The VISES of Garage Journal

[colmal]

If I had the time and money,I d like to make a collection of the repaired vises that appear on FB .....horrible welding ,massive brazes,cuphead wood bolts ........some are pure desperation ,others flippers turning $2 into $200.............repaired vises are always ''collectable,classic,rare''

My pet hate is the sellers asking ridiculously high prices, but not prepared to put any effort into cleaning/display , 1 or 2 pics only and "see pics for condition/description'

 

[john.k]

On FB now is a seller asking $550 for a rusty obviously Chinese vice .....seriously old/ rare classic /I know what I got /no lowballers /these vices sell for thousands restored.

 

[dannyr]

Are Record Sheffield based ?

Yes - from about 1900, when some Hampton family (owners) moved from Birmingham area to start the brand in Sheffield - but things get a bit muddy from about 2000, with Irwin now owning the Co, -- meanwhile others of the Hampton family kept on back home with the Woden brand vises etc before eventually being acquired by Record Sheffield maybe 1960s.

 

[Shiftless]

Are Record Sheffield based ?

Be careful when you buy Record vises. The earlier better ones (IMHO) are marked “Made in England” In what I say is a somewhat deceitful move, after they bought the name, Irwin marked their Record vises “Sheffield England” where the offices were. But the “made in England” marks were gone.

 

[twagler]

Scored a couple of pedestal mounted vises from an industrial auction of a local aerospace company (closed down and moved production to Mexico). Purchased sight unseen, just based on the auction house listing pictures, and not picked up yet. Total investment was $105 for the two of them. I think the first one is a Wilton mechanics vise, but I need some help with an I.D. Zooming in on the picture it is either a Model 743 or a Model 748, neither of which appear in catalogs for this vise during its Made in USA period of late 1960s thru early 1970s. Does anyone else out there own a vintage 743 or 748?

The second vise I'm guessing is a Columbian 604 based on the tee-style replaceable jaws and the overall styling. Anyone familiar enough to hazard a guess if it is a 3", 4", 5" or 6" based on its appearance?

Thanks, Tom

 

[colmal]

Be careful when you buy Record vises. The earlier better ones (IMHO) are marked “Made in England” In what I say is a somewhat deceitful move, after they bought the name, Irwin marked their Record vises “Sheffield England” where the offices were. But the “made in England” marks were gone.

Thankyou, saw that elsewhere as well, Only Record vice I have are a 1940's Imp, the Fabrex and I'll buy a 1950's-64 Made in Australia, if I come across a good example, and maybe a early 1900's . Apart from those I'm not really interested in Record, for whatever reason they just don't do anything for me.
Oh and would really like a 1928 on 74 and 75, apart from those LOL.

 

[Ironfighter]

Here's another unusual vise from UK (slightly less rare than the others I showed, but still quite scarce):
The Blair by George Blair of Armor Carr works (previously of Newcastle) "Double Power grip All Steel" - 6in wide jaw 90lbs - if you have to beat steel on the back of a vise this is the one, not those delicate 'anvils' on some. As found, recently, cost me $70.Much later than those others - I guess made about 1980s-1990s.

Danny, Iv'e had and used a 6" Blair double power for over 50 years, my every day vice, I restore full size steam engines, It is super tough, I would love to see or own a Paramo 12 " double power, to me that would be the holy grail of vices.

 

[Ironfighter]

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?

Danny, I've used a 6" Blair as a daily driver for around 50 years, I can confirm the vice has a roller thrust bearing as I bought a six inch Blair for my son and replaced the bearing which was a common caged bearing used in tractor steering king pins. Find a picture of a 12 " please.

 

[KMScott]

Yes someone find a picture of the DP12 Double Power Paramo so we all can see this beast. Spreadsheet needs a pic.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Dropfo 4.5" Drop Forged Steel Vise
Fulton Drop Forge Co.​

Dropfo was introduced in 1925 but they didn't have a 4.5" version until 1926. This one came to me from Craig's List just yesterday. It seems quite stout and I can't wait to use it.

 

[ALLFAST]

That is such a beautiful old tool. Probably very low odds of it not getting into the hands of a collector ( or unsuspecting gorilla owner) over the years, and even lower odds of it ending up on CL for you to find !

 

[ALLFAST]

Do these predate the Wilton bullets, design wise? Who influenced who?

 

[Shiftless]

Do these predate the Wilton bullets, design wise? Who influenced who?

Wilton bullets came decades later. Hugh Vogl stole was influenced by the design of the York vises from Czechoslovakia. He started Wilton in 1941 I think.

 

[ALLFAST]

Thank you for learning me sumthin new today Shift !

 

[CRSINMICH]

ALLFAST: Dropfo may have anticipated, or invited, gorillas with this 1925 ad.

 

[ALLFAST]

Way ahead of their time! Thanks for posting that

 

[BeardedOne]

Good morning everyone.

I'm seeking some good counsel regarding the best way to do a boiled linseed oil finish on my Columbian D45-M4.

I was working for a powder coating company about a year ago and blasted all the old gunk off it but left the job before I had a chance to paint it. I have since left that position and am working in a different capacity but still have access to equipment to blast off the surface rust.

Now my wife and I are moving into our new home, and it has a new home in my garage.

What's the best approach to getting some longevity out of this unit?

 

[BeardedOne]

I should also add my Wilton C0 is on the other end of the bench.

 

[neophyte]

Do these predate the Wilton bullets, design wise? Who influenced who?

Vises with a round slide like this and the Wilton go back a ways.
The Colton Patent (1885) vise is the earliest I can think of, but may not be the first.

US Patent: 320,224 - Vise

US patent 320,224 Vise was issued to George A. Colton of Syracuse, NY. It was granted on 06/16/1885. See also Canadian patent {CA-22,421}.{br}This vise was manufactured by a series of related companies: Moore & Barnes Manufacturing Co. (1886-1890), Ba

www.datamp.org

Early Heuer vises also used a round slide, and were forged steel, however, the vise screw was placed above the slide, rather than within it like on the Colton, and Wilton, and Dropfo vises.

There are also Spanish vises using a round slide, but I’m not sure how far back they go, other than probably WWII or earlier.

 

[RTM]

I'm seeking some good counsel regarding the best way to do a boiled linseed oil finish on my Columbian D45-M4

Disassemble it, warm the pieces, wipe on a thin coat of boiled linseed oil, and let dry for several days. If you can keep it warm, that helps speed up the drying. Assemble.

All of the above is simple, on a hot summer week. Now that fall is approaching that can take a week.

Due to the smell, resist the urge to use the new house oven to get or keep it warm. I use 500w halogen lights, cuz it’s rarely warm here. Some use a torch to warm it.


BLO soaked rags are HIGHLY COMBUSTIBLE, and will Spontaneously Combust. Dry them spread out on a driveway, not balled up on a wooden surface. Don’t believe this at your own peril, and internet acquaintance had his entire shop covered in smoky soot recently when a helper did not follow directions. He discovered it before full fire destroyed the shop.

 

[Shiftless]

RTM has some great advice.
The only thing I would add is that when he says “thin” he means THIN!
Once when I applied a generous coat to a vise and let it sit in 60 or so degree temperatures, it took about a MONTH to harden. Two or 3 thin coats is a better way to go. Just apply one coat and start using the vise. It’s super easy to sometime wipe on another thin coat down the road.

When I do that procedure with BLO, I brush it on and then wipe it off with a rag. The precaution about spreading the rags out is very important. Spontaneous combustion of organic oil soaked rags is serious. BLO, Watco Danish oil, varnish, and all similar products will get you in BIG trouble if precautions are ignored. Don’t be scared to use them…just be careful.

 

[Beerhippie]

I thin the BLO 50:50 with mineral spirits.

Here's a vise I treated last spring:



and a shovel that's lived on my roof rack for a year-and-a-half since I gave it one coat of thinned BLO:



The thinned BLO dries completely--well, sets completely--in a couple of days in my not-too-hot shop (average mid-sixties).

 

[Shiftless]

Beerhippie has a great tip.
By thinning the BLO down with mineral spirits, you automatically get a thin coat of BLO after the thinner evaporates.

 

[CRSINMICH]

PRENTISS ROUND SLIDE VISES​

Prentiss' Anchor Line vises also had round slides. Their 1910 catalog said that they were "Bingham Patent" vises. In Charles Bingham's 1902 patent drawing he described "C as the head of the moveable jaw. D is its shank, made of wrought iron or steel and having the form of a tubular cylinder."

Late edit: I just noticed that p31 of the 1910 catalog added another clamp on vise to the recent discussion and it too has a round slide.

 

[RTM]

Beerhippie has a great tip.
By thinning the BLO down with mineral spirits, you automatically get a thin coat of BLO after the thinner evaporates.

And it flows into the nooks and crannies a bit better too. (Great on a certain brand of English Muffins.) Vises aren't bad, but if doing small stuff with interior corners, it does help.

 

[BeardedOne]

Beerhippie, Shiftless, RTM

Thank you all very much.

I was shown the sandblasting cabinet at my workplace today. It is a beautiful piece of kit.

I'll hopefully have time next week to get it cleaned up.

Will report back once reinstalled!

 

[Firstram]

Beerhippie, Shiftless, RTM

Thank you all very much.

I was shown the sandblasting cabinet at my workplace today. It is a beautiful piece of kit.

I'll hopefully have time next week to get it cleaned up.

Will report back once reinstalled!

Instead of blasting it, take it apart and boil the parts until they are fully up to temperature. That will convert the rust to a nice black/brown patina!

both of these have 3 rounds of rust and boil before coating with blo


A soft wire brush on a 4 1/2” grinder will give you a much nicer finish than blasting if you aren’t interested in rust bluing.

 

[colmal]

I'm going to try at some stage, but after reading thru a few articles and acknowledging I know nothing, Tung sounds better to me with the colouring /hardness.
Going to try a dark tinted sample as it is closer to the finish I want

 

[Beerhippie]

Instead of blasting it, take it apart and boil the parts until they are fully up to temperature. That will convert the rust to a nice black/brown patina!

both of these have 3 rounds of rust and boil before coating with blo


A soft wire brush on a 4 1/2” grinder will give you a much nicer finish than blasting if you aren’t interested in rust bluing.

Now, there's one idea I've never heard of before!

What to try it on...?

 

[Firstram]

I'm going to try at some stage, but after reading thru a few articles and acknowledging I know nothing, Tung sounds better to me with the colouring /hardness.
Going to try a dark tinted sample as it is closer to the finish I want

Any product you buy that says Tung oil finish, is mostly varnish with 3 drops of pure tung oil in it. Read up on it before you commit!

 

[Outlawmws]

Now, there's one idea I've never heard of before!

What to try it on...?

I'm thinking RR anvil!

 

[Firstram]

Now, there's one idea I've never heard of before!

What to try it on...?

Any rust metal, it‘s how firearms were finished way back when!

 

[micahd1997]

A RARE one - A 4” jaw, 40lb “Harper’s All-Angle Vise”.

Very rarely do I come up empty in my research of a vise, but that’s exactly where I’m at on this one. No ads, no newspaper references…zilch. If any of you have any info, please share!

I only know of two others in existence - one that @KMScott shared a couple Facebook listing pictures of several years ago and another owned by a friend of mine. Both have features that vary slightly from the others. Given the overall condition, hardware, and style of the vise, I would guesstimate its manufacture date sometime in the 50s or 60s.

 

[designer485]

New project in the works. Broken / seized Wilton 9300N. My dad scored if for free from a local garage sale (the lady said she was just going to toss it if no one wanted it because it "didn't work"). He gladly brought it home and gave it to me for a new restoration project.

I have always liked and wanted a Wilton Bullet to restore. A free one is even better. I'm looking forward to bringing this one back.

I will be starting a thread on this one soon, but here it is as received. I have managed to get the entire thing apart, although it took some serious force. I suspect that after it seized, someone tried to force it open and managed to crack the rear pin holes. The handle is slightly bent, but everything else has come apart relatively easily.

The keyway shows a '62 Guarantee date, so this one is from 1957.

 

[Shiftless]

Congrats on freeing up that vise.

The words “free” and “Wilton bullet” rarely appear together in the same sentence or two. Nice score. You owe your Dad for this one.

Thats a very clever rig to free up a stuck vise.

 

[designer485]

Congrats on freeing up that vise.

The words “free” and “Wilton bullet” rarely appear together in the same sentence or two. Nice score. You owe your Dad for this one.

Thats a very clever rig to free up a stuck vise.

Thanks for noticing, I don't have a press of any kind but do have those 2 large 8in C clamps. Just big enough to put some serious pressure on the slide. The first inch took about an hour of very slow cranking on it. The next inch took quite a bit less and once there, the rest slide out without much force.

 

[KMScott]

You guys using the Boiled Linseed oil might want to try a newer style of oil finish made by Sculpt Nouveau. I like the Black Oil they make since I didn’t really care for the yellowish color you get from Linseed Oil. I’ve done several but this Rock Island showed well in pics.

Sculpt Nouveau - Patinas and Metal Finishes

Specializing in patina and metal finishing products, sculpture maintenance, and metal protection. Phone: 1-760-432-8242, 7:00am-3:30pm PT, Monday-Friday.

sculptnouveau.com

 

[dannyr]

A RARE one - A 4” jaw, 40lb “Harper’s All-Angle Vise”.

Very rarely do I come up empty in my research of a vise, but that’s exactly where I’m at on this one. No ads, no newspaper references…zilch. If any of you have any info, please share!

I only know of two others in existence - one that @KMScott shared a couple Facebook listing pictures of several years ago and another owned by a friend of mine. Both have features that vary slightly from the others. Given the overall condition, hardware, and style of the vise, I would guesstimate its manufacture date sometime in the 50s or 60s.

pretty definitely not the same company, but similar date there was an English Harper's making a nice vice/anvil - they specialised in shoe-making/repairing equipment

 

[PghJKB]

Wilton bullets came decades later. Hugh Vogl stole was influenced by the design of the York vises from Czechoslovakia. He started Wilton in 1941 I think.

The earliest round slide vise patent I have found is J.H. Lewis patent No. 65097 of 28 May, 1867.There is an example currently listed (IIRC - for at least a year) on eBay for 5K.

Here is the URL: https://ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-p...zLTQ2ODktODNiNC03NTU4NWI3NGNkNDQiLCJleHAiOjB9

 

[Outlawmws]

Colton was another Roundish slide, and several other early vises used the concept. - Of course, the rotating head vises also used it long before the Asian copies became popular.