The VISES of Garage Journal

[va.grouseman]

Oldldh,---You should be a warden at a prison camp.---Your a cruel man.

Oh, hang on old. I'm getting a P.M. from joe.striper.---He says the guy said there were 6, 5198s practically new.---They threw them away cause they never used them.---Imagine that.

 

[Outlawmws]

You should have just kneed him in the nads for telling you about it.

Bang his wife AND his GF...

 

[Fretters]

bang his wife and his gf...

Unless they're f'ugly, of course.

 

[oldldh]

Brother Scott---

My Starrett 925 is the one on the left...that photo was when it was a member of the Colorado Vise Stash...the tag says---$ 30.00!!!

It is now almost completely bare metal...

Believe is or not...I believe the previous owner used it to hold things while they got painted...

It really is in good shape...the jaws were pristine...

As soon as I get off my dead end, I'll finish the restoration...

(I don't know why I think this, but, "Zolatone" may be the name of that paint...)

 

[bigcaddy]

When I asked him that question I really didn't want to know, but to quote him "I don't emember the names but they were big, and round in the back. Not like the stuff you see in the stores" then I asked...with much trepidation...how big were they? Answer "pretty big, it took two of my guys to move 'em". Retch, retch, gag.....

I am done with this topic. I cannot even think about it anymore.

I already know what they were since I've seen with my own eyes. We do work for multiple aircraft companies and when a new contract for a plane gets landed, everybody re-tools! That means everything in your workstation get tossed into one of those airport luggage tractors and sold off as scrap, new or used.

I had the luck of going there one day and seeing a PALLET of Wilton 9450s and C0's next to a scrap dumpster with many more already tossed inside.

I had my guys load as many as they could into their trucks and keep their mouths shut. Later on some other guys tried to grab some but they were stopped by security and they were tossed back in. I still have a few of them in the garage as well as my old foreman and fitters that were there that day

The waste at those places is mind boggling but that how they operate

 

[bigcaddy]

On a mush lighter and less depressing note, here is something everybody can enjoy.

From what I've seen, these are super hard to track down and this will be the 3rd one I've seen on here

I wish I could find more info on it but Wilton has no idea it exists and the only guy I know that has taken one apart is no longer on here and haven't been since he moved 2 years ago

I'm gonna let the Wilton buffs tell everybody what this one is

 

[oldldh]

It's a Wilton Power Screw!!!

What do I win???

By the way, Autopts had a similar vise, but it didn't have the hydraulics...same towers, same stylized W's, and same elevated jaws...

 

[bigcaddy]

It's a Wilton Power Screw!!!

What do I win???

Yup, you guessed correctly It's a Wilton power screw from the late 70's. I'll have to say its one of the most confusing vises I've ever encountered before.

The hydraulic assembly is beyond confusing since I have no real guide on how to pull it apart without damaging something irreplaceable. There isn't enough 4 letter words on this planet that can be summoned to make this job any easier

I've actually had it for at least 4 months and it's been buried in a bucket of Kroil and it still won't budge.

Here's another pic of the screw

 

[steelkilt]

My father retired from Pratt & Whitney,took a package 55 and out. My fal works for Hamilton Sunstrand (formerly standard) and I used to work at HS until I moved out here. I was able to obtain a vise that my co-worker buddy gave me before it went to surplus.Wasn't nothing super terrific. Wilton bullet 1986 keyway 4". I'll try to dig up a pic but here is one of my latest:
View media item 43100

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[BFBOB]

Rust-Oleum satin hunt club green. I like this color a great deal and will use it again.

Me, too - thought it looked familiar. I used it on some C-clamps, but clear coated it to make it glossy. I thought the satin finish was too dull, but Hunt Club Green isn't available in gloss or semi-gloss.

Thanks

 

[BFBOB]

On a mush lighter and less depressing note, here is something everybody can enjoy.

From what I've seen, these are super hard to track down and this will be the 3rd one I've seen on here

I wish I could find more info on it but Wilton has no idea it exists and the only guy I know that has taken one apart is no longer on here and haven't been since he moved 2 years ago

I'm gonna let the Wilton buffs tell everybody what this one is

Used to be a PowerScrew until someone welded the hydraulics together!

 

[drivesitfar]

Steelkit: awesome looking Parker vise. just wondering because that handle is so shiny and the styling is familiar. did you make that or did you have Ritzblitz make it for you?? also nice story that you have a little manufacturing in your genes. do you own a machine shop or maybe you will soon?

BC: you do have a few rare ones don't you? are you sure that Wilton is supposed to come apart?

Sad story about the waste, but happy to hear you and your crew saved a few of them. i'm betting the scrapper might save a few too, but never know. I've talked to quite a few scrappers in my area over the years and not one said he didn't keep the vises for himself so maybe that is the benefactor along with his close friends.

VA: the kids can't lift those 8 inchers so they don't go in the dumpsters or hope they don't know to pull them apart, so keep up your searching at your normal haunts.

 

[KMScott]

Caddy, anything welded can be un welded. Be nice to hear how the Power Screw works. That one needs it's own pedestal in your Museum. A couple nice vises posted tonight. Steelkit the 954 is really clean, what a polish job on the jaws, how are the serrations, kind of curious. I am working on a 956 and only hope it comes out close to yours.

 

[joe.striper]

My father retired from Pratt & Whitney,took a package 55 and out. My fal works for Hamilton Sunstrand (formerly standard) and I used to work at HS until I moved out here. I was able to obtain a vise that my co-worker buddy gave me before it went to surplus.Wasn't nothing super terrific. Wilton bullet 1986 keyway 4". I'll try to dig up a pic but here is one of my latest:
View media item 43100

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View media item 43107View media item 43103

that is a beautiful restoration. Nicest 954 ive ever seen. Ive got one in my shop waiting for a little love right now.

 

[GETRIDAONE]

steelkilt, You have raised the bar on that Parker. It looks great

 

[bigcaddy]

Used to be a PowerScrew until someone welded the hydraulics together!

They actually are not welded together, it just has some really odd pitting around the actuating ram.

The vise was used for daily grinding so every corner of it was nearly filled with fine grind dust. On top of that was lots of moisture that made it as hard as cement

All 4 jaw screws are partially disintegrated from rust and the gap between the rear jaw tower and anvil is nearly filled with grind dust.

The next step is gonna be a long soak in the electrolysis bath to see how much of this **** I can melt off before proceeding further

I think I have a decent amount of photos at home that I'll post on Thursday or Friday that show lots more detail. It's not a basket case, it's just close to being hopelessly unrepairable

 

[FMC1959]

My father retired from Pratt & Whitney,took a package 55 and out. My fal works for Hamilton Sunstrand (formerly standard) and I used to work at HS until I moved out here. I was able to obtain a vise that my co-worker buddy gave me before it went to surplus.Wasn't nothing super terrific. Wilton bullet 1986 keyway 4". I'll try to dig up a pic but here is one of my latest:
View media item 43100

View media item 43105

View media item 43107View media item 43103

Very nice, looks new out of the box. Would you have a before picture?

 

[steelkilt]

Thanks all for the kind words! I didn't verbalize much on the resto itself. I made effort to "sleeve" the dynamic with a bronze bushing and almost contacted brother Scott to see if he wouldn't mind but after further measuring, the more I centered the screw inside the dynamic, the more the screw/nut relationship changed and it even stated to bind a little. So, I personally am MUCH more interested in the action of these vises than anything else so I only went as far as washering it up with some bronze best I could by having the o.d. of the washer seat correctly on the shelf of the dynamic while still having the I.d. hug the outside of the screw. (Yes, I did shim the nut best I could but sometimes with these cast items, it's just not there unless filing the nut or keyway)and picked up the rest of the slack with a custom uhmw washer that I cut myself. It REALLY helps with spinning...
Drive, I think this was among the first handles that ritzblitz spun for anyone on the gj board,I could be wrong. But he and I were gonna go with ends that were more cylindrical, but after he sent me some pics of his Holland's ( I think? ) I asked if he could cut mine the same way? He agreed, and we decided to call it the "mushroom" cut. His Holland's is really pronounced, I like the look. As always when viable, I like to take advantage of the spinner capabilities on a new handle. As opposed to a flat yolk "c" series Reeder, I'm not sure that's wise.
Brother Scott, I'll get you a pic on those jaws, I can't remember if there was all that much going on there, but I didn't touch them. As I remember, there is more of a cross-hatching to it rather than a knurling. Anyway I'm a big fan of your stuff and all the eagerness of you and everyone else on the board who helps us, thanks, Tom

 

[Outlawmws]

Steelkit. Incredible job on that Parker!

What color green is that? I like it for another purpose.

That mushroom handle end would be about perfect on a later Reed with the button head screw

 

[steelkilt]

Yeah, it's funny I thought of that! I dig that look too. Like I say,I was first going to have him make the end cylindrical like the yolk itself, similar to some of the Dunlap and craftsmans. You know the ones, with all the hold down ends and the handle ends all themed the same way? I also new I would be using the finger savers but still couldn't bring myself to"like" the flat underside of the handle end meeting a cylindrical yolk. The interface relationship still lacks continuity, just my opinion.
Color: its just not on the top of my list of cares. I KNOW the work you folks put into your restos, so I think I just look right past the color and look for tips on what to implement on my next resto. That resto was just a culmination of everyone's contribution to the thread so far! Sorry, back to paint, super tough graffiti paints are tops in my book. Why? I have teenagers and I was once a kid so......that's all I'll say. They come in 100's of colors, sometimes fluorescents (think colored chrome) plethora of tips, dries nearly immediately, fairly cheap and way tougher than you might first think. I think the best in the world right now year after year is the"Montana Gold" series? It used to be made in Germany but not sure, Google it if you would, I get mine 5 rattles at a time out of C.A. for about $25 or $30. I'll get a label tonite for you Outlaw. Just keep in mind the pic was taken in a very bright NV sun. So it's actually a shade or two darker than you might be expecting. Just take that into consideration.

 

[Carla]

My father retired from Pratt & Whitney,took a package 55 and out. My fal works for Hamilton Sunstrand (formerly standard) and I used to work at HS until I moved out here. I was able to obtain a vise that my co-worker buddy gave me before it went to surplus.Wasn't nothing super terrific. Wilton bullet 1986 keyway 4". I'll try to dig up a pic but here is one of my latest:
View media item 43100

'Well done', steelkilt......thats some truly excellent refinish work....... : )

cheers

Carla

 

[Thrumcap]

Hi all,

can anyone ID this vise off the top of their head I spotted in the wild? The bolts in the head make me wonder..... owner can't spot any lettering so it might be a clone.



Steelkilt: wow.

Cheers

Thrumcap

 

[GETRIDAONE]

Looks like an old Record. Someone will have more info for you.

 

[Hot Chop shop]

Thanks for all the help... My hands keep going numb from all the grinding (with wire cup) but worth it.

Still trying to find a decent bench buffer to give the handle a nice shine.
Thinking of painting it Incredible Hulk green but I'm boring and will probably go with Red and maybe white or black lettering.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[ritzblitz]

Thanks for the looks Tom.

The mushroom ends really do work well with that vise. And yes, you are my first garage journal customer. That handle has been waiting a while for its home!

Alex

 

[jakemac]

I just finished a 2" clamp-on vise. A few more details here.

 

[zkling]

Amazing job steelkilt!

Very nice, looks new out of the box. Would you have a before picture?

I don't think it looked that good from the factory.

I just finished a 2" clamp-on vise. A few more details here.

Damn nice job Jake. It looks like someone may have inspired you on that one, KMScott perhaps?

 

[Verg]

That Reed is amazing. After browsing through this thread i got instantly hooked. Had to go out a get a nice vice to share with the community for my first post!

3-43 is stamped on the slide ( march 1943 i figure) and the Jaws have the same stamping numbers as the body 2297. hopefully a little spit shine and paint then off to my workbench for the 2nd post. I got a line on possibly the 2nd vise for the collection, a Reed 3c in very nice shape. The seller wants $300 big ones and i could not figure out if that was a sucker price or not.

Thanks for getting me Hooked!

 

[sashae]

Prentiss Bulldog #524 with 4" smooth jaws, swivel base:

Chas. Parker 973 1/2 3.5":

 

[jakemac]

That Reed is amazing. After browsing through this thread i got instantly hooked. Had to go out a get a nice vice to share with the community for my first post!


3-43 is stamped on the slide ( march 1943 i figure) and the Jaws have the same stamping numbers as the body 2297. hopefully a little spit shine and paint then off to my workbench for the 2nd post. I got a line on possibly the 2nd vise for the collection, a Reed 3c in very nice shape. The seller wants $300 big ones and i could not figure out if that was a sucker price or not.

Thanks for getting me Hooked!

Welcome to the forum, and thanks for stopping in to the heavy mental ward.

That's one heck of a great first find.
I can't wait to see what you do with it. You're off to a great start.


If you really want to see some craziness, spend some time in the Garage Sale thread !

 

[balane]

Two excellent vises sashae but I really like that little Parker, it's gorgeous.

Edit: I missed that super Rock Island too. Another great one!

 

[joe.striper]

Ok, found this vise but what is it??? Clearly USA made, and from a factory or town or school. Ive never seen this one before..

 

[va.grouseman]

Welcome Verg and sashae. ---Both of you have jumped out of the gate real strong.---All three vises are really really nice specimens.---Now yaw are hooked.---Now the fun begins.

 

[va.grouseman]

Previously posted by joe.striper.

Ok, found this vise but what is it??? Clearly USA made, and from a factory or town or school. Ive never seen this one before.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Don't know what brand yours is but it is exactly like the Craftsman Rotating Vises.---Zoomy has a couple of those.---I don't know who made them for Craftsman but they are very collectable and probably made that one to. That's the first one I've seen like that, that wasn't a Craftsman.---Joe, look on page 309, and post #6172, at Zoomy's Craftsman.---See what you think.

 

[Thrumcap]

O M G



It's for sale.......



1938 record no 518

height: 15 inches
width: 13 inches
length: 33 inches
jaws: 9 inches
throat: max 15 inches

......but with jaws that wide...is this the fabled 518 1/2??

Thrumcap

 

[rusty65]

You know your getting old when you just can't quit get it up..... but seriously why is it all these good vises get scraped when hunk of junk vises like this one should be.

Sent directly from the Snap On Kool Aid factory.

 

[joe.striper]

Previously posted by joe.striper.

Ok, found this vise but what is it??? Clearly USA made, and from a factory or town or school. Ive never seen this one before.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Don't know what brand yours is but it is exactly like the Craftsman Rotating Vises.---Zoomy has a couple of those.---I don't know who made them for Craftsman but they are very collectable and probably made that one to. That's the first one I've seen like that, that wasn't a Craftsman.---Joe, look on page 309, and post #6172, at Zoomy's Craftsman.---See what you think.

Wow that's a great catch for me VA. Thanks so much. Thats the one. Seller wants $40 seems like a deal. I'm getting it

 

[steelkilt]

KMScott: here's a pic of those jaws. By the way, I'm very confident your 956 will come out very sharp! ! If you have doubt then I suggest you trade with me straight up... as is, this way you can be sure your getting the better end of the deal! View media item 43180The other:View media item 43181FMC1959: I'm usually way to excited to take before pics,i know, I know, I've gotta get better at that if I expect it from others. But as I remember it wasn't a hot mess like some others we've had.

Outlaw: I still like the later Reed ball bearing shaped handle ends on most any other manufacture of ball shaped yolks as well, but I can see on trying new things. Oh, here's a pic of that top notch (no I'm not affiliated with anyone) rattle, http://www.artsupplywarehouse.com/finelineDisplay.php?id=319033
That's where I get it fromView media item 43179

 

[drivesitfar]

Hot Chop: I've seen a deburring wheel on just a standard grinder do an amazing job shining up steel. they can be a little spendy, but i think Amazon had a special for maybe 4 or 6 for a good price if you might have friends and needs for more than just one. I bet your arms are aching and you have only just begun the restoration? the fun part might be getting the dynamic and screw into the static and vise nut correctly with that big guy. we usually have to stand on one leg and stick our tongues out just right to get the 150 pounders together.

one option might be that you already know of is to put the dynamic jaw inside the static and then put the screw in and maybe tighten everything up as it's on it's side. not sure exactly what to tell you to help since I've never touched a vise that big. good luck.

Oldie: i'm pretty sure the past owner of this Holland's 524.5 i picked up the other day was reading he vise thread and wanted to paint a vise Arrest me Red. how did he do? by the way he promised me he wouldn't paint another slide on a vise and maybe not even paint another one after i told him how easy the boiled linseed oil is to apply.

ALL: Holland's vises are some of the best made and easiest to service and to restore that i know of. they are also pretty stout and i think they match up against any of the other old brands.

 

[KMScott]

KMScott: here's a pic of those jaws. By the way, I'm very confident your 956 will come out very sharp! ! If you have doubt then I suggest you trade with me straight up... as is, this way you can be sure your getting the better end of the deal!

Thanks for the picture, look how the jaw serrations were hand cut.