Wilton Vise History

[kc-steve]

That vise is XLNT! Thanks for sharing that. If it wasn't for the few originals still around we would never know what they are supposed to look like.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Cyclotronguy]

Another Wilton mystery;

I have a Wilton 150 OS, which is clearly a rebadged Dawn 150mm Offset vise from Australia....

In Email from Dawn a couple of years ago, the association was clearly less than happy.

I wanted to buy a second one from Dawn..... they had exactly zero interest in exporting to the US and had no trouble saying so.

Anyone know of that unhappy marriage, and if the vise was cast in the US under license or cast down under. Given the cost of transportation on a 90 pound vise, it would have made sense to manufacturer in the US....

Cyclotronguy

 

[rbannon]

I found the offset vises listed in the 2004 WMH Tool catalog. They do not list COO. There is a reference to 60,000 psi ductile iron.

 

[demographic]

Another Wilton mystery;

I have a Wilton 150 OS, which is clearly a rebadged Dawn 150mm Offset vise from Australia....

In Email from Dawn a couple of years ago, the association was clearly less than happy.

I wanted to buy a second one from Dawn..... they had exactly zero interest in exporting to the US and had no trouble saying so.

Anyone know of that unhappy marriage, and if the vise was cast in the US under license or cast down under. Given the cost of transportation on a 90 pound vise, it would have made sense to manufacturer in the US....

Cyclotronguy

Aren't Dawns just Records built under license in Australia? Not the offset ones but the more usual ones look pretty much just the same as Records to me.

Could you buy a Record and paint it red

 

[alan camby]

What model is this?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wilton-4-1-...5?pt=BI_Tool_Work_Holding&hash=item27c7fa59fd
looks like a light duty machinist vise. Does not look like it ever had Pipe jaws.
Even though it does not say made in USA, can we assume it was since it has Schiller Park Illinois USA.
What is the set screw with jam nut for that is located on the bottom of the dynamic Jaw.

 

[kc-steve]

Alan, I have never seen that style before. And the seller doesn't seem to know much about vises since he calls it a "Mechanic's Machinist" vise. The Mechanic's vise has the pipe jaws and the Machinist's do not.

The Schiller Park casting is implying and is the same as saying it is made in the USA.

Steve

 

[alan camby]

Steve, Have you ever seen that set screw with jam nut setup. the vise has the 3 screw collar to retain the spindle, so curious what this is for.

 

[kc-steve]

Nope, just about everything about that vise is alien to me.

Steve

 

[autopts]

That vise I believe was an anniversery additon made I think for one year. That vise did not come with pipe jaws. Wilton never made an offset vise like Dawn. Dawn has a distributor in Washington St somewhere. They made a terriffic vise. The two companies are and always were complete seperate.

 

[autopts]

What model is this?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wilton-4-1-...5?pt=BI_Tool_Work_Holding&hash=item27c7fa59fd
looks like a light duty machinist vise. Does not look like it ever had Pipe jaws.
Even though it does not say made in USA, can we assume it was since it has Schiller Park Illinois USA.
What is the set screw with jam nut for that is located on the bottom of the dynamic Jaw.

Schiller Park casting is implying and is the same as saying it is made in the USA.

Steve

Steve, Have you ever seen that set screw with jam nut setup. the vise has the 3 screw collar to retain the spindle, so curious what this is for.

Wilton did a few variations with that front spindle assy. Some, I wish they would have kept.

 

[kc-steve]

Hey Nick! Was it an anniversary for 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991 . . . .?
Maybe 1991 is the most logical being 50 years. Yours looks a hell of a lot better than the eBay vise.

Steve

 

[Stuart in MN]

I posted a photo of this in the old vise thread a while back, but it probably should be included in this discussion of Wilton as well. I bought this at a flea market a couple years ago.

 

[alan camby]

I know that the key on the bottom of the slide bar should have a date of manufacture. What If a Wilton has a number under the Illinois that is cast on the side. I bought a vise that has 60 78 cast under the Illinois. Wondering if this means the 60th day of 1978.

The vise is model 500
Any Idea?

thanks, Alan

 

[autopts]

Hey Nick! Was it an anniversary for 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991 . . . .?
Maybe 1991 is the most logical being 50 years. Yours looks a hell of a lot better than the eBay vise.

Steve

Steve, its got the *** on the side. I believe it was 1971. Some years ago I saw a add on CL of a shop by me selling off tools on a Saturday. I went and there were 10 of these. I bought them all and naturally sold them all off. I still have new jaws for them.

 

[gtrotter]

Just picked this up off craigslist today, first Wilton purchase. It's a Wilton 9400 WE. No cracks, swivel base works, dual locking deals for the base. Has a date stamp of 6/51, so that would put it actually being in 1946? Just gotta new jaws and repaint.

 

[Catalyze]

Very nice old Wilton....grats!
Craig

 

[gtrotter]

Very nice old Wilton....grats!
Craig

Thanks! Now, just have to find some replacement jaw inserts.

Oh, and sorry for the mess. I just cleaned out the old truck to trade in.

 

[ID-Butch]

Hi all, just found and joined this group. I've had a Wilton vice for 20 years or so and can't find much info on it. I believe it is a 500S. It has no model number but does have 101164 and a large D with an A inside it. I believe it is an old military vice. Any help with ID'ing it. I recently picked up a 1780 that needs some parts. What is the difference between a 1780 and a 1780A? Thanks

 

[autopts]

Welcome!
The 101164 is a 5" Machinist vise, with swivel base its a 500S without, a 500N. made back from about 1975-2012 that big guy specs out to exactly to the model made today. I think the "A" on the 1780 is used just by suppliers. Tradesman vises always come with a swivel base. That big Tradesman is nice!!

 

[Man of Many Vices]

Hi all, just found and joined this group. I've had a Wilton vice for 20 years or so and can't find much info on it. I believe it is a 500S.... I believe it is an old military vice....

Your Wilton 500S is a fabulous vise that many of us would be proud to have in our shops and garages. It is unlikely you will ever need a larger or "nicer" vise.

With the vise issue behind you, you can now focus all of your time on assembling a nice collection of hand tools.

 

[Catalyze]

Butch - welcome and grats on a nice Wilton! Photos are like bacon to vise folks....we love it. Post photos when you have a question and the answers are more plentiful and accurate. Except for my answers....they aren't accurate but they are free!
Craig

 

[IronDeficient]

Really?! My Wilton is stamped 4-46. So that means it was made in 1941 - their first year? Does anyone have an earlier stamp?

Seems I do. I recently acquired this Wilton No. 4 (840) with the "PAT PEN" castings. The date stamp appears as "2-45", stamped twice.

Of course, the other possibility is that it was supposed to be 12-45. The 2 is only partial, in both stamps, with no sign at all of a preceding one.

If this is a 5yr guarantee date, even at 12-45 it would put the founding date of 1941 in question.

 

[_CY_]

just found this killer thread... loads of data

 

[hitechneanderthol]

Newbie here, I have a '85 #1760 bullet vise without a swivel base. Does anyone know if they were offered and/or sold without bases or did my vise potentially lose its base somewhere along the line? I keep asking my vise but it isn't talking. Does anyone have a replacement swivel base that they would like to part with (and the bolts w/locking wedges - whatever they are called???)?
Thanks to all for a great board/thread.

 

[Catalyze]

Look for a poster named Autopts.......he is probably a few posts above yours. Send him a forum mail (you may have to have a larger number of posts) and chat him about the base. I think that yours can be converted to a swivel base with factory parts. Autopts will know the answer. Oh.......welcome to the Forum!
Craig

 

[kc-steve]

Seems I do. I recently acquired this Wilton No. 4 (840) with the "PAT PEN" castings. The date stamp appears as "2-45", stamped twice.

Of course, the other possibility is that it was supposed to be 12-45. The 2 is only partial, in both stamps, with no sign at all of a preceding one.

If this is a 5yr guarantee date, even at 12-45 it would put the founding date of 1941 in question.

The founding date isn't in question at all because the original patent was first applied for Sept 1941. But what is in question throughout this thread is when the 5-year guarantee started, ended, or even existed at all. It might even be a combination of existing for a period then ending, but when?

In other words, some date stamps are 5-year guarantee dates, while others might be actual production dates. But when did the change occur?

Steve

 

[hitechneanderthol]

Thanks Craig, I contacted autopts and am getting a hold of some replacement parts. Life is good.

 

[Man of Many Vices]

....WMH wants nothing to do with Wilton's past. In 2010 Wilton customer service even changed the name when answering phones from "Good Morning, Wilton Tool Customer Service" to "Hi, this is Walter Meyers Holding Inc, may I help you"? WMH is Swiss based and huge! They want nothing more then to globalize every line they have. They tried it with some of their Tradesman vises being made in China. The 1740, 1750,& 1760. American users started screaming about how poorly made vises they were so eventually they brought that vise back home to make.

I would add my voice to the chorus that sings out for public condemnation of Walter Meyers Holding Inc. for destroying a noble American brand. If anything is to be gained, it will be to see how long it takes for the general consumer to catch on, then categorically reject low quality Wilton products. (I know, some of their high dollar machinist vices are still top quality).

 

[kapster]

I've been searching for a deal on a wilton for a few years now, just isn't much around me. I'm on the edge of buying a new wilton, how disappointing is the quality on the new ones?

Was wondering how you tell if its a made in USA, I've seen talk on here that they were made overseas for a time? Is this vise USA?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nice-Used-W...6?pt=BI_Tool_Work_Holding&hash=item2a279c4384

 

[Terri Dare]

I'm new to this site and I am really enjoying it so far. What I would like to know is how to I completely disassemble my vise so I can lube it and clean it. I also would like to match the original paint. A copy of the owners manual or anything like that would really help.

 

[Terri Dare]

o.k., here is some information on the vise i have. This is a bullet type vise
inside base-101088
outside base-101089
under long tube- 172
under long screw-900004
long tube left side-8140
body left side- Wilton
Schiller PK USA
ILL

body right side- Wilton
Schiller PK USA
Ill
Any information you could give me would be helpful.
I would like to rebuild it.

 

[Catalyze]

Terri....welcome to the forum!
This link should help you get your Wilton apart. If you run into problems, post up in the Vises of Garage Journal thread.
Craig
http://tinyurl.com/add4mqr

 

[Seiler]

Greetings everyone!

I am relatively new to this particular forum, not new to forums in general in the least.

I acquired an old vise from my Welding Instructor that is need of some serious TLC. Can't complain one bit though when it was free! I'm having a hard time identifying which model it is in particular, which is keeping me from hunting down some replacement parts. I'm hoping someone on here might have an idea or is able to point me in the right direction. Onto some information and pictures--

The vise is a monster. The Jaw width measures 5". I'm not sure on how far it will open. The upside down U shaped washer is missing and I cannot separate the two jaws without a new one, hence my dilemma. There is no visible "Model #" that I can tell, but there are what appears to be Part #'s(?) on each piece.

You can see the main missing part here:

I was able to disassemble the vise slightly, removing the inner spindle parts as well as the back dust cap. Here are some closer detail pictures on the only visible numbering.

I believe this reads "101042"

This side reads "101043"

The spindle assembly reads "101041"

The underside of the bottom swivel reads "101081"

My goal on this vise is to do a complete restore so it functions just as well as it did on day #1 and to keep it in the family for a few years. Based upon what research I was able to accomplish, my guess as of right now is that it might be a 70's-80's 500s model? Again, I'm not 100% sure. I don't want to order any replacement parts until I have an idea of what model it actually is. And since I can't get the two jaws to separate, I have no way of checking the date stamp on the key. Any help anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated! I do intend on documenting the complete restore once I'm able to begin.

On a side note, this vise lived outside in the elements on a grinding booth. You can't tell in the pictures above, but there was a SERIOUS layer of metal shavings that had built up over the years and stuck to one side of the vise. I was able to chip a lot of it away, but the largest section came off in one piece.

This is rough look of how it sat on the one side:

Once I was able to remove it:

The piece that came off probably weights a good 2-3 lbs. If anything I think it helped shield the vise from the weather and what not. Pretty neat I think.

Thanks,

Scott

 

[autopts]

That Wilton is going to make a nice restore. I didn't read if you said the Dynamic was seized into the body. It looks as if you had a hard time unscrewing that handle and sheared of the collar screws. That's not the end of the world. That vise was made anywhere from 1962-1974. The model originally was 9500 but the Wilton decided to change it to 101043. You can still get the collar with screws, Jaws (GJ Member KMScott), handles, you can use new rods and cut to length, I think its in nice condition. I did notice that center ring is cracked right where the dowel pin goes to center it. That ring is about $60 or more. If you can repair it, go for it. Let us know if that vise is seized up and we are full of suggestions. Welcome aboard.

 

[Seiler]

That Wilton is going to make a nice restore. I didn't read if you said the Dynamic was seized into the body. It looks as if you had a hard time unscrewing that handle and sheared of the collar screws. That's not the end of the world. That vise was made anywhere from 1962-1974. The model originally was 9500 but the Wilton decided to change it to 101043. You can still get the collar with screws, Jaws (GJ Member KMScott), handles, you can use new rods and cut to length, I think its in nice condition. I did notice that center ring is cracked right where the dowel pin goes to center it. That ring is about $60 or more. If you can repair it, go for it. Let us know if that vise is seized up and we are full of suggestions. Welcome aboard.

Hello there,

The dynamic jaw is seized in the body of the vise. When I brought it home, the U-shaped thrust washer was missing so I was able to unscrew the main handle completely. I'm not sure how badly it's seized or how much force it will take to remove it. My first thought was to soak the area in penetrating oil. Do you have any recommendations on where (aside from KMScott) I can purchase the other replacement parts? I'm guessing I'll start searching for 9500 parts. Wilton Vise 101043 doesn't yield much information via the google.

I too noticed the crack on the underside. It's on my list of parts to purchase when I can find some.

Thank you very much for your help!

Scott

 

[autopts]

Hello there,

The dynamic jaw is seized in the body of the vise. When I brought it home, the U-shaped thrust washer was missing so I was able to unscrew the main handle completely. I'm not sure how badly it's seized or how much force it will take to remove it. My first thought was to soak the area in penetrating oil. Do you have any recommendations on where (aside from KMScott) I can purchase the other replacement parts? I'm guessing I'll start searching for 9500 parts. Wilton Vise 101043 doesn't yield much information via the google.

I too noticed the crack on the underside. It's on my list of parts to purchase when I can find some.

Thank you very much for your help!

Scott

My guess that vise was made in around 1968. Wilton will be of no use. As far as parts, you have all the important parts. The base ring with dowel pin is still available but if you can find someone to braze that crack you will save yourself some money. The biggest problem you have is to try to get it unseized. Another good size vise would come in handy. Before I started dunking it into electrolysis, take that vise and clamp the dynamic jaws into the other vise so that the body is hanging down loose. Get some PB Blaster. Deep Creep, WD40, any penetrating oil and apply around where the channel bar goes into the body. Make sure you have a cushion below just in case it lets loose. Knock the body with a mallet and see it its taking down your penetrating oil. It could even be ATF, you will see your making progress when the oil starts dripping out the other end. The front collar, dowel pin etc. is not a problem at this time. Some members have had Wiltons seized years of getting them. Even electrolysis didn't make them come loose. If you think your making progress apply some heat, that may speed thing up. If it should come loose, then maybe electrolysis would finish the job.

 

[kapster]

Im working on going through my wilton 500 cleaning it up. In the process of getting the pins for the nut out i bent them. Would it be stupid to tap the vise to put bolts in like ive seen seem some with? I can make new pins, just wondered if that would be a better route.

 

[autopts]

Sure, that would work. Try a 1/4" 20 coarse and make sure your screws are only as long as the pins. The might take away from the cosmetics of your bullet but if its your user vise, who would care.

 

[BIG Eric]

I was given a Wilton 400S a few years ago but it looks different from some of the others. It is a 72 model year and here are some pictures. SO what do you all think?

 

[wood butcher]

Just reading thread thought i would check 2-46 is on mine