The VISES of Garage Journal
- Thread starter mjozefow
- Start date
jakemac
Well-known member
I found a Reed 103 this morning for $20 at an otherwise disappointing sale. It was the only thing worth taking home.
Under the brush-bomb paint job, it's in good shape. Just a small chip in the dynamic jaw and some minor slop in the screw. There's a small bend in the handle, easily fixed with a BFH. The jaws are somewhat smoothed out from use, but they were never sharp to begin with. Otherwise they're in good shape.
It will be some time before I can get to work on it, but it will be a nice little clamper when I do. For now, into the pile it goes.
For those of you making handles, the last two pictures show how the balls were attached to the handle. Both ends were done the same.
Under the brush-bomb paint job, it's in good shape. Just a small chip in the dynamic jaw and some minor slop in the screw. There's a small bend in the handle, easily fixed with a BFH. The jaws are somewhat smoothed out from use, but they were never sharp to begin with. Otherwise they're in good shape.
It will be some time before I can get to work on it, but it will be a nice little clamper when I do. For now, into the pile it goes.
For those of you making handles, the last two pictures show how the balls were attached to the handle. Both ends were done the same.
Attachments
Last edited:
bagged89s10
Well-known member
Do you think parker 974s were this color from the factory?
Short time in the etank fully assembled yesterday took everything off except that little paint. I threw it back in for final cleanup.
Short time in the etank fully assembled yesterday took everything off except that little paint. I threw it back in for final cleanup.
KMScott
Well-known member
I agree.
CwazyWabbit
Well-known member
I wouldn't mind betting that picture was taken with a mobile phone, that's some pretty impressive lens distortion ..... or perhaps a tapered bench as well
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Hemi: you can always PM one of us or put up a question in the vise repair 101 thread if you are about to drill into a vise before you do. i like McB's reason for those pins and i also thought it was holding my first swivel jaw in place and it was only rusted in place from not being moved in almost 100 years. some of the old guys didn't ever use the swivel jaw and some that owned them for 50 years or more didn't know they swiveled at all.
as far as the pin you might get lucky by taking a small bolt and pushing the pin out from down below. if it's stuck spray some Kroil or PB on it and let it soak and try again. Getridofone made a little nut and bolt sort of press to pop them out from down below up and out and he posted pictures on the 101 thread or maybe he'll post it again here.
Fretters: do tell why you decided on SHOE POLISH? is it dry to the touch? looks great in my opinion. i just saw your explanation so if you already said all you wanted to i'm good with that. or if you have more i'm all ears. cool looking vise and maybe a good working one too. easy to get CHUFFED about that vice. congrats
as far as the pin you might get lucky by taking a small bolt and pushing the pin out from down below. if it's stuck spray some Kroil or PB on it and let it soak and try again. Getridofone made a little nut and bolt sort of press to pop them out from down below up and out and he posted pictures on the 101 thread or maybe he'll post it again here.
Fretters: do tell why you decided on SHOE POLISH? is it dry to the touch? looks great in my opinion. i just saw your explanation so if you already said all you wanted to i'm good with that. or if you have more i'm all ears. cool looking vise and maybe a good working one too. easy to get CHUFFED about that vice. congrats
Last edited:
bagged89s10
Well-known member
Cheers chaps.
The finish is merely plain old shoe polish. More specifically, two coats of dark tan followed by a coat of black and finished with a coat of neutral. Each coat was given around half hour to one hour to harden, and then buffed with a brush and cloth. All bright & machined surfaces were given a coat of neutral.
Been meaning to try this method of finishing for a good while now, to see whether it would work or not, and this BB seemed the prime candidate. Neither burgundy nor linseed oil took my fancy for this one, (they just didn't seem appropriate in my minds eye, somehow), so decided to try for an aged look, (hence the various colours used), with the polish.
I'm in the land of eternal damp.
The whole swivel & tilt thing being incorporated within the vice itself is nice on these. 4" jaws too. It's getting hold of these which is the surprisingly awkward part though. It's taken me around three or four years to get a hold of one. For a small vice, they do seem to be very few and far between. I let one slip a couple of years ago, and I've kicked myself many a time for doing so. I'm chuffed as punch that I've finally managed to get a hold of one. If Fraggles hadn't given me a heads up,
What problem are you having when you try electrolysis? Sounds like you've been extremely unlucky with it upto just.
It is in pretty decent nick. There are nicks and dents, but fortunately the paint wasn't hiding a multitude of sins. The rust seems to have come of awfully well too. I had expected a bit more surface pitting when it was derusted. It seems to have been slightly thicker than just a surface layer, but the metal underneath seems surprisingly untouched in relation to the rust thickness.
The thread appears to be standard 3/16" BSW, but the head is a thin taper. Can't recall the angle offhand. I do have one countersink with the same angle as far as I can tell, so I'll check the angle later.
Shoe polish? I would never have guessed correctly. You might have posted it but do you have a before picture?
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Jake: i like the Reed 103 and you know you didn't pay too much for it so i don't have to tell you. might be a good one to mount on the other end of your bench or a tool box.
Sandman: so you have 3 Prentiss 58's? Holland's 18 and if you want to say or post pictures of the other 8's and 7's that's ok with me and probably the rest of the guys too.
Duo: your old Diamond vise isn't common, but i have seen a couple other members here that own one so maybe they can chime in and tell you or post pictures of what you are missing.
good luck and i probably like the history of your vise more than the vise.
Bagged: he did post before pictures a few days ago because it was green and pink i think. if you still can't find them since this thread moves fast maybe Fretters can post a couple before and after pics in the same post.
Sandman: so you have 3 Prentiss 58's? Holland's 18 and if you want to say or post pictures of the other 8's and 7's that's ok with me and probably the rest of the guys too.
Duo: your old Diamond vise isn't common, but i have seen a couple other members here that own one so maybe they can chime in and tell you or post pictures of what you are missing.
good luck and i probably like the history of your vise more than the vise.
Bagged: he did post before pictures a few days ago because it was green and pink i think. if you still can't find them since this thread moves fast maybe Fretters can post a couple before and after pics in the same post.
jreb10
Well-known member
Well, well Duo. That was me that sold the Diamond vise in the pictures. Same original paint as yours.
I remember that the handle ends had a sort of metallic joint up towards the top end of the ball. You can barely see it in the pictures you posted.
I did find a couple of other photos from the refurb of that vise, that perhaps show it better:
Someone more knowledgeable than me may be able to say how they balls were attached. I would hazard a guess that they were peened over, but that is just a guess.
timbitca
Well-known member
Alright my bunch of Vise experts, who can identify this?
Might go check this first one out tommorow. He's also got the post vise for sale and the old wooden vise also.
Love the looks of the post vise, but unless he makes me a killer deal it's staying there, I've got one back home and I've unfortunately got 1) no room and 2) zero use for one in my current shop. Sort of anxious to be able to see this one though, as it appears identical to mine, see if I can make out any markings on it because I can't make out anything on mine.
Glad that you can blame me for you buying stuff, I keep blaming everyone else on here whenever my girlfriend mentions something I think sometimes she wishes I hadn't gotten the full time job and was still only working part time and not buying seemingly every tool I come across (that's what she thinks I do anyways haha)
Might go check this first one out tommorow. He's also got the post vise for sale and the old wooden vise also.
Love the looks of the post vise, but unless he makes me a killer deal it's staying there, I've got one back home and I've unfortunately got 1) no room and 2) zero use for one in my current shop. Sort of anxious to be able to see this one though, as it appears identical to mine, see if I can make out any markings on it because I can't make out anything on mine.
Glad that you can blame me for you buying stuff, I keep blaming everyone else on here whenever my girlfriend mentions something
I think sometimes she wishes I hadn't gotten the full time job and was still only working part time and not buying seemingly every tool I come across (that's what she thinks I do anyways haha)Attachments
Last edited:
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Tim: that Blacksmith vise is one of the few i'd like to own. it has great lines and it's built stout. depending on how heavy or how wide the jaws are would determine the price i or you might want to pay. it does look like a keeper though.
the double swiveler looks like a cheap import and missing parts. some of those are built a lot better and like I've said I have yet to meet an owner that didn't like using theirs.
the double swiveler looks like a cheap import and missing parts. some of those are built a lot better and like I've said I have yet to meet an owner that didn't like using theirs.
timbitca
Well-known member
The blacksmith vise looks almost exactly like the one I have in my garage back home. This one is mine:
View media item 26564
That was my gut feeling on the double swiveler also. Might still pop in to see what he's got if the sales don't look promising tommorow, seems to have a few interesting ad's on Kijiji.
dkroth
Well-known member
Alright my bunch of Vise experts, who can identify this?
That has to be the most popular style vise on the planet. Copied again and again by foreign and domestic producers for the last 50 years.
topop101
Well-known member
Do you think parker 974s were this color from the factory?
Short time in the etank fully assembled yesterday took everything off except that little paint. I threw it back in for final cleanup.
Very well could be Bagged, Here's one I have, baby blue.
Attachments
Fretters
Well-known member
DIF: No reason bar pure and simple curiosity as to how well it would apply, fare over time and also look. Wax is a good barrier against moisture, so it should be a usable finish, and easily reapplied if necessary, so there's only one way to ultimately find out as to whether it's feasible.
Once it's buffed up, it's quite dry to the touch. It only has a tacky, waxy feel when first applied. Once buffed, that disappears.
I posted some a day or two ago, but here's a few of Precious, (I still think they're taking the piss as to why they gave it that name, but it's growing on me), again.
Before:
Derusted:
Once it's buffed up, it's quite dry to the touch. It only has a tacky, waxy feel when first applied. Once buffed, that disappears.
I posted some a day or two ago, but here's a few of Precious, (I still think they're taking the piss as to why they gave it that name, but it's growing on me
), again. Before:
Derusted:
dutchgray
Well-known member
I like the finish Fretters.
I must get one of those ball vices someday.
I must get one of those ball vices someday.
CRSINMICH
Well-known member
TIMBITCA Here are the before and after pix of the RAE N0.71 pipe vise.I decided to clean and lube it only. I think I'll try FRETTERS' clear wax finish idea. This was a fun one day job. In fact, I've only owned it for 24 hours. Did RAE paint many of their vises Sky Blue?
Attachments
Fretters
Well-known member
Cheers Dutch. I'll keep an eye out incase any pop up, for Fraggles and you.
That's a nice pipe vice CRS.
I'll keep an eye out incase any pop up, for Fraggles and you. That's a nice pipe vice CRS.
CRSINMICH
Well-known member
Thanks FRETTERS
schor
Well-known member
Spent a bit of time on this vise.
Cleaned it up a bit
Some black paint.
And some old school flames.
Need to finish it up when I get home from vacation.
Cleaned it up a bit
Some black paint.
And some old school flames.
Need to finish it up when I get home from vacation.
Fretters
Well-known member
The Woden 186E/8 I got the other month is all abouts done now too. Just needs new bolts for the inserts and a broken bolt tip removing from one of the inserts.
Before:
Current:
Before:
Current:
duojet55
Active member
Jreb, that was a sweet example of the Adams vise! Thanks for the info on the handle. I'd never realized that there was so much interest in old vises. In fact, until recently, I hadn't really thought about them having any collectability. I knew it was ancient, having belonged to my WWI vet Grandfather, but to us it was just a working tool. Thanks to all of you guys here I've come to appreciate it on another level. I'm going to give this old workhorse a well-deserved refurb!
bobcatdan
Well-known member
I got my new broken Morgan to my buddy's weld shop for repair. He was very surprised that it was a big 6 inchers. He seriously wants to buy it from me as he feels it would be great for his shop. I'm undecided with vise because I didn't have a good place to put it. I'm thinking very hard about a pedestal, but I don't have a great spot for that either. Once I get the vise back so I dont have to guess it's size, I'm going to play around with all my options. I've been playing with the idea of swivel pedestal, once again, need a spot to use it.
Thrumcap
Well-known member
Fretters
Well-known member
tshetter
Well-known member
Yea...I got a little happy with the oxy-acetylene torch fabbing some brackets.
Hmm, the vise does kinda look like a half melted bowl of ice cream too. Must be the angle.
tshetter
Well-known member
I wouldn't mind betting that picture was taken with a mobile phone, that's some pretty impressive lens distortion ..... or perhaps a tapered bench as well
Photo was taken with a phone at an angle. The bench may be sloped as well. Needs to be rebuilt stronger and with a thicker top.
Nice score! I will add it to the Bullet date database.
Finally got this back together. 67 c3
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Do you have a picture of the slide or know exactly what the date is? I would like it for the Wilton date database. Nice job!
To find a vise you have to follow the crumbs! At an estate sale today I found a single slip on pipe jaw for a bench vise. No vise anywhere I figured it was gone already. I asked the young man watching the garage if he had seen a vise. He hesitated for a minute and then said it was in the back behind a door on a workbench and he didn't have any tools to get it off. He let me in and I found a nice little Columbian No. 43 open screw vise. Not only did it have the other pipe jaw but the little cutter for the anvil area as well! I went and got my tool kit and removed it. It's in nice shape, straight handle and all that.
Attachments
I'm trying to disassemble a 5169. Do you happen to know how or whether this pin is removed? It "pins" the main screw nut inside the static jaw.
Thanks for your help.
shiftdrift
Well-known member
12/1/67. Would you like a pic?
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Bric: that is just a pin and they can usually be punched out from below. you can squirt on a little kroil or WD and give it a few light taps and it should come out. you will need to remove the swivel base to see the bottom of the pin if you have one or haven't done that already. good luck
TOP: before you sell another dozen or so vises how about a family picture? nice looking baby on that power arm and Kevin's jaws really make it shine to further enhance your work.
TOP: before you sell another dozen or so vises how about a family picture? nice looking baby on that power arm and Kevin's jaws really make it shine to further enhance your work.
Is it in this format 12 1 67?
Interesting vise I thought you guys might like to see. I am sure a few of you experts have seen one before.
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/for/5185503539.html
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/for/5185503539.html
schor
Well-known member
Is that a Record? Quite like the flames.
I think its a Chinese ripoff of a record steel vise.
Thanks Kevin!
Just stunning. If I ever wear out the current jaws on my Paramo, I know exactly what I want to replace them with...
My original jaws are in OK shape but they have such a light texture. These Wilton-style jaws have nice deep serrations.