The VISES of Garage Journal

[ALLFAST]

I concur. Been using Duplicolor Self Etching primer with excellent success for 5 years. From what I read, DC makes the primer for Rustoleum.

The zinc green is very light, similar to gray. As always , prep is key on vises; as you know, every nook and cranny needs scrubbing/degreased.

I put on one coat, as lightly as possible. Special attention to hitting the hard to reach spots first.

Wait 30 minutes or a tad more for it to dry, then topcoat. I try and use Duplicolor Ceramic engine aerosols exclusively: Outstanding paint.

I also have excellent results with all of Rustoleum’s Stop Rust aerosols, including their textured line. Krylon Max two in one is excellent as well, but YOU MUST put a primer underneath all of the two in one ( primer-paints in one) or the results will be less than optimal.

I did a test portion on my gray Rock Island with just the Krylon Gray…It was GHASTLY without primer. I regrouped, primed according, and the gray looks and acts like powder coat.

I did my 542-BX in a gray, and my buddies in Detroit Diesel Alpine green. Baked them in the summer sun for four hours and they look incredible. The reason I favor engine enamel is it’s designed for cast iron surfaces, and our vintage vises are obviously cast iron/steel.

The texture and every little mark shows nicely under engine enamel, plus, the final sheen looks very clean and industrial, not over the top like a vintage car restoration…I don’t enjoy my vintage tools looking “over done” or too nice.

I appreciate anyone willing to do this to their own stuff, and still admire their dedication and skill, but this type of look is not me.

Here are the two 542-BXs.

A few days ago I did a nose cap for my 1952 Dewalt GR radial arm saw in the Detroit Alpine Green (under Duplicolor self etching primer) as a test.

About 12 minutes of time primering/topcoating with a sun bake and it looks very nice….shot in my driveway…Also, SEM makes an excellent ( reasonably priced as well) self etch aerosol in satin black.

Keep up the good work everyone!

 

[RMERR]

I posted some of my small vises years ago. Never have posted my big boys. So here they are. First is my Wilton 800 with it's crazy 15" opening. Bought off Craigslist for $750. Maybe not a total steal, but for this vise and the pedestal it came with a pretty decent buy in my opinion. Can't bolt to floor (I rent) so added extensions at the corners to widen the base and added heavy duty low-profile casters. Complete teardown and resto on the vise, went with Hammerbrite verde green paint. Have different jaws for it, though I've kinda settled on smooth jaws aluminum for this vise. Filled the column with sand to add more mass. Won't budge if you hit something but can still be moved if I need to. Do I need a vise this big? Hell no. Do I like having it...yeah. Call me a nut, but sometimes walking by it, I just have to reach out and give it a little pat.

 

[RMERR]

Posted this vise in fabrication as people wanted to see it, but this is probably a better place for it. 8 inch Wilton Tradesman vice, steel flange, stainless pipe, welded to 1/2 stainless plate at top. Top weld filled and rounded (by a more skilled welder than me). Brush grain applied at a polishing shop. Low-profile heavy duty casters. Stainless bolts to fill the flange holes. The whole column was filled with sand before the vise was mounted. Gives it an extra 130 lbs of mass and some vibration damping as well. Steady as a rock if I need to wack on something, but can still be moved if you put your back into it.

 

[TheRealZeus]

My gray one is a 1945…..The original owner bought it for use on his ranch in Lincoln, California. I bought it from his son.

It was covered in nasty, old chipped lead paint and required a full strip and redo.

Is there a particular lead test kit you prefer? HD got them “Pro-Lab” ones. Seem to work good, but honestly it only had four stripes I think, and they are tiny. It was a lack of options, really. 🫤

 

[Built To Work]

Noobie here. Here's my Morgan Aurora 88 Before and After the cleaning:




missing parts on order

 

[fishwatcher]

Picked this up out of a lady’s yard a couple days ago.
Some flaws but works beautifully.


Still have some work to do on the swivel base.. contemplating not using it.

Super job in this! What a deal and what a transformation. Turning that around in a couple of days, what’s your process for stripping paint and getting it that clean?

 

[jjenri]

I posted some of my small vises years ago. Never have posted my big boys. So here they are. First is my Wilton 800 with it's crazy 15" opening. Bought off Craigslist for $750. Maybe not a total steal, but for this vise and the pedestal it came with a pretty decent buy in my opinion. Can't bolt to floor (I rent) so added extensions at the corners to widen the base and added heavy duty low-profile casters. Complete teardown and resto on the vise, went with Hammerbrite verde green paint. Have different jaws for it, though I've kinda settled on smooth jaws aluminum for this vise. Filled the column with sand to add more mass. Won't budge if you hit something but can still be moved if I need to. Do I need a vise this big? Hell no. Do I like having it...yeah. Call me a nut, but sometimes walking by it, I just have to reach out and give it a little pat.

Have a link for those casters?

 

[ricleh]

19th baby bullet restoration and probably my last. The prices on these little 2" vises and the 2.5" toddler bullets have just skyrocketed since I first started collecting them. I think I have 15 of the toddlers.

 

[motorcitykid]

Super job in this! What a deal and what a transformation. Turning that around in a couple of days, what’s your process for stripping paint and getting it that clean?

Thanks, I did most of it with a twisted wire wheel on a 4.5" angle grinder then got in the letters and crevices with a wire cup on a drill. PB Blaster to get it to break loose, once I got the rust off I greased it and just kept doing coats of wd. I've still got a few spots of paint but when I finish I'll do some coats of boiled linseed oil and top it with wax to keep it from rusting. Smaller parts on a twisted wire wheel on a Baldor 6" grinder. I appreciate the encouragement.

 

[RMERR]

Have a link for those casters?

MMCarr here https://www.mcmaster.com/products/casters/low-profile-casters-with-nylon-wheels/

I bought the black nylon wheel ones. Total mount height of only 2 inches, yet 260 lbs per caster capacity. Not cheap at $30 per caster but with a "top heavy" setup like a vise I'm looking to do everything I can to limit movement and lower the center of gravity.

They also sell some with steel wheels. Total mount height of 2 1/2". 600 lbs per caster $43/per
Here: https://www.mcmaster.com/products/casters/low-profile-casters-with-metal-wheels/

 

[master Zoda]

19th baby bullet restoration and probably my last. The prices on these little 2" vises and the 2.5" toddler bullets have just skyrocketed since I first started collecting them. I think I have 15 of the toddlers.

I wounder why prices are going up

 

[ALLFAST]

Posted this vise in fabrication as people wanted to see it, but this is probably a better place for it. 8 inch Wilton Tradesman vice, steel flange, stainless pipe, welded to 1/2 stainless plate at top. Top weld filled and rounded (by a more skilled welder than me). Brush grain applied at a polishing shop. Low-profile heavy duty casters. Stainless bolts to fill the flange holes. The whole column was filled with sand before the vise was mounted. Gives it an extra 130 lbs of mass and some vibration damping as well. Steady as a rock if I need to wack on something, but can still be moved if you put your back into it.

Holy smoke ! That is SLICK !!!!

 

[ALLFAST]

Is there a particular lead test kit you prefer? HD got them “Pro-Lab” ones. Seem to work good, but honestly it only had four stripes I think, and they are tiny. It was a lack of options, really. 🫤

Common sense guided me ! . I was in a hurry and started power wire wheeling without a respirator…..Within 5 minutes I had a headache and was mildly nauseous.

I aborted that effort and noticed the paint was coming off in small flecks…very thick and it had a composition I’d never seen on tools before, but I’d seen it in old houses. I put fresh cartridges on my mask and used a scraper to knock it all off into a compactor bag ( vise parts were in the bag); got 80 percent off scraping then wire wheeled the rest.

I should look into some test kits for future stuff…

 

[ALLFAST]

19th baby bullet restoration and probably my last. The prices on these little 2" vises and the 2.5" toddler bullets have just skyrocketed since I first started collecting them. I think I have 15 of the toddlers.

I tip my hat to you Ricleh. That is a classy little vise. The decals and contrasting paint are remarkable

 

[F-22]

Posted this vise in fabrication as people wanted to see it, but this is probably a better place for it. 8 inch Wilton Tradesman vice, steel flange, stainless pipe, welded to 1/2 stainless plate at top. Top weld filled and rounded (by a more skilled welder than me). Brush grain applied at a polishing shop. Low-profile heavy duty casters. Stainless bolts to fill the flange holes. The whole column was filled with sand before the vise was mounted. Gives it an extra 130 lbs of mass and some vibration damping as well. Steady as a rock if I need to wack on something, but can still be moved if you put your back into it.

Absolutely love that stand!

 

[Shiftless]

Common sense guided me ! . I was in a hurry and started power wire wheeling without a respirator…..Within 5 minutes I had a headache and was mildly nauseous.

I aborted that effort and noticed the paint was coming off in small flecks…very thick and it had a composition I’d never seen on tools before, but I’d seen it in old houses. I put fresh cartridges on my mask and used a scraper to knock it all off into a compactor bag ( vise parts were in the bag); got 80 percent off scraping then wire wheeled the rest.

I should look into some test kits for future stuff…

That’s another reason I strip paint using hot Simple Green. No airborne particles.

 

[ALLFAST]

That’s another reason I strip paint using hot Simple Green. No airborne particles.

Greetings Shift! I’m going to use a small setup and try this on my next project. Thank you for the reminder!

 

[Shiftless]

Greetings Shift! I’m going to use a small setup and try this on my next project. Thank you for the reminder!

I have an extra crock pot for you if you need one.

 

[antman213]

Found this Unmarked vise locally.
Would like to know if anyone has any more info on it.

So far I'm leaning towards it being a Utica vise. It seems most Utica vises are unmarked. (I've not come across any other than a picture in an advertisement which has branding on the actual vise, but we're only talking a handful of examples)
I posted in a FB group and someone has a similar but smaller version with a 4 hole base and is about half the weight.

From what I can tell there are atleast 3 different models of this vise with the square bar

-3" jaws with 4 hole base (approx 24lbs)
Jaws 3"
Height 7 1/4
Length 15 1/4
Weight 24.2

-3-1/2" Jaws with 4 hole base *can be seen in post #694 of the Vise Info thread*
Jaws 3"
Height Unknown
Length *approx 20"
Weight 32.5lbs

-3-3/4" Jaws with 3 hole base *seen in the pictures below*
Jaws are 3-3/4"
Height off table is 7-3/4"
Overall length is 20-3/4"
Weight is 47.6lbs



The attached article has some info but nothing regarding models or sizes.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Modern_Machinery/9p7mAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Utica+Drop+Forge+&+Tool+vise&pg=PA195&printsec=frontcover&fbclid=IwAR3bOM3VWEgzW_zQIqbFeq6173lWXTWxJdElnUdtN8CyBX3Tw156iTHJ03U


Smaller vise pic isn't mine

 

[ALLFAST]

I have an extra crock pot for you if you need one.

Thank you Shift!

 

[ALLFAST]

Found this Unmarked vise locally.
Would like to know if anyone has any more info on it.

So far I'm leaning towards it being a Utica vise. It seems most Utica vises are unmarked. (I've not come across any other than a picture in an advertisement which has branding on the actual vise, but we're only talking a handful of examples)
I posted in a FB group and someone has a similar but smaller version with a 4 hole base and is about half the weight.

From what I can tell there are atleast 3 different models of this vise with the square bar

-3" jaws with 4 hole base (approx 24lbs)
Jaws 3"
Height 7 1/4
Length 15 1/4
Weight 24.2

-3-1/2" Jaws with 4 hole base *can be seen in post #694 of the Vise Info thread*
Jaws 3"
Height Unknown
Length *approx 20"
Weight 32.5lbs

-3-3/4" Jaws with 3 hole base *seen in the pictures below*
Jaws are 3-3/4"
Height off table is 7-3/4"
Overall length is 20-3/4"
Weight is 47.6lbs



The attached article has some info but nothing regarding models or sizes.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Modern_Machinery/9p7mAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Utica+Drop+Forge+&+Tool+vise&pg=PA195&printsec=frontcover&fbclid=IwAR3bOM3VWEgzW_zQIqbFeq6173lWXTWxJdElnUdtN8CyBX3Tw156iTHJ03U


Smaller vise pic isn't mine

I’m no oldarnarchapaleontologist, but it looks to me like someone ground off the original identifying script from the left side, forward and aft? If you can gently liberate all of the old paint you might be able to confirm this.

This is a really cool find and it looks stout.

Hopefully it’s got no hidden flaws…

 

[bleedinorange]

Thanks!


Okay.. I was wondering about why not a red vise TBH . It will be cool to see it in red!

Thanks!


Okay.. I was wondering about why not a red vise TBH . It will be cool to see it in red!

 

[bleedinorange]

Thanks!


Okay.. I was wondering about why not a red vise TBH . It will be cool to see it in red!

There she is in all her red glory!

 

[fishwatcher]

There she is in all her red glory!

Man.. that looks good! Did you strip off the blue paint as prep? Curious what steps you took. Thx!!

 

[bleedinorange]

Man.. that looks good! Did you strip off the blue paint as prep? Curious what steps you took. Thx!!

Thanks! I bought some graffiti remover at Lowe’s and sprayed it down and let it sit for about 30 minutes.Took it to the car wash and i would say about 70% came off.Doing it over i would have let it sit longer.I used a wire wheel on my drill to remover the rest of the paint.I searched this site for Vise paint and several recommended the farm and implement paint. So i went with that.

 

[Maui]

I recently finished restoring this vise that was manufactured in my home town.

 

[Shiftless]

That’s beautiful work there Maui.
I love that paint color! What is it?

 

[Maui]

That’s beautiful work there Maui.
I love that paint color! What is it?

Thanks Shiftless! It’s Rustoleum Verde Green with a crystal clear coat on top of it. I wanted to get a picture of it in direct sunlight, and fortunately was able to briefly find some.

 

[btrnuthatch]

I posted my Emmerts in July and have been wanting to make the missing "dogs" (as I'm calling them) that go on the pegs. I happened to have a hunk of 1" thick steel. I made a wooden prototype that seemed fine. I had to buy a 1 1/4" drill bit after ditching the idea of a torch cut. On eBay I found a new Drill America bit for $19 shipped that was listed as HSS but saw that it's packaging had a carbide part number. With 2 pilot holes, it did the trick. I botched one angle cut with a horizontal band saw (bummer) but otherwise they seem serviceable (not too bad without machinist stuff). I have no idea how to cut the "V" grooves without a mill.

I still searching for a suitable base. I may eventually make one. Now I'm waiting for a need to use the dogs.

 

[KMScott]

Here is a couple I finished this last week. Reed 204-1/2 and a Rock Island 571 With no cast text.

 

[Draftpick1]

New addition a Record 53 quick release woodworking vice previously refurbished by someone else, they did a good job I like that the original sticker/decal was saved.

 

[Shiftless]

KMS:
Thanks for posting those pics. Two more beautiful restorations from the master himself.

 

[RTM]

New addition a Record 53 quick release woodworking vice previously refurbished by someone else, they did a good job I like that the original sticker/decal was saved.

That’s their biggest isn’t it? I have a 52-1/2 that needs a bit of cleanup, sitting unused for almost 20 years now.

 

[ricleh]

Here is a couple I finished this last week. Reed 204-1/2 and a Rock Island 571 With no cast text.

Really nice work as always Kevin.

 

[Draftpick1]

That’s their biggest isn’t it? I have a 52-1/2 that needs a bit of cleanup, sitting unused for almost 20 years now.

Correct it's 10.5 inches wide, was hoping to find a date stamp but no luck. Good video on YouTube showing the evolution of your vice in particular.

 

[Maui]

Here is a couple I finished this last week. Reed 204-1/2 and a Rock Island 571 With no cast text.

Hi Kevin,

Nice looking vises! I have a Reed 204 1/2 too, and the diamond pattern on the jaw faces is so sharp that it really digs into the work pieces. Once clamped, they never moved at all in that vise.

Maui

 

[KMScott]

Hi Kevin,

Nice looking vises! I have a Reed 204 1/2 too, and the diamond pattern on the jaw faces is so sharp that it really digs into the work pieces. Once clamped, they never moved at all in that vise.

Maui

Yes I have seen serrations like that. The tool steel cast in inserts are brittle hard. I guess the Rockwell hardness is around 60 RC. The A2 jaws I made are around 54-56 RC which is a big difference then 60 RC. The hardest you can get is 62 RC. I serrate my jaws with a diamond flat so they hold but don’t scar the work piece in machinist talk we call them idiot marks. The cast in jaws on my 204-1/2 were chipped pretty heavy so I removed the hard material and replaced them with the A2.

I forgot to mention that I painted these vises with Eastwood Epoxy Primer and Eastwood Urethane 2 stage paint called Rat Rod Flat Black. Not from a spray can But from a spray gun.

 

[Shiftless]

I forgot to mention that I painted these vises with Eastwood Epoxy Primer and Eastwood Urethane 2 stage paint called Rat Rod Flat Black. Not from a spray can But from a spray gun.

Kevin:
Thanks for mentioning that. I was gonna ask if that was the black oil that I know you like a lot. The light reflections in your pics indicate to me that the hot rod flat black is not really flat paint. It looks great, but to me, that isn’t flat. My experience with true flat paint is that it shows marks where you handle it unless you wear gloves. I don’t want to wear gloves to move vises around and I don’t think many of the others here do either. I’m not a butler on Downton Abby.

What do you think about the “flat” paint?

 

[Mr. Lahey]

A friend spotted a large unmarked vise at a flea market. He said it was heavy and looked well made.

Jaws are approximately 5" wide. The only markings are stamped into the dynamic jaw, perhaps the owner's name? B. J. FRYE

Anyone seen one like this before? Is it just an unbranded import? Unfortunately, I have just one photo.

 

[KMScott]

Shift, I agree it’s not as flat black as I wanted. I coat all my vises with Fluid Film and that puts a shiny coat on this paint job. Living a 1/2 mile from the ocean makes me keep all my vises and machine tools covered in Fluid Film.