The VISES of Garage Journal

[Thrumcap]

This piece needs no explanation. ....

That is fantastic VISEs. One of those is on my "Both Tool and Industrial Sculpture" search list beside such other similar tools that are literally showing up in art galleries now.

Thrumcap

 

[G-ManBart]

So gentlemen...what are we looking at here?

No idea, but Columbian used the upside down triangle with a C in the center on their anvils.

 

[Outlawmws]

That almost looks like a "G" or possibly a stylized tool?

 

[72highboy]

I saw that earlier haha, didn't want to post it quiet yet, but really want to know what it is. I have no time to get it now though..
Look at the front of the swivel base, it almost looks like "pro..."

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[eddieK]

I saw that earlier haha, didn't want to post it quiet yet, but really want to know what it is. I have no time to get it now though..
Look at the front of the swivel base, it almost looks like "pro..."

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

I contacted the seller...was gone quick.

 

[General Geoff]

Let the restoration begin!

Looks like the original paint was a greenish grey:

This vise was definitely abused, see the top of the slide, used as an anvil:

Very well-worn and beaten on. This vise has had a hard life:

But she's got life in her yet!

I had to drill out the sheared-off main nut retaining pin. Here it is after a center punch but before drilling.

And drilled through. After removing the remnants of the pin, the hole is now slightly oblong but it's close enough that I was able to tap it with a 3/8"-24 tap, so now I can use a retaining screw.

I still have to countersink the hole from the bottom so the screw head sits flush with the rest of the bottom of the vise, but so far so good!


edit; actually, I can just get a set screw so that it can go all the way recessed into the existing hole. Bonus that most set screws are also hardened so they should have greater shear strength.

 

[zoomieport]

Ladies and Gentlemen!

I hope you are well and vises have been plentiful!

I haven't been around much (if you haven't noticed)...

I first tore the rotator cuff in my shoulder, that started to feel better after a while, then my family had some real hard times that needed my attention, started to recover from that, then yesterday I shattered my wrist and it will require surgery....

THE CHAIRITY AUCTION for the Wilton 800, WILL GO ON, I'm just not sure when yet, guys... But we'll start out with a bang when I finally get the 800 listed!

Thank you all for your patience,
You're good folks!

Mike

 

[va.grouseman]

Zoom, sure have missed you.---Man you are sounding like some of these vises in the Journal that have had that proverbial "HARD LIFE".---I wonder if the Doc up in Colorado could do anything for you.

I feel some of your pain, I to tore my rotator cuff and ruptured a disk lifting a bunch of rocks for a wall.---Had back surgery in January and still wear a back brace when doing something strenuous and my cuff was just starting to get better.---Then on the 4th we moved 2 trailer loads of my boys furniture and stuff down to NC. to start housekeeping.---I thought I would die.---I still am recuperating from that, but I don't have a busted wrist so I can't say I know what you are going through.

Man you better start taking it a little slower, maybe gear back on your activities a little.---Only Zoomie can take care of Zoomie.---Good to hear from you again.

 

[Outlawmws]

Zoomie, Here's hoping you mend SOONEST. Best wishes on the wrist surgery, and hope it heals without complications!

 

[akasrick]

General Geoff

Heck of a project​

http://shadowflareindustries.com/photo/_data/i/upload/2017/07/11/20170711013903-5c74660c-me.jpg

What I mainly do is stop at roadside lawn ornament collections, stuff is outside 365. I have no idea the peoples situation be it pin money, help with the taxes, or food. I don't quible with them when they price, it's usually $20.
Taking them apart, cleaning them etc. keeps me from infront of the TV now PC. A simple outlet to remember some things that I had forgotten.
Looking around after finding a "maker's mark?" stamping on a vise base, a "W" half in and top half out of a oval, and a "W" bottom of main body, guessing Wilton.
Columbian 03 1/2 M3, base has a date of 1/25/80.
I find this. http://www.castironcollector.com/numbers.php Fairly interesting read, skip to- Small Raised Letters or Numbers - wonder if it holds true for vise makers? Hmmmm... skillets.

General Geoff Looks like you have your work cut out for you!

Will be found on this server
http://www.castironcollector.com/numbers.php

 

[drivesitfar]

GG: looks like you are taking on a challenge with that old Prentiss, but you are right the old girl does still have some life left in here.

if you wouldn't mind also posting your methods of drilling out the pin holding the vise nut in place and then your method of putting threads in the old pin's hole and what you used for a pin would be great. I wish all vises had that originally and it's really a nice upgrade that more of the guys and gals restoring their old vises need to see. here's the link of the Vise Repair 101 thread if you have time to post it:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=252830

nice work and another vote from me that you have success. one tip i've heard works well on those slides on the back of the slides used as an anvil is to drill a hole at the end of the hole. I can't say i've seen a crack like yours where it doesn't start at the end so maybe you have a fix in mind.

Zoomie: i hope you and your family are recovering and getting healthy.

ALL: i can't recall who made the Triangle G or whatever that Wilton Bullet look alike vise with the swiveling barrel option, but it looks maybe EUROPEAN so maybe the guys across the pond might have a clue.

 

[General Geoff]

GG: looks like you are taking on a challenge with that old Prentiss, but you are right the old girl does still have some life left in here.

if you wouldn't mind also posting your methods of drilling out the pin holding the vise nut in place and then your method of putting threads in the old pin's hole and what you used for a pin would be great. I wish all vises had that originally and it's really a nice upgrade that more of the guys and gals restoring their old vises need to see. here's the link of the Vise Repair 101 thread if you have time to post it:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=252830

nice work and another vote from me that you have success. one tip i've heard works well on those slides on the back of the slides used as an anvil is to drill a hole at the end of the hole. I can't say i've seen a crack like yours where it doesn't start at the end so maybe you have a fix in mind.

Thanks for the encouragement! I didn't do anything super special to drill out the pin, just started with the smallest bit in this Milwaukee Helix cobalt bit set and worked my way up 1/16th inch at a time. I just eyeballed it with a hand drill.

As for the collapsed part of the slide, I'm not super worried about it as it doesn't extend to any edges, so I don't think it's actually inhibiting the strength of the slide. If I wanted to spend big money, I could probably have the divot milled out so it's a nice rectangular indent.

I've been contemplating taking this thing to a machine shop anyway to have the jaw faces milled flat. How much do you think a shop would charge for such a service?

 

[Mister J]

I've been contemplating taking this thing to a machine shop anyway to have the jaw faces milled flat. How much do you think a shop would charge for such a service?

An hour or two with a decent file and you could get them good and flat using a draw file technique and some patience. You'd need to take your time and check every now and then until you get things good and flush.

Edit: Depending on how hard the jaws are, of course. I'd be willing to bet that they're quite a bit softer than a file, and even if you ruined a $10 file doing the job it would probably be a whole lot cheaper than having a machine shop do it, unless you have a machinist friend.

 

[joe.striper]

Ladies and Gentlemen!

I hope you are well and vises have been plentiful!

I haven't been around much (if you haven't noticed)...

I first tore the rotator cuff in my shoulder, that started to feel better after a while, then my family had some real hard times that needed my attention, started to recover from that, then yesterday I shattered my wrist and it will require surgery....

THE CHAIRITY AUCTION for the Wilton 800, WILL GO ON, I'm just not sure when yet, guys... But we'll start out with a bang when I finally get the 800 listed!

Thank you all for your patience,
You're good folks!

Mike

Zoomie, sorry to hear of your issues. As a FRIEND, I will gladly move some of that iron out of your way so you don't trip. I've seen your pics, that place is an OSHA violation if ever I've seen one.

 

[joe.striper]

So gentlemen...what are we looking at here?

clearly a copy of a Parker rotating body vise, reminds me of a Yost as well...

 

[KMScott]

Ladies and Gentlemen!

I hope you are well and vises have been plentiful!

I haven't been around much (if you haven't noticed)...

I first tore the rotator cuff in my shoulder, that started to feel better after a while, then my family had some real hard times that needed my attention, started to recover from that, then yesterday I shattered my wrist and it will require surgery....

THE CHAIRITY AUCTION for the Wilton 800, WILL GO ON, I'm just not sure when yet, guys... But we'll start out with a bang when I finally get the 800 listed!

Thank you all for your patience,
You're good folks!

Mike

Zoomie, glad to hear from you, been getting worried. Get healed up. No issues on the 800 at our ends, sell it when you are feeling better. The charity will still be there, maybe we should set up a charity fund for your doctor bills. A busted shoulder and a busted wrist sure stops the vise restores. Good to hear from ya.

 

[454ragtop]

So gentlemen...what are we looking at here?

Taskmaster import? Seems I remember a Wilton knockoff with those same lines and color.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Would someone please give me the skinny on this Parker No. 31? Frankly, it looks early and rather commonplace to me, but that's just intuition, and I'm not a vise collector. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Joefriday]

Good evening gents.

I stumbled across this one that had been posted on CL for over a month..at $50. I assumed it was sold but sent an email anyway since it was still listed. About a day later I received a reply that it was still for sale. Shocker! Anyway, it was a bit of a drive from me (more than the 10-20 minutes that I prefer) but after some communication with the seller I made the trip and picked it up two days ago.

American Scale No.77. I couldn't find any info on it prior to purchasing it. It is larger than I expected. Jaws are 4.5 inches and weight without the stand is 90lbs. Casting is terrible. I decided to strip it and re-paint it although I prefer to just oil the bare metal since I have no patience at all and don't like waiting for paint to dry.

The original color appeared to be a very dark gray so I went with charcoal gray although it looks more blue in the pictures.

Jaw swivel pin was stuck in place as was the jaw once I removed the pin. Took some elbow grease to get it up and running properly. With my labor I have about 2K in it.. Ha.

Interesting way it was mounted on the drill press (?) stand.

Oh, and it has "US" stamped in the head of the screw too which is cool because my main collecting interest is militaria.

Anyway, I'm happy with it and here it is:

Best.
Rob

 

[eddieK]

Would someone please give me the skinny on this Parker No. 31? Frankly, it looks early and rather commonplace to me, but that's just intuition, and I'm not a vise collector. Correct me if I'm wrong.

That is a hazard to have around...you should mail it to me, I'll even cover the freight.

 

[Provincial]

Joefriday, the anchor in the US stamping indicated US NAVY.

But you probably knew that already!

 

[Fretters]

Joefriday, the anchor in the US stamping indicated US NAVY.

There's me thinking the anchor signified army....

That looks good Joe.

 

[BrettJ74]

Joefriday, I recently found a Desmond Stephan Simplex 31S that has the same marking on the end of the screw as well. Being a boat builder myself this became an instant keeper when I found that mark. Nice score that is a good looking vise [emoji106]


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[General Geoff]

Just about prepped for paint.

 

[drivesitfar]

JOE: really happy you stuck with that American Scale deal that was dead a few times. nice work on the restoration. if you want to post up how the drill press stand holds the vise over on the vise stands thread here's the link cause i think it's cool.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=252799&highlight=vise+grinder+stands

GG: nice tape job, but unless you have a great cheap supply of that expensive tape you might want to put newspaper or plastic bag over the slide and tape it off at the end.

good luck

 

[General Geoff]

That expensive tape was 99 cents a roll, used about half a roll for the whole vise.

oh and the rust color on the dynamic jaw area is mostly just dust from the final round of wire wheeling, I'll do a final dusting with compressed air tomorrow before painting.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

That is a hazard to have around...you should mail it to me, I'll even cover the freight.

HAHA! I see by your avatar that you're probably only half-kidding!

Believe it or not, that vise is actually on a bench in my garage and gets a lot of crude, hard, general purpose work. I got it from my dad. This will be blasphemy in this thread, but until recently, I didn't pay much attention to the make. Even though I collect vintage hand tools that I do not use, only when I stated hunting for WWII vises - they were in a few of the 3rd and 4th echelon tool-sets (maintenance depots), and mounted in the back of emergency repair trucks, welders' trucks, and machinists' trucks - did I start to think of vises as collectible. So, seriously, if this is a rare or even just an uncommon Parker model, and worthy of restoration, and a high, dry spot in the Tool Hall of Fame, let me know. Otherwise, I'll probably leave it where it is.

Oh, and it has "US" stamped in the head of the screw too which is cool because my main collecting interest is militaria.

Joefriday, the anchor in the US stamping indicated US NAVY. But you probably knew that already!

That martial COO stamping was highly likely applied by the US Navy, not the factory, and most likely during WWII. I don’t have any record of an American Scale company having wartime contracts, but my reference, published by the War Production Board in 1945, only includes contracts awarded from 1940 through 1945 with a value over $50,000, so it’s good to identify another potential source for wartime vises.

Joefriday, I recently found a Desmond Stephan Simplex 31S that has the same marking on the end of the screw as well.

Brett, in case you missed it a few weeks ago (page 2813), you may be interested in this earlier post of mine in reply to 3baygarage, which includes a snapshot of Desmond Stephan’s wartime contracts, which included two with the US Navy in 1943 and 1944: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6566737&postcount=56241.
It also includes a link to an online PDF of a wartime War Department Technical Manual on the care and maintenance of hand tools, featuring several images of your Desmond Stephan vise in action, with a jig, and without a jig.

 

[wrenchguy]

Joefriday, I recently found a Desmond Stephan Simplex 31S that has the same marking on the end of the screw as well. Being a boat builder myself this became an instant keeper when I found that mark. Nice score that is a good looking vise [emoji106]


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oh yea! navy gray underway! (lower left)

video,

 

[drivesitfar]

GG: yep at $1 per roll i probably wouldn't worry either and just trying to give you a tip to save a little time too. I think i added a roll of green FROG painter's tape to a paint purchase at Sherwin Williams cause i needed something to label a few of my drawers with a sharpie while i GET ORGANIZED and i bet it was about $4, but it stays on the metal until i need to remove it.

LUG: i'm not a Parker expert cause not one of the brands i see often or really search out, but your old parker isn't common in my part of the world cause even though i don't search out or see them often i'm looking ALL THE TIME. maybe somebody else can speak up and give you a bit more of a 411. i'd say clean it up if it has family history and find a shelf for it to sit on when you find a big ROCK ISLAND OR REED (4.5 inch wide jaws to 6 is best) to mount on your bench cause that little guy has done it's job and the jaws and/or repairs won't be cheap/easy or even possible on Parker as some other vises.

ALL: I forgot to check for that anchor stamp on the Morgan 50 i sold to another retired Navy GJ member here locally cause it came right off an old ship docked in Bremerton about an hour from me that is a huge Naval base.

cheers

 

[General Geoff]

Well, decided to go a different route and use matte black truck bed liner to spray the old Prentiss. Not pretty but super functional, and should address the main problem I have with my pretty Starrett, that is nicks and chips in the paint when I'm actually using the damn thing!

I'll probably at least paint over the lettering with white or another bright color to offset the drab black.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

LUG: i'd say clean it up if it has family history and find a shelf for it to sit on when you find a big ROCK ISLAND OR REED (4.5 inch wide jaws to 6 is best) to mount on your bench cause that little guy has done it's job and the jaws and/or repairs won't be cheap/easy or even possible on Parker as some other vises.

Repairs? It may not look it, but it works like a champ! No dead spin, extra play or wobble in that sucker. But I do agree - it's tired. I don't need a 6, but I was thinking about mounting the Ridge Simplex 4.5 in the same spot. It was intended for a swivel base, which I don't have. This is a little crude and shade tree, even for me, but I was thinking about going right through the lock down holes. They're not very wide apart, though, and I'm a little worried about the yawing action on the bolts if I mount through there.

 

[drivesitfar]

Lug: a lot of GJ members and general vise uses mount their swivel base vises without a swivel with the two holes (some even drill a second hole on those vises that only have one swivel hole). Wilton actually sells their bullet vises without swivels to mount with 2 holes, but they are a lot shorter and compact than your Desmond.

that said if you aren't reefing on your Desmond and treat a vise like it's a vise and not a press or anvil i bet it will last you a long long time until you FIND a 6 inch vise you really don't need to replace it with. also i didn't say your Parker was damaged and just saying if you did it might be fatal or expensive to fix.

good luck

 

[Joefriday]

AAH (Attention All Hands),

Thank you for the positive comments and information.

I figured since the vise was former US Navy it should have a dog tag made on this vintage tool (to keep in line with the vintage aspect of the forum).

Best,
Rob

 

[Joefriday]

Joefriday, I recently found a Desmond Stephan Simplex 31S that has the same marking on the end of the screw as well. Being a boat builder myself this became an instant keeper when I found that mark. Nice score that is a good looking vise [emoji106]


Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Great looking vise. What color did you use?

Best,
Rob

 

[eddieK]

Completed the latest 4...



After playing with several of these old school brands, I really am impressed with the Desmond Stephan Simplex

 

[drivesitfar]

EDDIE: yep i agree that Desmonds are the BOMB as they say and maybe up there with Reed and Rock Island in my opinion. nice looking Columbian and not sure i've seen that model much or often. any idea on it's age?

Joe: is that your machine? very cool and great badge. i picked up a few of these old AddressOgraph cabinets that weigh a ton that would have held our grandparent's credit cards at the department stores cause nobody had one in their wallet. carbon copy receipt and the bill would come in the mail (not email).

cheers

 

[Joefriday]

Yes sir, it's my machine. Those cabinets must make nice tool/parts cabinets.

BTW, the machine weighs a ton too. It's all original and runs like a Swiss watch.

 

[eddieK]

EDDIE: yep i agree that Desmonds are the BOMB as they say and maybe up there with Reed and Rock Island in my opinion. nice looking Columbian and not sure i've seen that model much or often. any idea on it's age?

Joe: is that your machine? very cool and great badge. i picked up a few of these old AddressOgraph cabinets that weigh a ton that would have held our grandparent's credit cards at the department stores cause nobody had one in their wallet. carbon copy receipt and the bill would come in the mail (not email).

cheers

That is a nice Columbian, found it at a swap meet for a 10 spot...would love to find the/a swivel base for it.

I forgot about the pipe vise I also completed.




I plan on giving it and the Desmond to a friend - He recently bought this awesome house with a trick shop...and he's got this chicom piece of **** on his bench...told him he needs a real vise. He was going on about how he wants one with pipe jaws and that was all he could find (Irwin/ Record). Now he'll have a real pipe vise and a solid machinist vise.

 

[Rileysan]

AAH (Attention All Hands),

Thank you for the positive comments and information.

I figured since the vise was former US Navy it should have a dog tag made on this vintage tool (to keep in line with the vintage aspect of the forum).

Best,
Rob

That is so cool! Glad I don't have room for one, or I might go looking!

Brian

 

[Joefriday]

It's fun for sure. I looked for a loooong time. They can be found on Ebay but they are pretty expensive if working, $1,500-2K+, and shipping is a few hundred more if the seller will even ship. I finally found this one local on CL for a great price and in great condition. Came out of the office of a coal mine.