The VISES of Garage Journal

[Maui]

Thanks micahd1997 and everyone else. It is for sale. If any of you are interested feel free to PM me.

 

[jjenri]

Added another coat of black metal oil the other week. Looking sleek! She helped me repair both of my CV axles this past weekend

 

[Flyguy30263]

I've been searching for a Reed vise for awhile. I found a Reed 106 R on FB marketplace. Only 6-8 miles from my house. Lady also had the 4" wilton. Both came out of a barn that was being torn down. The 106 is in excellent shape and the Wilton looks like it was never even used just rusted. Seller made me a deal I could turn down if I bought them both. The size of the Reed is just insane. It took a little persuasion to get apart but after a couple of hernia surgeries I wasn't going to try and pick it up whole. I see a big vise stand in my future. I can't image how big a 8 inch is.

 

[micahd1997]

Congrats, Fly! Reeds are some of the best, and once you get into the 6"-n-up range, they certainly dwarf anything smaller. I might be telling you something you already know, but if you check the cheek right here, there's a 3-digit date code that will tell you when it was manufactured (ex. "751 = July, 1951). Congrats on both!

 

[Flyguy30263]

Congrats, Fly! Reeds are some of the best, and once you get into the 6"-n-up range, they certainly dwarf anything smaller. I might be telling you something you already know, but if you check the cheek right here, there's a 3-digit date code that will tell you when it was manufactured (ex. "751 = July, 1951). Congrats on both!

Thank you Micahd, I found the date stamp before loading on the truck. 1047.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Small Vises from Big Name Makers Series

WILTON 535 Home Vise​

The 1972 ad mentions built in pipe jaws and replaceable jaw faces. The view of the bottom of the base shows the number 633 1/2 which is a model number for WILTON Shop King vises.

 

[Outlawmws]

They later made those pipe jaws removable and had several sets of jaw faces like smooth and for gripping round stock.

 

[CRSINMICH]

This is bugging me. I just found this 1971 Stanley catalog cut and I know I've seen a vise very like Stanley's 035 model somewhere recently. Where was that?

 

[neophyte]

This is bugging me. I just found this 1971 Stanley catalog cut and I know I've seen a vise very like Stanley's 035 model somewhere recently. Where was that?

Maybe this ?

 

[DLW875]

Small Vises from Big Name Makers Series

WILTON 535 Home Vise​

The 1972 ad mentions built in pipe jaws and replaceable jaw faces. The view of the bottom of the base shows the number 633 1/2 which is a model number for WILTON Shop King vises.

Thanks for the info. I have one of these that I inherited from my grandfather. The only difference is that mine has a Wilton decal where yours is cast. I wonder if mine is a bit newer. My grandfather passed in 1988, so it would be older than that.

 

[ctuai]

Just pulled these. A Stanley no. 400 Tilting swivel miter vise and a Record V175 7" woodworking vise. Two nice pieces for sure. Record has some nice thick oak faces. I really like that Stanley blue on the 400. It's the same blue as on their corner vises.

 

[bliorg]

Hi, all -

I’m considering a vise off marketplace, but not sure on it. Oval slide vise, no ID, appears to be in good nick. Seller says everything smooth, solid, no cracks or chips. Posted this over t' the vintage tools forum earlier, and it seems (based on the 11/22/44 date stamp) to be a MF vise.

With that in mind, I'm at a loss for what a reasonable offer on this would be. Any suggestions? I'm hoping to lay hands on it tomorrow, but am out of my depth on what would be a realistic price to pay.

Thanks!

 

[micahd1997]

That’s a clean one, @bliorg . The collar tells me either Parker or Sargent, but the 64 on the side, several other features, and this catalog page confirm Sargent.

As far as value, this style of vise was made by many different manufacturers as a lower quality, low budget utility/farm vise. Because of that, they’re fairly common. I personally wouldn’t put market value above $50, but value depends on the buyer ultimately.

 

[bliorg]

That’s a clean one, @bliorg . The collar tells me either Parker or Sargent, but the 64 on the side, several other features, and this catalog page confirm Sargent.

As far as value, this style of vise was made by many different manufacturers as a lower quality, low budget utility/farm vise. Because of that, they’re fairly common. I personally wouldn’t put market value above $50, but value depends on the buyer ultimately.

Great! Thanks for the info, @micahd1997! Any idea when that catalog is from?

FWIW, I picked it up about an hour ago. It’s in really nice shape. Light bloom of rust, but not bad. Need to figure out how to finish it. I am NOT going to paint it (no problem with that, just not for this). Catalog said it was jappaned; I’ve jappaned tools before but I’m not sure how that would work for something this size, seems like it would chip pretty easily on a vise, and my wife would kill me if I baked it in our oven! Probably some kind of oil (raw/boiled LO) but need to learn more. Maybe Boeshield?

Regarding value/offer, I negotiated a bit with the seller (nice guy). Ended up a little north of you suggestion, and I’m sure I overpaid at least a bit, but this is what I wanted. Love the look and design, will be great for the work I am planning on doing, and is going to be a fun project in itself. It’s in fantastic condition, and I’m really happy! Pics forthcoming…

 

[micahd1997]

Great! Thanks for the info, @micahd1997! Any idea when that catalog is from?

FWIW, I picked it up about an hour ago. It’s in really nice shape. Light bloom of rust, but not bad. Need to figure out how to finish it. I am NOT going to paint it (no problem with that, just not for this). Catalog said it was jappaned; I’ve jappaned tools before but I’m not sure how that would work for something this size, seems like it would chip pretty easily on a vise, and my wife would kill me if I baked it in our oven! Probably some kind of oil (raw/boiled LO) but need to learn more. Maybe Boeshield?

Regarding value/offer, I negotiated a bit with the seller (nice guy). Ended up a little north of you suggestion, and I’m sure I overpaid at least a bit, but this is what I wanted. Love the look and design, will be great for the work I am planning on doing, and is going to be a fun project in itself. It’s in fantastic condition, and I’m really happy! Pics forthcoming…

You bet! The catalog is from 1911, so it's possible that it dates back that far (though it seems Sargent produced these same vises for years after/prior to 1911 albeit with different model numbers in the late 1800s - #1, #2, #3, etc. rather than #60, #61, #62, etc.)

Glad you were able to get it! I've never attempted to jappan a vise, but yes - I've heard the process can certainly fumigate a home! Unless a vise is very rusty or has an obviously newer/poorly applied coat of paint, I'm personally a fan of leaving it in as close to as-found condition as possible. Value and utility are in the eye of the owner ultimately, so I hope you're happy with how it turns out, whatever you choose to do.

 

[CRSINMICH]

bliorg: That Sargent oval slide vise is probably from the 1920's. Michahd correctly identified it and he was right about the Parker-style collar. It looks like early Sargents didn't have a collar but you can clearly see one in this 1926 Sargent catalog cut. Nice find!

Btw: You might be able to find a large enough used toaster oven in a resale shop or online for japanning.

 

[Outlawmws]

Btw: You might be able to find a large enough used toaster oven in a resale shop or online for japanning.

 

[bliorg]

As promised, some as-found starter photos.






In good shape - can't find any cracks, etc., and everything moves smoothly with no binding. Seems well used enough, but not abused. Very happy with it; I haven't been able to find anything worthwhile on marketplace in ages. Again, I'm sure it's not gloat-worthy, but I'm good with it, especially with how infrequent my old tool purchases have become.

Btw: You might be able to find a large enough used toaster oven in a resale shop or online for japanning.

Now... The big question most directly is whether to clean and oil it, or do a full resto. I haven't japanned anything in like 15 years, and then only a Stanley spokeshave. Nothing to this scale. I did look on FB, though, and found a huge toaster oven for $40. So, doable. Have no idea what asphaltum costs these days. And I'm not sure if it can be mixed thin enough that the vise wouldn't have a big, gloppy coating on it (technique issue as well, I'm sure). Sounds like a hellluva a fun side project, though. 'Cause I need more projects in the queue. I think it would only take a gentle nudge to start down the slope at this point...

 

[Outlawmws]

I think it would only take a gentle nudge to start down the slope at this point...

 

[Beerhippie]

Boiled linseed oil would be my choice. Knock that light rust off with some 4-0 steel wool and hit it with BLO thinned 50-50 with mineral spirits.



I did that old Reed back in February. It's seen plenty of use since.

 

[ctuai]

Boiled linseed oil would be my choice. Knock that light rust off with some 4-0 steel wool and hit it with BLO thinned 50-50 with mineral spirits.



I did that old Reed back in February. It's seen plenty of use since.

Love the copper jaw inserts. I've made a couple, but those look like they would stay on the jaws way better than mine. The tabs are a great idea for removing and re-installing.

 

[Beerhippie]

Love the copper jaw inserts. I've made a couple, but those look like they would stay on the jaws way better than mine. The tabs are a great idea for removing and re-installing.

Those were @Outlawmws idea and my implementation. Made from off-cuts of 2" Type L copper pipe, flattened, shaped and then formed on the vise using soft mallets. They stay on well, but can still be removed without bending them. I'm finding I rarely need to remove them and much prefer "soft jaws" for about 90% of what I do.

 

[antman213]

As promised, some as-found starter photos.






In good shape - can't find any cracks, etc., and everything moves smoothly with no binding. Seems well used enough, but not abused. Very happy with it; I haven't been able to find anything worthwhile on marketplace in ages. Again, I'm sure it's not gloat-worthy, but I'm good with it, especially with how infrequent my old tool purchases have become.




Now... The big question most directly is whether to clean and oil it, or do a full resto. I haven't japanned anything in like 15 years, and then only a Stanley spokeshave. Nothing to this scale. I did look on FB, though, and found a huge toaster oven for $40. So, doable. Have no idea what asphaltum costs these days. And I'm not sure if it can be mixed thin enough that the vise wouldn't have a big, gloppy coating on it (technique issue as well, I'm sure). Sounds like a hellluva a fun side project, though. 'Cause I need more projects in the queue. I think it would only take a gentle nudge to start down the slope at this point...

I have an identical vise to this (with the collar 11.22.44) but it has the number 1 on the side.
I wonder if that would make it a Sargent aswell?

 

[micahd1997]

I have an identical vise to this (with the collar 11.22.44) but it has the number 1 on the side.
I wonder if that would make it a Sargent aswell?

Hey, Ant! Yes. That is a Sargent, and an older model at that. At least as late as the mid 1870s, Sargent was using the #1, #2, #4, etc. numbering scheme for their oval slide vises that I referred to @bliorg above before they switched to #60, #61, #62, etc. the 1920s (at the latest). Here is a snippet of an 1874 Sargent catalog. Yours appears to still have most of the original japanning intact as well!

 

[CRSINMICH]

PANAVISE #366​

At first glance I thought this set-up was part shop made and part commercial. The vise itself looked like it could have been either shop made or, possibly commercially available. I thought the clamp base was most likely shop made and I thought the positioner was a repurposed commercial unit. Wrong on all counts. Everything was available from Panavise/Hunter Tools. Catalogs clearly showed a few different jaw/vise/positioner combinations mostly for electronics. The vise on mine was a #366. There was a glitch, however. All of the Panavise positioners had screw in knobs to control the position of the vise. None of them had a slot-and-handle control. Quite by accident, I came across a Hunter Tools catalog which also showed positioners with knobs. However, one page of the catalog showed DISCONTINUED items one of which was a positioner with a slot-and-handle adjuster. On the other side of the page was the Adjustable Bench Clamp.

 

[Outlawmws]

Panavise was the leader "back in the day" for these types of vises, and more, with a "light industry" focus, mostly electronics, and mechanical work to support that. -Not sure if they still exist as there are Chicom copies around as well. I have 3-4 different types, several for holding PC boards to work on them. Mostly for prototype or re[air work rather than production. Repair work is why I picked mine up.

Several different basses available for these as well. Most I see are of the type you posted CRS.

 

[dutchgray]

Got this finished.

York 80 courtesy of Fretters.
I made the brass soft jaws, machined the base block, skimmed the vice base flat and slotted the platen it bolts down to so it would fit.

 

[RTM]

PANAVISE #366​

DISCONTINUED items one of which was a positioner with a slot-and-handle adjuster. On the other side of the page was the Adjustable Bench Clamp.

I think I have it's brother. Panavise wide grip competitor? Marked DVxxx Products, Lawndale CA

Gotta look at both on a bigger screen when I get home.

 

[ranger08]

record leader steel vices 3 inch (10pb) and 6 inch (14pb)

 

[Outlawmws]

record leader steel vices

hadn't seen those from Record before.

 

[d.mcfarland]

Found this 5 inch vise on Facebook marketplace for $50. I thought that was fair so I grabbed it.

 

[682bear]

I found a Parker No. 4 today...





I don't think the handle is original... and I know the screw retaining plate isn't original... I'll see if I can machine replacements for both.

Is there anyone out there that might know how long the handle should be?

Otherwise, it is pretty tight with very little play in the slide or screw.

-Bear

 

[Outlawmws]

I found a Parker No. 4 today...





I don't think the handle is original... and I know the screw retaining plate isn't original... I'll see if I can machine replacements for both.

Is there anyone out there that might know how long the handle should be?

Otherwise, it is pretty tight with very little play in the slide or screw.

-Bear

Nice early find! I have a No.3, - 4-3/4" jaws, so likely similar age. The newest catalog I'm aware of is 1897 your No. 4 should be 5-3/8 wide jaws?

Both have the same 3 patent dates so based on a 17 year span from the earliest in 1854, should be no newer than 1871?

 

[682bear]

Nice early find! I have a No.3, - 4-3/4" jaws, so likely similar age. The newest catalog I'm aware of is 1897 your No. 4 should be 5-3/8 wide jaws?

Both have the same 3 patent dates so based on a 17 year span from the earliest in 1854, should be no newer than 1871?

Yes... 5-3/8"...

As far as the dates, based on what I've read, it was most likely manufactured between 1868 and 1871... which would likely make it my oldest vise by a decade or three...

-Bear

 

[MaadHATR]

Good question. I couldn't find anything searching the web. Maybe the model is in a catalog image file that isn't text searchable- I didn't check for those.

Sorry for the delay, but in England it's vice, not vise - Paramo is a WW2 brand - https://calumgillies.com/portfolio/restoring-a-1940s-paramo-vice/comment-page-1/

 

[dannyr]

Another estate sale find, a Paramo No. 6. It was still bolted to the workbench in the garage, and I asked one of the gals working the sale if it was for sale. She said she would have to go ask. She came back and apologetically said "Well, we would have to get at least $20 for it."
Well, OK then...
Note the English spelling of vice.

but surely, vise/vice is spelled/spelt vice

back to Paramo (Parramore and Sons (1924) Ltd of Chapeltown) - toolmaker who got into vise-making about 1940 --- as with several other English vise-makers the main designs were very much based on those of J Parkinson of Shipley -eg your No6 is v like the 'improved' version of the Parkinsons' Handy (G-series, sizes 2in to 8in) started in about 1870. If anything, I'd say that the Paramo quality just had the edge over Record, Woden, Parkinson and the others.
Paramo catalogues/catalogs are not common, but I came across this 1971 cata and the real big (yes big) surprise is their version of the 'double power all-steel vice' first (1950s?) made by George Blair of Team Valley in 4in and 6in versions (no swivel, no quick release) - so the Paramo big boy has 12in wide jaws and comes in at over 400lbs with base --- remembering that steel vises were usually half the weight of cast iron equivalent. also the price was around 15x that of your 6in hi-duty bench vise.

 

[dannyr]

but surely, vise/vice is spelled/spelt vice

back to Paramo (Parramore and Sons (1924) Ltd of Chapeltown) - toolmaker who got into vise-making about 1940 --- as with several other English vise-makers the main designs were very much based on those of J Parkinson of Shipley -eg your No6 is v like the 'improved' version of the Parkinsons' Handy (G-series, sizes 2in to 8in) started in about 1870. If anything, I'd say that the Paramo quality just had the edge over Record, Woden, Parkinson and the others.
Paramo catalogues/catalogs are not common, but I came across this 1971 cata and the real big (yes big) surprise is their version of the 'double power all-steel vice' first (1950s?) made by George Blair of Team Valley in 4in and 6in versions (no swivel, no quick release) - so the Paramo big boy has 12in wide jaws and comes in at over 400lbs with base --- remembering that steel vises were usually half the weight of cast iron equivalent. also the price is around 15x that of your 6in hi-duty bench vise.

trying to attach other page but won't upload

 

[CRSINMICH]

dannyr: Try reducing the size of the page. That's usually the problem with uploading.

p.s. I think Parkinson spelt/spelled it 'vise'.

 

[KMScott]

How about that Paramo DP12. 12” jaws opens to 15” and weights 270 lbs. thrust bearings for tightening. Love to see one of these Vice’s.

 

[dannyr]

How about that Paramo DP12. 12” jaws opens to 15” and weights 270 lbs. thrust bearings for tightening. Love to se one of these Vice’s.

yup -- I guess they made some, but I doubt many -- I've never seen or heard of the 12in outside this listing -- Blair, who made the first version were big into supplying castings and finished parts for heavy armament, mining and ship-building works so I would guess that would be the market. I have a 6in version, by the second maker before Paramo and it's a solid piece. Paramo's foundry was high quality but Blair had a foundry handling many irons and steels, including spheroidal, Niresist, CoMoCr, maraging, etc - so maybe they continued to be the foundry for this type?