Outlawmws
Well-known member
Very good point! Clock working is something that often slips my mind on tools. I'll think of Jewelry making before Clocks. No clue why.
The VISES of Garage Journal
- Thread starter mjozefow
- Start date
Very good point! Clock working is something that often slips my mind on tools. I'll think of Jewelry making before Clocks. No clue why.
Gary Indiana
Well-known member
What a cool little vise!
Sold for US $305.00 (20 bids) from WA, on Jan 29, 2012
Description:
Vintage Small Home Hobby Vise
Great For Gunsmiths Jewelers Model Makers Tool & Die Makers
4 Bolt Base To Bolt It To Bench.
It Is About 5 1/4" Long
Ya Pull The Out On The Side To Lock Your Work In Place -- Ya Push The Handle All The Way In To The Side And It Releases The Jaw And It Slides In And Out-the Jaw Is Spring Loaded..
The Jaws Are 2" Wide And It Opens Up To About 2"
Marked Stephens Pat Vise Company New York
Patent Dates Of 1868 And 1870
Great For Gunsmiths Jewelers Model Makers Tool & Die Makers
4 Bolt Base To Bolt It To Bench.
It Is About 5 1/4" Long
Ya Pull The Out On The Side To Lock Your Work In Place -- Ya Push The Handle All The Way In To The Side And It Releases The Jaw And It Slides In And Out-the Jaw Is Spring Loaded..
The Jaws Are 2" Wide And It Opens Up To About 2"
Marked Stephens Pat Vise Company New York
Patent Dates Of 1868 And 1870
demographic
Well-known member
What a cool little vise!
Sold for US $305.00 (20 bids) from WA, on Jan 29, 2012
Description:
Vintage Small Home Hobby Vise
Great For Gunsmiths Jewelers Model Makers Tool & Die Makers
4 Bolt Base To Bolt It To Bench.
It Is About 5 1/4" Long
Ya Pull The Out On The Side To Lock Your Work In Place -- Ya Push The Handle All The Way In To The Side And It Releases The Jaw And It Slides In And Out-the Jaw Is Spring Loaded..
The Jaws Are 2" Wide And It Opens Up To About 2"
Marked Stephens Pat Vise Company New York
Patent Dates Of 1868 And 1870
Funny thing is that even though I'm in England and wasn't going to buy that vise, I still copied every photo from the Ebay advert and put it into my Vice file on my computer Seems I'm not the only one keeping pics of oddball stuff.
Harvey Melvin Richards
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2011
- Messages
- 406
I was interested in it until about $100. I also copied the photos.
blue dog
Banned
Finished the vise stand on this warm sunny southern California day.
1 3/8" thick maple butcher block left over from a sink cutout. Piece of butcher block on the bottom will be bolted to the shop floor keeping the stand a solid unit. 1"x2" steel frame { scraps } and grade 8 1/2" bolts. All in about 4 hours of spare time.
1 3/8" thick maple butcher block left over from a sink cutout. Piece of butcher block on the bottom will be bolted to the shop floor keeping the stand a solid unit. 1"x2" steel frame { scraps } and grade 8 1/2" bolts. All in about 4 hours of spare time.
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ajchien
Well-known member
Very nice!
demoman
Well-known member
I have a vise similar to the Stephens quick vise. I believe it to be made by Fisher, the anvil co. I have also attached photos of a vise Lump took a pic of in Ohio with glasses for reference. This fisher is one of my favorite vises.
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bczygan
Well-known member
SweetD
Well-known member
That is an awesome stand you've made.
One thing I would just suggest, if you care, is that you may want to remount the vise as close to the edge of the table as you can, so that the static jaw just barely overhangs the tabletop.
That way you can hold a long workpiece in the vise that may overhang the tabletop towards the floor.
Dave
bl00
Well-known member
Here's an ad for the Fisher:
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blue dog
Banned
That is as far forward as it could be moved due to the frame under the butcher block. By bringing the vise forward enough for the 12 o clock bolt to pass the frame underneath, would put the 6 o clock section of the vise beyond the edge of the butcher block. Hope that makes sense, i am confused now after writing that.
Mark in Indiana
Well-known member
Great lookin' stand! I love when scraps are given a second life.
RRmech
Well-known member
So many vises, so little time...........................................
It's great to see how many of these old vises have been.....dare I say.....lovingly restored.
We had some HUGE old vises on the RR that weighed more than I do (125 lbs.).
Now days I have a smaller Dunlap vise, while my wife uses an old clamp-on Stanley vise to make custom Silver and Brass jewelry for her customers.
Steve
Steve
It's great to see how many of these old vises have been.....dare I say.....lovingly restored.
We had some HUGE old vises on the RR that weighed more than I do (125 lbs.).
Now days I have a smaller Dunlap vise, while my wife uses an old clamp-on Stanley vise to make custom Silver and Brass jewelry for her customers.
Steve
Steve
Craigslist. $40. For both.
The Wilton C0 (correct?) is in fantastic condition. The jaws are tighter and smoother than by bough new 1745. Buttah. Date code is VERY faint but I can make out 6-?0-64. It's got the rubber bumpers on the handle. And I'm pretty sure the original grease is still inside. I'm going to clean it and lube it. That's it.
The Wilton C0 (correct?) is in fantastic condition. The jaws are tighter and smoother than by bough new 1745. Buttah. Date code is VERY faint but I can make out 6-?0-64. It's got the rubber bumpers on the handle. And I'm pretty sure the original grease is still inside. I'm going to clean it and lube it. That's it.
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Here's the second one. The guy gave it to me as a free-bee when I was walking out his door. It's cool because the vise swivels until you tighten the jaw. There's a locking came that squeezes the base as the jaws come together.
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ajchien
Well-known member
Craigslist. $40. For both.
The Wilton C0 (correct?) is in fantastic condition. The jaws are tighter and smoother than by bough new 1745. Buttah. Date code is VERY faint but I can make out 6-?0-64. It's got the rubber bumpers on the handle. And I'm pretty sure the original grease is still inside. I'm going to clean it and lube it. That's it.
Thanks for sharing!
bigcaddy
Well-known member
40.00 for a Wilton CO? WTF! I've had my share of killer finds but i've never come across a large or very heavy duty wilton at estate sales or CL. The least i've paid is 2.50 for a Baby Bullet and at the most 10.00 but i want a big one.
I might be looking at, and hopefully buying, a Reed 205 with 5" jaws sometime this week or next week. My old man was chasing down some information on a ground-up distributor gear and noticed a huge Reed sitting on a pallet in the guys shop. Apparently it was used as a counter-weight for a awning cover on his patio.
The pin that holds the rear nut was sheared off so in his mind, it was "broken". Hopefully he will want to sell his broken vise
I might be looking at, and hopefully buying, a Reed 205 with 5" jaws sometime this week or next week. My old man was chasing down some information on a ground-up distributor gear and noticed a huge Reed sitting on a pallet in the guys shop. Apparently it was used as a counter-weight for a awning cover on his patio.
The pin that holds the rear nut was sheared off so in his mind, it was "broken". Hopefully he will want to sell his broken vise
bigcaddy
Well-known member
Catalyze
Well-known member
K and K.......greetings! I am not sure that anyone answered your Columbian color question. Most of the Columbians that I have seen were Red. The later ones are a sort of gray color but the earlier ones seemed to be red. The real early ones back near 1900 that I have seen were almost a black/gray color. Shops slapped paint on their vises with whatever they had so it is hard to tell unless it just fell out of the factory crate.
Craig
View media item 9877
Craig
View media item 9877
djkeev
Well-known member
I posted this in the Wilton Thread but thought I'd do a quick post here as well. It's stamped 9-48 and is a C1 Vise. I got it from my Mother's house when she cleaned it out and Moved to Oregon at the age of 94!
I figure it was used in the local Flying A station during the 40's 50's 60's and well until the 70's when her husband retired and sold the place.
Enjoy!
I'm debating about cleaning it up and a repaint or just clean it and leave well enough alone.
It won't be a show piece but will be my primary vise. I'm retiring my Fathers old Craftsman vise, made in Japan, that was purchased new in 1968.
Dave
Edit: Here's the retiring Craftsman vise that has served me well for 44 years! Gosh, typing that makes me feel old! I remember it coming into the garage like it was only yesterday. It's hard to move away from it, it was my father's and he's been gone close to 30 years. I'll pass it along to my son in law where it will be used and appreciated.
I figure it was used in the local Flying A station during the 40's 50's 60's and well until the 70's when her husband retired and sold the place.
Enjoy!
I'm debating about cleaning it up and a repaint or just clean it and leave well enough alone.
It won't be a show piece but will be my primary vise. I'm retiring my Fathers old Craftsman vise, made in Japan, that was purchased new in 1968.
Dave
Edit: Here's the retiring Craftsman vise that has served me well for 44 years! Gosh, typing that makes me feel old! I remember it coming into the garage like it was only yesterday. It's hard to move away from it, it was my father's and he's been gone close to 30 years. I'll pass it along to my son in law where it will be used and appreciated.
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ZRX61
Well-known member
Possible OLD Columbian 604 1/2 for sale...locally... anyone interested? I'll have pics tomorrow.
flintsghost
Well-known member
I have an old Wilton that is a combo vise "bullet style" that I bought in 1980 for my gunsmith shop. It's worn but still works fine. Some day I'll take a picture of it. I dislike the pipe jaws but machinist vises weren't very accessible when I needed this one bad and I bought it anyway.
bigcaddy
Well-known member
I've been meaning to share these pics with everybody for a while. For some reason, my computer didn't want to upload them but it finally just did.
The grey vise is our shop work-horse and was one my grandfather used to beat things into submission with. It has 5" jaws and is approx. 70-75lbs.
The red one is the "monster in the closet" and is awaiting a restoration sometime soon. Its gonna be a pain to pull it out but should look great freshly painted and cleaned.
The tape measure should give you some idea of how stout that beast is. It was built for the fire sprinkler industry during a time where all of the piping was threaded, even the 8" and 12" Try to imagine threading a 65lb 8" Tee fitting onto a length of threaded pipe. I'm pretty sure we still have some 6' tall wrenches in the back store room, possibly behind that vise.
The grey vise is our shop work-horse and was one my grandfather used to beat things into submission with. It has 5" jaws and is approx. 70-75lbs.
The red one is the "monster in the closet" and is awaiting a restoration sometime soon. Its gonna be a pain to pull it out but should look great freshly painted and cleaned.
The tape measure should give you some idea of how stout that beast is. It was built for the fire sprinkler industry during a time where all of the piping was threaded, even the 8" and 12" Try to imagine threading a 65lb 8" Tee fitting onto a length of threaded pipe. I'm pretty sure we still have some 6' tall wrenches in the back store room, possibly behind that vise.
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Outlawmws
Well-known member
demoman
Well-known member
Bigcaddy - What is the grey vise? The red vise in the last photo is a Vanderman. I have a couple and it was my first "big" vise. They are very unique. The one I have is red so that must have been original paint. I have attached an ad for older vandermans. They are in the upper left corner. The 6 inch jaw weighs 162# !
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bigcaddy
Well-known member
The grey vise is made by the Grinell Mfg. Co. in Providence, RI.
I think the Vanderman vise is a later model then the ones in the ad you provided but does have all of the same features.
I'll pull it out of its shallow grave soon enough and begin to breathe some new life into it. In fact, i'm getting back pains just thinking about how much that sucker weighs.
I'll post pics of before and after sometime soon.
I think the Vanderman vise is a later model then the ones in the ad you provided but does have all of the same features.
I'll pull it out of its shallow grave soon enough and begin to breathe some new life into it. In fact, i'm getting back pains just thinking about how much that sucker weighs.
I'll post pics of before and after sometime soon.
fireman164
Well-known member
vise restorations
alright, so I had no idea that nice vises were so stinkin expensive! so i got on here and found that old vises that have been restored are a work of art and history, so i got on craigslist and found 2 vises at a automotive shop that was going out of business , one is a rock island with fixed jaws the other is an athol with a pat pend date of 1912 both were pretty rough but hey im up for a challenge! as you can see this is the rock island that someone welded so it couldn't be swiveled, It looked to me like the holddown bolt stripped or broke off and they just welded it instead of takong the time to fix it right, so I ended up grinding all the weld off and cleaning up the swivel surface and repainting it, pretty happy with it considering it was fairly trashed to start. I will post pics of the athol as i restore it soon.thanks for looking.
alright, so I had no idea that nice vises were so stinkin expensive! so i got on here and found that old vises that have been restored are a work of art and history, so i got on craigslist and found 2 vises at a automotive shop that was going out of business , one is a rock island with fixed jaws the other is an athol with a pat pend date of 1912 both were pretty rough but hey im up for a challenge! as you can see this is the rock island that someone welded so it couldn't be swiveled, It looked to me like the holddown bolt stripped or broke off and they just welded it instead of takong the time to fix it right, so I ended up grinding all the weld off and cleaning up the swivel surface and repainting it, pretty happy with it considering it was fairly trashed to start. I will post pics of the athol as i restore it soon.thanks for looking.
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bgott
Well-known member
I have one of those dated 1950 or there about, it's been years since I looked. If you open it up, DO NOT get any of the oil in it on your hands! I think it's animal fat based and it is some of the stinkiest most rancid stuff you will run into. It takes a day or two to get the smell off of your hands.
Re: vise restorations
Fellas, your looking at a Columbian and Catalyst not only does Phenominal restorations, no one can rival his awesome collection. I for one think its priceless.
Very nice restoration Fireman
Fellas, your looking at a Columbian and Catalyst not only does Phenominal restorations, no one can rival his awesome collection. I for one think its priceless.
Very nice restoration Fireman
Thank you! I would like to restore it authentic. Yours looks good. I would like a darker or even grey color, and I think the black/grey color would look awesome! But judging from what you said, I dont think my vise fits into the black/grey time frame, but rather the red. I'll have to think about this one. Thank you for posting the pic!
kythri
Well-known member
Just picked this up a couple weeks ago, haven't taken the time to post pictures until now:
4"
Jaws are in pretty good shape for what seems to be a reasonably old little vise:
All said and done, not too shabby for $30, I think.
The gentleman who sold it to me via CL had just received a brand new 5" Wilton machinist vise for his birthday from his wife, and decided he had no need for this. Score!
4"
Jaws are in pretty good shape for what seems to be a reasonably old little vise:
All said and done, not too shabby for $30, I think.
The gentleman who sold it to me via CL had just received a brand new 5" Wilton machinist vise for his birthday from his wife, and decided he had no need for this. Score!
ZRX61
Well-known member
All the Columbians I've seen were burgundy, not red...?
Saw this for anyone looking for one or two:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/tls/2801878713.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/tls/2801878713.html
Do you have any pics of one burgundy? Not doubting you, I'm just hoping for a reference to go off of before I start the restoration of my vise.
Canoe50
Well-known member
Hi,
Newbie here to the site & really enjoying going through this thread.
I just started buying some nice vintage USA vises & found a bigger one I'm not familiar with. I haven't seen any posted here & google isn't too helpful, It's a larger one (about 100lbs.) made by Howard Iron works, Buffalo NY. On the other side it has No 4, Patent date June 15, 1868. I've taken pics but don't know how to post them. I can send them on to someone if you want to look at it and/or post it here. I'd like to find out as much as I can about it & this site looks like my best bet. Thanks.
Bruce
Newbie here to the site & really enjoying going through this thread.
I just started buying some nice vintage USA vises & found a bigger one I'm not familiar with. I haven't seen any posted here & google isn't too helpful, It's a larger one (about 100lbs.) made by Howard Iron works, Buffalo NY. On the other side it has No 4, Patent date June 15, 1868. I've taken pics but don't know how to post them. I can send them on to someone if you want to look at it and/or post it here. I'd like to find out as much as I can about it & this site looks like my best bet. Thanks.
Bruce
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
Just picked this up a couple weeks ago, haven't taken the time to post pictures until now:
4"
Jaws are in pretty good shape for what seems to be a reasonably old little vise:
All said and done, not too shabby for $30, I think.
The gentleman who sold it to me via CL had just received a brand new 5" Wilton machinist vise for his birthday from his wife, and decided he had no need for this. Score!
Used to be made just a few miles from me. They are still in business but make dressers for grinding wheels and no longer make vises.
ZRX61
Well-known member
Nope, but I've found burgundy paint on a couple of mine before they got repainted (see vise album on my profile)
ZRX61
Well-known member
Wait, found this one..
View media item 8849
Which now looks like this...
View media item 8850
I did paint it red at first, it looked like ****.
View media item 8849
Which now looks like this...
View media item 8850
I did paint it red at first, it looked like ****.