The VISES of Garage Journal

[Smitty]

Nice work loydski, that 406 is a beast.

 

[Salvage Workshop]

I restored another vise on my Youtube channel - Salvage Workshop!

I found this old Prentiss 514 Bulldog in a guys scrap metal pile, and I LOVE the way these old bulldogs look, so I asked him what he wanted, and he said I could have it, but that it would be impossible to fix! I laughed, and thought to myself, WATCH ME!

I would love to know if anyone knows if there is a way to know when this vise was made? there are a few marks inside the static jaw, and a 1 on the underside of the dynamic jaw, but other than that, nothing.

I would love to know your thoughts on the restoration and repair! Here is a link to the video:

And here are a few before & after pictures:

 

[Outlawmws]

Thx Guys!

Outlaw, do you work on them, kinda of get them in shape or stick them in storage. This one needs a little care and it should be in good shape for work.

Dr. Scott, - it depends. most are waiting for attention, some get cleaned up and put to use right away or eventually, a few (mostly Wilton's - but I have a couple of keepers) get gussied up for the ball and sold.

I'll fiddle with this one to get the jaw back on tight probably sooner than later. I think its just loose screws... I may see if I have a base that fits it as well.

The one I NEED to get to is my 6" American Scale that I have a Kurt base that will fit it...

 

[Loydski29]

Nice work loydski, that 406 is a beast.

Thanks Smitty you’ve been doing quite well your self!

 

[Razorhunter]

Here ya go Smitty. Thanks so much again Sir!
These 600/800's are like nuclear submarines I swear. FYI, if a vise comes into my possession with a horrendous paint job, I will almost always paint it, but I dont generally polish the spindles etc all up that often. If I don't sell them, they usually get bolted down somewhere in my shop as users, plus I always like a bit of patina anyway. This particular 600 I sold to a guy who will also put it to use in his shop, so this was good enough.

 

[Smitty]

Razorhunter:
You’re welcome, glad I could help. The vises look great and the color really suits them. Your painting skills a on point btw.

 

[gman007]

Here ya go Smitty. Thanks so much again Sir!
These 600/800's are like nuclear submarines I swear. FYI, if a vise comes into my possession with a horrendous paint job, I will almost always paint it, but I dont generally polish the spindles etc all up that often. If I don't sell them, they usually get bolted down somewhere in my shop as users, plus I always like a bit of patina anyway. This particular 600 I sold to a guy who will also put it to use in his shop, so this was good enough.

Razor
Very nice, well done!

 

[454ragtop]

Just picked up this Yost 41C off CL. Seems to be somewhat of a rare bird, any guesses as to its age? Autopts had one back in 2011, looks like his had different replaceable jaw inserts though, these are cast in place.

 

[davethorik]

That looks like one of the Hollands vises of that type. Like this:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=179053

 

[bl00]

Just picked up this Yost 41C off CL.

I have one of those too. I think they were from the 1950s-1970s. If I recall correctly Autopts had his milled out for new jaws.

 

[Productbob]

Smitty, Loyd and Outlaw nice pickups, large and small!

Salvage- wow, that's a heck of a 'salvage' of the Prentiss

 

[Productbob]

got another vise from the factory auction a few weeks ago cleaned so it could go into the basement for my usual bad lighting photo. Parker 107 that now weighs about 3 lbs less than it did a couple of days ago.

 

[gman007]

got another vise from the factory auction a few weeks ago cleaned so it could go into the basement for my usual bad lighting photo. Parker 107 that now weighs about 3 lbs less than it did a couple of days ago.

Bob
And another nice score.

It should weigh around 132 lbs. Why does it weighs about 3 lbs less than before? Did you remove that much paint and crud to clean it up or something?

 

[gman007]

Just picked up this Yost 41C off CL. Seems to be somewhat of a rare bird, any guesses as to its age? Autopts had one back in 2011, looks like his had different replaceable jaw inserts though, these are cast in place.

454
Congrats, great find ! For sure this is not the type of vise one sees everyday.

To be honest until now personally I had never seen a V-slotted static jaw design.They even mention this feature in the catalog page that bl00 found "Minimum Pressure Required in V-slotted back jaw". Pretty unique! I wonder if this was really an effective design why was not more universally adopted.

 

[454ragtop]

I have one of those too. I think they were from the 1950s-1970s. If I recall correctly Autopts had his milled out for new jaws.

Awesome Fred, thank you very much for the scan.

Must have been thinking about us with this line in the ad
"Regardless of how many vises you have, you still need a Yost All Purpose Vise." LOL

 

[Productbob]

gman thanks. This vise came out of the Tonawanda Coke plant; a place where they made coke fuel from heating coal at high temps since 1917. The outside was covered in coal dust, dirt and grime about 1/8" thick and the static was packed top to bottom, side to side from the inner wall to the nut (that's what I should have taken a pic of lol).

 

[KMScott]

KMS - you could be right, but I think the brass or bronze on the brake is original. It is machined just like the rest of the brake and looks to be just a cap on the end to prevent wear against the brass wedge lock. See pics.

If it is original then Parker did the right thing. Good Bronze is a great wearing material, far better then the cast material the brake pads are made from.

 

[gman007]

Here is a sad sight but honestly if it was closer to me, for $35 I would still get it.

There are no photo of the other side of the vise but I think this might be a Oswego No 2 or 3 Combination. The dynamic jaw insert support seems to be busted and welded, the pipe jaws are missing and so is the swivel arm but then again for $35, I would rescue it and see if a it could be restored to a more decent shape.

The jaw inserts remind me of Parker jaws and I am not sure if there was a relation between these companies or what.

 

[454ragtop]

454
Congrats, great find ! For sure this is not the type of vise one sees everyday.

To be honest until now personally I had never seen a V-slotted static jaw design.They even mention this feature in the catalog page that bl00 found "Minimum Pressure Required in V-slotted back jaw". Pretty unique! I wonder if this was really an effective design why was not more universally adopted.

Gman, some of the newer Craftsman vises had vee's in the jaws, probably not a bad idea, actually.

 

[mike_paxton]

Saw an advertisement on Marketplace last week for what seller thought might be an antique book press. However, the long handle in picture had me thinking it might be someone who used it for a veneer press on top of a lower portion of an antique barber chair.

When checked it out in person and asking if prior owner had been a woodworker, it confirmed above suspicions.

Did try and pump up the barber chair, but no luck at owner's location.

Ended up buying it anyway. After dismantling the setup and a good cleaning including the hydraulics, replaced the old hydraulic oil and put in new hydraulic oil, then gave it a try today to see if it could be used as an adjustable stand for a vise.

Here is result and it now raises and lowers, can spin on base or locked with no spin.

BTW, this base is very heavy.

Mike

 

[wrenchguy]

Here is a sad sight but honestly if it was closer to me, for $35 I would still get it.

There are no photo of the other side of the vise but I think this might be a Oswego No 2 or 3 Combination. The dynamic jaw insert support seems to be busted and welded, the pipe jaws are missing and so is the swivel arm but then again for $35, I would rescue it and see if a it could be restored to a more decent shape.

The jaw inserts remind me of Parker jaws and I am not sure if there was a relation between these companies or what.

Mine with busted jaw tower along with extra parker inserts 4 comparison.
i drove thru plymouth saturday.... i too would of picked it up. i kinda a sucker 4 old traditional style broke vises.

 

[MacMcMacmac]

Another twist to the Made in England Craftsman "5176" I bought is the fact that handle does not have the round plate with the four screws and model number behind it. Unique to the English version, or was the design changing by 1956?

 

[Smitty]

Bob: Nice find on the Parker 107 and the back story makes it even better.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

I restored another vise on my Youtube channel - Salvage Workshop!

I found this old Prentiss 514 Bulldog in a guys scrap metal pile, and I LOVE the way these old bulldogs look, so I asked him what he wanted, and he said I could have it, but that it would be impossible to fix! I laughed, and thought to myself, WATCH ME!

I would love to know if anyone knows if there is a way to know when this vise was made? there are a few marks inside the static jaw, and a 1 on the underside of the dynamic jaw, but other than that, nothing.

I would love to know your thoughts on the restoration and repair! Here is a link to the video:

And here are a few before & after pictures:

Salvage,

I saw your video before you posted it here. I just wanted to say that you absolutely inspired me to save a Starrett vise with the exact same break. I just couldn't imagine how to clamp it together and didn't know what type of welding rods. After I saw how that Prentiss came out I ordered those exact same rods and hopefully will be able to give it a try this weekend. If it fails it was already getting parted out. I have been wanting a Starrett vise for a very long time and it just killed me to harvest it for parts. Thank you for putting that great video up. I have been enjoying your other videos as well.

 

[kenc184]

I restored another vise on my Youtube channel - Salvage Workshop!

I found this old Prentiss 514 Bulldog in a guys scrap metal pile, and I LOVE the way these old bulldogs look, so I asked him what he wanted, and he said I could have it, but that it would be impossible to fix! I laughed, and thought to myself, WATCH ME!

I would love to know if anyone knows if there is a way to know when this vise was made? there are a few marks inside the static jaw, and a 1 on the underside of the dynamic jaw, but other than that, nothing.

I would love to know your thoughts on the restoration and repair! Here is a link to the video:

And here are a few before & after pictures:

What a nice restoration! And a fine video production too, no yap, no background thrash-metal music.

Great to see someone welding properly, I've seen a few guys using no preheat, minimal veeing and 7018 rod welding cast iron.

Nice dogs too!

 

[Salvage Workshop]

Smitty, Loyd and Outlaw nice pickups, large and small!

Salvage- wow, that's a heck of a 'salvage' of the Prentiss

Thank you Bob! I couldn't see it just get scrapped!

 

[Salvage Workshop]

Salvage,

I saw your video before you posted it here. I just wanted to say that you absolutely inspired me to save a Starrett vise with the exact same break. I just couldn't imagine how to clamp it together and didn't know what type of welding rods. After I saw how that Prentiss came out I ordered those exact same rods and hopefully will be able to give it a try this weekend. If it fails it was already getting parted out. I have been wanting a Starrett vise for a very long time and it just killed me to harvest it for parts. Thank you for putting that great video up. I have been enjoying your other videos as well.

AWESOME!! I am so glad your saving that old girl!! that is an incredible vise, and I'd LOVE to see how it goes once your finished (either way, we can't win em all!)!

Thanks for letting me know my video inspired you! That truly means a lot! Good luck with the repair, just take your time, and I'm sure it will be fine!

 

[Salvage Workshop]

What a nice restoration! And a fine video production too, no yap, no background thrash-metal music.

Great to see someone welding properly, I've seen a few guys using no preheat, minimal veeing and 7018 rod welding cast iron.

Nice dogs too!

Thank you my friend! I truly enjoy old tools, especially vises (as does anyone else in this thread!), and being able to show others in "layman's" terms through video how they can attempt to bring things back to life is a passion!

Thank you for the compliments!

 

[Salvage Workshop]

Saw an advertisement on Marketplace last week for what seller thought might be an antique book press. However, the long handle in picture had me thinking it might be someone who used it for a veneer press on top of a lower portion of an antique barber chair.

When checked it out in person and asking if prior owner had been a woodworker, it confirmed above suspicions.

Did try and pump up the barber chair, but no luck at owner's location.

Ended up buying it anyway. After dismantling the setup and a good cleaning including the hydraulics, replaced the old hydraulic oil and put in new hydraulic oil, then gave it a try today to see if it could be used as an adjustable stand for a vise.

Here is result and it now raises and lowers, can spin on base or locked with no spin.

BTW, this base is very heavy.

Mike

I Love that base! Great save bringing that back to life! It looks awesome!

 

[Vise]

Saw an advertisement on Marketplace last week for what seller thought might be an antique book press. However, the long handle in picture had me thinking it might be someone who used it for a veneer press on top of a lower portion of an antique barber chair.

When checked it out in person and asking if prior owner had been a woodworker, it confirmed above suspicions.

Did try and pump up the barber chair, but no luck at owner's location.

Ended up buying it anyway. After dismantling the setup and a good cleaning including the hydraulics, replaced the old hydraulic oil and put in new hydraulic oil, then gave it a try today to see if it could be used as an adjustable stand for a vise.

Here is result and it now raises and lowers, can spin on base or locked with no spin.

BTW, this base is very heavy.

Mike

That’s an awesome stand. What’s it weigh?

 

[Productbob]

mike awesome stand and vise. can envision adding a belt and motor and turning that into a motorized 'potters wheel' for rattle can paint application

 

[mike_paxton]

Salvage Workshop:

Definitely enjoyed and learned while watching you restore video of the Prentiss Bulldog 514.

Thks for sharing with us.

Mike

I restored another vise on my Youtube channel - Salvage Workshop!

I found this old Prentiss 514 Bulldog in a guys scrap metal pile, and I LOVE the way these old bulldogs look, so I asked him what he wanted, and he said I could have it, but that it would be impossible to fix! I laughed, and thought to myself, WATCH ME!

I would love to know if anyone knows if there is a way to know when this vise was made? there are a few marks inside the static jaw, and a 1 on the underside of the dynamic jaw, but other than that, nothing.

I would love to know your thoughts on the restoration and repair! Here is a link to the video:

And here are a few before & after pictures:

 

[mike_paxton]

That’s an awesome stand. What’s it weigh?

Vise, Productbob and Salvage Workshop:

Thanks for the kind words on the barber shop vise stand.

As to weight, I tried to get an accurate weight with digital scale, but kept displaying Errors. If was to guess, think it is close to 200 lbs.

Mike

 

[DFB]

Salvage,

I saw your video before you posted it here. I just wanted to say that you absolutely inspired me to save a Starrett vise with the exact same break. I just couldn't imagine how to clamp it together and didn't know what type of welding rods. After I saw how that Prentiss came out I ordered those exact same rods and hopefully will be able to give it a try this weekend. If it fails it was already getting parted out. I have been wanting a Starrett vise for a very long time and it just killed me to harvest it for parts. Thank you for putting that great video up. I have been enjoying your other videos as well.

I have a Starrett 923 I've been searching a swivel base for...curious if that one would fit if you end up parting out

 

[Smitty]

Vise, Productbob and Salvage Workshop:

Thanks for the kind words on the barber shop vise stand.

As to weight, I tried to get an accurate weight with digital scale, but kept displaying Errors. If was to guess, think it is close to 200 lbs.

Mike

Try taking a little bit off of the top and weigh it again.

 

[bl00]

"Regardless of how many vises you have, you still need a Yost All Purpose Vise." LOL

That's the truth! I just noticed the front jaw on yours is more rounded than mine. They must have made two generations of these.

 

[DFB]

Well got me my first Charles Parker Vise a 973 for $50.

No wrench with it though would like to find one.

Please tell me that gawd awful yellow wasn't the original color

 

[DFB]

Same guy also had this big ol' chunk of iron up for sale

Trojan...

big vise extremely wide opening. Had a some brazing done on it but seemed solid enough. The goofy business owners son from where I work bought for the farm when he showed with the truck at the end of day Sunday

Was nothing that interested me though

 

[Salvage Workshop]

Salvage Workshop:

Definitely enjoyed and learned while watching you restore video of the Prentiss Bulldog 514.

Thks for sharing with us.

Mike

It was absolutely my pleasure!! Thanks for watching!

 

[ken w.]

I picked up this Reed 404 1/2 R over the weekend. My question is how easy is it to brake the pin on top trying to free it up ? I haven't touched it yet. I was going to spray Kroil on it for a week before I try anything. I was going to heat the pin up a few times before I try to turn it. Is this good or bad ?