The VISES of Garage Journal

[KMScott]

Nice job on your 614-1/2 Svt_ivan. Can't help but notice the new handle and ne swivel lock down. I like it.

 

[Svt_ivan]

Nice job on your 614-1/2 Svt_ivan. Can't help but notice the new handle and ne swivel lock down. I like it.

Thank you! Yes those are new, that was possible due to a couple of talented friends!

 

[Smitty]

Just received some pictures from a good buddy who graces these pages occasionally and am feeling that I must show off his work and sing praises as finding someone who knows how to accomplish this kind of makeover isnÂ’t common, and the fact that he is a die hard Vise nut just makes bringing the work to his shop something that I look forward to!! ThereÂ’s at least 12-15 viseÂ’s visible walking into the shop, kinda makes a guy feel right at home.
Mr. Blake Keasler is the man with the talents displayed here. I am very fortunate to have him as a friend and resource. This is my Reed 107 that came from the coal mines up in West Virginia

Wow, Blake really did an awesome job repairing that Reed, he’s quite talented. He managed to leave that rustic feel to the vise which is no easy task. Great backstory on the vise btw.

 

[Smitty]

St Ivan
Well done on the athol.

 

[Svt_ivan]

Thanks Smitty!

 

[Smitty]

So I finally found one. This is a Prentiss jewelers vise no. 37, it has 2” jaws and weighs in at 4 1/2 lbs. The vise is in beautiful condition and doesn’t have a hammer mark on it. This is rather large for a jewelers vise as you can see when it sits next to its 1 3/4” counterpart.


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[WAS Jr]

I love this thread but rarely make comments, but all I have to say Smitty is:
"Holy ******* shitballs!"
Bill S

 

[WAS Jr]

What's adorable is that they would be secured to a workbench with finishing nails!
Bill S

 

[Smitty]

Thanks Bill, I’m glad you like it.

 

[Fierljeppen]

Smitty...Your Prentiss collection ceases to amaze. I can't believe how much smaller the no. 30 is compared to the not very big no. 37. Here's a crisp catalog scan for the no. 37

Svt_ivan...Speaking of tiny vises, what model is the miniature Athol in your picture? Nice restoration by the way.

 

[Smitty]

Thanks Jeppen, I appreciate that. The 37 has always been an enigma to me. The vise seems too big next to all of the other models. I’ve wondered how it would stack up to an 18.
From left to right model no’s 18, 37 and 39

Rusty
I have some numbers




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[rusty65]

From left to right
2 I believe is for 1902
168 which I believe is January 1868
104 which I believe is January 1904

One thing I’ve been noticing is that the Prentiss model with fixed jaw swivel base 2in jewelr with the cylinder meatball seem to always have a higher number then the older varieties.



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[rusty65]

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[Svt_ivan]

Smitty...Your Prentiss collection ceases to amaze. I can't believe how much smaller the no. 30 is compared to the not very big no. 37. Here's a crisp catalog scan for the no. 37

Svt_ivan...Speaking of tiny vises, what model is the miniature Athol in your picture? Nice restoration by the way.

Jeppen,

Thank you. That is an Athol No. 0 with a broken clamp long gone and sitting on a custom swivel base.


Smitty,

Your vise collection just continues to grow and I continue to be in awe!! I don’t understand where you find all these gems!

 

[Smitty]

Rusty, I think you might be on to something. I’ll keep digging on my end.


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[rusty65]

Rusty, I think you might be on to something. I’ll keep digging on my end.


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Is it possible that no 39 is 48? I’m not sure 82 would jive since prentiss started making that model in 1896/97.


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[Smitty]

Thanks St Ivan. It’s like Shift always says, it’s the thrill of the chase.

 

[Shiftless]

Smitty:

Every time you post another jeweler’s vise I drool even more. Nice find!

(I bet you had a thrilling chase to bag that one...care to share the story?)

 

[rusty65]

I was told this vise was found in the original ww2 cosmoline. The paint seems to be almost perfect below the blue. 141 which I believe would be 1-1941.



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[Dlavallee22]

Rusty, I think you might be on to something. I’ll keep digging on my end.


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Smitty, i have to ask... are those your personal counts of each prentiss jewelers model vises you have in your collection?! Lol jk but seriously, you never cease to amaze with your incredible finds

 

[Smitty]

Smitty:

Every time you post another jeweler’s vise I drool even more. Nice find!

(I bet you had a thrilling chase to bag that one...care to share the story?)

Shift
I diligently stalked my prey for 6 days and 23 hours. Then with 10 seconds left I finally pulled the trigger an conquered the beast. Once I paid the hunting fees and the taxes (don’t tell VA) my quarry was shipped to me and finally delivered to my door by a man in a big brown van.

 

[Smitty]

Rusty
I hear what your saying but it’s a pretty crisp stamp. I’ll post a pic tomorrow.

Dlavallee22
That paper was supposed to self destruct in 60 seconds.

 

[pelletman]

Fierljeppen, here is a unknown vise I own, 2" jaws that opens to 2-3/4 and weights 12lbs. Got it from Joe a couple years ago. Just have not seen one like it.

Pretty awesome 200-2 Parker you got there Fierljeppen, is it yours?

@KMScott

Whatever this is, I think I have the same, in swivel

 

[KMScott]

@KMScott

Whatever this is, I think I have the same, in swivel

Yep looks the same as mine but with the swiveler base. Heavy duty 2" vise.

 

[Vise]

Wow, Smitty. Those Prentiss jewelers vises are special. Something to aspire to. I do have one jewelers vise on the way to me, which I believe is a 37, but won’t be able to check until it gets here. Keep the info coming on those little guys!

Once again I feel the need to balance the thread out (weight wise) to post pics of my finished Rock Island 67. 286lbs and 8 3/8” wide jaws. This one needed new jaws, and KMScott came to the rescue with a beautiful custom set. The vise also features a new handle and meatball from Zariczny Metalworks, which I think looks fantastic. The stand in the picture is just temporary for these photos. Will still need to source the right stand. Very happy with how this one came out.









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[Shiftless]

Vise:
That’s one impressive chunk of iron!
Rock Islands are built like a rock. Those KMS jaws with the beautiful colored tones from the heat treating process really set off the black. Good job!

(Did somebody hammer on your new handle?)

At nearly 300 pounds, please don’t flip it over and mount it upside down on a jewelers vise.


.

 

[Vise]

Thanks, Shift. Agree, the KMS jaws really make the vise. The handle is unmarred, there was just a lot of tape residue on the handle from shipping that I haven't cleaned off yet.

 

[Shiftless]

Whew!
I couldn’t imagine anybody pounding on that beautiful and expensive new handle.
On your photos the marks sure looked like the usual divots we all see on the vises we buy.

 

[Smitty]

Thanks Vise, I’ve been searching for a 37 for quite a while now. Hopefully you post up when you get yours. The Rock island looks awesome, it’s good to see it up and running again. I too thought the handle was pitted but once you said tape residue is made sense. I really like the finish on the vise, it suits it perfectly.

 

[zoomieport]

Not sure on any of the model numbers...

 

[Shiftless]

Smitty:
Thanks for sharing the no doubt stressful (during the last 60 seconds) story of getting that Prentiss 37. There is a certain mental state that overtakes me, and maybe you as well, when waiting to snipe. Various overbid strategies are involved that should probably not be shared on a public forum.

 

[jonhdw]

Can anyone identify this vise? No markings at all on it, almost looks custom made.

 

[Shiftless]

Are the jaws 3 inches wide?

That one looks a lot like my 300S. Chicago era
Do you see evidence of grinder marks to remove the ID?
The swivel locks look almost but not quite identical to the ones on mine. The handle ends look the same as the Wilton.

Take the dynamic jaw all the way out and look at the underside of the key. See if it’s stamped with the Wilton date code. I bet the previous owner didn’t go to the trouble of grinding that smooth.

 

[PghJKB]

Can anyone identify this vise? No markings at all on it, almost looks custom made.

Basically, what he said:
Wilton with all markings removed.

JKB

 

[jonhdw]

Yeah but the anvil looks weird to me. Like it’s too high or something. I didn’t strip the paint yet to see if the markings were ground off. Just something about it looks “off”.

 

[Fierljeppen]

Interesting that it has the lower pinned nut, which would indicate the earliest Wilton's. The angle of the tail and the swivel lock are suspect to me though. In my opinion, it's either a super early Wilton or not a real Wilton at all.

Need more information: (jaw width, opening, weight) and more photos, including the bottom.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Didn't we discuss/learn that high schools and/or colleges machine shop classes used to make Wilton copy cats....cast and machine them? I'm quite certain I remember reading about that...Or maybe I'm totally insane?

 

[Eric827]

Not a super exciting or rare one, but I've got a very minty 3.5" Wilton Shop King on the bench. Barely a mark on it. The little hardy cutoff does have one ding where somebody tried to clip something too hard. Jaws and pipe clamps must have only been used for balsa wood parts. The dynamic is perfectly straight and the horizontal lines of the body line-up exactly from front to back.

It was given to me last weekend by my brother who got it out of a basement. With all the original paint, I realize I should probably just clean it up and buff the rust off the shiny parts, but I've been wanting to do one of those cool art deco paint jobs using a couple fancy colors. We'll see. Stay tuned.

 

[Outlawmws]

Didn't we discuss/learn that high schools and/or colleges machine shop classes used to make Wilton copy cats....cast and machine them? I'm quite certain I remember reading about that...Or maybe I'm totally insane?

I can't make the call on the sanity issue but yes, there were school made clones...

 

[afeef745]

Picked this Wilton C1 couple days ago from an old man locally for $175. Dont know much about it other than its a C1 sold in November 1947. Thanks