The VISES of Garage Journal

[Shiftless]

Here is a pic of the 4 original factory screws I recently removed from a Parker 63 1/2.
Tapered but clearly different from the screws Maui posted a while back. (Shown again here for comparison)

 

[Shiftless]

nutjob:

That looks like a Wilton Cadet with remnants of the orange paint of a Taskmaster.

 

[Vise]

I half-saw a vise the other day. I thought it was a Reed, but now, after paging through pics and pics of Reeds, I'm not so sure. There was a Prentiss Bulldog 255 next to it and a couple of anvils that had my undivided attention and only when I walked away and eventually left the flea market completely, did I realize that I forgot to check it out.

What I remember - and my memory may not be so good, is fuzzy, just ideas of what I think I saw, depicted by the illustration below.

Don't pay too much attention to the body of the vise, which I don't really have a good mental image of.

The jaws seemed extraordinarily high - as if there should be pipe jaws or a provision for pipe jaws but there wasn't, even higher than what I have drawn.

The swivel base reminded me of a clam shell, with large, coarse, interlocking teeth, and I immediately got the idea that it probably worked like a clutch-type ratchet adapter, literally pulling the vise up, rotating it, and dropping it back down into the counterpart base. (I probably exaggerated the size of the base in the illustration.)

Lastly, it apparently clamped onto a bench with a central screw and an extra large wingnut.

Does anyone recognize what it might've been based on my rather crude drawing?

We got rained out today, I am away tomorrow, and I won't see the guy again until next Friday. It's going to eat at me all week that I didn't look at the markings to see what it was. And I'm not enough of a 'vise guy' to have identified it without looking at the markings.

Lugz- my guess based on your picture is an old Reed combo w/o the pipe jaws (e.g., a 33) or an old style, bolt through Parker (e.g., a 23).

AB I think it’s the consensus view these days that the 519X Craftsmans were made by Rock Island.

 

[Shiftless]

lugz :

Here is a pic of my Reed 31 for comparison.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks, guys.

 

[Fierljeppen]

Tall jaw towers (no pipe-jaws), clam shell base w/ large wing nut.

Maybe wishful thinking on my part, but I'm hoping you run in to that guy and steal an old Trenton swivel base machinist vise.

 

[KMScott]

Here is a pic of the 4 original factory screws I recently removed from a Parker 63 1/2.
Tapered but clearly different from the screws Maui posted a while back. (Shown again here for comparison)

Are both thread types are the same? The four look like 1/4;20 and the two look like 5/16:18.

 

[Smitty]

Ive been on a bit of a Prentiss dry spell lately so this was just what i needed to bust the slump. This Prentiss 19 is in pristine condition. The heavy copper jaw guards really protected the vise over the years and the jaws are like new. The edges on the slide are really crisp and it hadn’t been used as an anvil. The vise is shown in as found condition, its going to go on the shelf as is.
.


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[Orangecrush72]

Well I got the bug. Stupid old tools is my new hobby on top of 50 others but oh well. Bought a couple of these restored then started looking and found a few others. Tried my hand at some restoration. Chose a few non correct colors but I think they turned out great. Keeping a couple and selling the rest.


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[dkroth]

... Keeping a couple and selling the rest.

I recognize those as English words, but they make no sense grouped together like that in this thread. I've tried reading them out loud but then I see bright flashes of light in my peripheral vision and hear a loud humming in my ears.







.

 

[Shiftless]

Smitty:. Another great find!

KMS:
Those 4 screws from my Parker 63 1/2 are 1/4 inch - 20

Dk :
I hear what you’re saying. But those of us with limited space and a continuous desire to buy more vises have to sell a few of them once in a while to keep the aisles clear.


.

 

[dkroth]

Dk :
I hear what you’re saying. But those of us with limited space and a continuous desire to buy more vises have to sell a few of them once in a while to keep the aisles clear.


.

Now there's a strong smell of almonds, too. It's almost overpowering.







.

 

[va.grouseman]

DK, tell us when you see the bright light.

 

[Smitty]

Orangecrush...Yeah, you’re hooked big time. Welcome to the club

Shift...Thanks, 19 seems to be my lucky number Prentiss wise.

 

[va.grouseman]

I read where Smitty had a whole bunch of big nuts to play with, back several pages ago, and that's really not fair cause all I have is this little half nut that I'm playing with.---But it's wrong to covet, so a half-nut will have to do..

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Maybe wishful thinking on my part, but I'm hoping you run in to that guy and steal an old Trenton swivel base machinist vise.

You and me both, Fierljeppen! That is one fine-looking vise.

 

[Orangecrush72]

Orangecrush...Yeah, you’re hooked big time. Welcome to the club

Shift...Thanks, 19 seems to be my lucky number Prentiss wise.

Yep, have 3 baldor grinders, just sold a craftsman 1 hp block, Wilton drill press, a wissota grinder and still in the search for more...... I had nothing a couple months ago.....****


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[Smitty]

I read where Smitty had a whole bunch of big nuts to play with, back several pages ago, and that's really not fair cause all I have is this little half nut that I'm playing with.---But it's wrong to covet, so a half-nut will have to do..

Va, sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't
Nice Vise btw and that table isn't so bad either.

 

[Smitty]

Orangecrush
Next thing you know you'll be putting on a couple hundred miles on the weekend chasing your quarry.

 

[Smitty]

I was really excited about finding another 19 today that I lined them all up for a photo shoot. Hopefully this will be a minor distraction to an otherwise totally ****** day.


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[Vise]

Nice line up Smitty. Did you ever share your method of paint/rust stripping and metal finishing?

 

[chrisnazzy]

Smitty

Nice pickup on the newly added no. 19! Should I be embarrassed that when you posted it I knew it made 5 for you? BTW, my favorite by a long shot is the oldest of the 5, the graffiti script w/ the large meatball!

I played in the garage a bit today too. Cleaned up the small parts on the last of my RI 571's to be refurbed. Grabbed a couple of new group pics while I was at it.


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[Smitty]

Vise...Thanks. My tried and true method to remove paint is good old fashioned paint stripper. It removes the paint but also leaves the patina that was sometimes painted over. The stripper also seems to break down grease, grime and surface rust. I then use various wire brushes depending on the condition of the vise. Im a bit impatient so soaking things over long periods of time just doesn't work for me.

 

[Shiftless]

Thanks Smitty. The results speak for themselves. Those vises look GREAT!

But what brands do you recommend? The old “aircraft” stripper and similar products containing methylene chloride (a known carcinogen) is no longer available.

My technique is simple but it involves a lot of time. (Warm undiluted Simple Green)

Larger parts that don’t fit into my CrockPot need a different approach.
If I moved to a warmer climate, I could just put large vise parts into a 5 gallon bucket full of SG and leave it out in the sun.


.

 

[Smitty]

Chris...Thanks and you're right, that graffiti script is the oldest of the bunch and really clean for its age. You did a beautiful job on the rock island and your family photo looks great. I can tell that you've spent quite a bit of time on each vise bringing them up to speed. Well done.

 

[Smitty]

Shift...i noticed a few months ago that labels changed and that the stripper wasn’t working as well. I scrambled to find all of the old stock that i could buy and thats what I’m using now. The new stuff barely works on cheap paint never mind epoxy. I have a feeling i can still get the good stuff in Nevada, it will give me an excuse to go to Vegas.

 

[Shiftless]

Organisation - US EPA © W.Scott - Fotolia.com

The US EPA has banned the use of methylene chloride in consumer paint removal products. The move represents the agency’s first regulation of a substance under section 6 of TSCA in 30 years.

The ban will cover the manufacture, import, processing and distribution of the products. A prohibition on retail sales – including for e-commerce and distribution establishments that serve consumers – will take effect within 180 days of the rule’s effective date.

——————————————————————

The ban is in effect now.
With luck, you might find smaller stores that didn't get the message and have old product still on the shelves.

One bright spot is that sales are only banned to “consumers”.
I bet that if you were a professional painter or some commercial operator that had a legitimate need for paint stripper you could get it from a wholesaler.

 

[AngryBeaver]

One bright spot is that sales are only banned to “consumers”.
I bet that if you were a professional painter or some commercial operator that had a legitimate need for paint stripper you could get it from a wholesaler.

if you have a grainger account, anyone can order the zep brand. its what we use at work and works very well. just ordered another case last week

I've also seen a lot of the local shops still have it, but its back behind the counter and you have to ask for it. This started last summer sometime. thanks epa

 

[GETRIDAONE]

If you have time and patience brake fluid will work and it is cheap. I have used it on large items in the past.

chrisnazzy, You will need some more shelves soon


Smitty, How many hundreds of vises are you up to now ?

If I can find a vise every few months or so and stretch the restorartion out I keep the buying urge at bay.

 

[Maui]

Here is a pic of the 4 original factory screws I recently removed from a Parker 63 1/2.
Tapered but clearly different from the screws Maui posted a while back. (Shown again here for comparison)

Thanks Shiftless. And here are the screws from 5 different vises that I removed this morning to Illustrate the point I made earlier. From left to right they came from the following: Dropfo 3, Craftsman 5160 (which I believe was also manufactured for Sears by Rock Island), Craftsman 5195, Reed 2C, and Prentiss 19. The only two screws that match in terms of the taper are the Craftsman 5160 and the Craftsman 5195. And they both match the screw taken from the Rock Island 571.

Maui

 

[Smitty]

Getridaone, I'm just under five tons.

 

[GETRIDAONE]

That has to be around 200 - 250 @ 40-50 lb. average.

 

[chrisnazzy]

Chris...Thanks and you're right, that graffiti script is the oldest of the bunch and really clean for its age. You did a beautiful job on the rock island and your family photo looks great. I can tell that you've spent quite a bit of time on each vise bringing them up to speed. Well done.

Thanks Smitty!

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[chrisnazzy]

chrisnazzy, You will need some more shelves soon

I'm pretty focused as far as my collecting goes now. I've sold a few that I ultimately decided to not make part of my permanent collection. My plan has always been to just have a few really clean examples from each of the vintage vise manufacturers and examples of the different styles. I'm actually at a point now where I'm really focused on finding vises in my top 5 or so. If anything else fell into my lap I'd probably restore and resell.

I also have a really awesome vise display rack designed up to build in the future. It's 6 feet wide, freestanding and built with square steel tube with 6 hardwood shelves. Should house my collection long into the future!

I can only imagine how many you've got Get. I'd bet you have all of my top 5 in your collection!

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[edward472]

I went with a buddy of mine to help load up some stuff he bought at a house auction. I see a rusted Wilton sitting on a work table outside. I asked the auction company rep if it had sold in the auction. He says that it had been sitting outside for who knows how long and was so rusted that they didn't think it was worth putting it up for sale. I give it the once over, jaws move put the pin in the end cap is broken. I asked how much. Guy says "Is it worth $10 to you?". My buddy comes up, hands the guy $10, and tells me I did $10 worth of work. Enjoy the vise. Wilton C0. Just need some swivel nuts, a new pin, and a dust cap

 

[Shiftless]

How many vises do other guys own?

For those of you who weren’t active on this thread until recently let me repost the results of a poll I ran back in December 2018.

BTW, I am still in the 51-100 category but now much closer to the top number
.

 

[M635_Guy]

Looking at the local Craiglist, the prices put on vintage vises seems astronomical

$600+++

Are y'all getting deals that good or are they crazy?

Examples:

$2200 "shipyard" vise:
https://eastnc.craigslist.org/tls/d/new-bern-vice-foundry-shipyard-heavy/7036520724.html

Columbian 205 - $600:
https://eastnc.craigslist.org/tls/d/rocky-mount-columbian-visebigheavy/7031219181.html

Unknown - $750:
https://eastnc.craigslist.org/tls/d/goldsboro-giant-cast-iron-vise-opens/7037947456.html

Yost 33C - $700 (nicest cond. of the bunch):
https://eastnc.craigslist.org/tls/d/winterville-yost-33c-vise-5inch/7059507548.html

And then there's stuff like this older Craftsman 4" for $65:
https://eastnc.craigslist.org/tls/d/newport-vise/7046228175.html
(which I'd probably grab if it wasn't over 2.5 hours away...)

 

[Shiftless]

Edward:
Nice score! Many of us would have been happy to have done what you did for what you ended up with!

M635 Guy:
You are correct in thinking that except for the last one for the Craftsman, those others are wildly overpriced. Notice that the listings are like 2 months old. Good deals usually go in 2 DAYS and the GREAT deals go in a few minutes.

 

[Vise]

Smitty - Gotcha. I use undiluted Simple Green /wire wheel when I have patience and stripper/wire wheel when I don't.

Shift - I'm firmly in that 51-100 grouping now.

M6 - I've spoken to that shipyard vise guy, back before he had better pictures and was claiming the jaws were 8"+. Once I saw what it was I had to drop out.

 

[Shiftless]

When I plan to finish a vise with a natural BLO look, I don’t use a wire wheel. IMHO, that strips away the patina of old metal and slightly smooths the natural texture of cast iron that I admire so much.
When I plan to paint, I do sometimes use the wire wheel.