The VISES of Garage Journal

[chrisnazzy]

Restored a few vises this weekend. 1st is this Reed 3" #203 swivel base.

Its an early model. Dark blue Hammerite paint, BLO'd the slide. Really excellent jaws.

Nice job on all of these. Your vise obsession continues to evolve and impress!

I also like the look the BLO gives the slide on this Reed. What are you doing to the handle and exposed part of the spindle though to bring back that satin silver bare metal look. I've done a couple and cleaning them up they start to get too polished looking.

Chris.

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[G-ManBart]

Thank you for the advice
I guess I will rethink restoring it for now . What do you think is the approximate value of the sj450 ?
I used the paint to refresh my 3 ton arbor press

Nice job on the press....haven't seen one done in Verde Green before, but it looks good!

I think your SJ with a new set of Kevin's jaws and just a very careful cleaning would bring $750 and maybe more if the right collectors start a bidding war.

It does look like there was a respray done since the swivel locks, spindle and swivel jaw pin have paint on them, so I'd remove that and polish those parts, but other than that, I'd still leave it alone.

 

[Bcom]

Joe--- your work is always incredible as always!

Gman007--- you live in a vise desert? Hell Michigan is where alot of the good stuff is. Should be easy picking up there.

 

[gman007]

Joe--- your work is always incredible as always!

Gman007--- you live in a vise desert? Hell Michigan is where alot of the good stuff is. Should be easy picking up there.

Bcom
Not all parts of Michigan are created equally vise wise!
East Michigan is a lot more vise fertile than west and north Michigan
007

 

[Bcom]

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=351100

I think Drives' most recent discussion leans toward Rock Island, based on a number of physical factors. Somewhere there's a point made about the "drop shipped from" location supporting Rock island, too. But no direct statement from Sears, like "made for us by..."

Still very strange if RI made this style for Craftsman. That means that if they made this style specifically for Craftsman, later on down the road they did away with this special style and just used Rock Islands in house styles and just rebranded them?

 

[zoomieport]

Bcom
Not all parts of Michigan are created equally vise wise!
East Michigan is a lot more vise fertile than west and north Michigan
007

Kalamazoo is ok, Grand Rapids is pretty good, Lansing is pretty good, Metro-Detroit is great! But Northern Lower Peninsula is not fertile vise country...

 

[lis2323]

Kalamazoo is ok, Grand Rapids is pretty good, Lansing is pretty good, Metro-Detroit is great! But Northern Lower Peninsula is not fertile vise country...

If you guys lived in my area (British Columbia) you'd be probably be crocheting or in book clubs....

 

[Maui]

Does anybody recognize this make/model of vise?

Maui

 

[zoomieport]

If you guys lived in my area (British Columbia) you'd be probably be crocheting or in book clubs....

HAHAHAHA!

 

[Bcom]

Does anybody recognize this make/model of vise?

Maui

Looks like a Walworth vise to me

 

[va.grouseman]

Previously posted by Lis2323.

If you guys lived in my area (British Columbia) you'd be probably be crocheting or in book clubs....
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


It's just as dry here.---I can count on one hand how many vises I've bought or been given.---All the rest have been imported from around the US, Canada, and England.

In my area vises are the opposite of cars.---With cars, you buy one for $15,000.00, drive it off the lot and immediately it's worth $12,500.00.---But when they buy a vise around here for say $200.00 and take it out of the store, immediately it's worth $450.00.---The nearest vise I've bought was 60 miles away.

 

[LesserSon]

Still very strange if RI made this style for Craftsman. That means that if they made this style specifically for Craftsman, later on down the road they did away with this special style and just used Rock Islands in house styles and just rebranded them?

I don't understand what you mean by "later on down the road." Are the two "they"s both Rock Island or is the second "they" Sears?
Rock Island was sold in 1957 and closed in 1959, if I'm reading this correctly (http://trowelcollector.blogspot.com/2015/07/history-of-rock-island-manufacturing-co.html?m=1), which makes a plausible explanation for why the style went extinct.
I'm not claiming that Rock Island made them, just that the timing is right. The date stamps (in the same place as Rock Island atop the slide bar) are the mid-1950s, and then both Rock Island and these vises disappear before 1960. Maybe related, maybe not. The design as a whole doesn't look like anything before it, and not much like anything afterward. Maybe it's Japanese, like later Craftsman. But why would they stop making them?

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

Restored a few vises this weekend. 1st is this Reed 3" #203 swivel base.

Its an early model. Dark blue Hammerite paint, BLO'd the slide. Really excellent jaws.

Looks great love that blue

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

I know I posted this a couple of days ago but on Saturday I cleaned it, BLOd it and rebuilt it. I love the patina I get from this process.

here is my little vise collection. More are coming, a 2" Reed and a 2" Prentiss.

That's a great collection

 

[Iconoclast]

Nice job on the press....haven't seen one done in Verde Green before, but it looks good!

I think your SJ with a new set of Kevin's jaws and just a very careful cleaning would bring $750 and maybe more if the right collectors start a bidding war.

It does look like there was a respray done since the swivel locks, spindle and swivel jaw pin have paint on them, so I'd remove that and polish those parts, but other than that, I'd still leave it alone.

Thanks for the info

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

I finished up a Wilton Power Arm this one is going to Texas to reside. I have an older one I need to jump on next.

 

[Bcom]

I don't understand what you mean by "later on down the road." Are the two "they"s both Rock Island or is the second "they" Sears?
Rock Island was sold in 1957 and closed in 1959, if I'm reading this correctly (http://trowelcollector.blogspot.com/2015/07/history-of-rock-island-manufacturing-co.html?m=1), which makes a plausible explanation for why the style went extinct.
I'm not claiming that Rock Island made them, just that the timing is right. The date stamps (in the same place as Rock Island atop the slide bar) are the mid-1950s, and then both Rock Island and these vises disappear before 1960. Maybe related, maybe not. The design as a whole doesn't look like anything before it, and not much like anything afterward. Maybe it's Japanese, like later Craftsman. But why would they stop making them?

This is what I'm saying. The black Craftsman below is made by Rock Island. Rock casts the same vise with the Rock Island name on it as well. The blue Craftsman below is the one people are claiming also to be a Rock Island. So Rock Island just ditched the blue version so they can just make the black version instead? Or is the black version earlier than the blue version? Why did RI ditch the blue version and then just use their own in house version (black vise). See where I'm coming from?

 

[sandman54]

A little more eye candy! Sandman

 

[ganymede]

Has anyone seen a Rock Island with 50's dates stamped on top of the slide.?

 

[Outlawmws]

Bcom, keep in mind the 519X series was Sears High end vise. Sears primary customer was a "thrifty" person most of whom at that point were very conscious of the Depression, and their buying habits reflected that. To keep that vise "competitive" I'd guess the margins were not that great for high profitability, and they still didn't sell zillions of them.

The shop vise like the 5180 was was the high volume seller, and the numbers we see today reflect this.

 

[rusty65]

I don't understand what you mean by "later on down the road." Are the two "they"s both Rock Island or is the second "they" Sears?
Rock Island was sold in 1957 and closed in 1959, if I'm reading this correctly (http://trowelcollector.blogspot.com/2015/07/history-of-rock-island-manufacturing-co.html?m=1), which makes a plausible explanation for why the style went extinct.
I'm not claiming that Rock Island made them, just that the timing is right. The date stamps (in the same place as Rock Island atop the slide bar) are the mid-1950s, and then both Rock Island and these vises disappear before 1960. Maybe related, maybe not. The design as a whole doesn't look like anything before it, and not much like anything afterward. Maybe it's Japanese, like later Craftsman. But why would they stop making them?

Alright I haven't ever chimed in on this subject but I'll tell you this is I'd bet my house Rock Island made the 519x series. I base this conclusion on that Sears had used Rock island dating back to before 1930 and possibly before the 1920s so they did have a connection between the companies. Here is my opinion on a rough time line of mfgs for Sears.
1925: Sampson vises made by Rock Island for Sears cast in jaws.
1932-1940 Dunlap and craftsman vises made by Rock Island with the replaceable jaws.
1940-1948: Craftsman vises were made by Reed.
1950-? Craftsman 519x series
I don't have much evidence besides my opinion but if any one has information to fill in or correct go for it. I don't know if we will ever know the exact time periods or who made everything but it's kinda fun to think about all the possibilities.




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[CrotalusAtrox]

A little more eye candy! Sandman

Nice group of vises there Sandman but where is that 1983 Craftsman 3.5 incher think it was a transition piece either made in Taiwan or maybe Brazil who knows .

 

[Bcom]

Bcom, keep in mind the 519X series was Sears High end vise. Sears primary customer was a "thrifty" person most of whom at that point were very conscious of the Depression, and their buying habits reflected that. To keep that vise "competitive" I'd guess the margins were not that great for high profitability, and they still didn't sell zillions of them.

The shop vise like the 5180 was was the high volume seller, and the numbers we see today reflect this.

Ok I think I understand you outlaw. So basically you're saying that RI probably made both style vises around the same time regardless how different they are because one style was a high end style and the other a lower end style?

 

[sandman54]

Crotalus, i will tell u the destiny of the Legendary 3.5 Craftman its going on top of that master piece Wilton powerarm u just completed!!! the only place worthy of the legend. Sandman

 

[va.grouseman]

Looks to me like that whoever made the 519s for Sears would have continued making them for themselves when the Sears contract was expired.---They're such quality vises and the maker already had the blue-prints and molds, so why not make them for themselves?---Must have been some sort of no copy clause in there somewhere.---If I had of owned the company that made them and still could legally , danged if I wouldn't' have rolled out a million of them.

 

[AngryBeaver]

or the company was sold about the time those vises were introduced and went out of business year or two later....

 

[Bcom]

Looks to me like that whoever made the 519s for Sears would have continued making them for themselves when the Sears contract was expired.---They're such quality vises and the maker already had the blue-prints and molds, so why not make them for themselves?---Must have been some sort of no copy clause in there somewhere.---If I had of owned the company that made them and still could legally , danged if I wouldn't' have rolled out a million of them.

Well VA, you could always make your own molds out of whatever 519x you have lying around

 

[Outlawmws]

Rusty, the 519X were made from at least 1948 to at least 1957 according to the catalogs. I have gaps for 46 & 7, and again at 58 & 9...

Bcom I'm not making ANY claims for one company over another. My point was that the volume was low. Could RI have done both? Sure. But reed could have also done the 519X Columbian had the 5180 franchise...

 

[va.grouseman]

Well VA, you could always make your own molds out of whatever 519x you have lying around

Bcom, I don't have any experience pouring cast but I do know about pouring hot lead.---It wouldn't be the solidest CMAN vise you ever saw, but it would weigh more than the rest of them.

 

[Bcom]

Bcom, I don't have any experience pouring cast but I do know about pouring hot lead.---It wouldn't be the solidest CMAN vise you ever saw, but it would weigh more than the rest of them.

Has anyone ever tried that in here? Someone who's tried to cast there own vise out of whatever material and from whatever vise they had lying around?

 

[G-ManBart]

Drives has proposed that Starrett made them based on some 80-90 year old machinist he bought something off of told him that. Nothing about the vise screams Starrett however.

There are elements of several different companies vises, in the design, but overall its unique.

I would rate that vise right along side of a Starrett/Athol for quality, size for size. (you can get larger Starretts however...)

I can't see Starrett having made them. They dynamic support is on the small side, and Athol/Starrett always went large in that area.

For some reason many of the 519X I've seen have dynamic supports broken off.

 

[creativecars]

Got this 6" Wilton #11106 in yesterday. I could not pass it up for $46.07 to my door step. It was triple boxed, but took some beating. Only one little bit of paint missing.

 

[Shiftless]

Here is a pic of my Craftsman 5210. Just like one of Rusty's vises, it has the Rock Island style of curved lettering. Note the edge of the jaw towers to see the style of jaw inserts. I personally wouldn't bet my house on either Reed, Rock Island, or even Athol as the makers of the 519x

 

[Bcom]

Having not owned a Craftsman 519x series vise but do these vises even have "made in the USA" on the side of them? I don't remember ever seeing a "made in the USA" anywhere on these vises. Can anyone fill me in if they were even American?

 

[Shiftless]

Here is a pic of my 5191. Pretty beefy dynamic support shelf. ala Athol.

 

[LesserSon]

Having not owned a Craftsman 519x series vise but do these vises even have "made in the USA" on the side of them? I don't remember ever seeing a "made in the USA" anywhere on these vises. Can anyone fill me in if they were even American?

I don't have one. I've never seen one in person - only pictures. What I'm reporting here is what I've read on the 5198 thread and elsewhere.
You are right - I don't believe any of them say "made in USA." The base with four holes, no "ears" to snap off - what other vise looks like that? Or the back side of the static tower - that smooth curve. This doesn't seem to follow from earlier American designs - these are bold mid-20th-century cues, like it was designed from scratch. Which is another way of saying anyone might have made them.
Finding one new-in-box with paperwork, a shipping label, owner's manual - these would probably settle it.

 

[Bcom]

I don't have one. I've never seen one in person - only pictures. What I'm reporting here is what I've read on the 5198 thread and elsewhere.
You are right - I don't believe any of them say "made in USA." The base with four holes, no "ears" to snap off - what other vise looks like that? Or the back side of the static tower - that smooth curve. This doesn't seem to follow from earlier American designs - these are bold mid-20th-century cues, like it was designed from scratch. Which is another way of saying anyone might have made them.
Finding one new-in-box with paperwork, a shipping label, owner's manual - these would probably settle it.

I was just wondering if there's a possibility of them being made overseas since I don't see the "made in the USA" logo on them. Some later Craftsman's were made in Japan. I'm not saying one way or the other of where the 519x series were made. Just asking if anyone else might think of the possibility of them being made overseas unless someone has a positive ID saying they were an American product.

 

[rk_tek]

This may not be the right spot, but I'm sure the right people will see it here.

I came across this auction for Eaton-Heim in Hutchinson, KS. There are several other lots that include vises, as well as others with great cabinets, grinders, etc.

http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/view?auctionId=12384024&convertTo=USD

I have absolutely no affiliation with any party involved. I just saw some industrial sized Wilton and Reeds in the pictures and thought somebody could pick these up at a fraction of what they are selling for. If I were a bit closer and had the means to pick up that much equipment, i would probably already be on my way.

 

[gregaz]

Life in 2017. Found this thread. Caught the bug. Bought a Columbian vise. Restored. Joined GJ to brag about it. Sigh ...

And yes, I want to leave it unpainted - love the raw steel look! I am in AZ, so stuff doesn't rust here unless you put it outside during the rains.

If anyone has any tips on determining the age of this vise, I would appreciate it!

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Life in 2017. Found this thread. Caught the bug. Bought a Columbian vise. Restored. Joined GJ to brag about it. Sigh ...

And yes, I want to leave it unpainted - love the raw steel look! I am in AZ, so stuff doesn't rust here unless you put it outside during the rains.

If anyone has any tips on determining the age of this vise, I would appreciate it!

Welcome aboard the crazy train of vise collecting. Enjoy the ride.
Judging from the rounded arrangement of the brand name in the body, I'd say pre 1950.