The VISES of Garage Journal

[master Zoda]

wow. Not only does my flea market not have many vises at all, most all of the tools there, are harbor freight, or Milwaukee.. both ends of a spectrum, and both are all still online retail prices.

This was a tiny little one off the beaten track that a local antique dealer tiped me off about. There was a Cole there in very nice shape asking price was 150 and a monster 6 inch rotating head vise with no name but clear sighns of age and a dozen or so lower quality vitage vises and a handfull more clamp ons modern imports. I will most likley be going back until the supply runs out there must not be any other adicts in close proximity.

 

[TheRealZeus]

Nice haul man. All that matters is they in good hands, now. Well done!

 

[Mr. Lahey]

I'm a newbie vise enthusiast and really enjoy reading this thread and seeing the restorations.

My friend gave me a lead on this Yost 203 1/2 with a through-bolt swivel design. Is it worth rescuing?

Any ideas how old it might be? All the pics of 203 1/2 models I see have the above-the-bench style swivel.

 

[va.grouseman]

Master Zoda said, "Also I would like to know how the Athol no. 70 would be fastened down".


You can also use a square head bolt through your work bench.---The square head has to stick up high enough to slide through the slot, then you just tighten a nut from the bottom.

 

[va.grouseman]

Mr. Lahey, that vise is close to 100 years old, and looks to be in very good condition, but it depends on what they are asking.---It does appear that the bottom plate is upside down.

 

[master Zoda]

Master Zoda said, "Also I would like to know how the Athol no. 70 would be fastened down".


You can also use a square head bolt through your work bench.---The square head has to stick up high enough to slide through the slot, then you just tighten a nut from the bottom.

That's how it is in the advert that was posted. I guess that could be convenient you only need one hole to atatch it there is no bolt patern. So anything that has a hole in it somewhere (a tractor a trailer an implement a bench) is a vise mount that swivels and moves side to side or front to back. Maybe not super strong but convenient.

 

[va.grouseman]

Yep, to all the above.

 

[neophyte]

That's how it is in the advert that was posted. I guess that could be convenient you only need one hole to atatch it there is no bolt patern. So anything that has a hole in it somewhere (a tractor a trailer an implement a bench) is a vise mount that swivels and moves side to side or front to back. Maybe not super strong but convenient.

It might have been intended for craftsman who moved around and took their tools with them.
Plenty of craftsman probably got work in poorly outfitted shops that might nit have had a decent vise.
Holdfast holes and bench dog holes are fairly common in older benches though, so a vise could be fastened thru an already existing hole, and then unscrewed and taken with the craftsman when he moved on to hopefully better employment.
The vise could also be removed snd locked up with tools at night to prevent theft, or if the vise was in the way.

 

[Fierljeppen]

I'm a newbie vise enthusiast and really enjoy reading this thread and seeing the restorations.

My friend gave me a lead on this Yost 203 1/2 with a through-bolt swivel design. Is it worth rescuing?

Any ideas how old it might be? All the pics of 203 1/2 models I see have the above-the-bench style swivel.

Yeah, that one is definitely worth a rescue! I looked through my database and I couldn't find a Yost 203-1/2 vise with the through-bolt swivel design in any of their advertisements or catalogs going back to 1909.

A very rare and complete vise like that one, would be a worthy addition to any serious vise collector. It may even be a vise unicorn.

 

[TheRealZeus]

An “Aj” just posted one 12 years ago..

Post in thread 'The VISES of Garage Journal'
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/the-vises-of-garage-journal.44782/post-1498529

J/K really cool. The link is the one used in the vise database.

 

[Shiftless]

Mr. L.:
Welcome
Yes, that old Yost is definitely worth picking up. The big wing nut at the bottom is still there. Most that I see have that part missing.

 

[Eric827]

Here's a new slant on vice postings: Instead of refurbishing one of my own, I did a simple fix-up of a vice that was installed at a job site I'm working at this week. My company designed and installed a water treatment system for this site in Gila Bend, Arizona and I'm currently out here for commissioning services.

Here are some "after" photos of a little (3.5") common Craftsman design which was installed at the farm site. It was attached to the crappy plywood work bench very haphazardly with mismatched fasteners. The shoulder bolt in the center swivel was very loose, allowing the vice to rock back and forth on the base and the swivel lock would not tighten up properly because the head of the carriage bolt was worn clean through underneath the base. It had been been in service for at least 30 years. i had to use it a couple times trying to tighten some pipe fittings and it was nearly worthless.

I got it loose from the bench, gave it a quick clean & lubrication, tightened the center shoulder bolt, replaced the carriage bolt for the swivel lock, and mounted it to the 1" thick plywood board. I then used long wood screws to mount the new plywood to the structure of the bench since the original bench top was made from old splintering plywood.

It now swivels and locks in position, and I have it positioned close enough to the front of the bench that they can open up to hold a long vertical work piece down to the floor in front of the bench. Most of the work here is cutting & fitting plastic pipe and mounting fittings on the ends of water hoses.

I feel pretty good about leaving the farm manager with a much improved vice setup when I leave here in a few more days. It should last a long time out here in the desert.

 

[Shiftless]

Eric:
That was a good idea. It’s much more useable now and your investment of time and material was minimal.
Thats a popular model of Craftsman vise, probably dating to the 1970’s
Here are before and after pics of one that I customized.
My inspiration was a ‘57 Chevy.

 

[Eric827]

Thanks Shift. I have a similar Craftsman i did for myself a few years back. I ended up giving it to a buddy I owed some favors.

 

[Shiftless]

Nicely done, Eric.
As you might already know, yours is a 506. model made by Columbian for Sears that predates the 371. models made in Japan for Sears.

 

[kkrbell]

I have this older c3. In your opinions, is it worth spending the $150~ for the swivel locks? I don't necessarily need to swivel it much, but I don't like the bolts. This is how it was when I bought it.

 

[454ragtop]

kkrbell, I have a similar C3, came without swivel lock handles. I got a swap meet offset box wrench and cut it in half and dressed the cut end. I now have a Parker like handle that rests on the locking nut. It is much more convenient to use than a sliding tommy bar.

 

[F-22]

I have this older c3. In your opinions, is it worth spending the $150~ for the swivel locks? I don't necessarily need to swivel it much, but I don't like the bolts. This is how it was when I bought it.

The Garagejournal solution is to buy a lathe and make them yourself. Trust me, it will cost you next to nothing.

 

[tool_scrounge]

kkrbell, I have a similar C3, came without swivel lock handles. I got a swap meet offset box wrench and cut it in half and dressed the cut end. I now have a Parker like handle that rests on the locking nut. It is much more convenient to use than a sliding tommy bar.

Or buy yourself the appropriate sized engineer’s closed (box) end wrench. eBay is a good sourch. Armstrong, Williams and other have made them..

 

[Shiftless]

I have an extra C1 that I painted and keep on a shelf. It came to me with rusty old nuts instead of lockdown handles and I didn’t feel like buying new ones, so I bought 2 stainless steel acorn nuts.
My user C1 has the factory lockdown handles but I go for months without using them.

 

[454ragtop]

Anybody recognize this little clamp on I found at the flea market? 1-7/8" jaws, opens to 1-7/8" with screw and slide fully engaged, weighs 2 lb. 3 oz. I think it's a Prentiss Shepard, but it seems to fall between the 153 and 154 models. Looked at all my saved catalogs, and all the ones over at Vintage Machinery, no luck. Pretty nice shape, not sure if it ever had a pad on the bench clamp screw, I've seen pics/drawings with and without. Had a crappy beige/yellow/gold paint job, wire brushed a lot of it off hoping to find markings, no luck. Does seem to have traces of black under the porch paint.

 

[Shiftless]

454:
I don’t recognize that one but I admire the early style bat wing clamp screw adjuster. I bet that it originally came with a pad. I have salvaged pads from rusty or bent old C clamps that are usually priced at one dollar at sales.

 

[kkrbell]

I have an extra C1 that I painted and keep on a shelf. It came to me with rusty old nuts instead of lockdown handles and I didn’t feel like buying new ones, so I bought 2 stainless steel acorn nuts.
My user C1 has the factory lockdown handles but I go for months without using them.

I like that look. Much better than the plain nuts on mine.

 

[master Zoda]

How about this ony anybody recognize this?

 

[454ragtop]

Master zoda many manufacturers of those I beam slide vises, might be a Bonney.

 

[arborgent]

Just to add one to the spreadsheet....I found an old Babco 140 vise amongst some shed ruins while clearing brush on the back of my lot. Curiously, this one was made in India whereas every other Babco I've found online is marked Japan. I'm guessing this might've been late in their production life as the quality control was seemingly very low. There is a lot of excess material on it from the casting that I've been spending a lot of time grinding off. Off center holes, etc. Anyways, here's a couple pics and some info below. At some point I'll post a thread after I restore it. Looks like the original color was blue.




COO - India
Model - 140
Weight - ?
Jaw Width - I believe 140 denotes the mm opening, so 5.5"
Anvil - Yes
Replaceable Jaws - Yes
Pipe Jaws - Yes
Base Type - Swivel
Swivel Jaw - No
Screw - Covered
Quick Release - No
Category - Workshop

 

[AntiqueBen]

I recently acquired this really small vise. The jaws are only 1 1/2". It is patented June 16, 1885. The patent date is the only markings. According to Datamp it was made by a guy named George A. Colton but there seems to be some discrepancy on who the manufacturer was. I'm not familiar with these really small vises. I don't see them to often. Are these common??
See Datamp info HERE

 

[master Zoda]

I recently acquired this really small vise. The jaws are only 1 1/2". It is patented June 16, 1885. The patent date is the only markings. According to Datamp it was made by a guy named George A. Colton but there seems to be some discrepancy on who the manufacturer was. I'm not familiar with these really small vises. I don't see them to often. Are these common??
See Datamp info HERE

That's very cool I haven't ever seen one befor.

 

[AntiqueBen]

I'm guessing maybe it could be a jewelers vise?

 

[neophyte]

I recently acquired this really small vise. The jaws are only 1 1/2". It is patented June 16, 1885. The patent date is the only markings. According to Datamp it was made by a guy named George A. Colton but there seems to be some discrepancy on who the manufacturer was. I'm not familiar with these really small vises. I don't see them to often. Are these common??
See Datamp info HERE

That's very cool I haven't ever seen one befor.

I'm guessing maybe it could be a jewelers vise?

The Colton vise seem to turn up somewhat constantly.
The vises were manufactured in a number of sizes, from tiny, up to a bench mountable size, but I’m not sure how big the Colton vises got.
Lee Valley manufactures a reproduction of one of the smaller versions, with 1” wide jaws.

Detail Hand Vise - Lee Valley Tools

Discover the Detail Hand Vise. Buy this product now on our Lee Valley online store.

www.leevalley.com

 

[454ragtop]

Antique Ben, those are generally referred to as Colton patent vises. I have a bunch of them, from about 7/8" wide jaws to 3" or 4". Pics of a couple here https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6012458#post6012458
A search of this thread will show you a bunch more.

 

[fishwatcher]

Would this fit from Zoro.com? $55 isn’t as cheap as acorn nuts, but it’s a lot cheaper than $150.

I like that look. Much better than the plain nuts on mine.

I tried acorn nuts as well, when I wasn’t sure if I liked the look of my hacked up, then polished swivel locks.

Here are the two options in pictures (assuming swivel locks not from Zoro). I got a set of 10 size 1/2-13 from Amazon (polished acorn nuts at OSH were expensive!). The acorn nuts look good and putting a 3/4” wrench to loosen and tighten them is easy. I added washers to further protect and hide the paint that is marred up under the nuts.

 

[kkrbell]

Would this fit from Zoro.com? $55 isn’t as cheap as acorn nuts, but it’s a lot cheaper than $150.

I tried acorn nuts as well, when I wasn’t sure if I liked the look of my hacked up, then polished swivel locks.

Here are the two options in pictures. I got a set of 10 size 1/2-13 from Amazon (polished acorn nuts at OSH were expensive!). The acorn nuts look good and putting a 3/4” wrench to loosen and tighten them is easy. I added washers to further protect and hide the paint that is marred up under the nuts.

Nice! This is most likely the direction I'll go. I had no idea that someone made an aftermarket set. Thanks for the info and link! Very helpful!

 

[fishwatcher]

Nice! This is most likely the direction I'll go. I had no idea that someone made an aftermarket set. Thanks for the info and link! Very helpful!

Cool. Just to clarify, the one in my picture came with my vise (bought used, but I assume it’s original). I have not bought the one from Zoro. I only found it via search when I was looking for replacement swivel locks.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

I wanted to share this with you guys in case it would benefit you. I had a growing pile of vises that I haven't gotten to and some that are done with nowhere to display them. I got these shelves on Amazon for about $100. They can hold 400lbs per shelf. they aren't perfect but plenty sturdy with this number of vises on it. I had a bit of a difficult time finding anything that could hold much weight in a 36" width. For the money these are pretty good. I had the option of solid shelves or the wire. I went with wire thinking they would get less damaged, and it'd be better to let the handles hang through. The jury is still out on that decision.

 

[454ragtop]

Nice! This is most likely the direction I'll go. I had no idea that someone made an aftermarket set. Thanks for the info and link! Very helpful!

Note these won't fit a C3, the 1750 and other Tradesman vises use 1/2" carriage bolts, the C3 uses 5/8".

 

[kkrbell]

Note these won't fit a C3, the 1750 and other Tradesman vises use 1/2" carriage bolts, the C3 uses 5/8".

Ah, good point. I was planning on looking that up, but haven't had a chance yet. Thanks for the info!

 

[va.grouseman]

Mr. W, that shelf is going to wind up in China.

 

[Shiftless]

 

[RossinSD]

Ross:
That is definitely a Wilton. It’s a Tradesman model. There used to be a sticker on the side in that big rectangular area that said Wilton

After Shiftless ID'd my vise, I decided to do a moderate restoration of it. That was inspired by my visit to Don Long's shop for his Birthday Party a few weeks ago. His restored vises are a thing of beauty! I didn't approach his level of restoration but since this was my father's vise, I wanted to make it look better.

Once I realized it was supposed to have a tag on each side, I found/created a graphic that matched the ones I saw for new Wilton Tradesman vises. After polishing some thin aluminum plate to a near mirror finish, I created a waterslide decal on clear media. I coated this with 4 layers of clear gloss acrylic and applied it to the polished aluminum. This made a decent facsimile of the Wilton tag, For protection I coated it with some 2K clear coat.

The casting on the vise was pretty rough and the anvil area was damaged. I smoothed it out and resurfaced the anvil after stripping off several layers of paint. I used a light touch to preserve the casting numbers. I even found a "W" on the left side that had not been visible under the paint.

I used a silver hammertone paint and applied 3 medium layers after masking off appropriate areas. This was given a coat of the 2K clear coat and much time was spent polishing metal including the jaws. Fun little project and I am happy with my efforts to duplicate the tag.

Before:


After: