The VISES of Garage Journal

[G-ManBart]

By brochure, I mean an ad, so not many details. Not sure where I got this, probably earlier pages within this thread. It's titled as a 1979 Reed ad, not sure if that is accurate, but it could very well have been late 70's rather than 60's when Reed got rid of the 200 series moniker.

They show the bases that were sold to convert any N model to an S.

Thanks, that clears it up perfectly! Side note, the guy seems to have dropped his price to $125 now....much more reasonable.

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

Fixed up a Reed 104 need to paint the lettering.

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[GETRIDAONE]

PP:

ALL: so is this ARMSTRONG vise a made in Chicago or assembled in Chicago and made in Japan, Taiwan or China? it looks like a re branded Columbian, but not certain. for a couple of benjamins it doesn't seem like a bad deal.



I think rebranded Columbian. I past on a Armstrong in about the same hardly used condition because I already had the same model in a Columbian.

 

[autopts]

PP:

ALL: so is this ARMSTRONG vise a made in Chicago or assembled in Chicago and made in Japan, Taiwan or China? it looks like a re branded Columbian, but not certain. for a couple of benjamins it doesn't seem like a bad deal.



I think rebranded Columbian. I past on a Armstrong in about the same hardly used condition because I already had the same model in a Columbian.

GETdRI Columbian made the Armstrong vise and the Ridgid at one time. I believe they were owned by Kent Tool then.

 

[autopts]

My acquaintance Sandman 54 who I sold a couple of vises to wanted me to share these with you since he's off grid. The anvil is circa 1923 out of a Delaware shipyard. That is a 600 lb anvil not including the base. The guys are setting it and giving it a light spray of something to keep it from the Texas humidity and next to it is a 6000 lb antique die sow and block anvil. Sitting on the anvil is a German 6" made Leimem going 120 lbs. His anvil stock could sink a battle ship. They likes em big in Texas I guess. I mistakenly put this in another post.

 

[KMScott]

Sandman has nice stuff. Seattle has a Wilton SJ on CL https://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/tls/5686804408.html $150. First come first serve.

 

[sandman54]

Hey Autopts slight correction its a fisher anvil and is 800 lbs greatful u posted it !!! thanks again sandman yeah Demoman is right i like em big!!!

 

[seber]

G-manbart there seems to be some confusion about what constitutes galvanic corrosion. Simply put it is preferencial corrosion of the less noble metal. In this case it would be the aluminum corroding and actually preventing the iron from doing the same. This is why anodes of zinc are attached to outboard motors and water heaters. In other words it would be virtually impossible for iron to corrode while it is in electrical contact with an aluminum plate. Iron welded to steel will in fact break out exactly as you see there due to the iron being very difficult to weld. If a normal steel welding rod is used, the weld will break out over time from simple temperature changes.

 

[va.grouseman]

Sandman has nice stuff. Seattle has a Wilton SJ on CL https://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/tls/5686804408.html $150. First come first serve.

This should be Drives next fix.

 

[Fordriver6]

This should be Drives next fix.

This exact thought crossed my mind...

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[drivesitfar]

AutoPts: only correction i'd make to your awesome post of those big pieces of iron is the German vice is a Leinen that has the moving static jaw. looks like Sandman showed up so thankfully one of those monsters didn't fall on him.

thanks for posting and i still wish i wouldn't have sold one of my 150-200 pound Peter Wright anvils because i'm anvil less in Seattle. thanks for posting the information and pictures of the Rigid and Armstrong too.

VA: your first post about me buying or not buying was a bit confusing and i think i totally understand my addiction (HEE HEE). now a swivel jaw Wilton shows up. i did see the ad last night prior to heading to my pillow and it was already marked pending so hopefully Balane or one of the other guys around me grabbed it. i'm not certain because i don't own a Wilton bullet swivel jaw, but that swivel jaw's pin looks a bit hammered so hopefully it hasn't damaged the swivel jaw.

FR:

 

[G-ManBart]

G-manbart there seems to be some confusion about what constitutes galvanic corrosion. Simply put it is preferencial corrosion of the less noble metal. In this case it would be the aluminum corroding and actually preventing the iron from doing the same. This is why anodes of zinc are attached to outboard motors and water heaters. In other words it would be virtually impossible for iron to corrode while it is in electrical contact with an aluminum plate. Iron welded to steel will in fact break out exactly as you see there due to the iron being very difficult to weld. If a normal steel welding rod is used, the weld will break out over time from simple temperature changes.

I'm certainly not an expert on galvanic corrosion, but my understanding is that with metals close to one another on the chart that have electrical ranges which overlap, either can be the anode or cathode depending upon other factors such as surface area, the electrolyte, etc. Since we don't know which alloy of aluminum the plate was, and I'm not sure anybody knows the exact composition Wilton used making the vise, it's an unknown, but many alloys of aluminum and steel/cast iron aren't far apart on the chart, and do show some overlap as I recall. In this case we also have a huge disparity in surface area to the two objects, and both showed damage. All of that is a big unknown, but it's not impossible that the vise was the cathode and the aluminum plate was the anode.

There's no way to know for sure, but I really don't believe the Wilton was welded to anything and then just happened to perfectly break free with no evidence of bead material left over, etc. Similarly, the chances the vise base damage and damage to the aluminum plate would match like a fingerprint seems pretty unlikely.

Regardless, it doesn't affect the structure of the vise, so I'm not worried about it either way.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Sandman has nice stuff. Seattle has a Wilton SJ on CL https://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/tls/5686804408.html $150. First come first serve.

Are these a desirable/rare vice?

 

[Fordriver6]

Are these a desirable/rare vice?

A swivel jaw Wilton doesn't come up too often. I've seen more Prentiss swivel jaws than anything. Reed and Rock Island also made a fair amount of swivel jaw vises from what I gather. Parker made some too, I have a Parker 273 which has 5" jaws. I'm probably leaving out several manufacturers (Columbian, Morgan, Athol) that made swivel jaw vises.

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[KMScott]

Are these a desirable/rare vice?

In my opinion the most desirable swivel jaw vise under 7". That is why I added the CL posting. Wish I had a shot at it. No members I work with in that part of the country.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

A Record 516 Heavy Chipping vise / vice. I bought this several years ago, in a rough state. I spent countless hours scrubbing rust off the body and screw. At the time, the Record factory at Parkway Works, Sheffield, was still active in some way, despite being owned by Irwin. Perhaps it was just the office facilities that were operational. I contacted them to request a pair of jaw plates for this 516, but sadly they could not help. In the end, I found an engineering company to make a pair, and a superb job they made. The area on the vise around the jaw plates was quite indented, presumably from miss-aimed hammer blows in the past, so I ground those out as best I could. There is some free play in the slide and screw, but not excessive.
The Record works informed me that Stokes Paints of Sheffield could supply the correct blue enamel needed, so after a coat of grey primer, I brushed on two coats of their excellent Roundel Blue.
I'm pleased with the result of my work. I don't have a workshop or bench to house the vice, and it is heavy (120lbs.) and awkward to move, so it lives a life of retirement in the boiler room!
I keep an eye open for a 518 or 518 1/2 to come up for sale, but I guess they are even more scarce than the 516.

Wow! You have made a wonderful job of a very rare vice. They are like hens teeth and the 518 and 518 1/2 are even rarer.

Thanks for sharing

 

[CwazyWabbit]

A swivel jaw Wilton doesn't come up too often. I've seen more Prentiss swivel jaws than anything. Reed and Rock Island also made a fair amount of swivel jaw vises from what I gather. Parker made some too, I have a Parker 273 which has 5" jaws. I'm probably leaving out several manufacturers (Columbian, Morgan, Athol) that made swivel jaw vises.

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In my opinion the most desirable swivel jaw vise under 7". That is why I added the CL posting. Wish I had a shot at it. No members I work with in that part of the country.

Cheers guys, I may have a shot at one.

 

[drivesitfar]

CW: if you do get a swivel jaw wilton take a gander at a few of the threads showing them because i think the swivel pins are threaded on some if not all of them.

the one listed on my local Craigslist looks pretty beat up (maybe i'm getting overly picky ) and it's a 4.5 inch wide jaw. a few members had/have some that are 6 inch bullet swivel jaw vises. i had (yes VA has it now) a bigger 6 inch Wilton swivel jaw vise that was probably made by American Scale because i'm guessing the one i had weighs close to 100 pounds more than it's bullet counterpart.

good luck and it would be a nice addition to your growing collection. speaking of which has the Parkinson stand found a place in your workshop and any pictures of it full of some of your gems?

cheers

 

[Al Bundy]

Similarly, the chances the vise base damage and damage to the aluminum plate would match like a fingerprint seems pretty unlikely.

Just an observation from someone who is not a vise collector, but reads this thread enthusiastically. If the base of the vise already had that "damage" or whatever you want to call it, then was bolted to the aluminum, the pattern would match exactly.

 

[oldldh]

Reverend Scott...

Just thought I'd post a picture...

Of...

Maclin's 450SJ that he sold for something north of six bills on Ebay...

Helluva restoration job, and a fair price...

Me thinks...

Now, if he'll just go back to posting...

 

[G-ManBart]

Just an observation from someone who is not a vice collector, but reads this thread enthusiastically. If the base of the vice already had that "damage" or whatever you want to call it, then was bolted to the aluminum, the pattern would match exactly.

I guess it's possible if the base was damaged, then bolted to the plate and then the galvanic corrosion attacked the aluminum and not the vise. Even before I took the base of the plate I was looking at it pretty closely, then really looked at it when I separated the two. At the time I didn't think it had been welded on, and I still doubt it was, but there's no way to know for sure...at least it's not structural and doesn't really affect how the vise works

 

[mike_paxton]

I have a WC Toles No. 45 woodworking vise.

The lead screw is continuous, meaning it doesn't have the gap in the lead screw to allow for a quick release or what Toles calls a rapid acting or rapid release vise.

When looking up info on the WC Toles No. 45, I haven't found info on a #45 that has a continuous lead screw like mine.

So, does anyone have a No. 45 with continuous lead screw like mine and if so, would you take a picture of what the main nut and cover looks like on yours, as mine was missing when I got it.

It definitely will help in my search to replace the missing parts and would appreciate the help

Mike

 

[KMScott]

Reverend Scott...

Just thought I'd post a picture...

Of...

Maclin's 450SJ that he sold for something north of six bills on Ebay...

Helluva restoration job, and a fair price...

Me thinks...

Now, if he'll just go back to posting...

Oldie, I had my hands on that vise too, the pic's are of us working on that vise. I had Maclin stone the working areas while I was making the swivel pin. That pin was frozen in and I had to drill it out. I did not know at that time that the original pins had a threaded nut for a quick pull to release the tapered pin. Wilton used 1-1/2 degree per side as the taper and that is to light so many of those pins get stuck. Prentiss uses 3 degrees per side or 6 degrees included angle, much easier to remove. I was thinking about the price Maclin got for his vise when I seen that one for sale. I set up a Google Alert for that model and had to share it. I think VA got the last one I was alerted about. To bad it was so far away from me on the West Coast. I see it is sold and I hope a GJ member got it.

Got my new machine running today, now I have to figure out how to use it. I am so excited. You know these new machines can run on 220 single phase, only needs a 40 amp breaker and the motor is 7-1/2 hp.

 

[va.grouseman]

KM, that middle picture, that's cheating.---Way to easy.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

I really like the idea of a Wilton sbj vise but I've never had the opportunity to look one over in person. Just from the pics it appears to be a much different method of mounting the swivel back jaw then the other US makers like Prentiss, Reed, and others used. Having seen one up close what do you think KM. Is the Wilton method of retaining the back jaw as robust as the other US makes? I'd like to think so and look forward to coming across one in the wild. Ed.

 

[demoman]

Here is an 8" Railroad vise I got home a few weeks ago. It is for the Chicago, St Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railroad. On the left side it reads Bench vise 7" jaw, 13 inch opening and the railroad letters under that. I have no idea why it says 7 when it measures 8 but maybe they did make a smaller one. This came from the Minneapolis Minnesota region. I had never saw another till this spring. I actually bought this last fall and a friend was supposed to deliver it to me at the LeSueur Minnesota swap meet this spring. I was there on setup day and spotted it on a trailer in the back row. It was late so I thought maybe we should wait till morning to load it up so someone didn't think we were stealing it. Next day my buddy goes over and loads it up. The guy helps him load it and wants $1000. My friend laughs and says ok whatever. Next thing I know I get a phone call and the guy wants his money or else so I head over to the trailer thinking all along my friend who brought it is pulling a joke. The guy was not happy and tells me he wants his money. I ask him did Glen put you up to this. Who the #@#@@ is Glen. So now I call Glen. Did you bring my vise and he says no there was no room in his car! I unload it and show the guy pics of my vise. What are the odds that two would show up just alike. I almost got an azz whooping but it would have been worth it. I called several people and nobody would cough up the money so I let it go and the guy sold it later that day for$ 1000. Maybe someone on here knows who bought it.
Last pic is a teaser

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Good story on the swap meet "near fiasco" Demoman. I think I'd take a few punches for that vise too. I'm not sure what it is about Kansas but it sure seems like a lot of really big vises have ended up there and you have some nice ones. Surprising what a wire basket can hold up. Ed.

 

[demoman]

Ed - Vises do tend to wander into here for some reason. I like your photo of the drill press. I have a lot of those as well! The pic of the green drill looks real big. I have a Barnes like it that has a 48" table.

 

[drivesitfar]

DEMO: so is that the Reed 109 you had shipped or drove up to pick up that was in Pittsburgh? OTC is correct that wire crate is holding some serious weight and doesn't that vise weigh close to 300 pounds? nice RR vise too and maybe it was Friday and the stamper just stamped in 7 inch and ran to his girl in the wings. also that swap meet story had me smiling, but i'm betting a few tense moments for you.

WELL DONE and always nice to see you post your big iron.

ALL: well Demo posts a few monsters and all i have is a couple little guys. these little clamp on vises are not maybe as desirable as some i've seen here or that i own, but thought i'd post them anyway.

first one is dark green with 1.75 inch wide jaws and works great. not sure who made it and anybody that knows or wants to make a guess please do.

second one was sitting in a box and not sure how old or if US made, but seems like a nice little 1.5 inch wide jaw clamp on vise. is Premier US made or an import? it's awfully shiny, but i bought it with a box of 100 year old wood handled screwdrivers so guessing it might be old and never used.

 

[demoman]

Drives - I do like the clamp on vises and ppick them up if they are unique. They display well.
I really thought that my friend Glen had put this guy up to messing with me about the vise. I'm glad we didn't load it up the night before because there was no one around and he would have been hacked that it got stolen and I would have been in trouble. Lesson learned!!!!

 

[jreb10]

Finished up the big 7 inch Simplex I got last Fall. It was pretty rusty and needed some work.

I must say, when you go above 6 inches it seems like a whole new ball game. The photos do not do justice to how large these bad boys are. The Simplex is 200 lbs or so. Not easy to move even when in pieces. You need a large e-tank as well.

Here are some photos with my baby Bullet as a scale:

 

[mike_paxton]

Demoman:

Great looking RR vise, along with the story in getting it!!!

Went to tool auction today and picked up a small vise in comparison to Demoman:

Pics 1-5--Yost 103-1/2 made in Meadville PA. Jaws 3-1/2", max opening 5-1/2" and weight at 30 lbs.

Mike

 

[va.grouseman]

Jreb, I have one of those 7'' Simplexes.---Pretty hefty.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


This AD gives several, but skips the 7'' Simplex.---Don't know why.

http://scuttle.dayid.org/wiki/image...x-Desmond_Stephens_Simplex_catalogue_page.png
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I want an 81S real real bad.---Wouldn't you know it, Demo has 2 of those buggers.

Carder69, has one to, on page 93.


I want an 81S! I want an 81S!

 

[ganymede]

Finished up the big 7 inch Simplex I got last Fall. It was pretty rusty and needed some work.
I must say, when you go above 6 inches it seems like a whole new ball game. The photos do not do justice to how large these bad boys are. The Simplex is 200 lbs or so. Not easy to move even when in pieces. You need a large e-tank as well.

Here are some photos with my baby Bullet as a scale]

Jreb, I have one of those 7'' [


This AD gives several, but skips the 7'' Simplex.---Don't know why.

http://scuttle.dayid.org/wiki/image...x-Desmond_Stephens_Simplex_catalogue_page.png
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I want an 81S real real bad.---Wouldn't you know it, Demo has 2 of those buggers.

Carder69, has one to, on page 93.


I want an 81S! I want an 81S!

Nice big Simplexes .!
They actually tend to be lighter than other vices of the same size.
My 41s has 4 1/4" jaws and only weighs 48 lbs.

 

[biscuit141]

I found a Morgan Chicago 140 at my local pawn shop in really good shape. Jaws are good, no cracks that I saw, not really any rust, just old paint. They are asking $50 but tend to deal. My question is - is this vise worth picking up and what is a great price?

 

[Mark in Indiana]

biscuit,
I'd grab it for 50$, if it had a swivel base. From how you described it, it would be an easy clean up.
Who says you can't haggle on the price?

 

[Outlawmws]

It's a no brainer Biscuit... Go get it.

 

[biscuit141]

Alright I will swing by there tomorrow and make them an offer. It's fun to find these old American vises, my other one is a Chase Parker 954, which turned out to be smaller in person than I thought when I saw the ad on CL. I think I paid $50 for that one too if I remember correctly, it is also in pretty great shape. Will post if I get it.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Ed - Vises do tend to wander into here for some reason. I like your photo of the drill press. I have a lot of those as well! The pic of the green drill looks real big. I have a Barnes like it that has a 48" table.

I put a few pics and the story of my drill here:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5856761&postcount=1357

A 48" Barnes would be quite the drill!!! My Mechanics Machine Company Drill was made in Rockford at about the same time as the Barnes camelbacks. All these early Rockford area drills bear similarities. My table is only about 32" and the quill is MT 5. I've seen adds for 42" and 46" camelbacks but pics are pretty rare. I'd love to see pics of a 48" camelback. Ed.

 

[bluebolt]

PP: just ask and i'll bring a couple big uns down to your shop so you can take some measurements if you are serious. that little Olivia is a gem, but i might like a few of your other small ones better.

ALL: so is this ARMSTRONG vise a made in Chicago or assembled in Chicago and made in Japan, Taiwan or China? it looks like a re branded Columbian, but not certain. for a couple of benjamins it doesn't seem like a bad deal.

also broke my drought today and bought a one inch jaw clamp on vise. i tried to buy a 6 inch blacksmith vise, but couldn't pull the trigger cause would really just like one 8 incher to use and not have a collection of them. i'll post pictures of my little guy later when i dig him out of the box of goodies i bought with him.

It does have Made In USA cast in one side!