The VISES of Garage Journal

[Randall3rd]

Was watching the Fulton auction, was going to hang onto my old Fulton, but maybe time to sell it. Mine doesn’t have the swivel base though unfortunately. Probably zero chance in finding one.

 

[Smitty]

So after two missed deliveries and four trips to the post office I finally got my little Victor Jersey. It’s in decent shape but I’ll need to find a wingnut style clamp screw to make it complete.



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[Josh C]

Chrisnazzy- I appreciate you pointing out the date stamp on your C1 as all of the 7-8 Reeds I have been able to see a date stamp on the latest one I have seen was in the late ‘50s I believe, but I don’t have my notes in front of me atm. Makes me realize that I have never taken the time to check out the dates of the Reeds the are on the Vise spreadsheet that so many have contributed to here. Whoops! Need to do that. Josh

 

[Josh C]

Smitty- nice looking Victor. The mention of the wing nut clamp screw made me think of an estate sale that I was at yesterday. They had a pile of antique C-clamps there, mostly sprung so I didn’t spend much time on them. Wonder how compatible the threads are between the two. I would imagine very if of same vintage. Just a thought. Josh

 

[twertsy]

Today's pickup.

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[twertsy]

I also got this for free. Gent took it apart and moved, forgot the front half! If anyone needs it it's yours for the ride.

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[Outlawmws]

Picked up at an Estate sale I got the Wilton I'd seen in the shadowy CL pic! a 3" and still bolted to the bench! (I wish I had space for the bench! or at least the top!) I asked "how much for the vise?" and He said if I could get it off, $10! he said it was bolted and lag screwed, and it was! I said "Sold" and they said "Yay!"

The aluminum jaw caps appear to be stuck on with caulk?

Warranty Exp on the last day of 1959, so a 1954 vise!

 

[trijeff]

Outlaw, great pick up and you ****

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[KMScott]

Nice pick up Twertsy. 6" swivel jaws are hard to find. Outlaw like Jeff mentioned that is a you **** deal. Nice grab.

 

[twertsy]

Nice pick up Twertsy. 6" swivel jaws are hard to find. Outlaw like Jeff mentioned that is a you **** deal. Nice grab.

Thanks Kevin. He made the stand. It's full of concrete and damned heavy!

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[Outlawmws]

Thanks Guys!

Smitty, I've always liked those little victor/Stanleys! I'd love to snag a bench mounted version! I think those are very rare!

Twertsy, that's a nice combo with the stand and swivel jaw Prentiss! definitely needs bolted down or onto something though!

 

[ThatGuyStu]

Just picked up this 4" Columbian 504 today.

Really great shape. Only real issue I see is the worn down jaw pads.

 

[Smitty]

Outlaw,
That could be Polygrip holding the jaws on your Wilton.
You **** btw

Twersty,
Nice find on the Prentiss, what a beast.

 

[Smitty]

Outlaw:
Thanks, the little victor is in pretty good shape. Its funny you mentioned the bench mount version because I just got one the other day. It’s a 752 with 1 3/4” jaws, these are seller pics.


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[twertsy]

Thanks Guys!

Smitty, I've always liked those little victor/Stanleys! I'd love to snag a bench mounted version! I think those are very rare!

Twertsy, that's a nice combo with the stand and swivel jaw Prentiss! definitely needs bolted down or onto something though!

For sure. It'll get bolted down.

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[Vise]

Twertsy - Wow, that’s a wonderful Prentiss on a fantastic stand! Nice pick up!

Outlaw - what a deal! Had a similar “if you can get it off the bench it’s yours for $10” situation, but it was just a Parker 953. Nice scoop!

I picked up a couple vises at the flea market today: a Reed 205 dated 1955 and a Reed 2C. Both it very good condition, though both are seized. Here’s a couple pics.

 

[ricleh]

Very small German vise. Remarkable craftsmanship. Removable serrated jaws. Incredibly smooth. Shown next to Wilton baby bullet vises for size comparison.

 

[Outlawmws]

Now that IS small!

 

[rusty65]

Very small German vise. Remarkable craftsmanship. Removable serrated jaws. Incredibly smooth. Shown next to Wilton baby bullet vises for size comparison.

Very nice. I’m a fan of the German dovetail vises as well. Here is one that is a little bit bigger with a neat swivel base.



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[va.grouseman]

Rusty, that's nice.---Looks like it only set on a shelf, not a bench.

 

[jgromada]

So I just got my latest addition to my shop. It is a Polish made 5" vise by Bison-Bial http://www.bison-bial.com/ & the company is still in operations today. I think from other information on here that this is from the late 50s early 60s. I had gotten this from my late Uncle who had been a machinist by trade and I recall seeing this vise down in his shop as a boy.

Originally I was thinking i would do a full restoration but as I cleaned it up yesterday I am thinking i would leave it the way it is. All the scratches & dents were from my Uncle so the patina is just more memories. There is one small rust streak evident from the 2nd pic that i would like to try and remove but no big deal. I also need to do some more fine wire brushing with a small rotary tool on exposed metal but i removed the bulk of rust i had found. The jaws are in excellent condition as all i had to do was remove some soft metal residue. I just added some grease and it is so smooth in operation. Now you can clearly see on the top of the vise "Made in Poland" & "HI-TEST No328"

I haven't gotten the rotating base to turn yet, but i haven't really tried anything special yet. The vise is pretty massive and I plan on building a small metal topped workbench to put it on. I love the fact that the front jaw is fixed and it is the rear jaw that moves backward. It makes so much sense from the standpoint that the hammering forces are transferred to the table much better than if you had a lever arm increasing those forces to the bolts holding the vise onto the table. There is significant spread to the vise, it seems that you can clamp almost 9" of stock.

I am so pleased i got my Uncle's vise. I still have an old Columbian if I still want a vise restoration project. As an aside I didn't really understand this company's connection to the bison. I did learn that Poland has been at the forefront of maintaining nature preserves to protect the remaining bison that once roamed the plains area of Europe. https://polska.pl/tourism/nature/polands-pride-european-bison/ I really loved their logo so i included that as well.

 

[NC Rick]

So I just got my latest addition to my shop. It is a Polish made 5" vise by Bison-Bial http://www.bison-bial.com/ & the company is still in operations today. I think from other information on here that this is from the late 50s early 60s. I had gotten this from my late Uncle who had been a machinist by trade and I recall seeing this vise down in his shop as a boy.

Originally I was thinking i would do a full restoration but as I cleaned it up yesterday I am thinking i would leave it the way it is. All the scratches & dents were from my Uncle so the patina is just more memories. There is one small rust streak evident from the 2nd pic that i would like to try and remove but no big deal. I also need to do some more fine wire brushing with a small rotary tool on exposed metal but i removed the bulk of rust i had found. The jaws are in excellent condition as all i had to do was remove some soft metal residue. I just added some grease and it is so smooth in operation. Now you can clearly see on the top of the vise "Made in Poland" & "HI-TEST No328"

I haven't gotten the rotating base to turn yet, but i haven't really tried anything special yet. The vise is pretty massive and I plan on building a small metal topped workbench to put it on. I love the fact that the front jaw is fixed and it is the rear jaw that moves backward. It makes so much sense from the standpoint that the hammering forces are transferred to the table much better than if you had a lever arm increasing those forces to the bolts holding the vise onto the table. There is significant spread to the vise, it seems that you can clamp almost 9" of stock.

I am so pleased i got my Uncle's vise. I still have an old Columbian if I still want a vise restoration project. As an aside I didn't really understand this company's connection to the bison. I did learn that Poland has been at the forefront of maintaining nature preserves to protect the remaining bison that once roamed the plains area of Europe. https://polska.pl/tourism/nature/polands-pride-european-bison/ I really loved their logo so i included that as well.

Your Bison vise is in great shape and looks to be a beautiful and high quality tool. I totally agree with you, leaving your uncles marks and naturally adding to them in an ongoing and respectful manner. I’m sure your doing that would make him smile. Maintained and used it will last another lifetime. To me, the vise is one of the most important tools in the shop and it seems disrespectful to not use them. Right now, I have a couple vises I am not using and have fixed up. I plan to gift them to people who will use them that way.

 

[NC Rick]

Very small German vise. Remarkable craftsmanship. Removable serrated jaws. Incredibly smooth. Shown next to Wilton baby bullet vises for size comparison.

Nice! I recently got a German dovetail vise (4” I think) but haven’t had the time to address it. The dynamic jaw is on the “wrong side” so it wouldn’t be great for big long things. It’s going on a new bench in the “machine shop” side of my space.
Congratulations on the cool little vise.

 

[cpyne]

New edition to my family. Recently found the Wilton at an estate sale

 

[Smitty]

Here’s the Reed 404 1/2 R after cleanup. The vise is in good condition and the swivel jaw moves freely. I’m continually impressed at how well Reed vises are constructed.


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[AngryBeaver]

Twertsy - Wow, that’s a wonderful Prentiss on a fantastic stand! Nice pick up!

Outlaw - what a deal! Had a similar “if you can get it off the bench it’s yours for $10” situation, but it was just a Parker 953. Nice scoop!

I picked up a couple vises at the flea market today: a Reed 205 dated 1955 and a Reed 2C. Both it very good condition, though both are seized. Here’s a couple pics.

neither one of those is 1955. the 205 is much older. the 2C is older than 50's also.

 

[RG Rude]

I picked up a couple vises at the flea market today: a Reed 205 dated 1955 and a Reed 2C. Both it very good condition, though both are seized. Here’s a couple pics.

Man oh man Vise I've been looking for a nice 2C. Good job on that pick up.

 

[Muckin_Slusher]

Came here with pics of the camp vise so you guys could tell me about it. Well, nevermind. I just read the last page of this thread and my vise is already on the page.

Here's the pics.

 

[Muckin_Slusher]

Moar.

 

[Vise]

neither one of those is 1955. the 205 is much older. the 2C is older than 50's also.

Much thanks for that. Any thoughts on the age of the 2C?

Man oh man Vise I've been looking for a nice 2C. Good job on that pick up.

Thanks man. I cleaned it up today. Here’s a pic.

 

[rusty65]

There could be a date code stamped into the side. Being the meatball knob I’d say pre 1945. Here is a picture of my date stamp. Which is 10 of 1943. Mine is also a meatball knob 2c.

 

[WAS Jr]

Very small German vise. Remarkable craftsmanship. Removable serrated jaws. Incredibly smooth. Shown next to Wilton baby bullet vises for size comparison.

I seem to remember that Boley is Swiss, they make a lot of watch repair tools.
Bill S

 

[Mark in Indiana]

So I just got my latest addition to my shop. It is a Polish made 5" vise by Bison-Bial http://www.bison-bial.com/ & the company is still in operations today. I think from other information on here that this is from the late 50s early 60s. I had gotten this from my late Uncle who had been a machinist by trade and I recall seeing this vise down in his shop as a boy.

Originally I was thinking i would do a full restoration but as I cleaned it up yesterday I am thinking i would leave it the way it is. All the scratches & dents were from my Uncle so the patina is just more memories. There is one small rust streak evident from the 2nd pic that i would like to try and remove but no big deal. I also need to do some more fine wire brushing with a small rotary tool on exposed metal but i removed the bulk of rust i had found. The jaws are in excellent condition as all i had to do was remove some soft metal residue. I just added some grease and it is so smooth in operation. Now you can clearly see on the top of the vise "Made in Poland" & "HI-TEST No328"

I haven't gotten the rotating base to turn yet, but i haven't really tried anything special yet. The vise is pretty massive and I plan on building a small metal topped workbench to put it on. I love the fact that the front jaw is fixed and it is the rear jaw that moves backward. It makes so much sense from the standpoint that the hammering forces are transferred to the table much better than if you had a lever arm increasing those forces to the bolts holding the vise onto the table. There is significant spread to the vise, it seems that you can clamp almost 9" of stock.

I am so pleased i got my Uncle's vise. I still have an old Columbian if I still want a vise restoration project. As an aside I didn't really understand this company's connection to the bison. I did learn that Poland has been at the forefront of maintaining nature preserves to protect the remaining bison that once roamed the plains area of Europe. https://polska.pl/tourism/nature/polands-pride-european-bison/ I really loved their logo so i included that as well.

jgromada:
I'm a huge fan of the Bison vises, along with the FPU and other labels. Yours looks good enough to preserve as is. Especially with the family connection.

Muckin Slusher:
Looks like you also belong to the "Cool Kids With FPU Vises" club. What size is yours? Any date code on top of the stationary jaw?

Here's a link to a thread about my first FPU restoration. I hope you enjoy the read. It was a challenged vise, with made it more fun. https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5800723&posted=1#post5800723

A couple of things to remember:
1. The left side of the dynamic body, at the gib adjustment closest to the front is a weak area. It can break if a very large workpiece is gorilla clamped and the spindle handle is hit with a hammer.
2. Don't drink and operate a reverse movement vise. You'll freak out...so I've heard.

Cheers

 

[ricleh]

I seem to remember that Boley is Swiss, they make a lot of watch repair tools.
Bill S

Boley made a lot of watchmaker's tools. They are probably best known for their precision small lathes. The company was established in 1870 in Esslingen, Germany.

 

[Smitty]

Much thanks for that. Any thoughts on the age of the 2C?



Thanks man. I cleaned it up today. Here’s a pic.

Nice job on the cleanup, it looks to be in good condition.

 

[Vise]

New edition to my family. Recently found the Wilton at an estate sale

Nice! What model Parker is that?

Here’s the Reed 404 1/2 R after cleanup. The vise is in good condition and the swivel jaw moves freely. I’m continually impressed at how well Reed vises are constructed.


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Another beauty. I modeled the finish on the 2C after your approach.

There could be a date code stamped into the side. Being the meatball knob I’d say pre 1945. Here is a picture of my date stamp. Which is 10 of 1943. Mine is also a meatball knob 2c.

Good call. I found the date stamp on the 2C. Looks to be July 1946. See pic.

Nice job on the cleanup, it looks to be in good condition.

Much thanks! Took a couple hours to the get the jaw unsiezed, but was mostly smooth sailing after that. Wire wheeled and BLO finish.

 

[Vise]

This 205 does not want to unstick...

 

[Mark in Indiana]

This 205 does not want to unstick...

I had a Prentiss that didn't want to separate because the crack in the slide made it too wide to pull through the stationary body. I won that battle.

 

[Vise]

I had a Prentiss that didn't want to separate because the crack in the slide made it too wide to pull through the stationary body. I won that battle.

Thanks. I saw a guy use a hydraulic press to free a Wilton on YouTube. But this is pretty frustrating.

I filed down some high spots on the slide and am now trying to get the dynamic jaw back IN using gravity and a sledgehammer (see pic). Hasn’t budged a millimeter.

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Thanks. I saw a guy use a hydraulic press to free a Wilton on YouTube. But this is pretty frustrating.

I filed down some high spots on the slide and am now trying to get the dynamic jaw back IN using gravity and a sledgehammer (see pic). Hasn’t budged a millimeter.

If you try my floor jack method, have a BF soft blow hammer handy. As the end of the slide starts to go through the static body, it will get cocked. Just release the hydraulic pressure, wack the vise straight and apply pressure.
Good luck.