to smitty for scoring a baby bullet still in original paint for $99
Thanks shift, that’s music to my ears.Good call on the one’s fierljeppen
And ato smitty for scoring a baby bullet still in original paint for $99
Although many here have scored babies for even less than that, such a nice one for such a low price deserves a “you ****”.
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I have been having a staring contest with that restored Rock Island now for about one month that sits on Kevin Scott's webpage - it just keeps taunting me. I love the black wax finish and those jaws are soooo damn nice!
Then there was that Fray Merchon that sold on Ebay.... damn that was a beauty. People keep flaunting their Stephen vices as well with its handle. And then there was an offset coachman vise?!?
I don't know if this is bliss or torture!
Might be heading to Denver soon and might have to take a short diversion to pickup that Rock Island from Rev. KS. At least I can dream.
On the bucket list is definitely a KS restomod vise! ;-)
Is this a Yost 204 vise? Just saw that on the german classifieds website for the Düsseldorf region. My parents are currently staying close to there, kinda tempted but I don't like them square vises.
I’ll take all the luck I can get. I handed him five twenty’s and he couldn’t give me the dollar change fast enough.

Kenc184
Lol, if memory serves me correctly I was one of the first to congratulate you on your baby bullet combo.
I just went back and looked at yours and the jaws and towers are super clean. It looks like you still have quite a bit of the original paint left. Original paint seems to be really desirable with these vises so I try to preserve it as best as I can. When I got my bullet home I cleaned it with 409 and a rag to get any organic stains off. Then I used a soft brass wire brush to clean off the surface rust and applied WD-40. Shiftless has quite a few preservation tips for old vises, he’s a good guy to ask.Ha Ha, yes you were.
I'm in two minds about reconditioning mine. The paint is original, but there's enough surface rust to maybe make it worth it. The jaws and jaw towers are absolutely mint - not a mark on them. What are you going to do with yours?

Shift:
What about it? What's your strategy?
Even though the jaws and towers are mint, there isn't a lot of paint left. I don't like rusty"patina" on jaws, so cleaned these up yesterday with 220 grit. I'm going to put them across my buffing wheel (no, I won't round anything over) to eliminate the linear scratches.
I don't think this vise has gripped anything harder than a q-tip, too bad it wasn't stored in a better place.
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What’s the date code on that baby Wilton?
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The easiest thing to do would be to mail it to me and I’ll send it back in 10 years all cleaned up. No charge!![]()
I am sure the 54H will more than make up for the difference in difficulty when I get around to it. Seriously,
I would soak in Evaporust. It will change rust into a black easily removable carbon residue. It won’t affect the paint. Any bare iron surfaces will be darkened.
After gentle brushing off, rinsing and thorough drying, I would wipe on a thin coat of BLO to liven up the old paint and prevent any bare areas from rusting again. I like to warm up vises before coating with BLO. Leave them out in the sun or use a heat gun.
Stay tuned for a restoration I have pending. I have a mid 40’s 4 inch bullet that had some original paint on it. (And some red and some blue)
With careful stripping technique, I could remove layer after layer of the rattle can paint.
I had my local paint dealer custom color match the bottom factory paint layer.
It’s kind of a grayish vintage hospital green.
Thanks va
Yours looks like it was hardly used. Is that a glass bead blasted surface?
If you want another one, I’ll pick up the one I posted and mail it to you. We’d be past $100 though...too much IMHO.

I also finished the Columbian 205-M2. This is honestly the nicest vise in my collection. No rusted bolts, no stripped screws, no cracks, not even really any rust anywhere. Everything came apart easily. I did not know it could be this easy to refurbish a viseI am sure the 54H will more than make up for the difference in difficulty when I get around to it.
I am planning to redo my workbench and I think this one is going to get rotated into user status if I can find a replacement for the damn missing pipe jaw!!![]()
I’m going to buy $111 eBay gift certs for all the regulars.
Great looking refurb Mr W.
Morgan blue to boot! I have a 4-1/2" Columbian combination vise and also a Rigid which looks identical so probably made by Columbian. Good vises for sure
That holland is a beauty, I really like the look of those vises. I’ve seen quite a few 53 1/2” models but never a 54, nice find. Great job on the Columbian btw.I also finished the Columbian 205-M2. This is honestly the nicest vise in my collection. No rusted bolts, no stripped screws, no cracks, not even really any rust anywhere. Everything came apart easily. I did not know it could be this easy to refurbish a viseI am sure the 54H will more than make up for the difference in difficulty when I get around to it.
I am planning to redo my workbench and I think this one is going to get rotated into user status if I can find a replacement for the damn missing pipe jaw!!![]()
Howdy,
I picked up my second vise over the weekend. I met a pretty cool guy that is selling his ranch in southern Colorado. He had this vise advertised so I went over and took a look.
It was a Wilton 835 bullet with a date code of 6/69. He wanted $25.00. I didn't even try and bargain him down, just shook his hand and made a deal.
We talked about other stuff he had on the ranch and we're going fishing next week to discuss.
It is very clean, original paint, minimal surface rust, not hammered on or bruised up much. I feel very lucky.
I have definitely been bitten, rather chomped, by the tool restoration, collection and preservation bug.
Cheers,
Griff