The VISES of Garage Journal
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Provincial
Well-known member
You ****, mattmcginn!
Notice that the vise says "L.S.Starrett Co., Athol Vise", which helps continue the discussion just prior to your posting. Thanks for the photo!
Notice that the vise says "L.S.Starrett Co., Athol Vise", which helps continue the discussion just prior to your posting. Thanks for the photo!
Catalyze
Well-known member
Matt - very nice vise! Notice the swivel base lockdown nut? That swivel handle with knurling is pure Athol goodness. Nobody else that I have seen took the time to knurl their handles (base nut and swivel jaw pins).
WWII - Thank you for the great information about Athol and a timeline! Good stuff there.
Datsun - funny that you should mention Record vises.....LOL I found a vise that I don't need (that isn't unusual), but couldn't pass up. When Irwin bought Record and switched to an Oriental factory, I tried to buy up one of the last English vises. I failed miserably in the rush to grab one a few years ago. Well......I found one new in the box that is English made and bought it for $60.00 It is a 4" Model 3B and has just a touch of surface rust on the handle nose. I am just taping the box back up until I get moved across country next year.
Craig
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WWII - Thank you for the great information about Athol and a timeline! Good stuff there.
Datsun - funny that you should mention Record vises.....LOL I found a vise that I don't need (that isn't unusual), but couldn't pass up. When Irwin bought Record and switched to an Oriental factory, I tried to buy up one of the last English vises. I failed miserably in the rush to grab one a few years ago. Well......I found one new in the box that is English made and bought it for $60.00 It is a 4" Model 3B and has just a touch of surface rust on the handle nose. I am just taping the box back up until I get moved across country next year.
Craig
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PCO6
Well-known member
Catalyze - That Record No. 4 in the original box is pretty neat. 
As mentioned above, I bought the same vice new in the mid 70's. I can't even remember if it came in a box! Here's what it looks like now. BTW - That's a No. 8 in the background.
As mentioned above, I bought the same vice new in the mid 70's. I can't even remember if it came in a box! Here's what it looks like now. BTW - That's a No. 8 in the background.
The other thing to consider in that photo is the 925 model number.
Somewhere around 1972, Starrett changed the model numbers on the stationary jaw machinists' vises from the 600-series to the 900-series. Note the catalog numbers in the 1975 price list below showing new and former numbers:
And here is the vise in the 1972 Starrett Vise Bulletin No. 46:
Note the same type of logo cast into the vise in the catalog illustration as on mattmcginn's photo upthread.
So one may conclude that his sucky find
this morning dates from the 1970s or newer.Canoe50
Well-known member
Thanks for posting that WWII jeep. I picked up a 926C this past Spring off Craig's list that was hardly used by it's prior owner. Not sure how much I'll actually use it, but when I saw it in person I had to have it. It truly is a monster that still amazes me. Pictures do it no justice.
At a estate sale i see this. I ask how much? the guy says not for sale it goes with the house. I look around a little he says see anything you like? I say naw but i like that vise.He says the owners inside I'll ask.Comes back the owner said everything sells you unbolt it from the bench.$40 weight 110lbs The guy tells me 10 other guys asked if it was for sale.It don't hurt to ask
chas parker 975
I look around a little he says see anything you like? I say naw but i like that vise.He says the owners inside I'll ask.Comes back the owner said everything sells you unbolt it from the bench.$40 weight 110lbs The guy tells me 10 other guys asked if it was for sale.It don't hurt to ask chas parker 975
Provincial
Well-known member
Good score Saiga! "If you don't ask, you don't get."
Outlawmws
Well-known member
Yep, it always pays to ask! (I've gotten two bolted down vises at estate sales that way...)
Nice score!
(I've gotten two bolted down vises at estate sales that way...)Nice score!
Outlawmws
Well-known member
I don't recognize it but I'd suspect its US made and older than 70's, probably 40's/50's.
It's not a full up machinists vise however, and is probably only about 10-15 lbs. (Note the exposed screw,and cast in anvil) Good size for a corner of the tool box/cart vise.
Yep, it always pays to ask!
^^^+1
I always ask when there's a decent bolted-down vise to be seen without a price tag, and have also gotten two that way.
EOC_Jason
Well-known member
At a estate sale i see this. I ask how much? the guy says not for sale it goes with the house.
chas parker 975
A 5" parker, that sure looks nice, what a steal too!
mattmcginn
Member
Excellent score on the Chas Parker vise. I've got three Athol/Starrett's, two Prentiss bulldogs, a Wilton, a little Lakeside, an Erie and a Little Giant, but no Parkers! Funny thing as the Chas Parker's were made about twenty minutes from my shop, in Meriden, CT. You'd think the area would be peppered with Parker vises. It is peppered with good old Pexto sheet metal tools, they were made in Southington, Ct, one town south of my shop. Meriden would be a better place if they still made things like that there.
bigcaddy
Well-known member
Bolted down vises?
When i get to a sale, they usually unbolt themselves just for the chance of going home with me
It does get annoying when a estate sale company employee says "its not for sale" and i come back to see the vise gone. Now i just make it a point to keep asking until i get a definitive answer from the homeowner or the big cheese of the company putting the sale on.
When i get to a sale, they usually unbolt themselves just for the chance of going home with me
It does get annoying when a estate sale company employee says "its not for sale" and i come back to see the vise gone. Now i just make it a point to keep asking until i get a definitive answer from the homeowner or the big cheese of the company putting the sale on.
Catalyze
Well-known member
Great effort Saiga!!
That is a lovely old beast of a Parker.
2 slices of vise pie for you tonight.
Craig
That is a lovely old beast of a Parker.
2 slices of vise pie for you tonight.
Craig
SHOOTIST357
Well-known member
Finally... she's back on the bench
Finished up the Columbian 504 1/2 tonight -- just need to cut 4 more pins for the vise jaws.
SHOOT
Finished up the Columbian 504 1/2 tonight -- just need to cut 4 more pins for the vise jaws.
SHOOT
Catalyze
Well-known member
Nicely done! Did your jaw pins come out in pieces or intact?
Craig
Craig
Outlawmws
Well-known member
Not me, but I know that is standard fare for most Asian import tools in general to gt then looking smooth and glossy. I went to stamp my name in my 1970's Taiwan DP many years ago and was pissed when chunks of bondo fell out.
I don't recommend it as any errant hammer hit and you will get a crater in the stuff. If you have something serious you want to fill I'd consider JB weld first (Depending on location) and no more than is necessary. I've seen that used to fill "Arc of Shame" divots in DP tables before.
Outlawmws
Well-known member
Nice job Shootist!
phy6
Well-known member
I found this nice Record Vice on eBay
phy6
Well-known member
I asked a similar question a few weeks back and I went ahead and started doing it on my Parker 806. I'm using JBWeld, but I'm not sure how much more durable it is compared to regular bondo. If I had to do it again, I was thinking of filling in the larger gashes/dents with the TIG, grind flat, then bondo down. Since these are cast steel that shouldn't be too challenging.
I also used a flap sand disk (the kind for angle grinders) to smooth out the sand casting and the original rough grinds along the seams. It looks much more like a piece of art now. Right now I'm at the guide-coat and block sand stage, but I just had twins so who knows when I'll be back in the garage.
Haters go get your own 806.
zoomieport
Well-known member
Haters go get your own 806.
That 806 is a beast!
SHOOTIST357
Well-known member
Several pieces
-- They were REALLY in there, but with a little effort they all came out. I let them soak with pen oil for a few days, then started whacking them from the underside with a long punch. They would not come out and pretty much hit a "hard stop" point. So, I then proceeded to drive them out as far as I could, cut off the protrusion with the hacksaw, then drive them back the opposite way until they fell out. They were far from round--they are fairly soft steel so they can contort to the misaligned pin holes.This one came out in one piece for the most part
SHOOT
flashman
Well-known member
Making progress on my wilton vise.
Pictures show static jaw and how the overall condition was. The base is painted with a nicer blue and so far no polish on the bolts for the swivel.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
Pictures show static jaw and how the overall condition was. The base is painted with a nicer blue and so far no polish on the bolts for the swivel.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
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phy6
Well-known member
It sure is Zoomie! That's a road trip I'll remember for a long time!
BTW, my dad made a sweet new pin for the Prentiss 23, it has a nut up top you can use to back it out if it's stuck.
zoomieport
Well-known member
It sure is Zoomie! That's a road trip I'll remember for a long time!
BTW, my dad made a sweet new pin for the Prentiss 23, it has a nut up top you can use to back it out if it's stuck.
I can't wait to see your work!
jeffws
Well-known member
Bought it Costco 20 years ago for $44
admranger
Well-known member
Just brought home two vises today. The Wilton is frozen up so I need to figure out what the process is for trying to free it. The Chas Parker has a frozen swivel adjuster and the other one is broken off, so some work to do... Not even sure which ones I have as I just took the pics. Too hot to mess with things in the garage right now after schlepping 580 lbs of steel and iron to the scrapper today!
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Ok, I've done a little clean up and the Chas Parker is a 434 1/2 model. I'm starting to disassemble it. Taking the pipe jaws off looks easy, but are those big pins easily available? I assume the ones for the jaw inserts are easily available, right?
The Wilton is in my electrolysis tank, slowly going along at 2 amps (I can go to 12 amps, if that makes more sense). Paint is coming off quite nicely now. Still not sure what model it is, and it is still stuck...
Garyss.smith
Well-known member
Admranger
I had a wilton 450 that was rusted even more than yours, I got it unstuck by pounding a brick chisel into the opening to apply pressure. Then adding PB blaster and waiting, repeat many times a day till it began to move a little.
Then remove the chisel and hit it to close with a 4 pound deadblow hammer, re insert the brick chisel and more pb blaster. Took about two weeks and finally it came apart
Gary
See my thread http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125078
I had a wilton 450 that was rusted even more than yours, I got it unstuck by pounding a brick chisel into the opening to apply pressure. Then adding PB blaster and waiting, repeat many times a day till it began to move a little.
Then remove the chisel and hit it to close with a 4 pound deadblow hammer, re insert the brick chisel and more pb blaster. Took about two weeks and finally it came apart
Gary
See my thread http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125078
CecilTheTurtle
Well-known member
Brought this Parker 273 home today for $50. It's a 5" swivel jaw with swivel base. It's a solid 80 lbs. It's missing a few things, so I don't think I got a steal but I'm still pretty happy with it. Gonna clean it up and make it my big garage vise.
Missing the handle for the swivel base, and the bolt holding on the shaft collar has been stripped, so I'll need to find a new bolt for that and tap the hole. I have no idea why the PO had the u-bolt on the vise as the swivel jaw seems to be rusted up tight. Can't get the swivel pin out at all. The jaws seem to be replacements as they don't fit very well. The one on the static side is a 4" jaw with a 1" extension brazed on! New pin holes were drilled into the vise to accommodate the 4" jaw holes. Crazy.
If anyone has any advice on pulling the swivel pin or a lead on any replacement parts, please drop me a PM. Also looking for info on its age. Haven't been able to find the 273 in any catalogs.
Missing the handle for the swivel base, and the bolt holding on the shaft collar has been stripped, so I'll need to find a new bolt for that and tap the hole. I have no idea why the PO had the u-bolt on the vise as the swivel jaw seems to be rusted up tight. Can't get the swivel pin out at all. The jaws seem to be replacements as they don't fit very well. The one on the static side is a 4" jaw with a 1" extension brazed on! New pin holes were drilled into the vise to accommodate the 4" jaw holes. Crazy.
If anyone has any advice on pulling the swivel pin or a lead on any replacement parts, please drop me a PM. Also looking for info on its age. Haven't been able to find the 273 in any catalogs.
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EOC_Jason
Well-known member
Bondo has an extremely low tensile strength. JB Weld is listed @ 3960 PSI. You could use lead or lead-free body filler sticks (think pre-bondo when they would melt lead for body work). That is around 9,000 PSI so I read.
One of my friends is a gunsmith and uses this two part epoxy that is super hard stuff for mostly bedding stocks, it's very similar to JB Weld but more commercial. I'll see if the box has any info or I can dig up any info online about it next week.
Another thing for hammer dings, if you use a can / brush paint you can make it thicker and fill in some of those dings as opposed to using a rattle can (which I know is more convenient).
csargents1546
Well-known member
Found a nice columbia No 603 1/2 on cl for 45 dollars. Started to clean it up without the intention of repainting it. By the time I had it all cleaned up after diassembley, could not help myself, went down the auto parts store and picked up some paint. It is Duplicolor Ford blue. This paint is amazing, dries really fast and can be handled in very short order.
bigcaddy
Well-known member
Brought this Parker 273 home today for $50. It's a 5" swivel jaw with swivel base. It's a solid 80 lbs. It's missing a few things, so I don't think I got a steal but I'm still pretty happy with it. Gonna clean it up and make it my big garage vise.
Missing the handle for the swivel base, and the bolt holding on the shaft collar has been stripped, so I'll need to find a new bolt for that and tap the hole. I have no idea why the PO had the u-bolt on the vise as the swivel jaw seems to be rusted up tight. Can't get the swivel pin out at all. The jaws seem to be replacements as they don't fit very well. The one on the static side is a 4" jaw with a 1" extension brazed on! New pin holes were drilled into the vise to accommodate the 4" jaw holes. Crazy.
If anyone has any advice on pulling the swivel pin or a lead on any replacement parts, please drop me a PM. Also looking for info on its age. Haven't been able to find the 273 in any catalogs.
Ill bet you 100.00 right now that when you pull out that swivel pin and knock out the side pin, holding the swivel jaw in place, you are going to find a chunk missing from the underside of the swivel jaw.
Usually its right below the groove that the side pin rubs against. Its a weak spot in the design and breaks there often. Once that happens, you can't clamp anything in the vise without the rear jaw popping out of place. Ask me how i know.
The U-bolt is to hold the rear jaw from coming out when being clamped down.
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SweetD
Well-known member
Ill bet you 100.00 right now that when you pull out that swivel pin and knock out the side pin, holding the swivel jaw in place, you are going to find a chunk missing from the underside of the swivel jaw.
Usually its right below the groove that the side pin rubs against. Its a weak spot in the design and breaks there often. Once that happens, you can't clamp anything in the vise without the rear jaw popping out of place. Ask me how i know.
The U-bolt is to hold the rear jaw from coming out when being clamped down.
I agree - that u-bolt clamp is a dead give-away! I hope it's not true...but...
Dave
Outlawmws
Well-known member
That is the second Parker with a near identical U bolt that has popped up recently. While it's a fix for the break you have described, it might also be a way to keep it from breaking and may have even been a factory option for users that abuse this type of vise. on the other hand, the old timers were very pragmatic, and may have started adding it as a cheap "band aid" to keep it from breaking the jaw, especially if they were on their second jaw...