The VISES of Garage Journal

[Smitty]

If you bring home the vise, is your wife going to make you move into that house?

She just might, lol

 

[Smitty]

Is it your worst nightmare because someone just dropped that off at a recycling place?

Do you know what size it is yet? Or should I say, are you on your way to get it?

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

Im pretty sure it’s a Prentiss no.22. The lines on the vise are really clean and you can tell it’s in great shape. Somebody dropped this off for 10¢ a pound.

 

[Smitty]

I do not understand your dream and nightmare. Vise a 1/4 size of your house or a cone equal size of your house.

Sent from my G8141 using The Garage Journal mobile app

I don’t have a boat to get to island recycling.

 

[chrisnazzy]

Im pretty sure it’s a Prentiss no.22. The lines on the vise are really clean and you can tell it’s in great shape. Somebody dropped this off for 10¢ a pound.

Yeah I was thinking Prentiss 21 or 22 also. I went and found the FB post after replying. Looks like that company in WA posted that months ago. I wonder if they sold it and if they did, for how much. It did look complete and in good shape.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

[Smitty]

Yeah I was thinking Prentiss 21 or 22 also. I went and found the FB post after replying. Looks like that company in WA posted that months ago. I wonder if they sold it and if they did, for how much. It did look complete and in good shape.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

I probably could have gotten a package deal. The house, cone, chair and vise for $150

 

[Negen]

I don’t have a boat to get to island recycling.

Oh I do not know where that is but here in Washington if you need a boat you go to the docks with cash the boats drive you places. In California you can get to Mexico or Hawaii via fishing boats the more trouble your in and the more you need to avoid authority the more monies you need to bring. If you need to go to Asia you need to go via the ports this will cost no less than 20,000(Asia) Mexico is about $5,000. Of course if your have Id and passports the cost is about 750$ either direction. If this garbage island is not far a day trip may only cost a couple hundred. I went from Seattle to Alaska for 300$ once.

Sent from my G8141 using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[honza.vosalik]

I'll be shooting for a 60mm. From what I looked up, a brand new one with swivel locks should be under $100 shipped.

I received a response from york and was told you can actually buy their vises under the Wilton brand in the US, so it's cheaper to get it here than shipping across the pond yourself...

 

[Outlawmws]

I'm guessing its this one?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006NGGZO

 

[honza.vosalik]

I'm guessing its this one?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006NGGZO

Exactly

 

[JohnnyRocket]

I’ll take some better photos once it’s done. I’m just letting the color cure. You can’t really see the color or the metallic properly.

This came out so well that I'm going to replace the locking handles on the base with new ones. The spindle is in great shape, and Snap-on sent me two labels.

If anyone's looking for a cheap pair of locking handles I have them listed in the classifieds. They'll fit any Wilton base that uses a 1/2" carriage bolt (1750/1755, etc.)

Can make a deal with someone who needs perfectly straight handles with perfect threads.

 

[rmalkow2]

Speaking of unique vises; I received that Chinese vise that was posted the other day by another member, last night. I gotta say fellas, this is a nicely made little sucker and I think it's pretty old. I didn't play with it too much last night, but I think that knob on the side is for a quick release mechanism, possibly? All the grease is dried up, so it's gummy, plus it isn't mounted, so it's kind of hard to try to fully fiddle with the mechanism. It seems to me to be a kind of amalgamation of US-design aesthetics of the older vises from the turn of the century, but with some British-esque design cues, like the possibly quick release mech?

https://i.postimg.cc/8PnTyjgm/IMG-20181217-204410.jpg[/IMG


Talking to my buddy with the Chinese wife again, to clarify, he says,

[I][INDENT]"So remember, IF there is pinyin on the vise it's the English letters.

The Chinese characters on there are legit and say "metal wares for use on ships at sea" with a slight bit of wiggle room for meaning through translation. Probably more like "steel goods for ships" or "steel tools for ship use" something like that."[/INDENT][/I]

I dunno what I have, and I don't know how to do better research on it, but it sure is a cool little sucker, imo.

[IMG]https://i.postimg.cc/N0DJ42Wg/IMG-20181217-204423.jpg

So, anyone out there have any kind of ideas about how I could better date this thing? Or how I could do some better research on its history? I'm all ears!

Personally I would suggest not doing anything to clean, remove crud or try to make it work until you have done more research. Is there a rush? If by chance you have a very old and very unique piece of history it may be worth more as is, than if cleaned and restored. It may take time to find more info about this but if mine, I'd leave it alone and discover its story first. Just my thoughts.
You may have to start researching companies that built ships for China in the past or Chinese industrial history itself by making contact with some historians that are actually in China if you suspect it may have originally come from there. If asking local Chinese people to translate, find some really older folks and not just the young ones working here. Perspectives change over the generations and someone older may have a different take on translating the characters.
It's a cool piece of industrial history.

 

[MayerMR]

Personally I would suggest not doing anything to clean, remove crud or try to make it work until you have done more research. Is there a rush? If by chance you have a very old and very unique piece of history it may be worth more as is, than if cleaned and restored. It may take time to find more info about this but if mine, I'd leave it alone and discover its story first. Just my thoughts.
You may have to start researching companies that built ships for China in the past or Chinese industrial history itself by making contact with some historians that are actually in China if you suspect it may have originally come from there. If asking local Chinese people to translate, find some really older folks and not just the young ones working here. Perspectives change over the generations and someone older may have a different take on translating the characters.
It's a cool piece of industrial history.

Thank you for your comments. As you suggest, my intention is to not do anything to it to clean it up until I'm able to find some more information about it. Unfortunately, I just don't know too many really elderly Chinese folks here in Dallas. I've got my thinking cap on though to try to figure out a way to get some better info on it.

 

[gman007]

I received a response from york and was told you can actually buy their vises under the Wilton brand in the US, so it's cheaper to get it here than shipping across the pond yourself...

Strange world we live in! Someone copies (some might call it something else) your design (granted many moons ago, after which time the patents etc have expired) and you eventually end up partnering with them! I guess business is business and they have to do what is needed to survive and some sale is better than no sale at all.

 

[drivesitfar]

MMeyer: yep the Chinese can make quality stuff if they want to or get paid to do it. the importers just wont pay so we end up with the ****.

nice find and looking forward to hearing more about your cool vise.

007: well in VOGL's defense being in Czechoslovakia in the late 1930's probably wasn't a real good place to hang your hat. i'm guessing over the years maybe Vogl passed on some good information and maybe a little cash back to YORK is maybe why their relationship is what it is. who knows maybe the owner of York is Vogl's grandson? or maybe there is a big company that owns both vise companies now?

 

[RWPBR]

I have a Wilton Mechanics/bench vise made in 3/76. How do I find out the model number for parts purposes? It is a 5" jaw 6" opening and the only number on it is 111103. it looks identical to this one but red.

 

[va.grouseman]

Some pics to start with!

 

[gman007]

007: well in VOGL's defense being in Czechoslovakia in the late 1930's probably wasn't a real good place to hang your hat. i'm guessing over the years maybe Vogl passed on some good information and maybe a little cash back to YORK is maybe why their relationship is what it is. who knows maybe the owner of York is Vogl's grandson? or maybe there is a big company that owns both vise companies now?

Drivers

Based on an old thread where a number of GJ members did detective work regrading the strange York and Wilton connection, it is not clear if the relation was that great (well at least as late as 08-02-2011)! As part of this investigation, one of the members named Bull(Dave) who is a Super Moderator contacted York and got the below response (I have pasted the link to the actual post below as well as the link to the whole thread).

BTW the reply of the York Rep might look offensive but this might be due to both the language barrier and the fact that York rep might be simply trying to explain why Mr. Vogl came to US.

Here is the particular post

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1659023&postcount=42

And here is the whole thread

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=111502

 

[drivesitfar]

007: yes I remember reading Vogl's copying York's vice and patenting it in the USA maybe was not with YORK's blessing at the time, but there was a little thing like WWII going on in that part of the world. with Vogl's religious beliefs it's not surprising he would want to leave Czechoslovakia either as it's highly possible that a lot of his friends and relatives never did survive the war.

After the war or even since that post of 2011 who knows what might have happened to change the relationship of Wilton and York, but apparently they are on the same page at the moment.

 

[chrisnazzy]

Smitty alerted me to a fresh eBay listing for a Prentiss 57 in my area. I would have seen the listing today while going through my saved searches but certainly no surprise Smitty beat me to it!

Anyhow, this vise ended up being literally 2 streets away from my house and I was able to go take a look this morning. Gotta say it, it's certainly a big un'. Not quite as big as that Rock Island 67 w/ jaws north of 8" that I saw recently, but the 57 is big nonetheless.

It has the characteristic tail crack but it has been repaired by drilling and bolting through and then welding or brazing. The bolt is removed as can be seen in the pics so the repair at least appears to be solid. Otherwise the vise looks pretty good. Used and abused but not in bad shape for its age which I'll again assume it's pre 1911 due to it having cast-in jaws.

Now the seller certainly is starting high and after talking to him this morning I'm not sure how much he'll eventually come down to get it sold. I'd love to have it in my collection and it may end up there if his 30 day auction runs it's course and he comes waaaaay down in price but I thought I'd post about it here for all of you to look at. If anyone was interested in making an offer I can help negotiate that and also help to figure out transport/shipping. It is located in SW AZ and I could easily get it to a meeting spot in So. Cal, AZ or Vegas. Again, I have no affiliation with the seller in case anyone wondered.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

[mgmlvks]

Butterfield Pipe Vise - seen at a local store, no price (yet). Any insight or guidance?

 

[Smitty]

Smitty alerted me to a fresh eBay listing for a Prentiss 57 in my area. I would have seen the listing today while going through my saved searches but certainly no surprise Smitty beat me to it!

Anyhow, this vise ended up being literally 2 streets away from my house and I was able to go take a look this morning. Gotta say it, it's certainly a big un'. Not quite as big as that Rock Island 67 w/ jaws north of 8" that I saw recently, but the 57 is big nonetheless.

It has the characteristic tail crack but it has been repaired by drilling and bolting through and then welding or brazing. The bolt is removed as can be seen in the pics so the repair at least appears to be solid. Otherwise the vise looks pretty good. Used and abused but not in bad shape for its age which I'll again assume it's pre 1911 due to it having cast-in jaws.

Now the seller certainly is starting high and after talking to him this morning I'm not sure how much he'll eventually come down to get it sold. I'd love to have it in my collection and it may end up there if his 30 day auction runs it's course and he comes waaaaay down in price but I thought I'd post about it here for all of you to look at. If anyone was interested in making an offer I can help negotiate that and also help to figure out transport/shipping. It is located in SW AZ and I could easily get it to a meeting spot in So. Cal, AZ or Vegas. Again, I have no affiliation with the seller in case anyone wondered.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

I noticed the seller amended the listing after talking to you. That’s good to see that he’s a reputable seller.

 

[JohnnyRocket]

This is the final product (and the original for comparison). I'm still doing some filing and metal on metal cleanup work on the jaw areas which is why one is missing at the moment but it's basically done at this point.

About $55 all in.

 

[Josh C]

Hey Chris N- interesting thought about the slide you have from your neighbors vise I believe. Saw the pictures and thought that’s the vise that was being stored outside inside the chain link fence with the plates attached to it. Yeah that would basically eliminate several issues that the one I inquired about had. If it’s still available. ��

 

[nitroracer20]

Quick restoration I did. Decided to keep finish natural and coated with WD. May go with BLO if it starts rusting up.

 

[MayerMR]

Quick restoration I did. Decided to keep finish natural and coated with WD. May go with BLO if it starts rusting up.

Looks great. I strongly suggest the BLO right off the bat.

 

[KMScott]

Here is a Parker 973 I finished, did not need jaws. These jaws are rock hard, first set I have seen on a Parker. Built a new handle, wrench and a new collar. Fit a bronze washer for a nice backlash. This one I painted and used Ford Semi Gloss paint from Dupli-Color. I like Parker's, got another 229X just as clean.

 

[_Riddle]

I'm thinking of buying a Yost 865-D2 (made in China?) as my first vise. It seems to get good reviews, does anyone here have one?

 

[va.grouseman]

A Chinese reversible, Nooooooooooo!---Just kidding, I really don't know anything about them.

 

[MissileBear]

I'm thinking of buying a Yost 865-D2 (made in China?) as my first vise. It seems to get good reviews, does anyone here have one?

A few years back I bought a Yost 5" drill press/mill vise new (Made in India to Yosts specifications & standards) because I couldn't find anything vintage locally. It was absolute garbage....I wish it had been nice (the price was right) but it was very poor quality and promptly got returned. The castings were rough, parts were poorly machined, tolerances were laughable, nothing was even, and every edge was knife sharp and full of burrs. The castings were also very thin in high stress areas. Oddly enough, the price of that same model has decreased in price $12 from when I bought in 2016.

The 865-D2 weighs in at 42 pounds.....really, really light for a 5.5" jawed vise. For comparison, a Columbian 605 1/2 (also 5.5" jaws) weighs 84 pounds...and Columbians are some of the lighter american made vises due to their hollow jaws. A Prentiss 95 (5.5" jaws) is a 115 pound monster. You should be asking....why such the huge difference in weight?

$100 could get you some nice american steel. I think you'd do much better to find an old Reed/Hollands/Athol/Chas Parker/etc, or even an old American made Yost.

 

[SixSpeed]

Hey Guys,

I had posted a thread then later found this one, just picked up a 604-M2 for a friend for Christmas, was hoping to figure out roughly what year range it is. First two are sale photos, then after a little TLC.

 

[ale]

Latest addition, heavy spring loaded clamp down , that works off a cam. I think this may work.

 

[trijeff]

Man, where do you keep finding these gems, Ale???

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

[pstemari]

... These jaws are rock hard, first set I have seen on a Parker. ...

Those are some fancy jaws. Looks almost like they're dovetailed to the body.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[KMScott]

Those are some fancy jaws. Looks almost like they're dovetailed to the body.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Parker jaws are pretty close to 70 degrees, makes them tough to build. I was happy to get by on this one and not have to make a set.

 

[va.grouseman]

Here's a pretty good deal if you live near Peru, Illinois.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Large-Anti...lacksmith-workbench-pick-up-only/372542474317

 

[JHoff]

My first post on Garage Journal of my first vintage vise, a well used Athol 615 that I'm going to restore. Anyone have experience with the 615's?

 

[gman007]

Here is a Parker 973 I finished, did not need jaws. These jaws are rock hard, first set I have seen on a Parker. Built a new handle, wrench and a new collar. Fit a bronze washer for a nice backlash. This one I painted and used Ford Semi Gloss paint from Dupli-Color. I like Parker's, got another 229X just as clean.

Dr Scott
Outstanding job as per usual, looks better than the day it came out of the factory

 

[rusty65]

Here's a pretty good deal if you live near Peru, Illinois.



https://www.ebay.com/itm/Large-Anti...lacksmith-workbench-pick-up-only/372542474317

Thanks for the heads up I actually bought that no 37 Massey from that seller. I had to make a new jaw for it but wasn’t to difficult.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[chrisnazzy]

My first post on Garage Journal of my first vintage vise, a well used Athol 615 that I'm going to restore. Anyone have experience with the 615's?

Welcome to Garage Journal and congratulations on your Athol. They are very well built vintage vises, definitely regarded as one of the best and stoutest built vises of their day.

I have a 614, a 624 and a 624 1/2. If you have specific questions post them here or in the "Vise repair 101" thread. Either way there are lots of great vise loving folks here who will be eager to help.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

[RBarnes]

Here's a pretty good deal if you live near Peru, Illinois.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Large-Anti...lacksmith-workbench-pick-up-only/372542474317

Ridiculous good deal, if that actually sold for $40