't use the fingers that much - just the entire surface. It's a little tedious getting it in and out to use it as a regular press. Most of the time I just leave it in and use my arbor press. I got the already welded version, as it was worth the extra $150 to me to not have to fool with it.

A suggestion: If you do everything i did, there's a lot of hole drilling. I bought a Rotabroach set, which made it a whole lot easier. About $85.00 with free shipping from Amazon - Blair part no. 11090. Probably even cheaper if you look around.

Can you bend the pin that holds the drive nut in place? I usually hammer mine with the threads engaged to take up the slack.

There isn't any slop forward & backward. The nut assembly is just too small for the slot.

 

[BlueBomber]

There isn't any slop forward & backward. The nut assembly is just too small for the slot.

I'd drive some slivers of wood or metal into the slot bottom and sides to take up the slack and call it done.

 

[Patrickm82]

Yeah I’ve used strips of brass shim stock to tighten one of mine up. Works well

 

[Firstram]

I have used 12” feeler gauge stock from McMaster, measure the gap and order the right thickness. Do you need to shim the top or bottom, may as well align it while you’re working on it.

 

[Shiftless]

Good suggestions above.
I‘d start with ordinary sheet metal slivers… even try slices of a tin can lid for starters. Equal number on both sides of course. Then either leave them in place or measure with your micrometer and order the correct thickness for a less shade tree mechanic result.

 

[wrenchr]

Picked this little Wilton and powr arm up. It was seized up, A little knock'er loose penetrant and it worked right out.

The price tag was good as well. Under $40

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Here is a little Woden 186B/1 vise I picked up last week at a swap meet. As found the slide was so tight in the static body that it was siezed solid. The spindle uses a spring to take up slop but with the slide stuck the spring was permanently damaged by the PO trying to open the vise. Probably spent years in this condition which cut down on overall wear. Knocked apart, fixed and cleaned up, it has a new lease on life. Color was best I could do adding black to a royal blue until it looked like Woden blue to me. A stout little ****** for a 3" vise with a very solid swivel base. A couple pics and 57' catalog cut. Ed.

 

[wrenchr]

Here is a little Woden 186B/1 vise I picked up last week at a swap meet. As found the slide was so tight in the static body that it was siezed solid. The spindle uses a spring to take up slop but with the slide stuck the spring was permanently damaged by the PO trying to open the vise. Probably spent years in this condition which cut down on overall wear. Knocked apart, fixed and cleaned up, it has a new lease on life. Color was best I could do adding black to a royal blue until it looked like Woden blue to me. A stout little ****** for a 3" vise with a very solid swivel base. A couple pics and 57' catalog cut. Ed.

Those things are built to last!!

 

[RTM]

Good suggestions above.
I‘d start with ordinary sheet metal slivers… even try slices of a tin can lid for starters. Equal number on both sides of course. Then either leave them in place or measure with your micrometer and order the correct thickness for a less shade tree mechanic result.

Of course, you need to decide if you need the shims under, or on the angled faces, of the wedge shape, to keep the screw lined up correctly so it doesn’t bind.

I’m guessing: Driving the screw down where the jaws are tight seems like the worst position for angular alignment, so check your gaps there.

 

[don long]

I just found this thread and thought it would be a good place to rest my first vice rescue.
I found this little #3 wilton at a tool swap meet



After a little tear down and some time smoothing out the casting marks and polishing the smooth parts I have a nice vice to display in my Pennzoil garage

 

[TheRealZeus]

She looks slippery! Got another 80 years in her. nice work, Man.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

That patent #3 looks great Don, I wouldn't mind finding that in a box of chocolates! Ed.