The VISES of Garage Journal

[bl00]

Hey b100, Christmas is coming so you can send that Prentiss No.58 to my house whenever you get a chance to pack it up.

I'm having a little trouble getting it to fit into a flat rate box. As soon as I get it stuffed in there it will be on the way.

 

[bl00]

Nice haul Maddawg!

 

[EOC_Jason]

Saved a pair of heavy vises at the junkyard on Tuesday. One is a Desmond-Simplex, about 4 inch jaws. The other is a Wilton C2, the Wilton has some damage (torch or casting problem?) to one side of the dynamic jaw, looks like about 3/4" worth is missing. Both seem to work okay, will have to do a full resto on both of them, I think I will keep the Wilton as it is my first one, and I don't think it's going to have a lot of collector value with the damage to the one jaw.

Very nice finds... If you want to make the Wilton look a little nicer, you can use JB Weld or similar to fill that in, sand it down, and paint...

 

[asadsack]

Columbian 108 is finished--finally. Here are some pix of my 108 and the new jaws I made for it. Not the most high-tech solution, but it works for me. I simply took two 8.5" X 1" X 2" blocks of grade 2 tool steel, had a friend of mine drill two 1 1/8" D X 3/4" deep holes on center, and put one 1" D X 3/4" thick type N52 rare earth magnet in each hole. Then,
I let nature and physics do the rest--nice new jaw inserts for the 108. Let me tell you, those magnets are STRONG. I need both hands to slide the inserts off and once off, I have to keep them apart.The mags are rated for 90 pounds of pull. I believe it!
Oh, how do like my hose clamp handle detents? Again, low tech, but hey, it keeps that bar from smashing my hand.

 

[Catalyze]

Nice inventive solutions on the Columbian!! If it works, then it works. Do the magnets make removing steel work pieces hard?
Craig

 

[autopts]

Nice inventive solutions on the Columbian!! If it works, then it works. Do the magnets make removing steel work pieces hard?
Craig

The work pieces should be the same hardness as to when he put them in!!

 

[gatewaysysop]

Columbian 108 is finished--finally. Here are some pix of my 108 and the new jaws I made for it.

Nice! I like the big ones, and even a Columbian 8" must be heavy. How heavy is this one in particular? I know the weights vary by vintage on Columbians, and my 6" swivel jaw is heavy but also hollowed out in many places, so I'm sure an older one would be heavier.

In any case, very nice job on this one and clever idea on the jaw inserts.

 

[zoomieport]

The work pieces should be the same hardness as to when he put them in!!

HAHA!

 

[asadsack]

Thanks for the support and the positive comments about the old 108. Believe it or not, the jaws don't stick together when they're closed. There's still 1/4" distance from the bottom of each hole to each front jaw face. I guess with this size magnet, it's enough thickness to prevent them from sticking together and still have a lot of strength to hold them solidly in the shoulders I cut for them. Also, there's no problem with steel workpieces sticking to the jaws. I think if I had used a bigger size magnet, that might have become a problem. So, in this case, it looks as if I guessed right.

This old vise weighs a few hairs under 300 lbs. With the wooden base I made for it, the total weight is around 400 lbs. More than enough to keep the whole thing from moving, yet not too heavy where I can't drag and push it around my garage when I need to. For longer moves, I use my old strap refrigerator dolly to drive it around, if you can imagine that!

 

[Rusty Musket]

Hey guys. First of all I hope everyone had a good holiday!

I am exploring some horse trading with this vise being part of the other persons's offerings. I have not seen it yet but knew you guys would be able to tell me what to look for when I do. Are there any know issues with these big guys? Seller is quoting me some specs of 205lbs and a 6" jaw but I am not sure if he is pulling that description from a current model or not. Anybody know the vintage of this one and what it might weigh? Many thanks. -Rusty

 

[Provincial]

Rusty, the C3 is nice, but I really like the Pewee. I've never seen one before.

The only known issue I know of with the older Wiltons is abuse by the Prior Owners.

 

[bigcaddy]

Hey guys. First of all I hope everyone had a good holiday!

I am exploring some horse trading with this vise being part of the other persons's offerings. I have not seen it yet but knew you guys would be able to tell me what to look for when I do. Are there any know issues with these big guys? Seller is quoting me some specs of 205lbs and a 6" jaw but I am not sure if he is pulling that description from a current model or not. Anybody know the vintage of this one and what it might weigh? Many thanks. -Rusty

The weight sounds correct since a brand new one is 210 lbs.

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Hello Vise Friends.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Yesterday, I purchased a Columbian No. 504 vise from a neighbor for $30.00. In spite of its appearance, it works very well. In the near future, I plan to give it a full restoration and bring it back to its glory.

Half the fun of restoring vintage tools is researching the history. Below are some pictures. Can anyone tell me how old this vise is?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mark in Indiana]

BTW: I forgot to mention in my previous post that the Columbian 504 vise weighs a little under 40#, has 4" cross hatched jaws, 3.5" depth, and a max. opening of a little over 7".

 

[Outlawmws]

What is that stuff on the static jaw of that Columbian?

 

[Mark in Indiana]

I would guess that it was laying against a cardboard box for years and got stuck on it with the surface rust.

 

[tornadocaster]

Mechanic shutting down today and I found this Chinese gem for $30.
I needed it anyway.
Cheers
Gio

 

[nine4gmc]

at least you can beat the sh!t outta it and not feel bad^

 

[autopts]

Hey guys. First of all I hope everyone had a good holiday!

I am exploring some horse trading with this vise being part of the other persons's offerings. I have not seen it yet but knew you guys would be able to tell me what to look for when I do. Are there any know issues with these big guys? Seller is quoting me some specs of 205lbs and a 6" jaw but I am not sure if he is pulling that description from a current model or not. Anybody know the vintage of this one and what it might weigh? Many thanks. -Rusty

I'm guessing but I don't believe that C3 is old. Maybe 1995-2005. The anvil is perfect, the jaws mount from in front unlike many other C3's which mount from in back. That's a very big vise and it almost needs a steel table to bolt it to or its own custom steel stand. Look around the pipe jaws for any possible cracks on the casting. I doubt you will find any flaws on the big guy. Its worth every bit of $350 on up. The base assy alone is about $175. That's a beauty. If you get it dirt cheap..Keep it a secret!!

 

[sanddrag]

Hello Vise Friends.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Yesterday, I purchased a Columbian No. 504 vise from a neighbor for $30.00. In spite of its appearance, it works very well. In the near future, I plan to give it a full restoration and bring it back to its glory.

Half the fun of restoring vintage tools is researching the history. Below are some pictures. Can anyone tell me how old this vise is?

Thanks in advance.

I just finished electrolysis and painting of the same vise. Couldn't decide on color, so I just went with red. The ram still needs a little cleaning up. I'm curious on the age too.

 

[Catalyze]

On Columbians.....if both sides have a curved logo then IIRC it is early 40's and earlier
If one side is curved and the other Columbian is straight then it is mid 40's and later
If it has the "goofy" Columbian logo with one of the letters in Columbian out of line...then it is 60's and later. This is all subject to my medication dispensing.
Craig

 

[Mark in Indiana]

I just finished electrolysis and painting of the same vise. Couldn't decide on color, so I just went with red. The ram still needs a little cleaning up. I'm curious on the age too.

I just read an email from gatewaysysop that if it had rounded lettering on both sides, it was around pre WW2.

BTW. Nice color. You should easily be able to clean the ram with a piece of Scotchbrite attached to a vibrating pad sander.

 

[Catalyze]

Don't trust Gateways.....it's all about the "dry heat" with him.
Craig

 

[Rusty Musket]

I'm guessing but I don't believe that C3 is old. Maybe 1995-2005. The anvil is perfect, the jaws mount from in front unlike many other C3's which mount from in back. That's a very big vise and it almost needs a steel table to bolt it to or its own custom steel stand. Look around the pipe jaws for any possible cracks on the casting. I doubt you will find any flaws on the big guy. Its worth every bit of $350 on up. The base assy alone is about $175. That's a beauty. If you get it dirt cheap..Keep it a secret!!

Thanks Auto & others. I got a quick peek at it today in the guy's trunk. The body is beautiful and almost looks like new. The jaws, however, have seen better days. At first it just looked like slag but I think maybe someone has tried to repair the jaw faces by welding or brazing on them at some time. They may need to be replaced so I will keep that in mind as we work on this trade. Will keep you guys posted. Appreciate the advise.

 

[bigcaddy]

Submitted for the viewing pleasure of Prentiss/Old Bench Vise fans everywhere. I've seen tons of the old tool catalog scans and always liked the look of the Bingham "Anchor Line" vises. You can only imagine my surprise when i looked on the other side and saw Prentiss Vise Co. on the other. I thought it was another company entirenly, perhaps one authorized to make their vises?

The patent date on the front of the dynamic jaw is July 1st, 1902. Its a tiny little guy but will look great in the collection.

 

[gatewaysysop]

Don't trust Gateways.....it's all about the "dry heat" with him.
Craig

 

[gatewaysysop]

Submitted for the viewing pleasure of Prentiss/Old Bench Vise fans everywhere. I've seen tons of the old tool catalog scans and always liked the look of the Bingham "Anchor Line" vises. You can only imagine my surprise when i looked on the other side and saw Prentiss Vise Co. on the other. I thought it was another company entirenly, perhaps one authorized to make their vises?

Beautiful find! I've lusted for one of these and only very, very rarely seen them crop up. Haven't been able to snag one yet, but thanks for sharing the pics and the Prentiss stamping, I wasn't aware they were related either.

 

[ssffnomad]

Nice Job on Reed w/Valspar Cobalt Cannon.
I have my Reed # 403 almost ready for Paint, would that color be Correct for it ? Thanks

 

[demoman]

Submitted for the viewing pleasure of Prentiss/Old Bench Vise fans everywhere. I've seen tons of the old tool catalog scans and always liked the look of the Bingham "Anchor Line" vises. You can only imagine my surprise when i looked on the other side and saw Prentiss Vise Co. on the other. I thought it was another company entirenly, perhaps one authorized to make their vises?

The patent date on the front of the dynamic jaw is July 1st, 1902. Its a tiny little guy but will look great in the collection.

Very nice find. How wide are the jaws? I have only seen one other a long time ago on craigslist.

 

[thundermug]

Done cleaning up my 1974 101028 400S. Ready for a long season of light duty. The decals are perhaps incorrect for the year the vise was manufactured, but I don't care. I'm printing some more in exchange for those copper jaw liners, and some other useful things.

http://sphotos-b.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/179339_609941615772_1445990827_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/18308_609941640722_1986760465_n.jpg

http://sphotos-a.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/395079_609941680642_84496709_n.jpg

 

[Outlawmws]

Submitted for the viewing pleasure of Prentiss/Old Bench Vise fans everywhere. I've seen tons of the old tool catalog scans and always liked the look of the Bingham "Anchor Line" vises. You can only imagine my surprise when i looked on the other side and saw Prentiss Vise Co. on the other. I thought it was another company entirenly, perhaps one authorized to make their vises?

The patent date on the front of the dynamic jaw is July 1st, 1902. Its a tiny little guy but will look great in the collection.

Cool looking little vise BC! So... How little?

 

[Tarnished]

Have posted this in its own thread, but thought I would add it to the list in case anyone was counting.
1988 Wilton Tradesman, 1760 with 6" jaws, weighing in at a mere 70#. Will get cleaned up, pedestal mounted, and become a daily user. It has plenty of friends to keep it company.

 

[bigcaddy]

Cool looking little vise BC! So... How little?

It has 2.5" wide jaws and tips the scales around 4-5lbs

 

[WhiteLightning]

I spent this past Sunday at 5mall5nail5's house. We were tackling some small projects that included bead blasting my 3" and 4" Columbian vise and turning down some vise jaw screws on his lathe. Thanks Jon!

I then came home and prepped everything for primer.

Now they are getting their first coats of Rustoleum Hammered Verde Green. Pics to follow. I'll also make a new thread with before/during/after pics soon.

 

[theknurl]

Athol #614 1/2 bolted to my 10' steel workbench, its tapped, my Dad bought it with his #615 for $3.00 in 1931, he gave it to me in '75 when i came back from Europe
Heinrich 4GM;http://www.heinrichco.com/4-GM-alone.jpg
Heinrich Safety Drill Press Vise;http://www.heinrichco.com/13-WH_SDV.jpg
Cardinal Speed Vise 3" drill press vise;http://www.nolansupply.com/small_images/32149.jpg
Palmgren 3" drill press vise;http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/PA...4KXD8&ef_id=UE-x@wAADbMxZLSh:20121128011623:s
AllAngle #2 Fray Mershon vise mounted on a Wilton PowerArm for welding
Versa-Vise 3";http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-gyro-versa-vise-1-jaws-base-133078512 i have the one with the tall jaws
NGraver 5" ball engraving vise;http://www.ngraver.com/accessories.htm yes, i engrave, no i don't use a hammer
2 pipe vises, 1 a clamp type the other a chain type

best for last.....
my Grandfather's self made swiveling all angle tiny machinist's vise with a double speed screw, ground and polished all over
dated 'Oct 1920'
he was senior master tool and die maker for Remington Type Writer, a division of Remington Arms Co
its in the top of his Union tool box, with his mics, dividers and Ideal indicator.....that i still use;http://www.machine--tools.com/By-Lo...est-indicator-made-by-ideal-tool-co-img-1.jpg
it make using a Starrett Last Word indicator an exercise in stupidity;http://aws.bettymills.com.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/store/images/product/681-52943.EPS.jpg

 

[Catalyze]

Thundermug - that is a gorgeous bit of work on that Wilton!!

BigCaddy - very tasty Prentiss (that I don't have but will if you leave your door unlocked)!! I saw one on Fleabay about 2 months ago and it went out of my price range by the end....funny thing about that name - Anchor....almost suggestive of a purpose if it broke
Craig

 

[Rusty Musket]

anybody seen one of these before?

I just talked to a guy selling this vise. The front jaw is static and the rear one is dynamic. It has adjustable dovetailed ways and it is marked only with "Viking, New York".

I have requested more photos.

 

[tool_scrounge]

Re: anybody seen one of these before?

I just talked to a guy selling this vise. The front jaw is static and the rear one is dynamic. It has adjustable dovetailed ways and it is marked only with "Viking, New York".

I have requested more photos.

They are nice vises made in Poland by FPU ("Fabryka Przyrzadow Uchwytow"). Very well built with a super study swivel base.

A few links for more information.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=889904&highlight=hi-test+vise#post889904

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-history/unique-vise-find-201352/

 

[Provincial]

They also have been sold under the "Bison" trademark. Interesting vise, but a little overpriced.

 

[ShadowRuleZ]

Have a chance to get a Wilton 745 in an auction. Looks like they're made in China now, were they always? Trying to see if it's worth picking up or not.