The VISES of Garage Journal

[joe.striper]

Wow what a day in RI! Yes those are 7", 8" blacksmith vises and a 5 "Wilton. Details to follow.

 

[Cypherian]

Wondered why all the clouds were heading north !!! It would be because of the large sucking going on up there ;?)

Cypher

 

[joe.striper]

Wow what a day in RI! Yes those are 7", 8" blacksmith vises and a 5 "Wilton. Details to follow.

OK, details. Saturday I sit down after 8 hours in the shop, mix a drink and jump on CL. I saw a listing for a large blacksmith vise that had been up for 18 minutes. I immediately call and leave a message. Seller calls back 10 minutes later. Yes it is 7" and 150 lbs. I make arrangements to go see it in Newport the next day.

I get there and it is outside his shop and it is gorgeous, complete and 7" jaws are excellent. I ask as always 'any other vises' and he says yes but its bigger and beat up. So I follow him the the back corner of his shop and he rolls out this monster. Covered in cobwebs and spiders. It is 8" jaws and at least 250 lbs. Took three of us to get it in the car. He apologized for not having the original hardware but I didn't care. How much I ask....he continues....' It came from the Newport Naval Yard. It functions perfectly and the jaws are excellent. It was welded to a post so I had to cut it off, we put the rope on it to hold the handle in place because it nearly took off our fingers.....do you think $100 is too much?'

Ahhhh the angels sighed and the birds sang....while his brother went to get a hand truck I showed him my vise restorations and the little 2.5" Wilton. 'Oh thats cute' he says 'I've got his big brother next door'. I'm shaking now how big is it? Is he selling it?

We walk back over and there on the floor is a 5" fixed base bullet in really good shape. I ask 'is it for sale?' He says 'sure is $50 OK?' Now I'm shaking like a leaf. Do I have enough on me? NO!!!!! I go to my car trying to look cool and I beg my wife and daughter for cash. Between us I have $275 not the 300 I need. I go back and ask if he can point me to an ATM or I can give him a check. He says 'no worries $270 is fine' and hands me back $5 'for bridge tolls' he says and we shake hands.

So I bought a 7" & 8" blacksmith vise and 5" Wilton bullet for $270! One Helluva day!

 

[tedsters]

Joe

it seems like you always come out on the better end, glad someone is getting some good deals



OH YEA, YOU **** JOE

 

[vintage nut]

You ****!

you can never have too many tools

 

[vintage nut]

Oh yeah I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this, but the 7.25" blacksmith vise without a handle, plus the really nice 4" one, and the 4" Colombian for 75 bucks total

you can never have too many tools

 

[Nuts]

Opinions?:

Over the years I've seen the term "HEAVY DUTY" used to describe bench vises that I would consider to be home owner's vises or mechanic's vises.

What vises do you guys & gals consider to be heavy duty?

Mark, I'm not sure of the why, but these are the same people that thinks a Toyota is a truck


Nuts

 

[joe.striper]

Joe

it seems like you always come out on the better end, glad someone is getting some good deals



OH YEA, YOU **** JOE

Ted, I'm like a bad gambler, i NEVER brag about my losses.

 

[PinchPoint]

Mark: i agree with Outlaw that swivel jaw vises even the huge ones shouldn't be hammered on and i'm not a fan of hitting any huge vises either. as far as labeling HEAVY DUTY on a vise i don't think we need to get up to 130 pounds like VA mentions before we find them. of course those usually qualify without a doubt. i have an 80 pound Reed 2C i would consider HEAVY DUTY because it will hold anything and I've even had it hold a 50 pound dumbbell to get the plates off when my Reed 2C was just sitting on the floor. i needed to remove a seized bolt in the end the dumbbell handle and with all my effort the vise stayed in place and i was able to remove the bolt. it does work better mounted to a bench and just saying. also we'll never teach all the Craigs or Ebay sellers how to write their ads so having the knowledge is key. i can't tell you how many of those old made in Japan Craftsman vises I've seen on very handy guy's shop benches. it was a well made vise and lasted years if treated like a vise should be.

PP: you usually post on here showing a vise you either are putting up for auction or already sold and getting ready to ship which is similar to what a few guys do. As i know that i was still just trying to help you because i can't tell you how many guys tell me it's an easy fix and want me to pay top dollar for something and i know it's at least an hour and more like 2 or a day's worth of my time to fix it. My (our) time is worth something so if somebody sells me a 60 or 100 year old tool in perfect shape that i can use it when i get it home i'll pay a premium especially if i can use it then. happy to hear you got the 5198 cleaned up a bit more and with a little grease and the screw found and adjusted it might work even better. I (we) hope you stick around to post comments on here about other guy's and gal's vises if you have wisdom to share and keep finding these rare gems and saving them.

ALL: so yesterday i actually painted something almost pertaining to a vise because it's going to have my Reed 4C sitting on it soon. it was 90+ degrees in the shop so i didn't quite finish, but for a couple hours work and 4 cans of white rustoleum i think it looks better. i used a wire cup grinder on my 7.5 inch DeWalt hand grinder and put WD 40 on the top for now and probably will use Johnson paste wax or maybe Fluid Film for the duration. The bench might look better with my 4C on top of it so i'll try to get to that this week because it's raining today.

cheers

I really in the beginning didn't want to mess with The Holy Grail Vise. People who collect rare items want you not to touch them. Because they feel you will mess them up. And if this vise is one of three known to exist it should not be messed with very much. As far as lube and adjustments that's a non issue as the way I see it. This is part of owning items they need up keep. And a 5/16" round head screw is not a huge dollar deduction on a vise. It will sell for a tidy sum ( flippers will flop ) if it's really one of three.

 

[oldldh]

It will sell for a tidy sum ( flippers will flop ) if it's really one of three.

As far as we know...

So far, BigCaddy has one that came from the mountains in California...

And the one you have...

And one up on the East Coast...

Makes it one of three...

There are numerous 5197's around, but 98's are rare...

And I'm still looking...

 

[topop101]

Well here is a 9400 Wilton is finished. The buyer wanted a Wilton from the 60's painted to match , or close match to his 1930's SNAP ONtool box and wanted it to shine. The 9400 is a 12-64, and I bought this vise with brass jaws in it. The buyer wished for new ones. I printed off the imagines of "our man Kevin's" jaws and that was all it took. If you haven't bought a set of jaws from him yet you will ! I know I certainly will again. !

 

[Outlawmws]

Well, he finally quit accusing me of hiding one under my bench!

 

[oldldh]

Well, he finally quit accusing me of hiding one under my bench!

Now that you mention it...

Thanks for reminding me!!!

 

[topop101]

Opinions?:

Over the years I've seen the term "HEAVY DUTY" used to describe bench vises that I would consider to be home owner's vises or mechanic's vises.

What vises do you guys & gals consider to be heavy duty?

I think if the model number contains an "X" it certainly qualifies as heavy duty, Maybe even X-tra heavy duty

 

[econotrk]

New pictures of the 5198.

Got a bit behind on this thread while I was on vacation, thought I'd better get caught up and what do you know. Congrats PP on finding the third, hope a member here winds up with it. Sure like to see pics of it restored to its proper glory.

Big Caddy will always have the glory of owning #1, here's a pic of #2.

 

[ganymede]

Wow what a day in RI! Yes those are 7", 8" blacksmith vises and a 5 "Wilton. Details to follow.

Damn you. Now I know why I can scour CL like a hawk for weeks and find nothing!

Good scores.

 

[firemanast]

Well here is a 9400 Wilton is finished. The buyer wanted a Wilton from the 60's painted to match , or close match to his 1930's SNAP ONtool box and wanted it to shine. The 9400 is a 12-64, and I bought this vise with brass jaws in it. The buyer wished for new ones. I printed off the imagines of "our man Kevin's" jaws and that was all it took. If you haven't bought a set of jaws from him yet you will ! I know I certainly will again. !

Very nice job well done !

 

[topop101]

What is this??? Looks European maybe?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-4-1-2-B...543?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d34830ce7

 

[Outlawmws]

Well, at least they didn't say it was "Heavy Duty"...

 

[topop101]

Well, at least they didn't say it was "Heavy Duty"...

....

 

[Blue Frog]

I picked up a Prentiss #2 off C/L today for $20.00. It has the most unusual old break I've seen on a vise and a very old weld job for repair. The small piece of iron that sticks out in front of he base of the static jaw and underneath the slide seems to be the only part affected by the break. I plan to clean it, lather it good with some oil, mount it. and put it to use. The replacement for the swivel pin is a bolt that has been taper ground and fits rather well.





Aa view of one side showing the weld.





A view of the other side showing the weld.





The swivel works fine.





And is this the manufacture date?





Blue

 

[jrobb316]

2 or 19 is the dynamic jaw that would go in either a model 2 (stationary) or 19 (swivel base). Its not a date. The jaw support was broken from someone swinging a hammer down on the work.

 

[scooternut]

My Columbian 504 1/2 craigslist $40 refresh job. Really happy with this beast for the price. A friend in my life is likely to get VERY lucky with a bench score!

Proving to be my favorite paint combo (after electrolysis), rustoleum brush on rusty metal primer (oil based) and oil based brush on smoke gray, with oil based flat black applied to the letters via the rolled up blue shop paper towel dobber method. I use the chip brushes from HF cheap as the paint applies very thick and settles consistent.

View media item 51646View media item 51134

 

[quik1500]

I was at my dad's house today looking around and I thought I would take a few quick pics. The first one is a fjt 6", the second one is a reed 403.5, I'm not sure about the other 2.

View media item 51647
View media item 51648
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[bagged89s10]

I sold a tool cabinet that helped me clear some space in my garage, which made me motivated to do some cleaning and organizing. I decided to throw some swivel casters on an old base that my band saw was mounted on. There was a hole in it so I set my Oswego on it to get it out of the way. Then I kind of decided to bolt and screw some more vises on it.






I also bought 4 cans of krylon at michaels with a 40% off your entire purchase coupon.

And the rest of my paint lineup. What color to use next? I think my Wilton 9-500 will get pistachio, my Parker 974 jade, the other Parker 974 sea glass. Oil rubbed bronze for the rock island and Parker no.2. Copper for the Parker no. 33. I'm hoping krylon hammered black is actually black because I want to paint the athol 623 black.

 

[bl00]

What is this??? Looks European maybe?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-4-1-2-B...543?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d34830ce7

That was made in Ohio by the Fulton Drop Forge Co. Here's an advertisement from 1925 showing the vise.

 

[scooternut]

Wow bagged! That is one heavy table. Love it.

 

[bagged89s10]

Wow bagged! That is one heavy table. Love it.

Thanks. It's temp storage for now and nice to not keep moving vises around until I finish them and find a permanent home for each. I also threw a shelf on the bottom to store some heavy electric motors and a heavy table saw top to add weight to the bottom. I actually used the Wilton and rock island while on the table last night and the thing doesn't move.

 

[Outlawmws]

That was made in Ohio by the Fulton Drop Forge Co. Here's an advertisement from 1925 showing the vise.

So based on that, another vise that predates the Wilton/other designs, all it lacks is the covered back half. That may even be before the Bugatti, but not before the Colton, which was an 1885 patent, and also uses a similar slide.

Cool find on the Ad Bl00!

 

[PinchPoint]

Got a bit behind on this thread while I was on vacation, thought I'd better get caught up and what do you know. Congrats PP on finding the third, hope a member here winds up with it. Sure like to see pics of it restored to its proper glory.

Big Caddy will always have the glory of owning #1, here's a pic of #2.

Looks very nice. I have my 3D printer hard at work on the 4th.

 

[FMC1959]

That was made in Ohio by the Fulton Drop Forge Co. Here's an advertisement from 1925 showing the vise.

Great find B100. You fit the role of the stereotype in some movies or TV shows when someone needs info and goes down to the records dept. Usually the person there has been doing it eons & has rows and rows of shelves with info going back to the Ten Commandments. The best part is they know where everything is! Your the records man for this thread

Opinions?:

Over the years I've seen the term "HEAVY DUTY" used to describe bench vises that I would consider to be home owner's vises or mechanic's vises.

What vises do you guys & gals consider to be heavy duty?

Heavy Duty on CL or ebay means they want you to think it is worth more. Just like vintage, a 5 year old made in China vise that has been beaten and used hard so that it looks like it is 50+ years old, is considered vintage

The best is when they have a gigantic, or humongous, or incredibly big, or a monster of a vise for sale, it must be a least 40 lbs!

 

[va.grouseman]

Originally posted by Outlawmws.

So based on that, another vise that predates the Wilton/other designs, all it lacks is the covered back half. That may even be before the Bugatti, but not before the Colton, which was an 1885 patent, and also uses a similar slide.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


You're right Outlaw.---If one can't come with an originally idea, one may have to steal someone else's.---Or maybe just parts of it, and then maybe a tweak or two and some shiny paint, and then you have an original.---Been a whole lot of that going on down through the years.---A good idea bears repeating, especially if it's making money.


B100---You are a walking encyclopedia.

 

[454ragtop]

Reasonably priced Reed on the 'Bay http://www.ebay.com/itm/301673286019?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT in NY.

 

[Outlawmws]

You're right Outlaw.---If one can't come with an originally idea, one may have to steal someone else's.---Or maybe just parts of it, and then maybe a tweak or two and some shiny paint, and then you have an original.---Been a whole lot of that going on down through the years.---A good idea bears repeating, especially if it's making money.

.

Yep, the time line near as I can make it (So far) for the round slides are:

1885 - Colton
Bugatti
1930's York
1940s Wilton
Other copy cats…

Reasonably priced Reed on the 'Bay http://www.ebay.com/itm/301673286019?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT in NY.

Needs to be a local PU to stay reasonable though...

 

[bl00]

Outlaw, here are a few more round sliders added to your list:

1874- Penfield - also had a full covered slide and rotating jaw to boot
1885 - Colton
1904 Prentiss Bingham patent (I think it was later named the Anchor)
1907: Reed patent vise (bought out by Fulton a year or two later)
1907 Sterling - looks like the bottom of the round slide is cut away
1909 ish - F&R, Loweville NY
Bugatti
1930's York
1940s Wilton
Other copy cats…

 

[PinchPoint]

Originally posted by Outlawmws.

So based on that, another vise that predates the Wilton/other designs, all it lacks is the covered back half. That may even be before the Bugatti, but not before the Colton, which was an 1885 patent, and also uses a similar slide.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


You're right Outlaw.---If one can't come with an originally idea, one may have to steal someone else's.---Or maybe just parts of it, and then maybe a tweak or two and some shiny paint, and then you have an original.---Been a whole lot of that going on down through the years.---A good idea bears repeating, especially if it's making money.



B100---You are a walking encyclopedia.

People copied my work when it started selling.

 

[bigcaddy]

OK, details. Saturday I sit down after 8 hours in the shop, mix a drink and jump on CL. I saw a listing for a large blacksmith vise that had been up for 18 minutes. I immediately call and leave a message. Seller calls back 10 minutes later. Yes it is 7" and 150 lbs. I make arrangements to go see it in Newport the next day.

I get there and it is outside his shop and it is gorgeous, complete and 7" jaws are excellent. I ask as always 'any other vises' and he says yes but its bigger and beat up. So I follow him the the back corner of his shop and he rolls out this monster. Covered in cobwebs and spiders. It is 8" jaws and at least 250 lbs. Took three of us to get it in the car. He apologized for not having the original hardware but I didn't care. How much I ask....he continues....' It came from the Newport Naval Yard. It functions perfectly and the jaws are excellent. It was welded to a post so I had to cut it off, we put the rope on it to hold the handle in place because it nearly took off our fingers.....do you think $100 is too much?'

Ahhhh the angels sighed and the birds sang....while his brother went to get a hand truck I showed him my vise restorations and the little 2.5" Wilton. 'Oh thats cute' he says 'I've got his big brother next door'. I'm shaking now how big is it? Is he selling it?

We walk back over and there on the floor is a 5" fixed base bullet in really good shape. I ask 'is it for sale?' He says 'sure is $50 OK?' Now I'm shaking like a leaf. Do I have enough on me? NO!!!!! I go to my car trying to look cool and I beg my wife and daughter for cash. Between us I have $275 not the 300 I need. I go back and ask if he can point me to an ATM or I can give him a check. He says 'no worries $270 is fine' and hands me back $5 'for bridge tolls' he says and we shake hands.

So I bought a 7" & 8" blacksmith vise and 5" Wilton bullet for $270! One Helluva day!

Jesus, are they gonna come paint the house next weekend too?

 

[bigcaddy]

As far as we know...

So far, BigCaddy has one that came from the mountains in California...

And the one you have...

And one up on the East Coast...

Makes it one of three...

There are numerous 5197's around, but 98's are rare...

And I'm still looking...

Speaking of 5197s, i just found another but it might be a while before i can take delivery. Not to mention ill be getting another 5198 tomorrow off ebay

 

[Outlawmws]

Bl00, I'd class the Penfield and Reed Patent vise with the rotating head vises (Later copied and made in their millions out of Asia...) , but I see where you make the connection...

Is that Penfield the earliest rotating jaw? If so, that would be the original ancestor for those...

 

[joe.striper]

Jesus, are they gonna come paint the house next weekend too?

well they did load them in the car for me....i just have no way to get the big one out.