The VISES of Garage Journal

[Mark in Indiana]

Stewart Handy Worker

Yours looks great! I saw one at a swap meet awhile back. Couldn't haul it home on the motorcycle.

Mark in Indiana

 

[bc'z]

As spongerich posted "Hard to say for sure, but it looks an awful lot like this Erie Tool Works vise I picked up recently." it is close but not the same. Anyone out there have an oval slide vise with the number 64 cast into the side, or any pics of one in a catalog to narrow down the mfg.?

 

[kbeitz]

I took that picture when I brought them home. Within an hour, I had them both reduced to pieces! Yes, they had the original phillips screws in the jaws, which came out fairly easily with my impact screwdriver. The white vice was missing one jaw (the 2 screws broken off), but after drilling pilot holes in them, was able to remove them easily with a screw extractor and run a tap in all the holes to clean up the threads. 3-4 hours later, they were both naked and ready for paint.

I agree with you about the original color ... as that's what I found for the bottom layer of paint. I have a rattle can of light green hammertone which I was planning to paint them with. It's pretty close too.

The handles are both the same size.

The swivel base on the white one has a tab broken off. Not sure yet how I'm going to fix that as it's all cast iron. Gotta noodle that for a while. And I gotta get a set of jaws from you. Bill

You can go to your local junkyard and find some cast iron to make new ears.
If you ni-cad them on and use a needle descaler you will never know they was replaced.

 

[mofo62]

Stewart Handy Worker

Wau!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fantastic



Congratulation Awesome Vise


V!

 

[kbeitz]

Hi Everyone,

I snapped this picture at a swap meet a while back. Sorry I didn't get any close ups but I'd bet someone may know its origin.

Mark in Indiana

Stewart Handy Worker

I have two of them...

 

[kbeitz]

Build your own bench vise! Maybe slightly OT but a cool video nonetheless!!

-Dane

That looks so much like Dominican Republic....

 

[kbeitz]

Jest a few of my many vises...
This first picture is one of 50 I bought from Scranton lace in Pa when they closed down.
$15.00 each...

This picture is one I bought from the same factory for $50.00 With the solid cast table.

Just a basment vise.

One of my bigger vises...

A round the corner vise...

I got this one for free in Georgia years ago...

One of my machinest vises...

Vintage drill press vise...

This was my grandfathers vise.... Solid wood....

A few of my quick adjust drill vises...

Small tilt vise....

This is my second Stewart Handy Worker vise.

Track vise...

My high School wood vise I bought when shop closed....

A few of my machinest vises...

One of my little buggers....

 

[r07d24]

One of my little buggers....

[/QUOTE]

This last one is pretty cool...is that a Prentiss?

 

[SweetD]

One of my little buggers....

This last one is pretty cool...is that a Prentiss?[/QUOTE]

Is that a Prentiss 152, like this?:

 

[Catalyze]

Here is a Wilton 450S and a Morgan 140. The Morgan is going to get freshened. I will probably go with paint and make it my main vise......especially since I don't have a table that will hold the Wilton....LOL
Craig
View media item 8209

 

[Borrego]

Just picked this up today. The smallest one submitted? Some kind of jeweler's vice, I suppose. Unmarked.

 

[gilbo]

Here is a Wilton 450S and a Morgan 140. The Morgan is going to get freshened. I will probably go with paint and make it my main vise......especially since I don't have a table that will hold the Wilton....LOL
Craig
View media item 8209

nice p/u on the morgan

 

[kbeitz]

This last one is pretty cool...is that a Prentiss?

Is that a Prentiss 152, like this?:

[/QUOTE]

I guess so... It has the 152 number on it...

 

[autopts]

Here is a Wilton 450S and a Morgan 140. The Morgan is going to get freshened. I will probably go with paint and make it my main vise......especially since I don't have a table that will hold the Wilton....LOL
Craig
View media item 8209

Just a suggestion Craig, if you stripped that Morgan down, and oiled it up, they can also look good and you won't be looking at paint chips.

 

[Catalyze]

You may have a point about the "non Paint" on the Morgan. I liked the gun bluing idea that someone used on another vise and posted. If anyone has a blued or oiled vise, post a photo or two if you would be so kind.
Craig

 

[Gary Indiana]

I picked up this little Parker #94 at a pawn shop today. I paid a little too much but I love the Deco look of this thing. It's in real good shape, almost no slop. Imagine a vise that looks fast just sitting there........

Jim

It's a beautiful vise. And in such a good shape that I would not attempt to "restore" it if I were you.
I've got a Wilton made for Montgomery Ward that has that boat-like Deco style.
I picked it up beat-up and filthy for $10, cleaned up and spray painted.

<img src="http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/9838/4finished.jpg" width="639" height="441">

 

[r07d24]

I guess so... It has the 152 number on it...

[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I like that little vise...never seen a Prentiss that small.

 

[boostedgt]

i have a simplex vice, it came from a bench in my great grandmas basement, it must have been my great greandpas. not sure if im going to paint it or not

the other side says desmond stephan mfg co urbana oh

 

[Amitygravel]

Well I finally got a foot in the Wilton club door. Its not the Baby Bullet I would just about kill for but its a start.
Picked it up at an estate sale for 10 bucks. Shows some honest normal wear and the original paint with some black overspray.
I thought the little plug on the shroud is for greasing the screw , but a couple friends think its more likely a hardy for cutting wire and such.
May take it to Menards paint department to see if their paint color matching system can duplicate the original brick orange color.

 

[gilbo]

I thought the little plug on the shroud is for greasing the screw , but a couple friends think its more likely a hardy for cutting wire and such.

its a cutoff tool

good thing is that your vise still has it, alot of the vises that u see sold used that is suppose to have the cutoff tool, doesnt have that piece with it, either is was lost or what not

 

[kbeitz]

New guy here. Just finished speeding through this 88 page post - very impressive. Just picked this up, anyone have any info regarding its origins? Sorry about the quality of the last picture. It reads 64

thanks in advance

Whatever it might be I got one....

 

[demographic]

New guy here. Just finished speeding through this 88 page post - very impressive. Just picked this up, anyone have any info regarding its origins? Sorry about the quality of the last picture. It reads 64

thanks in advance

Not exactly the same but it looks a lot like a Millers Falls vice like on THIS tool catalogue PDF file on page 73.

 

[kbeitz]

Not exactly the same but it looks a lot like a Millers Falls vice like on THIS tool catalogue PDF file on page 73.

Hey.... Thanks for the link....
The one vise in my pictures is the vise on this press...

 

[Kevin54]

i have a simplex vice, it came from a bench in my great grandmas basement, it must have been my great greandpas. not sure if im going to paint it or not

the other side says desmond stephan mfg co urbana oh

Straight shot down the road from me. They make dressers for grinding wheels now. At one time I think they supplied vises to just about every business in Urbana. I work at Honeywell which used to be Grimes Manufacturing (aircraft lighting) and there were hundred of Simplex vises in the shop. Ever bench had one or two. Over the years they hit the dumpsters.

Here is Desmonds site now http://www.desmond-stephan.com/index.php/contact-us/ I am dropping them an e-mail to see if I can possibly get a little history of their vises. How many styles, years made, when they stopped making them, and so on. If I hear back, I'll share

 

[48James]

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

My 3 inch Morgan Chicago, under restoration.

 

[old salvage]

... there were hundred of Simplex vises in the shop. Ever bench had one or two. Over the years they hit the dumpsters.

Ooh, thats really interesting !
How would you rate them, low, medium or high quality ?
Do you remember anything undesireable about them or any breakages/failures ?

 

[cglasgow]

Just scored this Wilton 646 off CL. Shown with a familiar object for scale....

 

[jerryW]

This is my latest vise, a 4 inch,

Made in USA too

Swivels too

Paid a little less than a dollar a pound, Weighs in at 50 lbs. and cost $40!

Anybody seen or have one of these?


jerry

 

[asp]

I've seen that design in patents, but never seen a picture of one. Thanks for sharing (I'm jealous)!

The jaw shape and handle design makes it look like a Yost or Reed a little bit.

edit: here

 

[Catalyze]

Thanks for the photos!
It looks like a real useful vise around the shop.
I like that it's made in Los Angeles......dude...LOL
Craig

 

[Rickenbackerman]

Here's my only good vise - main one is a cheapo Lowe's 5.5" Wilton, but I'm looking to change that...

It just says "No. 43 1/2", but all of the other Columbians I've seen had a letter involved - like C43 or D43, etc... Any ideas on an approximate date for this guy?

I took it apart and cleaned it up, it works pretty good but the jaws don't close evenly, there's a pretty good gap on one side.

 

[mooman]

Here is mine. It's a Reed 204 that belonged to my Grandfather.

 

[bczygan]

Parker made one that looks a lot like that too.

Whatever it might be I got one....

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Greetings Everyone,

Is there any practical use for the "anvil cone" that's on a lot of mechanics vices?

 

[gilbo]

Here's my only good vise - main one is a cheapo Lowe's 5.5" Wilton, but I'm looking to change that...

It just says "No. 43 1/2", but all of the other Columbians I've seen had a letter involved - like C43 or D43, etc... Any ideas on an approximate date for this guy?

I took it apart and cleaned it up, it works pretty good but the jaws don't close evenly, there's a pretty good gap on one side.

this model vise was made in 1938 , for sure, now could b also little later or earlier, bcuz i not have catalogs 1937 or 1939 so i don't know how long they sold that xact model of "43 1/2" with out the letter designation

 

[gilbo]

resto finally done, couple smaller pieces still drying so threw it together for a quick photo

 

[ZRX61]

Upgraded the bench a bit today....

Removed a 400N Wilton & a POS Chinese Olympia & fitted these two Morgan 40's instead

 

[Mrnndj]

Would anyone recognize this vise? The only marking I can find is "BLOOM T.H.S."
The jaws "kind of" look like early Craftsman, but a lot of vises look like that also. I've Googled "Bloom" and T.H.S. extensively with zero results. Disregard the base. It is just a homemade base made from a pipe flange.

 

[gilbo]

zrx61, never knew u had twins , very nice

 

[Catalyze]

Gilbo: Very nice work on the Parker!
ZRX61: Great looking Morgan. I am doing up a Morgan 140 now so it sort of shows me what it might look like when done.
Craig