The VISES of Garage Journal
- Thread starter mjozefow
- Start date
TheRealZeus
Well-known member
Omg 
just saw the opposite side. 
that post should come with a disclaimer! 
just saw the opposite side. that post should come with a disclaimer! Patrickm82
Well-known member
Shiftless
Well-known member
How does damage like this even happen?
Did somebody shoot at this vise?
Did somebody shoot at this vise?
Shiftless
Well-known member
That’s the way to do it!
master Zoda
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- Joined
- May 31, 2014
- Messages
- 165
Very nice.
merkyworks
Well-known member
How does damage like this even happen?
Did somebody shoot at this vise?
TheRealZeus
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Outstanding priced & fix. Nice work!
TheRealZeus
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Most-evasive methodology… it is science!
merkyworks
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If the bolt/pin won’t budge, turn it to liquid !
va.grouseman
Well-known member
Just to clarify Zeus, AI is 2 letters.---Actually vowels to be exact. 
va.grouseman
Well-known member
Mr. Crane, that thing wouldn't even make a doner vise
ctuai
Well-known member
Just picked it up ($50). A Chas. Parker No. 49X. Solid jaws and mount that need a notch cut into your table. The pin that blocks the slide was sheared. No cracks or welds, but some pretty good gouges on the top of the jaws. Obviously, no handle 
Shiftless
Well-known member
ctuai:
Nice score.
If you don’t want to notch your workbench, you can notch a scrap piece of 2x12 or similar and then bolt it right up an inch and a half higher.
For a temporary fix (or permanent one) you could round off the corners of the nut and bolt head using your grinder or belt sander.
Nice score.
If you don’t want to notch your workbench, you can notch a scrap piece of 2x12 or similar and then bolt it right up an inch and a half higher.
For a temporary fix (or permanent one) you could round off the corners of the nut and bolt head using your grinder or belt sander.
TheRealZeus
Well-known member
Just to clarify Zeus, AI is 2 letters.---Actually vowels to be exact.
Did I say A1 (One) ?…
I may have had food on my mind, idk. 
Did I say A1 (One) ?…
I may have had food on my mind, idk. genog
Well-known member
Got the Big Boy cleaned up and readyBought this Big Prentiss 56 a couple of months ago right before I had surgery.
I can't lift it right now, so it's going to sit quietly in front of my shop until I get my great strength back
...then it get's cleaned up (no purple paint nor highlighted lettering) and goes back to work.
TheRealZeus
Well-known member
She is a beaut! Hope ya back gets better.. don’t push your luck, lifting nothing.
Shiftless
Well-known member
I love those graffiti logo Prentiss vises.
PierceA
Well-known member
I picked up a WWII era Wilton 'fishhook' No.4 yesterday. I'm not all that knowledgable about Wiltons and their history and how to identify what the lineage of a Wilton is. From what I've found to read:
Fishhook and Pat. Pending mean WWII era. Usually no date on the key.
Post war, some were date-stamped and sold to the public.
These vises had the horizontal pin or pins for retaining the nut drilled well below the centerline of the mainscrew.
This era vise had acorn nuts for swivel lockdown nuts.
My vise has dimples or recesses adjacent to the Acorn nuts, like it would have if it had lockdown nuts with push through handles.
So does this mean my vise 'should' have the brass lockdown nuts with handles?
The base is in nice conditon and may or may not be original.. General patina is the same..
The vise I bought has missing jaws and needs some repair on the jaw towers, thankfully the jaw support 'chin' or shelf is undamaged.
I will make up a set of jaws, or maybe purchase a set.. But a question on WWII era jaw iserts: Are the serrated, smooth or horizontally grooved? I think I've seen all three types?
Is there a dedicated Wilton history/genealogy/details thread or site? Something like Angry Beaver's Reed R Date Thread?
If so, would someone reply with a link to that thread or site?
The date on the key is 2-945. That seems odd to me. is that February , 1945? or 2nd September 1945? my other Wiltons are either one or two digit month and two digit year..
PierceA.
Fishhook and Pat. Pending mean WWII era. Usually no date on the key.
Post war, some were date-stamped and sold to the public.
These vises had the horizontal pin or pins for retaining the nut drilled well below the centerline of the mainscrew.
This era vise had acorn nuts for swivel lockdown nuts.
My vise has dimples or recesses adjacent to the Acorn nuts, like it would have if it had lockdown nuts with push through handles.
So does this mean my vise 'should' have the brass lockdown nuts with handles?
The base is in nice conditon and may or may not be original.. General patina is the same..
The vise I bought has missing jaws and needs some repair on the jaw towers, thankfully the jaw support 'chin' or shelf is undamaged.
I will make up a set of jaws, or maybe purchase a set.. But a question on WWII era jaw iserts: Are the serrated, smooth or horizontally grooved? I think I've seen all three types?
Is there a dedicated Wilton history/genealogy/details thread or site? Something like Angry Beaver's Reed R Date Thread?
If so, would someone reply with a link to that thread or site?
The date on the key is 2-945. That seems odd to me. is that February , 1945? or 2nd September 1945? my other Wiltons are either one or two digit month and two digit year..
PierceA.
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454ragtop
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CRSINMICH
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Shiftless
Well-known member
Nice score P.A.
My earliest bullet ( 9-45) has horizontal jaw serrations.
I wouldn’t mind having a pallet full of untouched baby bullets that I bought for $14.73 each
My earliest bullet ( 9-45) has horizontal jaw serrations.
I wouldn’t mind having a pallet full of untouched baby bullets that I bought for $14.73 each
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PierceA
Well-known member
Thanks for the help everyone!
Any ideas regarding the 'odd' date on the key?
And any ideas regarding the indents on the sides of the static adjacent to the swivel lock nuts?
PierceA
Any ideas regarding the 'odd' date on the key?
And any ideas regarding the indents on the sides of the static adjacent to the swivel lock nuts?
PierceA
Shiftless
Well-known member
My Chicago era bullets all have swivel locks with handles but I don’t have a fish hook model. I suppose it’s possible that the earliest came with acorn nuts. I will defer to an expert like Autopts or somebody else who knows more than I do. I suppose the indentation would make it easier to fit a wrench on the acorn nut.
PierceA
Well-known member
Here is a second vise I purchased yesterday: A well used and abused Reed 206R.
I really like the later Reed vises. I used a 404-1/2 for a daily use vise for many years, until I realized it had some collector value.
So it got cleaned up, a coat of BLO, and is retired onto a shelf in 'Reed-row'.
This vise has been used and abused as a welding and grinding fixture. And the welding spatter and grinding on the vise is pretty bad.
I may put new jaws on this vise, [requires a lot of mill work] or I might put it to use as is as my daily use vise..
Currently I have an import 'rotator' vise, 6" wide jaws but it only opens 6".. and many times that has frustrated me. This Reed 206 opens 10". So that will be helpful.
The swivel base does not have the raised bosses under the mounting ears. I has only one swivel lock.
It does have the forged mainscrew nut, and split pin for taking up the slack in the nut.
I'll put the swivel base on the mill and make the bottom flat. It has been cracked and welded and brazed.. And not done very accurately. Once that is done, I'll see about mounting it up as my daily use vise..
Working on this used and abused vise made me think about my other Reed 6" vise.. I've attached a photo of it..
A 'last generation' Reed 106S [206R]. This one is very crisp and only slightly used..
Pierce A.
I really like the later Reed vises. I used a 404-1/2 for a daily use vise for many years, until I realized it had some collector value.
So it got cleaned up, a coat of BLO, and is retired onto a shelf in 'Reed-row'.
This vise has been used and abused as a welding and grinding fixture. And the welding spatter and grinding on the vise is pretty bad.
I may put new jaws on this vise, [requires a lot of mill work] or I might put it to use as is as my daily use vise..
Currently I have an import 'rotator' vise, 6" wide jaws but it only opens 6".. and many times that has frustrated me. This Reed 206 opens 10". So that will be helpful.
The swivel base does not have the raised bosses under the mounting ears. I has only one swivel lock.
It does have the forged mainscrew nut, and split pin for taking up the slack in the nut.
I'll put the swivel base on the mill and make the bottom flat. It has been cracked and welded and brazed.. And not done very accurately. Once that is done, I'll see about mounting it up as my daily use vise..
Working on this used and abused vise made me think about my other Reed 6" vise.. I've attached a photo of it..
A 'last generation' Reed 106S [206R]. This one is very crisp and only slightly used..
Pierce A.
TheRealZeus
Well-known member
this previously has happened, I believe? …on Ghost post, no resolve but it was incorporated into the DB..
Wilton Date Code, Just Thinking Outloud Here...
So I've recently acquired an early Wilton No 4. We know it's early from the patent pending and fish hook logo design as well as the acorn nuts on the swivel base. In my research after the purchase I learned of the date code mystery- date of manufacture or date of warranty expiration. Now, and...
www.garagejournal.com
Wilton does not like to point it out, but the vise design you have was basically stolen from the Czech company York which had a patent on them before Wilton existed (but WW2 came and it was never enforced).
York still exists and actually manufactures some smaller vises for Wilton today. They had to change the design a little bit cause Wilton grew so large and recognizable. Sadly the new York vises (I think since the late 80's) are a lot more blocky.
Most York vises also were simplified, with how the mounted the rear nut and how the spindle was fixed with a pin instead of a plate. But the WW2 era vises between Wilton and York were very much the same. As far as I know, Wilton was founded by a York salesman who escaped from Bohemia to the US just before WW2.
What Wilton grew out to be and symbolizes is a nice part of history. They far outgrew York (although in large part also due to the Soviet occupation and closed markets). But it is fair to know many great thinks happened by stealing designs, even when you look at the Chinese knockoffs today...
Just for an example, I was recently checking out the most recent Leatherman Surge Chinese clones. The Leatherman patent on it ran out, so now they dare to go for very similar designs. I don't think it is as refined. But a Surge costs around 200$ here in Europe and 150$ in the USA. The Chinese clone is 95% the same quality and costs 30-40$. In fact the Chinese made some huge improvements by using regular full size 1/4' bit drivers in it instead of the proprietary leatherman bits, so it pairs very nicely with the stainless Wera bits.
Got a little sidetracked. I'm all for supporting western manufacturing, including both USA and EU, but 5 times more for similar quality? Honestly, not even Snap On is always that bad.
PierceA
Well-known member
TheRealZeus: Thanks for the links to the other discussions. The 'Ghost' discussion is very interesting.
I rarely chase down fine details about a particular vise.. if I do, it usually is to find out if it is aftermarket modified or is
some sort of a fake.
But this vise does raise some interesting questions.
LOL. and the only reason i purchased it, is because it is pretty early, and a bit 'historical'. And now i have questions about it's history.
I'm not a big fan of Wiltons.. They look cool to some people, but are not really any better than any other enclosed screw vise..
Although that has not stopped me from owning 6 or 8 of them.. And I'd buy an 8" model 800 if i found one.
Thanks again, PierceA.
I rarely chase down fine details about a particular vise.. if I do, it usually is to find out if it is aftermarket modified or is
some sort of a fake.
But this vise does raise some interesting questions.
LOL. and the only reason i purchased it, is because it is pretty early, and a bit 'historical'. And now i have questions about it's history.
I'm not a big fan of Wiltons.. They look cool to some people, but are not really any better than any other enclosed screw vise..
Although that has not stopped me from owning 6 or 8 of them.. And I'd buy an 8" model 800 if i found one.
Thanks again, PierceA.
neophyte
Well-known member
I haven’t seen the Chinese made Leatherman clones.Wilton does not like to point it out, but the vise design you have was basically stolen from the Czech company York which had a patent on them before Wilton existed (but WW2 came and it was never enforced).
York still exists and actually manufactures some smaller vises for Wilton today. They had to change the design a little bit cause Wilton grew so large and recognizable. Sadly the new York vises (I think since the late 80's) are a lot more blocky.
Most York vises also were simplified, with how the mounted the rear nut and how the spindle was fixed with a pin instead of a plate. But the WW2 era vises between Wilton and York were very much the same. As far as I know, Wilton was founded by a York salesman who escaped from Bohemia to the US just before WW2.
What Wilton grew out to be and symbolizes is a nice part of history. They far outgrew York (although in large part also due to the Soviet occupation and closed markets). But it is fair to know many great thinks happened by stealing designs, even when you look at the Chinese knockoffs today...
Just for an example, I was recently checking out the most recent Leatherman Surge Chinese clones. The Leatherman patent on it ran out, so now they dare to go for very similar designs. I don't think it is as refined. But a Surge costs around 200$ here in Europe and 150$ in the USA. The Chinese clone is 95% the same quality and costs 30-40$. In fact the Chinese made some huge improvements by using regular full size 1/4' bit drivers in it instead of the proprietary leatherman bits, so it pairs very nicely with the stainless Wera bits.
Got a little sidetracked. I'm all for supporting western manufacturing, including both USA and EU, but 5 times more for similar quality? Honestly, not even Snap On is always that bad.
I have seen the Swiss Army Knife clones from China.
Unless things have massively changed, even the best Chinese SAK clones from China (or usually elsewhere) were complete **** in fit and finish compared to the otiginal Swiss made versions.
RTM
Well-known member
You can usually tell in both cases the quality just by picking them up. A few you need to open. The quality of the Gerber Style knives with the serrated teeth close to the pivot has improved some, but still feel cheesy when you go to close them.
Mr. Wonderful
Well-known member
How did you finally get them out????
Got a bigger hammer, then knocked out using long chisel up through the bottom.
TheRealZeus
Well-known member
Yeah… those after market mods…. They uh, can be extremely “off-putting.” 
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crane operator
Well-known member
Rock Island that's been used.
Sure, but the SAK is on a different level even to the Leatherman multitools. I do not think the SAK that's otherwise 20-30€, or 50€ for the really "full" models, is overpriced. Everything is high quality, polished and very compact... I like to carry a Skeletool cause it is easy to use and I like to have pliers, but I paid 110€ for it and feel like I overpaid a lot for that. A Victorinox multitool is 120-160€ and is also very high quality but not as light as the Skeletool and harder to access the tools inside...
You did a great job cleaning the vise up. It looks like it’s in lightly used condition and the natural finish really suits it. The vise is from the early 20’s so it’s right around 100 years old.Got the Big Boy cleaned up and ready
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KMScott
Well-known member
Nice work RBarnes. Only suggestion is radius those sharp corners so you don’t cut your fingers pulling the pins out. Are they 3 degrees per side? Just curious to what angle you came up with.