The VISES of Garage Journal

[outofbounds]

Happy to have tripped over this Columbian in great shape on Marketplace. I anticipate it to deliver admirable service with the 6” jaws and like new inserts.

 

[va.grouseman]

Don, the #3 looks like it was designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany.

 

[Willy Wilson]

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

Thanks.

Around 28” high
Square tube is 6” x 6”
Round plate radius is about 15”

Most is 3/8 thick

I would say it weighs around 170 ibs

I’m very lucky because my scrap yard is .30 a ibs for carbon steel…..

 

[PierceA]

Willy Wilson: That price for scrap carbon steel is great ! Please tell me you are in SE Michigan !!
Very nice work !

PierceA.

 

[Willy Wilson]

Willy Wilson: That price for scrap carbon steel is great ! Please tell me you are in SE Michigan !!
Very nice work !

PierceA.

I consider myself very lucky. They let me wonder around for the most part. When i see something interesting I buy it. I love working with metal so i try to have a nice pile.

I’m in Knoxville, Tn.

 

[Smitty]

I got a new banner for my wilton vise collection. Thanks Dave T

 

[Outlawmws]

I wonder if Wilton appreciates all the collectors taking so many vises out of circulation, and thus, increasing their sales?

 

[Smitty]

I wonder if Wilton appreciates all the collectors taking so many vises out of circulation, and thus, increasing their sales?

I joke that I have more Wilton’s in stock that Wilton does. Rest assured that they will all be returned back to the wild someday, I’m just preserving them for future generations to use and enjoy.
let’s just say Wilton is aware of my existence.

 

[jjenri]

I consider myself very lucky. They let me wonder around for the most part. When i see something interesting I buy it. I love working with metal so i try to have a nice pile.

I’m in Knoxville, Tn.

Miss my home! Had to relocate to Louisville, KY. Was in Hardin Valley!

 

[frichard]

I can't for the life of me find the C Clamp thread similar to this thread. By chance can anyone link it?

For your time here is an Athol I'm getting ready to put back together.

 

[FullRaceMerc]

I can't for the life of me find the C Clamp thread similar to this thread. By chance can anyone link it?

Is this it? Closest I found.

C Clamp thread?

I just did a quick scan but did not see anything that stood out. Is there a specific C Clamp thread or any discussion on brands, suppliers, etc? Thanks.

www.garagejournal.com

 

[frichard]

Is this it? Closest I found.

C Clamp thread?

I just did a quick scan but did not see anything that stood out. Is there a specific C Clamp thread or any discussion on brands, suppliers, etc? Thanks.

www.garagejournal.com

No, it's close though. I found one a week or two ago that was more recent. It had several pages.

 

[Outlawmws]

I think you are looking for this one? https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/c-clamp.210736/

 

[TheRealZeus]

Happy to have tripped over this Columbian in great shape on Marketplace. I anticipate it to deliver admirable service with the 6” jaws and like new inserts.

That ain’t gonna match ya Bonney/indestro stuff.
Get a Parker.

 

[skmbabon]

American Scale No 2 utility vise, quite different than the one in the spreadsheet. Maybe a later version.

 

[KMScott]

American Scale No 2 utility vise, quite different than the one in the spreadsheet. Maybe a later version.

I’ll ad it. A-Scale must have used duplicate numbers on this model.

 

[skmbabon]

Thanks, Kevin. It looks similar to the No 3 and No 35 you previously posted.

Vise Info Thread

FMC: I picked up some vises last weekend. Here's some information to add to your spreadsheet: 1st Picture: Bison COO: Poland. DOM: 1982. Model: 63. Weight: 11#. Jaw width: 2-1/2" Jaw opening (at beginning of nut thread) 1-3/4". Jaw depth: 1-13/16" Anvil: Y Pipe jaw: N Replacement jaw faces: Y...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[fishwatcher]

Here’s my Wilton 1760 I just finished rebuilding.

• Wire wheeled old paint and EvapoRust soak
• Smoothed casting lines and surfaces
• Made some aluminum soft jaws, 1st time making a pair of jaws so they aren’t perfect but for just a hand drill and file I’m happy
• Replaced all hardware with cap screws, drilled collar for recessed low profile cap screws and tapped tail cap/vise nut for set screws instead of dowel pins
• Cold blued swivel hold downs, collar and any surface that didn’t get painted; thinking also maybe go ahead and do the handle/spindle, opinions?
• Polished handle/spindle, dynamic jaw tube and anvil surface
• Rustoleum primer, Dupli Color engine enamel grabber green, hand painted casting numbers black, then followed with 2k clear coat
• Added Snap On badge cause why not

You did an absolutely fantastic job with this restore! It's so clean and the colors are great! Any tips on how you made aluminum soft jaws? I only have basic tools, so knowing how you did that with a file and a drill would be really helpful! Specifically, how did you make sure everything would be perfectly aligned? What are the dimensions of the stock aluminum bar you used? Thanks for any tips you can share!

 

[fishwatcher]

I’m going to call this one done. I picked up an old Wilton 9300, dirty and rusty, a few months ago. I cleaned it up and finally painted it this weekend.

It’s my first completed vise restore. I’ve posted questions about an old Cadet I bought, but I haven’t actually finished that one.

I used an old cordless drill, wire wheel and brush cups, files, sand paper, and 3M polishing paper. I also used degreasers, mineral spirits, Krud Kutter “the must for rust”, and acetone before paint.

As bought and disassembled:


Cleaned and oiled for the last month or two.

Parts cleaned and polished:


Final restored vise with Rustoleum Hammered Black spray paint (edit added) and silver metallic lettering (with a Sharpie).



Thanks to everybody who gave me tips directly or that I gleaned from their posts.

 

[Shiftless]

Nice job on that bullet.

“It’s my first completed vise restore.”

A guy never forgets his first… completed vise restore. (Mine was a Prentiss)

 

[TheRealZeus]

I know the difference is hard to spot, however, these were not made by Starrett. Home made swivel lock solution. 🫡making it work.

 

[Outlawmws]

I did a 3" wilton with black hammertone, I liked it - Shift has it now.

 

[skmbabon]

Some "streamlined" vises were recently shown in the Vise Info thread, so this swoopy vise made in India caught my eye.

Vise Info Thread

Keystone Malleable Blacksmith Vise. 4" to 8". Rare one here, hope to see one posted. Thanks FMC Here is one I found a couple years back. This model isn't on the ad. Hollands B35 4" jaws, opens 4", weight 35 lbs

www.garagejournal.com

 

[va.grouseman]

Skmbabon, that vise looks to be all steel.--Is it yours?

 

[Shiftless]

Skmbabon, that vise looks to be all steel.--Is it yours?

That’s just what I was thinking.
Similar to a Columbian 804
(Picture from the interweb…not my vise)

 

[va.grouseman]

Shift, I love those 804s.---I had 5, gave one to my youngest son.---Figured he'd destroy an average quality vise.---We'll see how long this one lasts.

 

[Shiftless]

I only have this one. I stripped and repainted it, polished the handles and jaw inserts, and got repro labels.
My inspiration was the vise I pictured 2 posts above. ^^
That vise has a swivel base that appears to have been painted silver. Mine is polished bare steel. I protect bare metal with Fluid Film.

edit: I found a “before” picture and added it below.

 

[Vwpower]

Just got this one done. Had to do some urban engineering to make new jaw screws fit.

 

[skmbabon]

Skmbabon, that vise looks to be all steel.--Is it yours?

No, it's not mine. From a closed auction on the web. Unusual enough that I thought it was worth posting. As usual, you guys came up with contributions to make it even more interesting
Nice work on your 804, @Shiftless.

 

[Shiftless]

Thanks skmbabon:
I will admit to a tiny bit of epoxy filler material on that steel plate “waterfall” to cover up a few dings and gouges a previous owner left for me. Full gloss paint shows every little nick and scratch.

 

[va.grouseman]

Yep, great job Shift.---Those things are practically indestructible, so POs naturally whaled away on them as anvils.---And they still survived!

 

[neophyte]

Some "streamlined" vises were recently shown in the Vise Info thread, so this swoopy vise made in India caught my eye.

Vise Info Thread

Keystone Malleable Blacksmith Vise. 4" to 8". Rare one here, hope to see one posted. Thanks FMC Here is one I found a couple years back. This model isn't on the ad. Hollands B35 4" jaws, opens 4", weight 35 lbs

www.garagejournal.com

Plenty of Vise “Manufacturers” offer a similar vise to that Indian one.
I’m not sure if the various companies are just rebranding the Indian Made vises, or whether the design has become somewhat generic nowadays.
I believe there are stainless versions although the exact design is slightly different, but still fabricated and welded steel.
Yost is one brand that offers the stainless version.

 

[KMScott]

Here is a interesting repair I did on two Baby's. Back when I was building vise parts I was offered a couple 2" Wiltons that both had the nut housing broken. Both did not have the swivel base and since being on the island I have had time to fix them and get them back into the working world. Plus I need boat gas since filling my boat is around $500. The pics show my work.

 

[mikeinri]

Nice!

Mike

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Just got this one done. Had to do some urban engineering to make new jaw screws fit.

I know those style vises don't get a ton of love here, but that Matco brand one is sweet! I've never seen one of those. I'll be keeping my eye out for one now!

 

[va.grouseman]

Neophyte, here's another all steel from India.

 

[Shiftless]

KMScott:
Those are 2 more examples of your amazing machine work. And the hammered paint came out better than I have seen anybody else achieve. You should be able to get several tanks of boat gas when you sell those masterpieces.

 

[fishwatcher]

@KMScott Sweet Perfection!

 

[Patrickm82]

@KMScott Beautiful! Awesome work, and I’m not even a Wilton fan.

 

[skmbabon]

Double-head vise on stand. No details, and no idea what it was for...