The VISES of Garage Journal

[Loren]

My American Scale 56 Red Seal and my Chicago Morgan 45

 

[Smitty]

Radar, it’s been a bit cool here lately and we’re expecting rain tomorrow and snow in the local mountains.

Shift, I had heard that Wilton cast way too many baby bullets in Chicago and the supply lasted into the 80’s. The Schiller Park baby bullets are the rare ones.

 

[Shiftless]

Thanks Smitty.
I didn’t know that there were ANY Schiller Park babies until I read your post.

I found one in the past sales records of that big online auction site.

 

[KMScott]

Nice heavy toolbox and a even nicer treat sitting on top. I am assuming yours has the Schiller Park casting, can't tell. I looked at all of mine in the repair box and they are all Chicago's. Getting a pretty nice collection Smitty.

 

[Smitty]

Thanks KMS. This one is a Chicago casting and the vise has 95% of the original paint left and a portion of the original sticker on the front. I would have to guess this one was used in the electronics industry because there are no marks on it. You’ve got a nice little group of baby bullets going there yourself. Those swivel bases must be a ton of work to make.

Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[chrisnazzy]

Smitty:
It’s interesting how Wilton apparently never changed the molds for the baby bullets to read Schiller Park when they moved back around 1957. They did for the bigger bullets. Your latest baby acquisition shows a date of 1967. That’s 10 years after the move. What’s the prevailing theory? They made so few of the babies that they didn’t bother changing the location on the molds?

Shift

These aren't baby castings but I think it goes to show just what kind of backstock levels Wilton kept on hand!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[Mslund1]

Finally got around to redoing my Starrett 924 this week









Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Shiftless]

Mslund:
That’s beautiful!
Is that Rustoleum soft cast iron paint or something else?

 

[Smitty]

Mslund. That’s a first class restoration for sure. Well done.

 

[dutchgray]

Shift

These aren't baby castings but I think it goes to show just what kind of backstock levels Wilton kept on hand!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

A question I don't know the answer to, did Wilton have their own foundry or did they contact the casting out?

With regards to cast in information, it would be unusual to change the patterns that you make the sand molds from until the patterns are worn out and you have to redo them anyway, though some makers pinned embossed metal tags onto patterns which are easy to change. Many of the British vices they all had the same information and parts were ground off the castings to suit the differing models, the P for plain screw can often be seen ground out on quick release Record's for example.
With castings you also want to leave them a while before machining them to allow them to season, probably less necessarily with vice castings than some other things. IIRC Record used to leave its hand plane body castings in piles outside the factory for 6 months before finishing them.

 

[Shiftless]

It’s pretty obvious that plant is not in earthquake country!

 

[Mslund1]

Mslund:

That’s beautiful!

Is that Rustoleum soft cast iron paint or something else?

Thanks shift!
Yes, that’s exactly what it is. I thought it would be a bit darker but I’m very happy how it came out.

Mslund. That’s a first class restoration for sure. Well done.

Thanks Smitty, I’m very pleased with it. Probably my favorite one I’ve done thus far.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Vise]

A question I don't know the answer to, did Wilton have their own foundry or did they contact the casting out?

Good question. Per this catalog from 1960, the 800s were “not Wilton products,” which implies to me that someone else cast those, but that Wilton did cast the others. Nothing certain though. Now who cast the 800s? That’s an interesting mystery to me.







Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[KMScott]

Finally got around to redoing my Starrett 924 this week

Nice job on your Starrett Mslund, How is those jaws, I am a jaw guy and dying to see them, especially the serrations.

 

[tool_scrounge]

It’s pretty obvious that plant is not in earthquake country!

I had the same visceral reaction.

 

[Shiftless]

I had the same visceral reaction.

My house is a couple hundred yards from the Hayward Fault. ‘Nuff said.

 

[DaveT]

Finally got around to redoing my Starrett 924 this week

That is a beautiful restoration Mslund

 

[royce]

Finally got around to redoing my Starrett 924 this week









Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Very fine Mslund,
Starrett's are just so skookum.
Well done

Royce

 

[J.C.]

Tidied up a Dawn offset that was the unfortunate bearer of the least pleasant red paintjob I have seen on a vice:



Put on some basic jaws to get it functional again. More pics etc here:

https://motofaction.org/tool-review...engineers-bench-vice-vise-review-restoration/

 

[Smitty]

I found a beautiful Prentiss jewelers vise no. 30, it has 1 3/4” jaws and weighs in at 2 lbs. there is still quite a bit of the original Japan lacquer left and if you look closely at the first pic you can still see the faint outline of the original pin stripping


Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[chrisnazzy]

I found a beautiful Prentiss jewelers vise no. 30, it has 1 3/4” jaws and weighs in at 2 lbs.
Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

Awesome vise Smitty! A swivel jaw Prentiss jewelers vise is on my top 5 list and someday sooner than later I'm going to pony up and add one to my collection.

Ya know, Rusty teases us all from time to time with a baby Prentiss group shot of his collection. I think it's high time for a group photo of the amazing jewelers specimens you've acquired!

I'll have to save it of course, in fact it may be time for saved pics of your collection to have their own folder!

Chris


Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[Smitty]

Prentiss jewelers vises




Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[rusty65]

I found a beautiful Prentiss jewelers vise no. 30, it has 1 3/4” jaws and weighs in at 2 lbs. there is still quite a bit of the original Japan lacquer left and if you look closely at the first pic you can still see the faint outline of the original pin stripping


Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

The 1 3/4 model is one of smallest production vises ever. I’ve got one that weighs 1 1/2 pounds and I believe you can date this model by the weight. I believe the newer models 1 1/2lbs 1900-20 have thinner and smaller feet so less weight and then the older models 1 3/4lbs 1880-1900 have thicker bases with larger mounting feet so slightly more weight. I am basing this off the era of the catalogs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mslund1]

Nice job on your Starrett Mslund, How is those jaws, I am a jaw guy and dying to see them, especially the serrations.

Thanks KMScott! Here are a few pics of the jaws, just factory that are cleaned up.








Thanks ROYCE and DAVET!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Smitty]

Thanks for the info rusty, I appreciate your knowledge of these little jewelers vises. I actually bought that jewelers catalog because I knew it had Prentiss vise pages.


Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Shiftless]

Plenty of drool worthy pics this morning. Thanks for posting guys!

Amazing jaws on the Starrett. How are those not brand new?

Previously used to clamp down gently on marshmallows?

 

[KMScott]

Thanks KMScott! Here are a few pics of the jaws, just factory that are cleaned up.

Thanks ROYCE and DAVET!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thanks for taking the time and taking those pic:s. I appreciate it. Jaws are in pristine shape. I fabricate Starrett jaws and cutting the serrations are most difficult getting them right. I will save your pic:s and share them with a possible new jaw builder. Starrett's in my opinion are the King of USA Bench Vises.

 

[chrisnazzy]

Thanks Smitty

Beautiful collection.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[Smitty]

Thanks Chris, I hope one comes your way.

 

[Mslund1]

Thanks for taking the time and taking those pic:s. I appreciate it. Jaws are in pristine shape. I fabricate Starrett jaws and cutting the serrations are most difficult getting them right. I will save your pic:s and share them with a possible new jaw builder. Starrett's in my opinion are the King of USA Bench Vises.

I agree, my favorite vise I own to date.



Shift,

I was leaning toward it was used to check the tensile strength of bubble wrap


Also, I picked up a new one today.

Morgan 160 6”



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Productbob]

ms your Morgan looks to be in great shape and that Starrett is beautiful!
Smitty wonderful pic of all those little guys

 

[Productbob]

cleaned up another R for the Reed shelf. this one a meatball 204. for a change of pace going to clean up a well worn Parker next. hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!

 

[Josh C]

Hey folks, stumbled on a vise transport tip yesterday and figured I would share with you all and maybe someone will get something out of it. Had to go meet a potential customer with a vise and at the last minute based on a comment from our phone conversation I decided to throw several others in just in case. As I headed up the drive I suddenly realized that I had to travel “down the mountain “ which means coming off the Blue Ridge Mountain range and dropping est. 1800 ft in altitude in a handful of miles. Basically switchbacks like a autocross/roadcourse. Vise’s weren’t gonna sit still for that. Grabbed a ratchet strap and headed to the bed of the truck and then thought about this configuration. Most vehicles have some low attachment points in the cargo area which is what I hooked to. Hard to tell in the photo but the far outside two have the strap in their jaws and are clamped onto it. The center two I didn’t clamp onto the strap as it went snugly across the slide and held them firm. Needless to say not any movement at all from them either down or back up, and I certainly was pushing hard. I don’t often transport several usually one and I put it on the floor inside, but for those handful times a year this is a pretty decent method that I will be using again. Ok, now more pictures of Prentisss, or Gorgeous restored Starretts, or whatever lol. Josh

 

[va.grouseman]

Josh, sounds like you went to either Roanoke or Mt. Airy.---Am I close?

 

[va.grouseman]

I never did say what this little vise was for.---Forgot to.---It's a skill/circular saw blade vise.

 

[KMScott]

He did not leave my place va, elevation drop is 2500 ft in 16 miles.

Nice baby Prentiss collection Smitty, 1/2 made it in the Spreadsheet.

 

[Josh C]

VA-Roanoke and Mt. Airy were two very likely guesses, but I actually went to Bassett which isn’t far from Martinsville and only an hour and ten minutes from Dugspur. Day before I had gone to Glen Lyn, a little town just over the West Virginia/Virginia boarder to pick up some items. Really doesn’t sound like I am keeping myself quarantined like I have said I would. Josh

 

[va.grouseman]

Well as long as you lay down the vise and buyer lays down the cash at least 6ft apart, kind of like a hostage exchange, you should be fine.---But spray the cash real good with Lysol.

 

[va.grouseman]

You know I never thought there would be a time when it's more important to decontaminate a $100.00 bill than to check for counterfeit.---Strange days indeed.

Be safe fellows.

 

[Shiftless]

Or the day when you would prefer electronic funds transfer to CASH!