The VISES of Garage Journal

[General Geoff]

Email them and find out. Www.milwtool.com they have swivel bases, jaw inserts, etc on the shelf, I'm sure they have what you need. Question is whether the Chicago stuff interchanges. I know for a fact they have Chicago jaw inserts on the shelf. The swivel bases are actually pretty cheap especially for a small one like that. I want to say I paid $50 for a 140 swivel base for a vise I gifted to my dad, but I went down the shop and picked it up personally.
In case the new guys haven't seen it, here is a pallet full of Morgan 60s and 80s ready to be sent out.

I sent them an email requesting information about parts availability/compatibility for this vintage of vise, I guess we'll see what they have if they respond!

I did manage to tighten up the main nut play by shimming it with a cut down mild steel bracket. Probably not the way it should be done, but if it works, it works, right? With a new straight lock pin, it should be completely solid.

Also, I wire wheeled the jaw faces and it appears the jaw faces themselves are what's preventing complete parallel closure. They are very worn and chewed up, with boogered-up high spots near the top. So I reserve some hope that new jaw faces will resolve that problem completely.

 

[Outlawmws]

Just noticed this on my Morgan 160 the other day. A sign from the aliens? Lol


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If you look at it at the angle the vise sits, it looks just like an alien looking down at my bench....
Quite the casting flaw haha

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So, your'e not say'in it was aliens; but it was aliens...

 

[zkling]

Any ideas on fixing this or should I toss it up as junk?

Just for future reference, you can tell it had issues by the uneven (tapered) gap when it was closed and viewed from the side. You can try smacking it back on the slide to get it back perpendicular. Just use caution.

Preheat, get it back into position and weld. Cool slowly. You have nothing to lose and other than the same abuse that cracked it to begin with, it should hold up.

Pretty sure those wern't welded from the factory, that is a pressed steel slide vise.

 

[vintage nut]

So, your'e not say'in it was aliens; but it was aliens...

I have to wonder what one of those shows would theorize about that vise.....
Maybe it's a message from aliens helping the Americans during ww2?
"help I'm stuck in a vise factory"

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[vintage nut]

The did have an episode about aliens helping the nazis to develop time travel, so I wouldn't have a hard time believing they would theorize something like this..... LOL

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[wrenchguy]

If you think about it, that thing is hollow, and it's cast iron. Both things you don't want in an anvil. Even solid cast iron anvils are worthless for real anvil use.
Proper anvils are made from a solid piece of forged steel (there are exceptions though, such as the old ones that are a hand forged wrought iron body with a steel too plate, and some new ones that are cast tool steel)
I can almost guarantee you that those anvil vises have no rebound, and I could probably completely destroy one in an afternoon forging.

I agree they look cool, but I'd consider them to be a shop decoration rather than a useful tool

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it was made for farmers over a 100 years ago, at that time there was a market for lighter combination tool like that.

 

[BajaScout]

Ani idea who made this vise? Looks like it had a metal ID plate.

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[bagged89s10]

Another happy customer just picked this up.
Same color as the last Parker 974 I restored.

 

[econotrk]

That's a beauty Bagged, I like the way Chas. Parker did their jaws. Polishing them takes it to another level.

 

[BajaScout]

Ani idea who made this vise? Looks like it had a metal ID plate.

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Appears to be missing a part on the bottom of the vise. Not sure what this is for. Also still need hep identifying this vise.




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[Outlawmws]

Ani idea who made this vise? Looks like it had a metal ID plate.

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Appears to be missing a part on the bottom of the vise. Not sure what this is for. Also still need hep identifying this vise.

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Almost certainly a Chicom/Asian copy of an early US/Brit vise design. I've just never seen one so abused and still appear to be in one piece.

 

[BajaScout]

Works fine. Guess I will abuse it some more.

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[Thrumcap]

Here's two 6" vises I picked up this weekend from an older gentleman cleaning up his shop. He didn't see any numbers at first, but said they were 12" opening, 3/4" handle, and old off i went...

The first is a Canadian 6". Not a lot of references on this one.

The second one was in the woodshop. It turned out to be a 6" Emmert Tiger.

This one is well used....it does have some welding on the internal nut but that looks OK.

Today I managed to get the American Scale No. 79 dismantled, with the judicious usage of a 4 pound Persuader and a lot of tapping on the underside of the rotating jaw to creep the entire jaw off... Last thing off was the stuck pin out of the rotating jaw with one satisfying smack. Clean and mask the lot, and off to the blaster.

Thrumcap

 

[Hemi49]

Another happy customer just picked this up.
Same color as the last Parker 974 I restored.

BAGGED
Beautiful job Bagged!!

 

[Thrumcap]

BAGGED
Beautiful job Bagged!!

Yeah, I'll second that. Those mirror polished jaws have ascended into art.

Thrumcap

 

[AmericanMechanic]

Is there another application outside a vise where you'd find the taper pin that holds the static lead nut inside the vise base? Looking for one for a Columbian 505. Tried some Google searches but didn't find anything that looked correct.

Thanks

 

[S4cruiser]

Better than before, but undoubtably not as good as it once was...

It should serve duty on my welding table just fine. Still need to pick up a pair of pipe jaws though.

Before (the jaws are closed as much as possible, but with a nice gap)

After

 

[xxaler]

Thrumcap, how much does that Emmert weigh in at? Looks pretty big!

 

[CRSINMICH]

Another happy customer just picked this up.
Same color as the last Parker 974 I restored.

Artistry, sheer artistry! Bravo!

 

[scooternut]

Wow bagged! Just wow. That's impressive work.

 

[KMScott]

Nice job S4cruiser, what welding rod did you use? The vise will be a good welding bench vise.

Baggs, wow nice job finishing the Parker, yes the shinny jaws look great but I am a serration guy and wish you showed what the jaw faces looked like. Looked like heavy cut serrations.

I sold this 954-1/2 today.

<a href="https://visejaws.smugmug.com/Chas-Parker-Vises/i-tjMd77k/A"><img src="https://visejaws.smugmug.com/Chas-Parker-Vises/i-tjMd77k/0/M/Parker%20954-500%2005-2015%20%284%29-M.jpg" alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"></a>

 

[CRSINMICH]

Thrumcap: That No.6 Canadian looks quite a bit like an RAE made in Hamilton, Ontario. RAE is the only Canadian vise I know, though. I wasn't aware that Emmert made bench vises until you posted those pictures. And now that I have learned something new for today, I'm going to bed.

 

[econotrk]

The second one was in the woodshop. It turned out to be a 6" Emmert Tiger.

This one is well used....it does have some welding on the internal nut but that looks OK.


Thrumcap

Thrumcap I love that Emmert Tiger, Waynesboro isn't too far from me.

 

[xxaler]

Thrumcap: That No.6 Canadian looks quite a bit like an RAE made in Hamilton, Ontario. RAE is the only Canadian vise I know, though. I wasn't aware that Emmert made bench vises until you posted those pictures. And now that I have learned something new for today, I'm going to bed.

Henry is another rebranded one.

 

[CRSINMICH]

xxaler: I've heard of Henry but I don't know what they look like. Are you saying that they look like RAEs and Thrumcap's Canadian? Do you have pictures of a Henry? BTW where is Sutton? I'm quite near Windsor.

 

[vintage nut]

Henry is different. My dad has a 5" one. The company was called craft tools. Started by a patternmaker who made vises in a foundry in his back yard. Originally sold his vises to the military in wwii. As the war went on he ramped up production. Ended up making the majority of vises for the Canadian war effort. He sold the power tool division to porter cable around 1960, and stopped making vises then too.
Henry had no relation to rae at all. Very good vises! They basically took the best design elements from the different brands of English vises, and made the whole thing even heavier. Probably has about 15# on the equivalent record. I'd consider them my favorite of the English style vises.

Terrier is another Canadian vise. They are proper machinist style vises, but a bit lighter than the equivalent record.
I haven't seen a rae in person, but there are at least two more Canadian vise makers

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[topop101]

I sold this 954-1/2 today.

<a href="https://visejaws.smugmug.com/Chas-Parker-Vises/i-tjMd77k/A"><img src="https://visejaws.smugmug.com/Chas-Parker-Vises/i-tjMd77k/0/M/Parker%20954-500%2005-2015%20%284%29-M.jpg" alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"></a>[/QUO

SMOKIN!That is so bad A$$ KMSNo body does it better!

 

[Thrumcap]

Thrumcap, how much does that Emmert weigh in at? Looks pretty big!

Around 140 lbs according to someone else who has one....

Ecoontrk: there's an auction nearish you next week......
Auction link

Thrumcap

 

[skunkape1]

I finally finished restoring the Craftsman 5198 I got in July. Photos and info about the vise were posted in this thread back then as the vise was an Ebay listing and apparently the 5198 is a highly thought of piece of iron. The paint used is "Chrysler Green" engine enamel, a color which was used on some Mopar muscle cars in the late 60's. Although the vise wasn't cheap, I am very pleased with the vise and the outcome of the restoration.
Before:
After:

And following user Econotrk's intelligent lead, I am posting a few photos of the 5198's casting numbers for research purposes.

 

[CNGsaves]

^ ^ ^ Fabulous . . . AWESOME . . . all other superlatives !!

That model is one of my favorites and on my want list.

 

[Hemi49]

I finally finished restoring the Craftsman 5198 I got in July. Photos and info about the vise were posted in this thread back then as the vise was an Ebay listing and apparently the 5198 is a highly thought of piece of iron. The paint used is "Chrysler Green" engine enamel, a color which was used on some Mopar muscle cars in the late 60's. Although the vise wasn't cheap, I am very pleased with the vise and the outcome of the restoration.
Before:
After:

And following user Econotrk's intelligent lead, I am posting a few photos of the 5198's casting numbers for research purposes.

SKUNK........Very nice job!

 

[oldldh]

That 5198 is gorgeous!!!

I really hate you...

I really do...

As it sits, how much do you have in it???

107 pounds of Superior Clampdom!!!

 

[nine4gmc]

That 5198 is above awesome!!


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[xxaler]

xxaler: I've heard of Henry but I don't know what they look like. Are you saying that they look like RAEs and Thrumcap's Canadian? Do you have pictures of a Henry? BTW where is Sutton? I'm quite near Windsor.

Sutton is an hour north of Toronto. Vintagenut's post explains it really well.

Henry is different. My dad has a 5" one. The company was called craft tools. Started by a patternmaker who made vises in a foundry in his back yard. Originally sold his vises to the military in wwii. As the war went on he ramped up production. Ended up making the majority of vises for the Canadian war effort. He sold the power tool division to porter cable around 1960, and stopped making vises then too.
Henry had no relation to rae at all. Very good vises! They basically took the best design elements from the different brands of English vises, and made the whole thing even heavier. Probably has about 15# on the equivalent record. I'd consider them my favorite of the English style vises.

Terrier is another Canadian vise. They are proper machinist style vises, but a bit lighter than the equivalent record.
I haven't seen a rae in person, but there are at least two more Canadian vise makers

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I've seen a few rae vises and passed them up not thinking they were much at the time, same with Henry's, but now that I know... Thank you!

 

[bagged89s10]

Nice job S4cruiser, what welding rod did you use? The vise will be a good welding bench vise.



Baggs, wow nice job finishing the Parker, yes the shinny jaws look great but I am a serration guy and wish you showed what the jaw faces looked like. Looked like heavy cut serrations.



I sold this 954-1/2 today.

Thanks Kevin. I wish i took more pics and better pictures but you can see them in these 2 pictures. This one had nice sharp serrations.



Your Parker jaws are a real work of art though. They look factory fresh!

 

[bagged89s10]

That's a beauty Bagged, I like the way Chas. Parker did their jaws. Polishing them takes it to another level.

BAGGED

Beautiful job Bagged!!

Yeah, I'll second that. Those mirror polished jaws have ascended into art.



Thrumcap

Wow bagged! Just wow. That's impressive work.

Thanks everyone.

 

[bagged89s10]

I finally finished restoring the Craftsman 5198 I got in July. Photos and info about the vise were posted in this thread back then as the vise was an Ebay listing and apparently the 5198 is a highly thought of piece of iron. The paint used is "Chrysler Green" engine enamel, a color which was used on some Mopar muscle cars in the late 60's. Although the vise wasn't cheap, I am very pleased with the vise and the outcome of the restoration.

Before:

After:



And following user Econotrk's intelligent lead, I am posting a few photos of the 5198's casting numbers for research purposes.

Badass! Great work!

 

[Outlawmws]

Skunk, VERY nice restoration! Looks new!

AS for THIS guy...

That 5198 is gorgeous!!!

I really hate you...

I really do...

As it sits, how much do you have in it???

107 pounds of Superior Clampdom!!!

And it's a Swivlen B@$t@rd! too!

 

[oldldh]

AS for THIS guy...
And it's a Swivlen B@$t@rd! too!

Yes, my son, it is a "Swivilin" B@#tard"...

All my vises are fixed base...

But...

The Craftsman 5198 and the 209...

Are the only two spinners I'd feed...

Well, maybe a 5197, too...

 

[CRSINMICH]

Skunkape1: You did a really nice job on that Cman! It's a beaut. I hope you made a typo about Chrysler Green cuz I'm seeing light blue. My eyes have been going bad fast lately but I didn't think I was going color blind too. Maybe it's a photo/computer monitor effect. Anyway, good job.

xxaler: I thought that Sutton sounded familiar. I must have seen road signs for it on the way to Algonquin Provincial Park. Uh, any speckleds up your way? I do own two well used tying vises.