The VISES of Garage Journal

[Fretters]

DIF, same here as Dutch'.

Turpentine is unpleasant stuff and should not be inhaled, and gives some people really bad skin reactions.

Incorrect. The vapours are a decongestant, and skin contact is fine unless you're one of the unlucky ones who becomes sensitised to it, which most don't. If that becomes the case though, just wear gloves.

 

[LesserSon]

I get a rash from turpentine, though I don’t think that was always true I did some oil painting in the 1970s&80s and don’t remember any problems. I also get a rash as bad as poison ivy from junipers. Didn’t used to have that problem, either, working for a landscaper in the 1980s.
Today I was out all morning at the flea market, and had a couple “sightings,” beyond my budget. A Parker 433-1/2 in glossy black paint, a Reed w/old-timey swivel base (1912 & 1914 pats), and a Reed pipe vise very much like the Hollands I recently posted - even having only one bolt holding the dynamic jaw together (and suffering the same deformation).
Then I bought this spindle assembly (within my budget). Marked “PVCo” on the spindle nut. That’s Prentiss, right? How to determine what model it goes to? Only other clue is a piece of ancient masking tape with “802” or “8022” written on it. Prentiss made a No802 table vise, but in the pics I’ve seen, it looks smaller than this.

 

[VISEs]

Cute little vise I picked up.


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[Fedelis]

Cute little vise I picked up.


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So small, and adorable!

 

[FMC1959]

Cute little vise I picked up.


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Not sure cute was the first word that comes to mind, more like a nice brute.

Pretty sure it is from France with all of the French on it. Pic 3 "tool patent" and whatever those letter/numbers are SG06 ?
Below that is probably the company name...SYS machinery (me.) L. Sellier

Pic 4 "tool combined universal" or universal combination tool. Below that it says workshop #3.....go figure, a big brute like that and it is just a "workshop" vise.

Hell of a find you got there

 

[va.grouseman]

VISEs, that is a show stopper.---So far, one of a kind.---That's going to be hard to beat.

 

[trijeff]

VISEs, what's the diameter of that screw? Looks undersized for that vise. But definitely a unique one ya got there!!

 

[oldldh]

I am in a conundrum...

So, I decided to turn my problem over to other members of "Vises R' Us"...

Considering how rare English Weather Forecasting Stones are, on this side of the pond...

And...

Considering how much it would cost to ship one over...

And...

Considering that we all probably, have a large chunk of American Cast Iron, laying around, doing nothing constructive...

Do you think that this iron could be taught the things that the English stone already knows???

What say you???

 

[va.grouseman]

Nope Old, that's way above our pay-grade.---You would have to consult M.I.T. for technology that sophisticated.

 

[454ragtop]

Crazy vise weekend, picked up over a dozen. Amongst them is a quest vise of sorts, a Stephens #5 ratchet vise. Seems to be in real nice shape except sometimes the ratchet won't release to let you slide the jaw back out, have to reach in thru the bottom and push the mechanism over. Anybody take one of these apart? Did a search, didn't find anything.

Also found a super nice Parker, only issue I see is a bent wrench (other than cosmetics) super nice jaws. Anybody straighten a wrench? Use heat, or bend cold? Almost looks like a casting, was afraid it would just break if I tried using a hammer on my anvil. Have a spare wrench, so wouldn't be the end of the world, but still hate to break it.

Picked up a couple of these clamp on I beam slide type little vises. I almost always just ignore these as it seems 90% of them are broken where the dynamic jaw slides on the "I" beam slide, but these 2 are in nice shape. First is a Bonney 02-1/2 I found at a flea market for $5. Second might be a Littlestown? Says LM&F Co on it. Seller next to me at the swap meet threw it in when I bought a pkg deal of other vises off him, real nice guy.

Last pic is a sneak peak of an Athol 630 4" swivel jaw, swivel base, trying to get the pin out of now. More pics to come in a day or 2.

 

[AngryBeaver]

Caught my first rock in the wild.

Came out of a basement of a house being renovated in west Cleveland. No cool story behind it.

5" jaw 543B.

Jaws are mint. Slide has not one single mark on it. Doesn't look used to be honest, just some minor surface rust from a damp basement. Doesn't appear to have ever been bolted down. Jaw support has no cracks.

 

[zoomieport]

$30 worth of "CROWN TOP" love...

 

[chrisnazzy]

Caught my first rock in the wild.

Very nice find sir. It definitely looks virtually unused. Would be interested in weight when you get a chance to weigh it. Most of the combo Rock Islands that have been posted here seem to be 542BX models.

I've found myself becoming very fond of Rock Islands since I found my first recently, an 853 swivel jaw. I've actually just purchased a 571 little brother and I'm working on a 592 stationary one now also.

Chris.

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[BMR24]

RagtopThat's a good lookin Parker, what model is it? I'd heat the wrench up and then try to "press" is straight with some steel over your anvil so you don't put hammer marks on it.

 

[va.grouseman]

AngryB, that's a dandy Rock Combo Sir. Congrats.

 

[AngryBeaver]

Very nice find sir. It definitely looks virtually unused. Would be interested in weight when you get a chance to weigh it. Most of the combo Rock Islands that have been posted here seem to be 542BX models.

I've found myself becoming very fond of Rock Islands since I found my first recently, an 853 swivel jaw. I've actually just purchased a 571 little brother and I'm working on a 592 stationary one now also.

Chris.

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It's 130 lbs on the nose and 5" jaws. It dwarfs the Columbian 204-1/2

Is this a 6/1960 date stamp on the rear of the static? (The not anvil part lol)

 

[Spdfreak91]

who made a better vise Athol or chas parker, i have a line one some and the parkers seems to be cheaper but is the Athol a better product?

 

[chrisnazzy]

Is this a 6/1960 date stamp on the rear of the static?

I'm certainly no expert but I've only seen date stamps on Rock Islands on the slide just behind the static when the jaws are closed. My 853 is stamped "10 58" which I thought was a very late example as the research I've done seems to show that Birtman Electric stopped making vises in 1959. 1960 would make yours very interesting.


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[AngryBeaver]

I'll clean the slide up tomorrow and see. What what we have

 

[KMScott]

Nice vise Angry, it would look good next to its older bigger brother the 544B that I finished a while ago. Sandman has it now.

 

[zoomieport]

Sandman = Lucky Man

 

[drivesitfar]

SPD: Parker and Athol both made great vises so model #'s and condition and pricing would be your determining factor. personally i'd prefer Athol, but Parker made some very cool vises so depends which ones you are looking at. do you have any pictures or model #'s?

Oldie: long time no hear and you came up with a DOOZIE. if only the world was just that simple wouldn't it be a great place to live.

cheers and glad to see and hear you have your good old humor still.

 

[sandman54]

Nice vise Angry, it would look good next to its older bigger brother the 544B that I finished a while ago. Sandman has it now.

Ha i spy a Gertsner machnist box in the back ground! nice

 

[Spdfreak91]

SPD: Parker and Athol both made great vises so model #'s and condition and pricing would be your determining factor. personally i'd prefer Athol, but Parker made some very cool vises so depends which ones you are looking at. do you have any pictures or model #'s?

Oldie: long time no hear and you came up with a DOOZIE. if only the world was just that simple wouldn't it be a great place to live.

cheers and glad to see and hear you have your good old humor still.

im looking at a parker 29x and a 102 and a Athol 614, I got the vice itch now

 

[exmaxima1]

SPD: Parker and Athol both made great vises so model #'s and condition and pricing would be your determining factor. personally i'd prefer Athol, but Parker made some very cool vises so depends which ones you are looking at....D

+1 on Athol
They seem beefier and the jaws are much easier to replace if necessary (ie smooth jaws for machinist work)

 

[gman007]

Drives
I finally got around finishing (in reference to the vise repair thread posts) my first ever Reed (and I believe your favorite brand). To be honest though I am not necessarily too happy with my choice of color (RustOleum Regal Red) and I am having second thoughts about it.

It seems older Reeds where finished in black (https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=263479). So one idea might be to use the same black as the Parker 955 that I have.

Alternatively another idea is to use the "burgundy" color that I used on a Parker 204. Ironically when I used the "burgundy" which was supposed to be Hammered Bright Red (RustOleum) on the Parker 204, initially I was not too happy with it either as it was not bright red but rather burgundy, but then I warmed up to it.

In any case here it is as of now.
007

 

[Spdfreak91]

That Flat black makes my mouth water with that vice.

 

[drivesitfar]

007: like i mentioned I'll probably have all my vises NAKED with some form of LINSEED OIL on them or if they still have their original paint in good shape i might just put Linseed oil on them instead of stripping them.

so i'm not saying color is a bad thing cause I've seen a lot of great vises painted that i'd surely like to own. it all depends what else you have sitting in your shop/garage/man cave next to them. if you've got a lot of red tool boxes and machines that red might just be the best color so see how you like it once it's ready to use in the spot you pick. if you are painting to sell for another person i'd probably ask them what color they like. original colors have their merit, but in my opinion they made a lot better vises 100 years ago than paint so pick something YOU LIKE. BTW WELL DONE on the restoration of that little Reed.

SPD: out of those 3 i'd buy the Athol 614 if pricing was ok, but i don't really know the Parker #'s to tell you that one of them are not rare or better. i do know that an Athol 614 might be enough vise for about 90% of the GJ member's shops or garages cause i'm betting it weighs close to 50 pounds which isn't bad for a 4 inch wide jaw vise. posting up pictures of your choices would help us let you know if we saw any condition issues, but an in person inspection is always the best so learn to spot cracks, missing cast, or parts missing or abused now that you've got the vise bug. good luck

 

[BMR24]

Drives
I finally got around finishing (in reference to the vise repair thread posts) my first ever Reed (and I believe your favorite brand). To be honest though I am not necessarily too happy with my choice of color (RustOleum Regal Red) and I am having second thoughts about it.

It seems older Reeds where finished in black (https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=263479). So one idea might be to use the same black as the Parker 955 that I have.

Alternatively another idea is to use the "burgundy" color that I used on a Parker 204. Ironically when I used the "burgundy" which was supposed to be Hammered Bright Red (RustOleum) on the Parker 204, initially I was not too happy with it either as it was not bright red but rather burgundy, but then I warmed up to it.

In any case here it is as of now.
007

Maby paint the raised letters on that reed either white or black, I like the color but I think contrasting letters would make it look even nicer

 

[gman007]

Maby paint the raised letters on that reed either white or black, I like the color but I think contrasting letters would make it look even nicer

BMR
I was actually contemplating that but I am concerned that the raised letters specially the patent stuff are too narrow and small and if the coloring is not done right (eg there is variation in the width of the black or white color across the letters), it frankly can end up looking like a five year old child scribbled something on the vise (and I have seen quite few of those). But when done right, I agree 100%, it can look great.
007

 

[Shiftless]

007:
Coincidentally I too chose Regal Red for my Reed 204.
I have a black paint pen on the shelf but haven't yet decided to highlight the lettering for the same reasons you stated.

 

[KMScott]

I use this brush when I paint my letters. Maybe I am blessed with steady hands, or because I am not a drinking man, I am over 60 so the shakes has not caught up to me yet. Having steady hands sure helped me in doing fine welding with my TIG welder since I have a good reputation in welding Plastic Injection Molds back when mold building was popular here in Colorado. Putting a dot on a corner of a mold insert takes a steady hand. I like to get real comfortable, adjust your chair and position the vise laying on it's side and again get comfortable. The brush has just a couple of bristles that holds enough paint for one letter, keep a cotton swap handy in case of accidents or adding to much paint. I did these letters in 15 minutes. This is how I do mine.

 

[BMR24]

And if you mess up the letters you can just get the rattle can back out

 

[454ragtop]

RagtopThat's a good lookin Parker, what model is it? I'd heat the wrench up and then try to "press" is straight with some steel over your anvil so you don't put hammer marks on it.

It's a 973-1/2. For all my worrying about straightening the wrench, piece of cake. Just for the hell of it I put it in the arbor press cold, bent so easy it was crazy. Looking the vise over a little more closely than when I bought it Sun., it's pretty minty, doesn't look like it saw much use, no idea how the wrench ended up bent. Near perfect jaws, no slide abuse, straight handle, really nice, just needs a cosmetic restoration. So it you get a bent Parker wrench, don't be scared of pressing or hammering it straight, they're very malleable.

 

[Hiatt1991]

Here's the before and after of my 3.5" Craftsman vise I got last weekend at a garage sale for $15. It was my first restoration and I think it came out pretty well. I couldn't have done it without the help on this forum. I used a wire wheel to strip it down to bare metal. Then I masked everything off and gave it 4 coats of rustoleum enamel paint.

<a href='http://i.imgur.com/UaTTNFK' title=''><img src='http://i.imgur.com/UaTTNFK.jpg' alt='' title='Hosted by imgur.com' /></a>

<a href='http://i.imgur.com/zSOWSnq' title=''><img src='http://i.imgur.com/zSOWSnq.jpg' alt='' title='Hosted by imgur.com' /></a>

 

[Cyansarunt]

Very nice, those are good little vises - USA or japanese made? You can tell by the prefix on other side. 391.xxxx is Japan 506.xxxx is USA made by Columbia. A white paint pen will make the letters pop and give good contrast

 

[GETRIDAONE]

That one is an old one. The tapered spindle and swivel lock handle give it away. It would made in USA for sure.

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

Ha i spy a Gertsner machnist box in the back ground! nice

Did someone say Gerstner

 

[Lump]

Guys, I'm going to an auction this weekend, and need your expert opinions.

I know the shop owner of this closed business, and he allowed me to preview some items the other day. There is an older Wilton bullet style vise with 6" jaws that I would like to bid on. On the cast side, it reads "made in USA," not "Chicago" or "Schiller Park."

It was not allowed to unbolt it from the bench to look for a date code on the bottom. So I was wondering if you guys might be willing to GUESS on its age, based on your experience. Here are photos:




Anyone have an opinion on its approximate value? I note the handle is not bent, and I could not find any cracks or welds anywhere. It's covered in caked-on dirt, obviously. But my friend who owns the shop says there are no repairs on it. He says its been in his shop as long as he can remember. Your thoughts will be much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Asphalt70]

Hi All,
Picked this one up today [emoji4]