The VISES of Garage Journal

[joe.striper]

I agree 100% Joe I just posted how I ship vise's then see pp ship a vise like that in card board and foam.: bitchslap.

Is that 3/4" ply? Wow that's more heavily packaged than mine. Thata a lot of work for a crappy Craftsman!

 

[bagged89s10]

My plan is to ship all my vises with a 2x10 base. I think I heard JB doing that and I thought it was a great idea. I got some scrap 2x10s for free at lowes so why not. I just need to go grab some free pallet wood now.

 

[topop101]

Is that 3/4" ply? Wow that's more heavily packaged than mine. Thata a lot of work for a crappy Craftsman!

No , it's 7/16. And it takes about 25 minutes to build... of course I also wouldn't need 3 big yanks to pick a lil vise out of a trunk either

You should be happy I'm sending that beautiful Craftsman to the north east... I guess quality is hard to find up there

 

[Mark97303]

4 feet, pat pend, fish hooks, date, 4 inches wide. #4 jaws look original but don't know for sure..not checkered,,,,straight lines across jaws.

 

[topop101]

4 feet, pat pend, fish hooks, date, 4 inches wide. #4 jaws look original but don't know for sure..not checkered,,,,straight lines across jaws.

Well that would be the first that I have seen ... a pat. pend. With a date. Every one I have ever had has been blank.

 

[balane]

Well that would be the first that I have seen ... a pat. pend. With a date. Every one I have ever had has been blank.

Same here.

 

[drivesitfar]

Top & Balane: there has been quite a few Patent pending bullets with dates on them. I've got one with 10/46 and a lot of them with the 1945 dates on them. check out the wilton bullet vise stamping thread if you want to see a few or ask Bluebolt for his excel sheet.

Joe: nice to have friends isn't it? i'm hoping to find one of those old beasts in my neck of the woods some day. i turned down a couple 100 plus pound 6 inchers so i can save funds for the big un.

ALL: cheers all and in case you didn't know it's 90 here in Seattle and we haven't had any rain in weeks now. almost too hot to work on or touch steel outside tonight but i finished the steel table and found a spot for it. now to pick which vise either the Reed 4c or the Reed 2c. i'm leaning toward making a stand for the 4C so the 2C might have a home on this bench soon.

 

[blevins]

Here Is my small contribution to this thread. It's a Reed 3c, I found at a farm auction. Finally got it cleaned up and put on a stand.

 

[oldldh]

Blevins---

That's nice...

Ya Dun Gud, Bubba!!!

 

[PinchPoint]

I agree 100% Joe I just posted how I ship vise's then see pp ship a vise like that in card board and foam.: bitchslap.

Internal air space needs to be filled in your packaging. The box needs to transfer energy from bottom to top of package. End to end and side to side. You never know how a box will hit the ground when dropped. But I know for sure the vises ears will take all the pressure in your pictures. That is your only attachment point. The pressure will be nuts unless you added washers. You can bolt on it!

 

[topop101]

Internal air space needs to be filled in your packaging. The box needs to transfer energy from bottom to top of package. End to end and side to side. You never know how a box will hit the ground when dropped. But I know for sure the vises ears will take all the pressure in your pictures. That is your only attachment point. The pressure will be nuts unless you added washers. You can bolt on it!

Of course there are washers... And I ship FINISHED vise's. Full contact is a no-no.

 

[drivesitfar]

ALL: there's a nice Parker 974.5 in Philadelphia, PA that is on a nice stand for $215 if anybody needs one. it's early for me, but it looks like a solid vise so check it out in person to make sure if you are interested. if it doesn't have any welds or cracks under the new paint those jaws look almost new and i like the simple stand too.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=237752&highlight=homemade+electrolysis

 

[twertsy]

I saw that one this morning Drives, particularly since I'm headed that way this afternoon after picking up the other one I emailed you about.

 

[drivesitfar]

Twertsy: didn't know it was that close to you. i'm not a Parker fan, but the owner looks like he did a great job restoring an already decent vise with that one. i also saw a $60 Rock Island in that area that is a 5 inch jaw, but it was missing a foot on the swivel base. it's a good vise for that price i think, but too pricy for me to ship on top of that.

good luck with the morning CL purchases

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Of course there are washers... And I ship FINISHED vise's. Full contact is a no-no.

Have you considered clamping a 4x2 or similar in the jaws and then when you build the box it gives you something to screw into thus supporting the vise even more without affecting the finish? Just something that popped into my head

 

[GETRIDAONE]

CW. That's a great idea.

 

[skunkape1]

Hello from the guy who will soon be in the midst of an apparent messy blizzard in my garage according to a couple of posters here. When said blizzard finally relents, I will be faced with a rare vise mangled beyond recognition.

Ok, the above is my attempt at humor and I hope I didn't offend anyone with my first post as I will be looking for some help restoring this vise. I have plenty of experience restoring vises and numerous other items but nothing approaching this supposed level of scarcity. Due to this scarcity, I will need to summon patience I don't think I possess.

I have a couple of questions to start.

I assume the paint remaining on the 5198 is the original. Is that correct and can anyone help with info about this paint and/or a suitable match?

Second question is regarding the missing vise nut screw. To me it looks like it might be a 5/16" fillister head screw. Is there anything special about the screw that would be helpful?

Thanks in advance and I will definitely post when the vise arrives and after restoration.

 

[joe.striper]

Joe: nice to have friends isn't it? i'm hoping to find one of those old beasts in my neck of the woods some day. i turned down a couple 100 plus pound 6 inchers so i can save funds for the big un.

Drivesitfar, I really like this 8" and I have already built it 7 or 8 times in my head. I wander into my shop 3-4 times a day just to stare at it. It is just so MASSIVE! Really I'd rather have this than a Prentiss 8" chipping vise!

 

[Shiftless]

Hello Skunkape1 and welcome to the board.
Thank you for posting as the buyer of the vise that has lately been the center of much chatter here.
We all await news and pics of your newest project.

 

[Tyberius]

Hello ....

Cool! I was outbid very early on. I look forward to seeing it!

 

[drivesitfar]

APE: your 5198 i'm assuming is coming from PP's garage? congrats on your purchase and i'm pretty sure that the whitish isn't original paint. it was probably a blueish grey and you can see a 5198 restoration over in the vintage tool section that Econ started with his he just finished. here's the color i think that was original to it on my 5196 and maybe they had other colors and i'll let others say if they think so.

congrats on your purchase and welcome to the forum and hope you stick around while you are taking control of your garage again.

Joe: yep that's the vise i want sitting out in front of my new garage some day.

CW: damn good idea with the 2 x 4 in the jaws.

 

[joe.striper]

Have you considered clamping a 4x2 or similar in the jaws and then when you build the box it gives you something to screw into thus supporting the vise even more without affecting the finish? Just something that popped into my head

Cwazy I do that all the time. Sometimes, as with VA's Red Seal, it is impossible because I just BARELY fit the vise in the box I had, and opening the jaws even an inch would have spelled disaster.

I really wish there was a better solution. Between the cost of materials to pack a vise, the cost to ship it, and the time it takes to accomplish both, making money flipping stuff, unless you steal it and find a rube to overpay for it, doesn't make much financial sense. This is why I am sooo frustrated with what I see out here. I would LOVE to ship many of these 50-60 dollar vises out but I'd be losing $$ by the time I was done. I see so many nice pieces but how many vises do I need?

Here's a perfect example. http://worcester.craigslist.org/tls/5071705323.html

I called this guy, Alex. Retired nice guy, lousy ad. He is selling a 5" fixed base Columbian (1930s Vintage), a 4" Athol fixed base and a 6" Bridgeport style vise, all for $120 total. What am I going to do with these? Clean them a little and resell them to make 20 or 30 bucks? I know you'd all love to have them but there is just no way to get them out....Oh well, thanks for letting me vent!

 

[econotrk]

APE: your 5198 i'm assuming is coming from PP's garage? congrats on your purchase and i'm pretty sure that the whitish isn't original paint. it was probably a blueish grey and you can see a 5198 restoration over in the vintage tool section that Econ started with his he just finished. here's the color i think that was original to it on my 5196 and maybe they had other colors and i'll let others say if they think so.

I agree with you Drives on the color, the pic you show is the same shade as mine was in when I got it. The color I chose was a very close match.

Welcome to the forum Skunk

 

[bigcaddy]

Welcome, Skunkape.

Ill let the fact slide that you currently own 25% of the worlds Craftsman 5198 reserves, I was hoping for a 50% ownership stake, but congrats on your purchase.

If you are trying to match paint, Drivesitfar posted some decent pictures of the original color. I might have a paint chip from some custom paint i had mixed years ago but ill have to find it. I have 2 of 3 in original paint but they are too grimey to get a good sample from. You should see the looks on the paint counter employees face when you hand them a dynamic jaw for a color match

As for the hardware, the screw isn't Filister head, its just a standard button head. I find that stainless steel looks the best when trying to match old hardware. The zinc **** is too bright, not that its visible on this application, but i might be a vise snob when it comes to that particular vise series.

If you have more questions, I have quite a few examples to pull info from.

 

[bluebolt]

March 9 1945

Actually from the other dates I have seen that is just March 1945.

 

[bluebolt]

Well that would be the first that I have seen ... a pat. pend. With a date. Every one I have ever had has been blank.

From looking at my database about 25% of Pat Pending's have dates.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Cwazy I do that all the time. Sometimes, as with VA's Red Seal, it is impossible because I just BARELY fit the vise in the box I had, and opening the jaws even an inch would have spelled disaster.

I really wish there was a better solution. Between the cost of materials to pack a vise, the cost to ship it, and the time it takes to accomplish both, making money flipping stuff, unless you steal it and find a rube to overpay for it, doesn't make much financial sense. This is why I am sooo frustrated with what I see out here. I would LOVE to ship many of these 50-60 dollar vises out but I'd be losing $$ by the time I was done. I see so many nice pieces but how many vises do I need?

Here's a perfect example. http://worcester.craigslist.org/tls/5071705323.html

I called this guy, Alex. Retired nice guy, lousy ad. He is selling a 5" fixed base Columbian (1930s Vintage), a 4" Athol fixed base and a 6" Bridgeport style vise, all for $120 total. What am I going to do with these? Clean them a little and resell them to make 20 or 30 bucks? I know you'd all love to have them but there is just no way to get them out....Oh well, thanks for letting me vent!

Shipping is what kills this hobby, even in this little country over here It's a shame as I'm fairly certain a lot ends up going for scrap because of it.

I'm off to collect a couple tonight, I'll probably attempt to flip a few of them but will no doubt make a loss just to get the ones I really want.

 

[econotrk]

Welcome, Skunkape.

Ill let the fact slide that you currently own 25% of the worlds Craftsman 5198 reserves, I was hoping for a 50% ownership stake, but congrats on your purchase.

Not 25% but our stock is at 33.333% per as of today. It'll take another 5198 find to lower us each to 25%.

 

[Mark in Indiana]

I haven't posted in a while but I thought this was worth it here's what I picked up today. Numbers under slide are 3-945. How do I interpret that ? It's a number 4. I thought for 75 bucks I could not go wrong. Where is a kid when you need one. Can't get picture flipped over,,, little help. Need to stick to home comp instead of phone.

Good find!

I saw some comments that the Pat Pend Wiltons didn't have date stamps. As I understand, the ones without date stamps were sold to the government. My Wilton has a date stamp of 11-45.

I noticed that your vise doesn't have any embellishments cast into the moving jaw (that I could see). Mine has an 840 cast in one side and a circled L on the other side. Maybe some Wilton experts can chime in?

 

[va.grouseman]

That's right Bigcaddy, you would have had 66% of the market if you had of won the auction, and with 66% you could have forced a sale of the third one.---You missed your window.---The more of them that are found, the harder it's going to be to corner the market.

 

[jreb10]

I have a couple of questions to start.

I assume the paint remaining on the 5198 is the original. Is that correct and can anyone help with info about this paint and/or a suitable match?

Second question is regarding the missing vise nut screw. To me it looks like it might be a 5/16" fillister head screw. Is there anything special about the screw that would be helpful?

Thanks in advance and I will definitely post when the vise arrives and after restoration.

Hello Ape,

Glad to know a 5198 will be in Arlington, MN maybe 50 miles from me. That may be as close as I ever come to one!

I just finished a 5191 and a 5195, and went through the whole "What's close to the original color?" thing. One thing I learned is that colors seem to look different on a vise than they do on a paint chip. I had to spray the paint on a metal bar, and hold it next to a scrap of the remaining paint to see the match.

It may spare you that labor if you see my post with the info on this thread, Page 1561, post #31210.

Here is the picture of the repaint:



As far as the main nut adjustment screw goes, my experience has been that you can get the backlash pretty low without even using that feature. So don't sweat the screw details too much, just find one that fits so the vise is "complete".

Edit: Also see Scimonetti's post #31213 for another comparison.

 

[nh_yota]

Question for all of you who've restored vises - what's the best and or/easiest way to remove rust? Wire wheel or some steel wool? I don't have a blasting cabinet.

 

[bigcaddy]

Question for all of you who've restored vises - what's the best and or/easiest way to remove rust? Wire wheel or some steel wool? I don't have a blasting cabinet.

electrolysis is the most gentle but also the longest. Soft steel or brass bristle wire wheels work great, A cup brush gets in the tight spots and a die grinder will round out the hard to reach areas.

 

[bigcaddy]

Not 25% but our stock is at 33.333% per as of today. It'll take another 5198 find to lower us each to 25%.

i thought there were 4. Mine, yours, somebody in New Jersey and then Skunkape?

Didn't Oldie run down the list of owners a few pages ago?

 

[twertsy]

Picking this up in the morning. I know the slide is damaged, but I think it's fixable and this brute was only $20! How could I say no?

 

[joe.striper]

Wilton C0 I just finished today. Came out OK. Jaws are good but spindle was modified to a fine thread and the spindle nut was modified. Very well done but modified nonetheless. I'm going to fully disclose and put it on CL for $199.

It opens and shuts fine, is nice and tight. Too bad about the modification though. If it were a C2 or 3 I'd have completely redone it.

 

[oldldh]

BC---The one that just caused all the interest is #3...The one on the East Coast came out of the hurricane wreckage in NJ...Is #1...Then there is yours...#2...And now this one...there are others, I hope...cheaper and closer...I hope...

And because I forget things, as I grow older...remember the one Outlaw has stashed under his workbench...

"Skunkape1"---here are all the photos I have of, what I think, is the original color for the 519X series vises...

The first two photos are Big Caddy's 5198, before he restored it...the second set are of the 5196 that sold for around $300.00 about 18 months ago, on Ebay...

Again, welcome to the board...

I think...

Maybe...

 

[joe.striper]

One of my minion found this today for $50 for me. Yes it is a C2. Needs an *** but I can hadle that. Happy Dance!

 

[joe.striper]

Look what some crapster GJ lowlife mouth breeder bought for $15 before I could get to it!

Rat *******! Guy needs a New Jersey dirt nap!

 

[oldldh]

Look what some crapster GJ lowlife mouth breeder bought for $15 before I could get to it!

Rat *******! Guy needs a New Jersey dirt nap!

OK...I'll play...

What size is it???