SELL. That's about $5/lb, or >100x scrap value
The VISES of Garage Journal
- Thread starter mjozefow
- Start date
SELL. That's about $5/lb, or >100x scrap value
RADcustom
Well-known member
Mark in Indiana
Well-known member
Someone offered me $300 for my Wilton 1760. It's hard to decide wether I should keep it or sell it for nice profit.
~Veeps
+1 on selling it! Offers like that are far & few between.
Please send him down my way. I have plenty of vises to sell.
bagged89s10
Well-known member
I agree. Thats getting into ebay prices.
+1 on selling it! Offers like that are far & few between.
Please send him down my way. I have plenty of vises to sell.
Thank you all for the reassurance that it's a good idea to sell it. Now hopefully the buyer will come through.
~Veeps
balane
Well-known member
Here's a Rock Island 574. 73 Lbs, 4.5" jaws, manufactured in 1949. The color is Satin Silver Fox Valspar. This might be a tad on the Easter end of the color spectrum, gray with a hint of blue.
Some things I noticed. Not too long ago I had a Craftsman 5197 which has the same size jaws. The weight between the two is within a couple pounds of each other, the Craftsman being slightly heavier. How many 4.5" non-combination vises do you know of that weigh in the 75 pound neighborhood? Not many. Certainly not Columbian and I don't think Reed either which are the other two possibilities discussed. We already know the jaws look extremely similar. One other thing, looking at the two swivel bases, Craftsman and Rock Island, there is no doubt the same company made them. They are the same in every way as far as design and structure.
At this point I'm nearly 100% certain that Rock Island made the 519X series of vises for Craftsman.
P.S. Sorry no stump, wet day in Seattle.
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Some things I noticed. Not too long ago I had a Craftsman 5197 which has the same size jaws. The weight between the two is within a couple pounds of each other, the Craftsman being slightly heavier. How many 4.5" non-combination vises do you know of that weigh in the 75 pound neighborhood? Not many. Certainly not Columbian and I don't think Reed either which are the other two possibilities discussed. We already know the jaws look extremely similar. One other thing, looking at the two swivel bases, Craftsman and Rock Island, there is no doubt the same company made them. They are the same in every way as far as design and structure.
At this point I'm nearly 100% certain that Rock Island made the 519X series of vises for Craftsman.
P.S. Sorry no stump, wet day in Seattle.
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bagged89s10
Well-known member
No i wasn't. I had my import wilton on CL because my buddy didn't come by to buy it. He said "Sell it if you can get $100" so I left it online. The buyer was looking for his father and mentioned he was looking for a wilton bullet like the Wilton snap on he had. So I offered up my 1760. Needs based selling is always easier. We'll see if he emails me back.
~Veeps
Nice, simple and very clean. The red lettering really pops against the blueish (reminds me of a birds egg) paint on the vise.
Does that one have a spring detent on the handle? One thing I've seen different between the craftsman and rock island versions is a spring on the handle of the craftsman units.
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bagged89s10
Well-known member
That's a Thing of Beauty. Certainly looks the same as the craftsman 519x series. And if the weight is that close, it's must have been made by Rock Island.
~Veeps
balane
Well-known member
Thank you.
No spring on this one but to be perfectly honest I can't, at all, remember the 5197 I refinished having a spring detent either.
No spring on this one but to be perfectly honest I can't, at all, remember the 5197 I refinished having a spring detent either.
econotrk
Well-known member
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=273106&stc=1&d=1375754364
In this catalog cut they mention a spring to keep the handle from dropping if that's what you're meaning.
balane
Well-known member
But where is it? I've not seen a center hole on the hub of any of them and I had mine all apart for cleaning and I definitely saw no handle slide retention mechanism.
econotrk
Well-known member
balane
Well-known member
firemanast
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KMScott
Well-known member
Awesome job Balane. You the master, wish I was as efficient and fast as you.
FMC1959
Well-known member
Balane, great job as usual.
A week or so ago you mentioned you have done about 93 Wilton's, not all of them, but many were bullets. Do you keep detailed records of all the vise you have sold?
I was thinking you would have some great data or analysis of selling restored vises. For instance, not sure how much more, but I figure that a bullet brings in more money than another vise (Parker, Reed, Craftsman) with same size jaws.
At the same time, you probably need to pay more for an old bullet. You check CL ads and you can find ratty old Parker or Reed for $20-$30, but Wilton's under $50 or even $100 aren't too common, even if they are beat up.
You have any other "fast facts" you can share with us?
balane
Well-known member
Thanks! I don't keep detailed records on specifics but I do have a nice photo selection of most all of the vises when finished. You guessed it though, Wiltons top end vises sell like no others. Prices for them definitely end up considerably higher than any other similarly sized vise from another manufacturer. I can't say I understand it because they're not my favorites but I'm grateful for it and I jump on them when I can. (Reeds and Parkers are tops in my book if you're interested, ironically those are the two you mentioned.) Yes, the Wiltons do cost me more usually but the margin percentage can easily be better even with that hindrance. I can tell you that people definitely prefer their Wiltons to be in hammered green, so much so that I don't experiment with color on them any longer even though I definitely prefer making every vise unique. (The really old Chicago Wiltons I'll do a lot of times in Leaf Green Satin which is a very close match to their old industrial green.) I wish I could share any secrets with you but there just aren't any. You seem to already have a pretty accurate understanding of the situation. This is all OK because Wilton has sold a ton of vises over the years so I run into more of them than any other single brand by a considerable amount.
FMC1959
Well-known member
All great info.
Like you, I like Wilton's but they are not my favorite. I really like Parkers, but close behind are Reed, Prentiss & Athol...heck there are a bunch I like. Holland, American Scale and others.
I have about 30 vise, not one Wilton. Not by choice, just haven't run across a good deal. There are always Wilton bullet's around, just not great deals. One day I will find a great deal on a C3 or C2 and I will definitely jump on it.
Like you, I like Wilton's but they are not my favorite. I really like Parkers, but close behind are Reed, Prentiss & Athol...heck there are a bunch I like. Holland, American Scale and others.
I have about 30 vise, not one Wilton. Not by choice, just haven't run across a good deal. There are always Wilton bullet's around, just not great deals. One day I will find a great deal on a C3 or C2 and I will definitely jump on it.
econotrk
Well-known member
Very nice Balane, I like how you get the darker look on the slide, handle, and jaws. You may have mentioned it before, but how do you get that finish?
balane
Well-known member
Really nothing special. It's mostly from the electrolysis and then a combination of lighting and Johnson Paste Wax.
Thanks again for the kind words everybody.
Thanks again for the kind words everybody.
That is an impressive amount of restos. What brand of paint is the Leaf Green Satin that you use? Is it correct for all Wiltons made in Chicago to be painted leaf green satin? If not what years are fitting for an accurate resto?
balane
Well-known member
drivesitfar
Well-known member
ZK: I've taken 3 519x series Craftsman vises apart and not one spring. i did have one that had a threaded sleeve that was a PIA to take off. that might have been a PO's attempt to keep the sleeve in place. BC has probably restored 10 of them so maybe he has seen the spring you guys mention.
Balane: i like your idea that Rock Island made the Craftsman 519x series vises because they do have similarities. I still have a thought that they could have been built by Starrett because of the handle and the nice screw in vise nut holders. anybody know what a Starrett vise weighs with a 4.5 inch jaw and a swivel base because i sold the only one i had. i know that it was not a light vise though and mine didn't have a swivel base. good thinking and i was going to say you need to move down to my end of town because it's been sunny since 11am today.
FMC: you are right on about Wiltons having a better resale value. you'll find a nice one or PM me and i'll ship you a non YS deal because i can't remember the last YS Wilton bullet vise i bought. i do have a few though that are patiently waiting for me to use some of the information on Vise Repair 101 thread and spiff them up. no way i'll ever be as quick or good as Balane, but i can try.
Balane: i like your idea that Rock Island made the Craftsman 519x series vises because they do have similarities. I still have a thought that they could have been built by Starrett because of the handle and the nice screw in vise nut holders. anybody know what a Starrett vise weighs with a 4.5 inch jaw and a swivel base because i sold the only one i had. i know that it was not a light vise though and mine didn't have a swivel base. good thinking and i was going to say you need to move down to my end of town because it's been sunny since 11am today.
FMC: you are right on about Wiltons having a better resale value. you'll find a nice one or PM me and i'll ship you a non YS deal because i can't remember the last YS Wilton bullet vise i bought. i do have a few though that are patiently waiting for me to use some of the information on Vise Repair 101 thread and spiff them up. no way i'll ever be as quick or good as Balane, but i can try.
bigcaddy
Well-known member
Negative on the spring assembly but I do know that one I have seems to feel like it does something internal that puts pressure on the op handle. I know the threaded portion was "mated" to the screw so it's possible something was dropped in prior to them being assembled
topop101
Well-known member
Concerning Wiltons value. I think they have done a wonderful job cornering the market at a time when the other big three(Parker ,Reed and athol-starrett) were fading. They have the same name recognition today that the big three did before WW ll. Most buyers today know of only Wilton, vs. Chinese crapola. Percentage wise I make more off of the non bullet wiltons because the pick up price is usually small, but the resale with a bright shine paint and polished WILTON name nets on average about 300% return in 3 to 5 days. I chuckle every time I sell a 645 for 140 +
Wiltons aren't even close to my fav. It wasn't for the bucks they make I wouldn't own one. I like the solid iron jaws. parkers ,athol-starretts, American scale red seal and some reeds are my favs .
Wiltons aren't even close to my fav. It wasn't for the bucks they make I wouldn't own one. I like the solid iron jaws. parkers ,athol-starretts, American scale red seal and some reeds are my favs .
bagged89s10
Well-known member
Were the Schiller parks Wiltons that green color too? I think that green looks really nice.
~Veeps
balane
Well-known member
None that I've seen Bagged.Were the Schiller parks Wiltons that green color too? I think that green looks really nice.
~Veeps
bagged89s10
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Saw this vise for sale but I've never seen one. Anyone know what it is?
~Veeps
~Veeps
vintage nut
Well-known member
I'd buy it even without knowing what it is haha
you can never have too many tools
you can never have too many tools
bagged89s10
Well-known member
topop101
Well-known member
Saw this vise for sale but I've never seen one. Anyone know what it is?
~Veeps
lakeside/lake view... lakeside forge of Erie pa
changed to lake side drop forge co. in 1925
Erie tool works is another div. If you look close you may see an "L" in the keystone logo
That's the best info I have... my memory isn't the best though... Of all the things I have lost in my life , my mind is the thing I miss the most
Thanks, that green does look nice. What brand do you recommend for grey?
balane
Well-known member
No clue, sorry, haven't done a gray vise.
bagged89s10
Well-known member
So my wife and son are asleep so I'm out in the garage. My Wilton has a little original paint left on her. What do you think, sage green?
~Veeps
~Veeps
thundermug
Well-known member
balane - Is that one of the decals I sent you? Looks good on there!
balane
Well-known member
Your vise was gray Bagged.
The decal on the green vise came from Autopts, I think it was his last one.
The decal on the green vise came from Autopts, I think it was his last one.
You made some very nice duplicates back then. Give the members some photos again and what you would like for donations. Most of us forgot, they are awesome!!
demoman
Well-known member
Saw this vise for sale but I've never seen one. Anyone know what it is?
~Veeps
That is a Keystone vise made by Hollands. Somewhere on here I posted the wholw hollands catalog i have and it shows this model. Can't find the catalog right now!
36truck
Well-known member
My vises First a Wilton then a blacksmith one on a bench my dad & I made. Then the odd ball vise anyone what this is????
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