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The VISES of Garage Journal

jrobb316

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After the Parker swivel jaw I picked up, I landed this Morgan 138 sheet metal vise. It has both rods missing from the base adjusters, and needs a good going over, but it's pretty good. I have wanted one of these for a while.

Damn, now with the hollands, the parker and the morgan (and my old crappy Columbian) I need more bench frontage!

morgan138.jpg

Doing some catch-up, congrats on the morgan 138 score. They seem to be pretty rare. I picked one up this summer, its currently on my bench naked, ran out of time for paint this year. (its the grey one pictured in the previous post with other 138s) The blue IS original (my Morgan Milw 150 is pictured, my daily driver). The blue on my vise is original. Also close to Miller blue too :) I guess OSHA safety blue is very, very close match to morgan blue. As far as the numbers go, the catalog at www.milwtool.com lists it as a 138 still. Sometime in the later Chicago days, all Morgans became stationary vises with the swivel base being an option, just like the late model Starretts. So the vises are not cast with 150 (in the case of my vise pictured), its cast as a 50 and the swivel base is additional, which makes it a "150". Back in the Chicago days, they were separate vises for stationary vs swivel. The one in front always notated a swivel base.
 

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kenc184

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As of yesterday, this is my "daily driver". Not nearly as nice as your 150, but at least I won't have kittens when the oxy torch gets a little close to it!

As you can see I started stripping the 138 today.

unnamed.jpg
 

jrobb316

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145 is nice too. I owned one of those too, sold it a while back. Morgan's grow on trees around here I think. There was also, as of a week ago, a 138 for sale on the Detroit area fb marketplace. It came up on my related feed, as that is quite a ways away from me.
 

drivesitfar

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Smitty: i'm with you that that vise isn't a Prentiss and the handle and the # on the side almost leads me to believe ATHOL?

4Nines: thanks for posting the old pictures!! :thumbup:
 

Smitty

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Smitty: i'm with you that that vise isn't a Prentiss and the handle and the # on the side almost leads me to believe ATHOL?

4Nines: thanks for posting the old pictures!! :thumbup:
The bull nosed back edge behind the swivel jaw made me lean towards a Reed.
 

drivesitfar

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Smitty: yep it does have that and I guess that could be a simple replacement handle. it looked like the middle number on the side was a 1 which led me to Athol too.
 

JimNC

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I just had the good fortune to purchase a Prentiss model 85 from a member. It’s a neat little thing. Searches turn up nothing, but I don’t have great ideas for search terms. Anyone have any documentation they can share?
 

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Smitty

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Smitty: yep it does have that and I guess that could be a simple replacement handle. it looked like the middle number on the side was a 1 which led me to Athol too.
It’s really a treat to see old vises in their original environment. I saved all of the pics for future reference.
 
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drivesitfar

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Smitty: AGREED!!

Jim: can't say i've ever seen a PRENTISS like that and looks like it's supposed to be a bench mount and you found a different spot for it. nice looking vise and what is the jaw size and weight if you might know?

ALL: I haven't posted this old RR picture for a while that is one of my favorites.
 

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Smitty

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Smitty: AGREED!!

Jim: can't say i've ever seen a PRENTISS like that and looks like it's supposed to be a bench mount and you found a different spot for it. nice looking vise and what is the jaw size and weight if you might know?

ALL: I haven't posted this old RR picture for a while that is one of my favorites.
The allure of old iron is a curious thing.
 

Smitty

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I just had the good fortune to purchase a Prentiss model 85 from a member. It’s a neat little thing. Searches turn up nothing, but I don’t have great ideas for search terms. Anyone have any documentation they can share?



This is a screen shot from a catalog page from 1895dc22f26df472b5d5c6def64d65c1a618.jpg


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JimNC

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This is a screen shot from a catalog page from 1895dc22f26df472b5d5c6def64d65c1a618.jpg


Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

Thanks!

The 85 looks to be a bit smaller than the 86. Jaws are 2 3/4 x 1 1/4 and the base is more refined. Also looks like the jaws are more forward of the casting on the 85.

Don’t see any advantage to it over either a standard pipe vise or a standard bench vise for square stock.
 

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Smitty

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Smitty: AGREED!!



Jim: can't say i've ever seen a PRENTISS like that and looks like it's supposed to be a bench mount and you found a different spot for it. nice looking vise and what is the jaw size and weight if you might know?



ALL: I haven't posted this old RR picture for a while that is one of my favorites.



As a Prentiss fan I like this photo. I wonder what year this would be?e1914c12b4d52caf38ac988fb3506fd6.jpg


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MissileBear

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I haven't posted this old RR picture for a while that is one of my favorites.

That vise in reference to the stand....8 incher? Looks like a biggun.

The date of that picture is interesting....that would have been at the tail end of the steam era for Santa Fe, as they already had diesels in use at that point. Steam engines were mostly phased out by early 50s.
 

trijeff

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As a Prentiss fan you gotta love these!6b5b85cddb9319370a1e5f3e3f87e10d.jpg

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Smitty

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As a Prentiss fan you gotta love these!6b5b85cddb9319370a1e5f3e3f87e10d.jpg

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
Yeah, you’ve pretty much found the holy grail on both ends of the spectrum. Nice
 

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Smitty

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As a Prentiss fan you gotta love these!6b5b85cddb9319370a1e5f3e3f87e10d.jpg

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
Do you want to trade for the 98?
I have some interesting pieces
 

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drivesitfar

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MB: I think they are all Holland’s 18’s but a few members own those stands so they might even have the vises too to show us the modern day pic!!

Smitty: nice pic. Since you now are a reed fan I can’t find a wall of huge reeds in shelving in an old picture I had on my old laptop, but I’ll keep looking unless another member posts it..

TJ: always nice to see the dynamic duo
 
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rusty65

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Yeah, you’ve pretty much found the holy grail on both ends of the spectrum. Nice



No offense but a large prentiss rapid transit I would personally consider the holy grail but don’t get me wrong that prentiss 98 is freakin sweet and yeah I’d piss my pants if I found one as clean as his.


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Smitty

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MB: I think they are all Holland’s 18’s but a few members own those stands so they might even have the vises too to show us the modern day pic!!

Smitty: nice pic. Since you now are a reed fan I can’t find a wall of huge reeds in shelving in an old picture I had on my old laptop, but I’ll keep looking unless another member posts it..

TJ: always nice to see the dynamic duo



I can’t wait to see it. Reed’s are definitely on my radar after finding the 4C. You’ve probably seen this already but there are two huge vises hiding in this vintage photo.IMG_3266.jpg


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Smitty

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No offense but a large prentiss rapid transit I would personally consider the holy grail but don’t get me wrong that prentiss 98 is freakin sweet and yeah I’d piss my pants if I found one as clean as his.


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I hear what you are saying but that 98 is amazing. I won’t rest until I find one.
 

Ststephen7

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Sep 24, 2016
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Elkins Park, PA
Wow! 5 vises followed me home today!!

A 93lb Prentiss Bulldog no 55

A 45lb Columbian 504

2 (yes 2) Wilton 50lb 4" bullet vises. One in great shape, the other has a lot of weld spatter and holes (I get the weld spatter, and these look like burn holes, not drill holes!?).

And finally a 4" Palmgren swivel vise.

I've gone from zero to ridiculous in just over a week! I'll have more pictures as I clean them up...

IMG_4542.jpg

IMG_4555.jpg

IMG_4536.jpg

IMG_4557.jpg
 

Ststephen7

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Elkins Park, PA
Wow! 5 vises followed me home today!!

A 93lb Prentiss Bulldog no 55

A 45lb Columbian 504

2 (yes 2) Wilton 50lb 4" bullet vises. One in great shape, the other has a lot of weld spatter and holes (I get the weld spatter, and these look like burn holes, not drill holes!?).

And finally a 4" Palmgren swivel vise.

I've gone from zero to ridiculous in just over a week! I'll have more pictures as I clean them up...

IMG_4542.jpg

IMG_4555.jpg

IMG_4536.jpg

IMG_4557.jpg

The paint removed from the Bull Dog no. 55

IMG_4569.jpg
 

Mr. Wonderful

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I finished up the little wilton cadet. I got the owner to throw it in when I bought the Morgan 160 and the Craftsman 5197. It came out pretty good. Cutting that welded plate off the base took waaaaaaay to long but I am glad I did it. I never did figure out if there was supposed to be a dust cap on the end:headscrat
 

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Ryan_340

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I finished up the little wilton cadet. I got the owner to throw it in when I bought the Morgan 160 and the Craftsman 5197. It came out pretty good. Cutting that welded plate off the base took waaaaaaay to long but I am glad I did it. I never did figure out if there was supposed to be a dust cap on the end:headscrat

No dust cap on the end of that Cadet.
 

CRSINMICH

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MB:
Smitty: nice pic. Since you now are a reed fan I can’t find a wall of huge reeds in shelving in an old picture I had on my old laptop, but I’ll keep looking unless another member posts it.

drives: Is this the picture?
 

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GETRIDAONE

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My best estimate is about 400 on the shelves.
400 @ 12.50 list price ( average list for 4 1/2" vise in 1915 ) = $5000.00
400 @ 9.37 cost assuming 25% gross margin = $3750.00

400 @ 305.00 Todays dollar = $122,000.00
400 @ 228.75 * * = $91,500.00
 
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