The VISES of Garage Journal

[meatsis]

Drives that’s a killer Prentiss! I see a Reed in the background too. On the floor.

 

[pcar964]

Here are a couple more closeup pictures of my new Rock Island 593. Does anyone know what is the color these old Rock Islands were originally painted? Also, just to verify what has been mentioned before, do the number markings on the top of the dynamic slide in the picture indicate this was made in 1938?

 

[drivesitfar]

PCar: yep your Rock Island was made in 1938. Rock island had several colors, but sorry i don't have them memorized cause i like the one you have currently is my favorite. nice job restoring yours.

007: thanks for the better pictures and your thoughts. yep i thought it probably wasn't a glob of glue. the seller might have as a lot of old vises and he's just selling off a few he doesn't like as much as the others that i'd probably need to see and take a few pictures of even if that is a weld and i don't buy that Prentiss.

BMR: GOOD TIP about removing the jaws on a 100 year old vise before buying it, but not easily done and most sellers won't allow you to do that.

Meatsis: yep it does have that look doesn't it. have you seen pipe jaws like this Prentiss 356 on other prentiss or just Wiltons and Reeds? is it my eyes or is the dynamic jaw bent when fully extended cause the jaws seem to line up just fine?

ALL: i've picked up a few little vises recently and i'll get pictures when it stops raining which might be spring now.

cheers and thanks for the comments

 

[KMScott]

Yea that Prentiss weights over 200 lbs takes the same 6" jaws as the Prentiss 22 and competed with the Reed 4C, and Rock Island 544B back in the day. Pretty rare. If all it needs is jaws then it might be worth getting drivesitfar. I know a Texan that would like it.

 

[mlisac]

Rag: at those prices you can hardly go wrong for good old usable USA iron.

ALL: i'm looking at this Prentiss 356 (is that the #?) that is pretty big, but it's got a weird looking maybe weld in one of it's jaws. anybody have a better set of eyes to tell me (us) if this is a weld?

also i didn't know Prentiss had the huge pipe jaws like Wilton and Reed C series vises had so were they the first to use those jaws or was this vise modified.

gotta love when the seller puts a foot on the dynamic to show it's got some heft to it doesn't it?

Those are some nice lines on that big sucker. I find the simple mechanism for moving the stand pretty neat too.

 

[GETRIDAONE]

The pipe jaws are huge on that Prentiss. At a touch over 200 lbs. is why it is still on the dollie. The American Scale behind it was a competitor also at around 180 lbs.

 

[KMScott]

That is a nice American Scale GET, I bet a few more vise company's also had big combo vises. That RI 544B weighed over 200 lbs. The Reed 4C weights 185lbs. All heavy vises.

 

[FMC1959]

Drives: that stand def has that COOL look. [emoji106]

Thought I'd post a pic of the post vise stand I built a few years back. Ready for my dedicated blacksmith area I'll never get around to.





The pedestal is a 14" ductile water pipe filled with rebar and concrete. Studs embedded in the concrete for attachment of top and accessories.

Terry

Terry, stunning stand...actually more than a stand, it's a fantastic workstation

The pipe jaws are huge on that Prentiss. At a touch over 200 lbs. is why it is still on the dollie. The American Scale behind it was a competitor also at around 180 lbs.

From the pics Drives and Kevin posted, you see it is an impressive vise. But Get, your picture with a bit of an angle a good lighting....wow, those are humongous pipe jaws...absolute beauty

 

[TinkTinkForge]

Just picked this Reed no. 402 up. Seems to be a uncommon one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[trijeff]

Demoman is the undisputed king of the bigs, but you definitely take that title for the smalls, Tink

 

[royce]

Drives: that stand def has that COOL look. [emoji106]

Thought I'd post a pic of the post vise stand I built a few years back. Ready for my dedicated blacksmith area I'll never get around to.



The pedestal is a 14" ductile water pipe filled with rebar and concrete. Studs embedded in the concrete for attachment of top and accessories.

Terry

Lovely,well thought out stand.
Excellent work
Thanks for showing

Royce

 

[TinkTinkForge]

Thank ya. I’m trying to find the big ones. 5” or 6” is what I see mostly.

 

[The real Cletus]

Is that 2 different vises? In the first pics it looked like an awesome shade of light green. I like it so much I was going to ask what color it was but in the next pics outs royal blue. I'm confused.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

Nope, same vice. The awesome shade of green is in fact grey primer that my phone camera picked up as green. The blue is Fordson Blue

 

[The real Cletus]

Vintage: i heard a rumor that a want to be Wilton baby was crossing the boarder with it's power arm attached and nice to see it made it. WELL DONE!!

Cletus: since I own several Record vices and would like to maybe swap out the guts on my used 6 inch quick release with a like new Made in England 6 incher can you maybe post up some pictures and tell us how you took yours apart? here's the vise repair 101 thread where it could use some English vices if you have the time.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=252830&highlight=vise+repair+101

thanks and nice work!!

Thanks. I didn't actually take any pictures of the disassembly, but I can do so if the reassembly, and as the Haynes manual says, refit is the reverse of removal

 

[zoomieport]

I picked up this Wilton display stand from eBay, I was hoping to put my 450SJ of the bottom and the 350SJ on top, but the 450SJ is too tall for the bottom shelf...

So I think I'll just fill the whole thing with baby bullets.

Take care!
ZOOM

 

[gman007]

Here are a couple more closeup pictures of my new Rock Island 593. Does anyone know what is the color these old Rock Islands were originally painted? Also, just to verify what has been mentioned before, do the number markings on the top of the dynamic slide in the picture indicate this was made in 1938?

pcar
That is a nice vise. As for the original color, I have saved an old thread from GJ, which has some info on the colors of some the brands. Some info in that thread is definitive but some of it is open for discussion. In any case there is a mention that RI original color might have been Battleship grey , which is plausible as it seems it might have been a favorite color in old days for many vise brands.
Here is the link
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=263479
007

 

[TinkTinkForge]

That’s killer zoom! I’ll text ya some of the vise stands I’ve found.

 

[GETRIDAONE]

I picked up this Wilton display stand from eBay, I was hoping to put my 450SJ of the bottom and the 350SJ on top, but the 450SJ is too tall for the bottom shelf...

So I think I'll just fill the whole thing with baby bullets.

Take care!
ZOOM

It appears those two are mating, the babies should be along soon I
Maybe you will get lucky and have a baby SJ

 

[gman007]

I picked up this Wilton display stand from eBay, I was hoping to put my 450SJ of the bottom and the 350SJ on top, but the 450SJ is too tall for the bottom shelf...

So I think I'll just fill the whole thing with baby bullets.

Take care!
ZOOM

zoom
That is a very nice and unique find (everyday I learn something new here, honestly I did not even know there is an official Wilton stand!, thanks for posting it)! And those good looking Wiltons look happy being united with a Wilton stand too!


BWT, once you run out of space filling the stand with baby Wiltons, can you please kindly send a single one this way? As deprived peasants in the provinces, like myself have never even seen a baby Wilton in person!
Thank you in advance for your generosity
007

 

[drivesitfar]

Tink: we allow vise stands to be posted here if you'd like to post yours. nice little swivel jaw reed too or there is a vise stand thread you are welcome to add on to that is in the fabrication section.

GET: maybe that's how Zoomie got all those babies.

thanks for posting your picture of your big Prentiss. did that one have any issues or did you just clean it up and paint it cause it's been a while since i've seen it?

PCar: here's one of my Rock Island vises that is as original as it gets and sorry i can't recall if it had a date stamp on it. i think Rock Island had a dull green and maybe a light grey almost white original color too. they painted their Craftsman vises a blue color so they might have had that as one of their own vise colors too, but not sure.

 

[TinkTinkForge]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[GETRIDAONE]

Drives, There was one jaw with poor brazing job along the top. The attaching screws were replaced thhe jaws were tight again. The other thing to check is for any cracks around the ears on the base lock where the bolt goes through. Mine had been broken but a nice brazing job to fix it.

 

[drivesitfar]

GET: it also looks like your swivel's base is one of Prentiss' that uses a wrench to tighten or loosen? thanks for the tips?

TINK: WELL DONE and Thank you!!

 

[KMScott]

Tink and Zoom, nice stands and hard to find. Did someone mention Demoman, stands and big vises.

 

[Jon_E]

Quite a few years ago I bought two large machinist's vises off a craigslist ad for fifty bucks. One of them is a Reed 104-1/2, I think, but it's been in storage and I can't recall the exact model number. The other one I 'loaned' to my brother for his fab shop, and it's come back to me. It's a Holland (Hollands?) #15. I had forgotten what a monster it was. He took really good care of it but it needs a thorough cleaning and I will probably do a full restoration and paint job on it. Will have to get some pictures of both of them for the thread. My father also has a large Reed in mint condition, which is why I bought the other Reed - I grew up with it and couldn't pass up the opportunity to own one.

 

[drivesitfar]

Jon: i think Reed and Hollands were the same company at one time or very closely related, but i don't have my vise company history to memory like some of the guys do. that said i had a Holland's 15 and a young member near me needed a vise for his new bench he was building so i sold it to him and he hasn't offered to sell it back to me yet. here's a picture of what i think your's looks like and if you might have some old 3 inch lumber to make a bench it really does look good on this one.

thanks for the story and looking forward to a few pictures when you have some time to take and post them.

 

[pcar964]

pcar

That is a nice vise. As for the original color, I have saved an old thread from GJ, which has some info on the colors of some the brands. Some info in that thread is definitive but some of it is open for discussion. In any case there is a mention that RI original color might have been Battleship grey , which is plausible as it seems it might have been a favorite color in old days for many vise brands.

Here is the link

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=263479

007

Thanks 007 good info there!

 

[pcar964]

Tink: we allow vise stands to be posted here if you'd like to post yours. nice little swivel jaw reed too or there is a vise stand thread you are welcome to add on to that is in the fabrication section.



GET: maybe that's how Zoomie got all those babies.



thanks for posting your picture of your big Prentiss. did that one have any issues or did you just clean it up and paint it cause it's been a while since i've seen it?



PCar: here's one of my Rock Island vises that is as original as it gets and sorry i can't recall if it had a date stamp on it. i think Rock Island had a dull green and maybe a light grey almost white original color too. they painted their Craftsman vises a blue color so they might have had that as one of their own vise colors too, but not sure.

Thanks that looks similar to how my 593 looked when I received it. Strangely however the top coat was repainted gray at some point, but underneath was a dark red! Maybe that was some sort of primer.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Spotted this 6" big boy at the flea this morning. Unfortunately, the guy wanted the model number in price!

 

[454ragtop]

Tink, that Athol stand/display is bad ***!!

 

[drivesitfar]

Pcar: i'm not sure if red paint was a color that Rock Island sent their vises out in or if the users had some leftover tractor paint that they splashed on, but I have seen Rock Islands in several colors that sort of looked original.

Lug: the jaws and slide looks good on the Prentiss, but it looks like maybe the one foot was welded back on. i don't have the Bulldog #'s memorized, but if that wasn't a weld and it is a 6 inch wide jaw his price wasn't waaaaay out of line.

Tink: after admiring your stands a bit more i think you might need to trade off a few vises to fill up your Wilton stand with some old Pat Pend bullets or Swivel jaws.

thanks again for posting the stands!!

 

[Joefriday]

Good afternoon gents.

Things dried up completely for me but I came across this one at a flea market last weekend. Nothing special but I liked it. I can't find a model number on it or another like it on the internet to figure out the model number but I'll find a use for it.

3 inch/24 lbs

Best,
Rob

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Lug: the jaws and slide looks good on the Prentiss, but it looks like maybe the one foot was welded back on. i don't have the Bulldog #'s memorized, but if that wasn't a weld and it is a 6 inch wide jaw his price wasn't waaaaay out of line.

It's a 6-incher, Drives, the foot was definitely welded back on, and the slide was frozen. I'm sure I could get it going again with de-rusting, lube and effort, but I only buy at "steal" prices. Guy is going to Englishtown, NJ tomorrow if anybody else in this area is interested.

 

[drivesitfar]

Rob: nice find on that little Erie and love that it has the huge wing nut and pipe jaws. i'm guessing that might ship in a flat rate USPS box?

cheers and nice to see you post something again.

Lug: i hear you and even though it's been treated badly is that the first 100+ pounder you've seen in person or do you see them a lot?

 

[Joefriday]

Thanks Mr. Drives.

I like the big wing nut too. First one I've come across in the wild with all original parts.

Yes, I could probably fit it in a medium-large FL box.

Best,
Rob

 

[TinkTinkForge]

Drives. I wish I could find a swivel jaw. I’m not big on the wiltons but I like the different ones. Unfortunately the Wilton one is not mine. Working on a Athol stand.

 

[chrisnazzy]

pcar
That is a nice vise. As for the original color, I have saved an old thread from GJ, which has some info on the colors of some the brands. Some info in that thread is definitive but some of it is open for discussion. In any case there is a mention that RI original color might have been Battleship grey , which is plausible as it seems it might have been a favorite color in old days for many vise brands.
Here is the link
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=263479
007

I have two Rock Islands now. An 853 dated Oct 1958 and a 571 dated July 1944 and the base color on both was a medium gray.

Chris

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

[Boatman53]

Here is a logo someone asked for. I will have a PDF I can share in a couple of days so you can size it properly and not have it pixelated. Someone on a another forum shared it with me and I have yet to make the decal from it. PM me it you are interested in the PDF.

Jim

 

[gman007]

Good afternoon gents.

Things dried up completely for me but I came across this one at a flea market last weekend. Nothing special but I liked it. I can't find a model number on it or another like it on the internet to figure out the model number but I'll find a use for it.

3 inch/24 lbs

Best,
Rob

Rob
That is a very neat looking vise.

Honestly some days back I was thinking what happened to Joefriday, he used to restore a nice vise or two everyday? Did his bride make him join VA (Vise Anonymous) and he quit cold turkey and now has to admit everyday that he was a former vise addict?

As far as vise cold spell, well dude you probably bought every vise there was within 50 mile radius of you already, so it is not surprising. But seriously nice find and welcome back.
007

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nothing special but I liked it.

I'd call it special with that antique-era wingnut clamp! Nice find, Rob.

Rob:Lug:is that the first 100+ pounder you've seen in person or do you see them a lot?

Definitely not the first (I'm in NJ!), but it is the first big Prentiss. I see vises with > 5" jaws every other week or so.