Wilton Vise History

[kc-steve]

Looks like a nice oldie. The year looks about right for the production year just from the low profile.

Steve

 

[autopts]

Just reading thread thought i would check 2-46 is on mine

If that's a 4" or 4 1/2", there is a complete base assy on Ebay. They made that base until about 1953-54

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251290643620?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619#ht_63wt_918

 

[autopts]

I was given a Wilton 400S a few years ago but it looks different from some of the others. It is a 72 model year and here are some pictures. SO what do you all think?

Very nice! Wilton was experimenting with the base that they put on their very early import 1740-50 in 1972 but they tried it on a few of their USA 9400/101028's. Fairy rare.

 

[mattv97]

We have numerous 70's vintage wilton bullet style vises in the shop i work in and they are the best vise in my book. I was also looking at them dawn vises and it's nice to see a company proud of there history and that they are still owned and producing vises in there country. Prefer American made but definetely like them.

 

[wood butcher]

Thanks autopts ill let someone else get it i mainly use wood vises just like to have it when i need it

 

[John Odom]

My first post. I have read this thread.

I just got a Wilton 1750 vise for $10. It is badly rusted. The slide is seized up. The screw will wiggle a little. There are no jaws. The jaw screws are broken off. There is no cover on the end of the slide.

This will be an interesting project! My plan is to remove the collar around the handle/screw and back out the screw. All the while soaking the slide with Kroil. Then I will try to move the slide.

Do you fellows have any suggestions?

 

[rallyhard]

Thanks for this thread!

Without ever paying much attention to it, I assumed that the vise that I inherited from my dad was a Harbor Freight, but it turns out it's a Wilton.

This thread got me curious about when and where we got the vise, so I started digging and found this picture of when we bought it at HD in 3/2007. It has served well for the past 7 years.

 

[drivesitfar]

Rally: first off it looks like you might be a new member so welcome to GJ and glad to have you posting and reading our threads and posts.

even though you inherited a Wilton vise it wasn't made in the US. it is a light duty vise and might outlast you so you can pass it on to your son or nephew if you use it without beating on it or putting a pipe on the handle to tighten things up.

as you read the Vise thread if you want to because there are hundreds of vises on it and then all the Wilton posts you might find that there are some differences in vises. that said since your Dad bought it I would probably keep it on one end of the bench and get another big old US vise for the other end of the bench or make a nice stand for one.

take care and I know many that have your vise and are happy with it.

 

[rallyhard]

Rally: first off it looks like you might be a new member so welcome to GJ and glad to have you posting and reading our threads and posts.

even though you inherited a Wilton vise it wasn't made in the US. it is a light duty vise and might outlast you so you can pass it on to your son or nephew if you use it without beating on it or putting a pipe on the handle to tighten things up.

as you read the Vise thread if you want to because there are hundreds of vises on it and then all the Wilton posts you might find that there are some differences in vises. that said since your Dad bought it I would probably keep it on one end of the bench and get another big old US vise for the other end of the bench or make a nice stand for one.

take care and I know many that have your vise and are happy with it.

Oops, sorry for cluttering up your thread! Newbie mistake; I had actually meant to post this in the "The VISES of Garage Journal" thread! After seeing that mine was a Wilton, I ran a search and came across this thread, and then ended up accidentally posting it here instead of there... Is there any way a moderator could move my post to the other thread?

Oh, and thanks for the response. I do like seeing the old iron and certainly have respect for Made in USA. I might have to get me a big old beefy Wilton some day for the occasional heavy job. It's funny you mentioned the pipe on the handle trick; I broke the jaw of a smaller bench vise of my dad's many years ago doing just that. I don't know what the brand on that one was.

 

[drivesitfar]

Rally: you certainly didn't clutter up or place your post in the wrong spot and I was only giving you a little more information about your vise. with your sense of humor and use of your the icons you will be a great addition to Garage Journal. Welcome again and feel free to post your vise on the vise thread also because we can never have too many vise pictures as you will see if you start reading that 1000 plus page thread.

I remember my grand dad taking me to the repair shops when I was little to get something repaired and the greasy guys doing the work (I swear that they never took a bath in a year in those days) would throw the huge piece in one of their 200 pound vises, grab a huge piece of pipe or a sledge and crank that baby in tight.

of course in those days these $1000 vises were only $20, but that was still a lot of money and maybe you have seen a few of the repairs that might have taken a welder a day to fix a broken one.

in any case you didn't do anything wrong and if anything you revived an old thread that might need a few more posts.

good luck with your search for an old US vise and PM me if you have any questions about them if you need help.

 

[sanfordia]

Does anybody know what year the 1760 was produced without having the name Wilton forged onto the side? I have a 1760 with a measuring cup decal in place of the Wilton name, and the following serial/model numbers:

1760 on the body
121027 on the body
121033 on the jaw
The number 3 on the jaw, underneath the 121033
101198 on the bottom of the base
Nothing stamped on the rail on the bottom of the sliding post part of the jaw piece.

Apologize for cross-posting this in the The Vises of GJ thread... meant to post it on this Wilton Vise History thread, instead... http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4001270&posted=1#post4001270

 

[benhchang]

Wilton life time warranty applies only if you have your purchase receipt

 

[Saw]

Awesome thread, great people on here willing to help or guide you to someone that can help.

My dealings with WMH on an older Wilton variable speed drill press, very nice drill press for a carpenter shop. Someone chucked in a spade bit for a portable drill into the drill press, long story short ended up bending the quill. I contacted WMH by email, once customer service responded they informed me that particular part was no longer available nor could they direct me to any suppliers who might carry one. I guess that's the way things go in this new business world, it's no longer "from now on we will service what we sell" to "going forward we'll sell them a new inferior one"

Just my 2 cents worth,
Richard

 

[Craftsman C-series]

Does anyone have a Wilton bullet with a date code earlier than 1-46? If not chances are good these are the first vises manufactured by Wilton and represent vises manufactured in 1941. Just picked this one up dated 4-46 and it has embossed Wilton Chicago USA, NO. 4 next to the base and J-C beneath the jaw on the main body.

Any Wiltons with a date stamp prior to 1-46?

 

[SWA Guy]

Yes indeed! My 5" Machinist has a date stamp of 10-45.

 

[oak_park]

Any Wiltons with a date stamp prior to 1-46?

Does this baby wilton count?

 

[craftsman47]

here is my new addition

no date stamp on my slide

can I assume a production date from those numbers on the side?

 

[drivesitfar]

the #'s on the side are just part #'s. nice Wilton 400 and i'm guessing late 50's early 60's for age. sometimes the date stamp gets rubbed off from use, but that vise looks pristine so maybe some didn't get a stamp when they were changing from putting the 5 year warranty expiration date on the slide.

i have a 4 inch bullet with 10/46, but i think they didn't start the 5 year warranty until the 50's off of some of the information I've heard. since Wilton started business in 1941 the 1945 baby bullet might be a sign that some of the original vises had the date of manufacture instead of including 5 years from that date for the warranty.

go figure and anybody have any more old stamped vises?

 

[Alexbn921]

here is my new addition

no date stamp on my slide

can I assume a production date from those numbers on the side?

I have the same vise, but it was not in as nice of shape. It had the painted Wilton on the side. Mine is a 1977.

 

[1oldtimer]

Is there an easy way to tell if it's made in the states or an era just by looking at pictures?. If your looking at ebay or craigslist and they don't include a picture of that side. I know the "bullet" type is made in the USA but what about the others. Is it safe to assume that when the company changed hands in the 2000's that the vices went to china?. I've noticed the ones with stickers instead of having the name cast into it seem to be made in china, is this correct for all?.

 

[Alexbn921]

Is there an easy way to tell if it's made in the states or an era just by looking at pictures?. If your looking at ebay or craigslist and they don't include a picture of that side. I know the "bullet" type is made in the USA but what about the others. Is it safe to assume that when the company changed hands in the 2000's that the vices went to china?. I've noticed the ones with stickers instead of having the name cast into it seem to be made in china, is this correct for all?.

All Bullet vise are USA made and have it cast it to the side.
The Tradesman vises where mostly made in the USA and will have it cast it to the side.

**** from another member***
UPDATE: I just called Wilton. They had terrific customer service, and the rep put me on hold for about 5 minutes while she found someone who knew the answer.

Here is what she told me.

Wilton COO:

Before 2000, every single vise was made in the USA
After 2000, "mechanic" vises and under are made in China
After 2000, vises above "mechanic" in the line are still made in the USA

I'm sure that Wilton has very high quality control measures in place so that even their Chinese vises are of the best quality, but it's nice to know for SURE that the mid 90s vises without any COO in the casting are all USA made.
*******

Check to two pictures below.

 

[sweatin' in the desert]

I have an early No. 4 Wilton, marked "Pat Pen" with no date code. I bought this from a machine tool surplus place in Cleveland in the mid-1990s. There was minimal rust but the entire vise had that unpainted/oily look of things that live in machine shops for decades. I cleaned it and primed it years ago.

Having found this site and seen all the wonderful restoration jobs, I want to restore this properly. Two questions: what's the meaning of no date code? And, what's the original color for this vise (that of the Wilton on p. 12 of this post?)? Thanks much!

 

[dickfawcett]

I think this might be the right place for my post since this starts out with vises rescued from the junkyard. I found my Wilton 9A450SJ in a trash can back in 1978. Needless to say, I gathered it up and hurried home to clean it up and mount it on my workbench. It has been in my shop in daily use ever since then. It is just as good today as it was when I set it up. The only sign uf use is a slightly bent handle. I leaned on it pretty heavy one time. I made a set of brass jaw plates for it. That is essential in my line of work to keep from scaring things. There is no date on the bottom of the slide so I have no idea when this was made. I have never seen another one like it.Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dickfawcett]

I'm having trouble with this picture business. Hope this comes out to be a picture of my Wilton 9A450SJ

 

[autopts]

I think this might be the right place for my post since this starts out with vises rescued from the junkyard. I found my Wilton 9A450SJ in a trash can back in 1978. Needless to say, I gathered it up and hurried home to clean it up and mount it on my workbench. It has been in my shop in daily use ever since then. It is just as good today as it was when I set it up. The only sign uf use is a slightly bent handle. I leaned on it pretty heavy one time. I made a set of brass jaw plates for it. That is essential in my line of work to keep from scaring things. There is no date on the bottom of the slide so I have no idea when this was made. I have never seen another one like it.Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately that particular vise was a illegal clone made with stolen prints from Wilton Tool back in the middle 60's and anyone owning one will be under penalty, I do have good news in that I'am a certified drop off point for that particular model. PM me with shipping details.

 

[drivesitfar]

****: nice vise and in case you didn't understand AutoPts post you might want to ship it to me and i'll even pay the shipping. of course i won't post any pictures of it.

now for the serious stuff because i'm pretty sure AutoPts is pulling hard on your leg on his post. that is one very cool vise and why in the world would it be in the trash. anything wrong with it other than maybe a missing swivel jaw pin which is maybe a $40 part?

feel free to post more pictures of this vise and more story if there is any on the Vises of Garage Journal thread too because we all like vise pictures especially when they are as nice as yours is.

 

[Fish17]

Hey all, thanks everyone for the incite. I've enjoyed educating myself about wilton!

I actually ended up getting a 5" vise on eBay that I was hoping one of the experts in this forum could help indentify, see below

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331306226704

I'm interested in the approximate year of manufacture as well. Hope I made the right decision could have gotten a Scout for about the same price.

Thanks!

 

[drivesitfar]

Fish: even though that is a Wilton it is only a light duty vise. it should last you a long time if you grease or oil the main exposed screw and don't hammer on it or use it as a press. now if you bought a 5 inch Wilton bullet vise or their C2 you would have one of their higher quality vises that also cost a lot more.

i'm not sure what the scout is, but i bet that vise will serve you well so mount it on your bench and start using it. also since it is an open screw after you grease or oil it because it looks pretty dry i would put a damp or dry rag on the threads if you are cutting anything being held by the vise to keept the shavings out of the insides of the interior nut.

good luck

 

[Fish17]

Anyone have any idea on when it was made?

 

[drivesitfar]

i'm guessing 40 years old in that range.

 

[jcesar]

I have a No.4 like that of the silver Wilton owned by "Sweatin' in the Desert" above. It's in great original condition, with some original paint and jaws that look virtually unused. No city on it and only "patent pending" on one side and Wilton No.4" on the other. Keyway says "8-45". No other numbers in the casting. So, if I'm not mistaken, that means it was made in August of 1940? If so, does that mean that this was made prior to the Chicago store on Wilton St.? I guess this might make sense since inventory would need to be produced prior to opening the store. Any input as to the date made or value? Thanks!

 

[PghJKB]

There is a great deal of uncertainty and controversy surrounding the dating of early Wilton vises. IMHO your vise was produced per the stamped date, here is why:

According to the USPTO web site, Vogl applied for his patent 1 August, 1941. The patent was granted 3 March 1942 (pat. no. USD 131498 S). Legally, a company cannot display a "Pat Pend" until a patent is actually applied for. So if your vise has "Pat Pend" it legally should not have been made before Aug 1941.

According to the Junkyard Tools website (http://junkyardtools.com/tool_history/wilton), Witon was founded in 1941, so I doubt any Wilton vises were made before the company actually began operations.

I am of the school that unless "gaur exp" or something similar is stamped on the keyway to indicate that the guaranty expires on the stamped date, the stamped date is the actual production date. Otherwise this whole expiration date vs. production date would have been a nightmare for any Wilton dealer who had to return a vise under warranty. (Did Wilton provide dealers with a Date Code decoder ring...)

I am also of the school that Vogl represented the work of York Vise of Czechoslovakia as his own, and that Wiltons are York derivatives.

JKB

 

[jcesar]

What's odd is that models made in 1942 have "Chicago" on them. Also, it's my understanding they began model numbers on the body after the patent. Maybe they used an old body, but produced it in '45? Thanks!

 

[PghJKB]

Wilton seemed to have suffered from new company disease - overestimating demand (producing thousands, selling hundreds). Hey, a war was going on, demand for home shop type vises was very limited - most guys with home shops were overseas getting shot at. Companies producing war materials were most likely using larger vises. Once the war started winding down there was most likely a demand spike for the smaller vises.

In the vise thread there are some examples of Baby Bullets having Chicago castings but Schiller Park dates.

That said, it looks like there will be an attempt to figure out exactly what Wilton did with their dating scheme with a new thread.

Check this out for details:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4385237#post4385237

 

[ddbow33]

Long time reader but this is my first post. In reference to locating the date of a wilton vise....If the date is not stamped on the lug underneath the dynamic jaw is there another way to determine the date it was made/manufactured? Mine has what looks like 8 01 76 on the side. A date maybe? Thanks for any help.

 

[ddbow33]

It looks as if I have the same vise as Craftsman 47 who posted on page 13. Mine is missing the Wilton 400 logo and also has a space for pipe jaws. The jaws are missing however.

 

[CooperS7777]

Can anyone help date this vise? Is this one of the older versions not best suited for every day use/abuse?

 

[exmaxima1]

Can anyone help date this vise? Is this one of the older versions not best suited for every day use/abuse?

That swivel base looks like the original non-360 degree type, which would make the vise the weakest version. That's not to say you couldn't use it everyday, but only that it is not heavy duty

 

[drivesitfar]

Cooper: pull out the dynamic jaw, clean off the key way (slide) of any grease and maybe a date will appear. if you don't see a date it might have been government issue from 1941-1945. or the date should say what month and year it left Wilton's factory.

it's a great vise to use, but like any vise it's mainly a 3rd hand and shouldn't be treated like a press or anvil or hit with a BFH.

nice find

 

[jimkines]

I have a wilton with the J-C cast also did you find what it is?