The VISES of Garage Journal

[Beerhippie]

In lots of neighborhoods those bolts would get unscrewed and that fine old vise would fly away.

I'll bet that vise has been on that bumper for at least thirty years. Possibly over the life of more than one truck.

 

[dannyr]

Added my Paramo pict.
What does Paramo have in common with Record? The vises look very similar.

there is some shared history - but separate companies, both Sheffield, England ---- there are any number of English vice/vise makers with very similar designs -- mostly evolved from 1870/80s vises of Parkinson's (up to 1975) of Shipley, Bradford (about 50 miles NW of Sheffield) - Record started in vises about 1910 and Paramo about 1940.

 

[CRSINMICH]

A bit of early Parkinson's information

​

 

[neophyte]

In lots of neighborhoods those bolts would get unscrewed and that fine old vise would fly away.

 

[Outlawmws]

Thread un-locker and its pretty much silent...

 

[four.cycle]

^ Blue Wrench for the Win!

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Hey guys! I picked up this vise this morning at an estate sale. It's got "Semi-Steel" and "Pat Pend" stamped on the front of that part of the vise where you tighten it/attach it to a workbench. I can't recall ever seeing one of these and a quick search of "semi-steel" in this forum offered no immediate and easily recognizable threads on said vise. I'm definitely interested to hear what you experts think and know. Thanks!

Edit: Anyone know who made these vises?

 

[neophyte]

Thread un-locker and its pretty much silent...

How many random thieves carry around a torch like this, and would be knowledgeable enough to know to know threadlocker is involved, and how to loosen the threadlocker?

 

[Beerhippie]

How many random thieves carry around a torch like this, and would be knowledgeable enough to know to know threadlocker is involved, and how to loosen the threadlocker?

Raises hand....

Probably a small but significant subset of the thieves who carry wrenches and steal vintage Wilton vises.

 

[Patrickm82]

Crack heads!!

 

[TheRealZeus]

Why them teeth fall out… gnawin’ nuts and bolts off vises. bunch of savages in this town.

 

[jmills115]

Wilton no 4

My dad brought this home in 1984 while cleaning the garage of my great uncle that had passed , he handed it off to me last week. The only vise that has been on my bench previously has been the ski vise variety. I have started reading on this site to and wanted to learn some about it before doing anything with it.
I sent a friend a few pictures and was surprised by the knowledge he has about Wilton vises. I asked what he would do with it and stopped reading his response after he said it could last 100 more years and my two year old grandson could pass it along to his kids.
I appreciate the knowledge being shared here.

 

[Shiftless]

Great first GJ post.

Wilton fish hook! Cool. The “Patent Pending” cast into the side with the fish hooks on the side show that your model was the very first casting of the now famous bullet vise.

What a fine family heirloom. If it was mine, I wouldn’t paint it or anything. Just clean and lube it and use it thinking of your ancestors and your future family users of that fine old vise.

 

[jmills115]

Great first GJ post.

Wilton fish hook! Cool.
What a fine family heirloom. If it was mine, I wouldn’t paint it or anything. Just clean and lube it and use it thinking of your ancestors and your future family users of that fine old vise.

I’ve shed a few tears the past week just looking at it while thinking about the past and the future.

 

[bulletpruf]

Looking for a pipe jaw or two for a new-to-me Rock Island 542 BX. Please let me know if anyone has a spare or knows where I can find out.

Thanks

 

[Outlawmws]

The irony of acquiring this one isn't lost on me:

A Sheldon Turret vise, (apparently made by Wilton...) 22 lbs; 7" wood vise jaws, 3" machine side and 6" opening; needs a shim as the backlash is a couple of turns.

Also needs the mess of white paint removed. I'll give SG a shot and hope to save the original Wilton green, as that paint is NLA in cans.

Gave $20 on half off day at the ES I hit on Thursday.

 

[TheRealZeus]

I gotta go give Jobu some rum.

 

[Mugen AP1]

Can anyone identify this unit?
Friend of mine was curious if it's worth fixing up

 

[Outlawmws]

Can anyone identify this unit?
Friend of mine was curious if it's worth fixing up

Likely Asian, unless there are cast in markings indicating otherwise.

 

[Shiftless]

Can anyone identify this unit?
Friend of mine was curious if it's worth fixing up

Are you thinking of buying it to renovate and resell to make a profit or just asking about vises?
Do you need a vise like that to do work with, and is it operational and priced fairly? Certainly under 100 and best at 50 or less depending on condition. Then cleaning it up and lubrication is the right thing to do. Whether or not you strip and repaint depends on how fussy you are about how things look there in your workshop. That’s a nice sturdy stand with it. That adds value.

As outlaw already said, that’s a vise of which there are millions floating around and doing work. Not collectable in my opinion. Asian manufacture if that matters.
If you’re looking for a great old vise, keep looking.

 

[ChefRex]

Can anyone identify this unit?
Friend of mine was curious if it's worth fixing up

As said it could be a useful tool, stand could be decent, is it cheap?

 

[Beerhippie]

Can anyone identify this unit?
Friend of mine was curious if it's worth fixing up

Get a good picture of that nameplate on the side. It doesn't look exactly like the most common Asian knock off, like mine:



I did give mine a full going-over and paint job, as it's been in daily use in the shop for about thirty years and has given outstanding service. I rely on the rotating jaw to the point that I rarely use the two vintage USA vises I have mounted.

Is your friend thinking of fixing it up to use, or to sell?

 

[Woods_Wanderer]

I'm very pleased to share this unusual Barrett/Meadville-pattern vise by the Lathrop Co. It appears to be identical to a Meadville No. 1 with 4 inch jaws and weighing 41lbs. It's mostly complete, just missing the base plates and needing a new spindle retaining clip.
It's been remarkably difficult to turn up much information on this company, but according to the documents I've turned up Lathrop operated out of NYC in the late 1800s. The owner, a Mrs. S. Park Lathrop, is mentioned in various print articles through at least 1913, though I have not established if the company was still operating at that time. When researching this vise I also found pictures of a Lathrop No. 2 which appears identical to the Meadville No. 2. It's here on Garagejournal, but the post predates the spreadsheet so it seems to have been overlooked.

Stumped on this vise; Lathop / Lathof (?) Co. New York

I googled it and didn't see anything at all. pics coming, it's a full size 4.5" jaw, old style mount with the big wing nut underneath, had pipe jaws now gone. Lathop (or maybe Lathof) Co New York No 2 The slide is different than anything I think I've seen before. Guessing WWI era...

www.garagejournal.com

Until I have evidence to suggest otherwise I think it's pretty safe to assume these Lathrop vises were produced by Meadville.
If you look closely at the upper-left of the stationary, note their claim to be the sole agents for Barretts patent vises.

 

[TheRealZeus]

Hey guys! I picked up this vise this morning at an estate sale. It's got "Semi-Steel" and "Pat Pend" stamped on the front of that part of the vise where you tighten it/attach it to a workbench. I can't recall ever seeing one of these and a quick search of "semi-steel" in this forum offered no immediate and easily recognizable threads on said vise. I'm definitely interested to hear what you experts think and know. Thanks!

Edit: Anyone know who made these vises?

I do not know who the manufacturer is, but I got her littler sister, here. “-semi steel.” Yours is single slide bar, this doubled. Same coat tail mount on tail stock, as well.

 

[Nessism]

Get a good picture of that nameplate on the side. It doesn't look exactly like the most common Asian knock off, like mine:



I did give mine a full going-over and paint job, as it's been in daily use in the shop for about thirty years and has given outstanding service. I rely on the rotating jaw to the point that I rarely use the two vintage USA vises I have mounted.

Is your friend thinking of fixing it up to use, or to sell?

I have a similar unit and it's great. The rotating head is super useful, not to mention the huge mass of the vice proper.

 

[Plastikosmd]

1Bad55: This 1908 snippet is about a Fisher leg vise not your Columbian but it shows that some of the issues you asked about
were known to the trade. This is how Fisher addressed them.

​

Just came across one

Cleaning it up now

 

[1Bad55Chevy]

Just came across one

Cleaning it up now

That isn't worth your time cleaning and you would be better off giving it to me!

That is a bad *** piece! Where did you find that?

 

[Shiftless]

Just came across one

Cleaning it up now

Wow!
A hundred year old Fisher chain drive leg vise. That’s an amazing find. Congrats!

 

[M.Brane]

Get a good picture of that nameplate on the side. It doesn't look exactly like the most common Asian knock off, like mine:



I did give mine a full going-over and paint job, as it's been in daily use in the shop for about thirty years and has given outstanding service. I rely on the rotating jaw to the point that I rarely use the two vintage USA vises I have mounted.

Is your friend thinking of fixing it up to use, or to sell?

I see your jaws are crooked just like my HF version. Guess the copied it pretty good.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Nice find on the Fisher double screw or chain vise Plastikosmd. How wide are your jaws. I like the way Fisher cast the date into the tower for the static jaw. I have a 5" dated 1922. A very cool and substantial post vise design Fisher had. Ed.

 

[Plastikosmd]

Size #3, 5 1/4 jaws. Seems to be just under 100lbs?

Maybe paid retail? ($800) but it pretty slick in functionality and was only 45 min from home.

 

[Shiftless]

Size #3, 5 1/4 jaws. Seems to be just under 100lbs?

Maybe paid retail? ($800) but it pretty slick in functionality and was only 45 min from home.

I think you could get your money back 100% anytime you need to get rid of it. But why would you need to get rid of it?

 

[Beerhippie]

I see your jaws are crooked just like my HF version. Guess the copied it pretty good.

I'd actually never noticed 'til you pointed it out!

I guess that shows just how much it interferes with my uses--but now it's gonna drive me mad until I fix it.

 

[neophyte]

Can anyone identify this unit?
Friend of mine was curious if it's worth fixing up

As Outlawmws mentioned, likely one of the numerous Asian copies of the older USA made Sawyer Nutyp vises.
The Asian copies aren’t worth a fortune, and there are still numerous copies for sale nowadays, but the older Asian copies seem to be decently liked by people who own them, and useful, so not bad for a beater vise.
New copies can be had for less than $200, so in that condition, maybe a $40 vise if functional, and having all the parts?
The current ductile iron Harbor Freight Doyle version is $170, and made from a likely sturdier iron material.

 

[four.cycle]

There's one of those Asian-made swivel-type beasts for sale up in Belfair right now. Asking $90

 

[neophyte]

There's one of those Asian-made swivel-type beasts for sale up in Belfair right now. Asking $90

There have been numerous threads on those vises on GJ over the years, with “what is this vise” or “Is This Vise Rare” being some of the common questions.
Vises that have had the paint stripped sometimes show questionable castings that have original “bondo” type repairs due to voids.
The vises are usually some sort of grey iron, rather than a stronger malleable or ductile iron, although the original Sawyer Nutyp vises were likely designed and engineered to be made from grey iron, so the older heavier Asian copies seem to hold up fine for a lot of users.
The older Asian copies are also more faithfully copied from the original vise design, with separate steel jaws for both the flat and pipe jaws, where a lot of the current copies use cast in iron pipe jaws.
I forget which member on GJ originally identified the vise as a copy of the original Sawyer Nutyp vise, it’s been a number of years.

As far as value goes, I suppose it’s in the opinion of the buyer.
Barring someone purchasing one or more of the modern ductile iron or other copies, and testing the new vises destructively against one of the older Asian copies, there’s really no easy way to determine relative value and sturdiness of the vises.
Personally, I think $90 is way too high a price.

 

[Outlawmws]

Vises that have had the paint stripped sometimes show questionable castings that have original “bondo” type repairs due to voids.

Like this one:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3553473#post3553473 .

 

[neophyte]

Like this one:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3553473#post3553473 .

That might even have been the post on GJ I was thinking of.

 

[SkyPuncher]

Came across this vise torn apart in the corner of the old farm shed. No markings other than the 134 on the very back. My guess is a Rock Island?? 4.5 inch forged in jaws. What do you guys think?

 

[Beerhippie]

There's 134--stamped on the side--at a local junque shoppe. They're asking $250 for it and it's been there a while and likely will be for a long while.

No idea what it is.