The VISES of Garage Journal

[Productbob]

KM congratulations on passing your business along! that's great news for you and the new owners

Vise wow, what an awesome setup you've put together! especially like the rug you placed underneath, it softens up the combo nicely

 

[Vise]

KM congratulations on passing your business along! that's great news for you and the new owners

Vise wow, what an awesome setup you've put together! especially like the rug you placed underneath, it softens up the combo nicely

Thanks Bob. I wish I could say the rug was an aesthetic choice. It was being tossed out and used to to collect wirewheel debris.

 

[KMScott]

Vise, how do you move the stand and vise around. Do you have a tractor? I would have to dig out my cherry picker. Pretty jealous.

 

[lardy1]

Vise, I'm very impressed with that combination. Thank you for sharing it with us.

 

[Fierljeppen]

Super high points for the vise and stand, but that photo is calendar worthy.

 

[richeyc2000]

Started stripping the Record 74.
I’m missing the pipe jaws that go into it but I can get a reproduction one on eBay.
I’m also missing the set screw for holding in the anvil (it’s stuck tight!!)






Let the process carry on. [emoji3]

Found this on the screw protection sheet.

Record Auto Vice PAT No. 310723/28
Colonial and foreign patents
At Least it’s original. [emoji1303]

 

[Vise]

KMS - I used an engine hoist to get it upright. Then used a 1000lb capacity lift cart to move it.

Lardy - Thanks very much. I really enjoy sharing pictures with you guys and seeing your collections.

Fierljeppen - You've given me a great idea! And thank you!

 

[ganymede]

Picked up this little Simplex 100 recently.---I saw where Mikeinri inherited his Grandfathers 100 back on page 3964, then a couple of days latter this one popped up on eBay..---I didn't really want one of these little homeowners hobby vises but this one was made in Woonsocket R.I..---It's only the second one from Woonsocket that I've ever had a chance to buy.---I wished that the Birtman Electric Co. had of bought Desmond Stevens at the same time they bought Rock Island, then my little 100 might have read, R.I. made in R.I. depending on how they mixed it up.---Now that would have really been a collector.---I always pick up the Woonsockets because they seem to be on the same level of scarcity as the Wilton Auroras.

I would've grabbed it too and for exactly the same reasons.

 

[lucasd2002]

Anyone have a source for a replacement main screw for a Parker 205?

 

[royce]

Figured you guys would appreciate this. Picked up a 725 lb Railroad stand, used in the old railroad shops and prominently featured in that old “flying train” picture (below). Best of all, the original bolt pattern on the stand perfectly matches my Prentiss 58. I have no doubt a Prentiss 58 was mounted on this stand back in the railroad shop, which is a relief, as it makes my decision easy: no choice but to mount the 58 on it. Between the 725lb stand and the 276lb vise, this set up is over 1,000 pounds.

Here’s some more video of the stand and vise, if you’re interested:

Vise,
Now that's a proper rig
Well done.

Royce

 

[Dandy Dave]

Anyone have a source for a replacement main screw for a Parker 205?

If all else fails I could machine one for you out of 4140 Chromium Nickle Steel. But you could check with McMaster-Carr for am Acme Threaded rod and go from there also.

 

[Vise]

Figured you guys would appreciate this. Picked up a 725 lb Railroad stand, used in the old railroad shops and prominently featured in that old “flying train” picture (below). Best of all, the original bolt pattern on the stand perfectly matches my Prentiss 58. I have no doubt a Prentiss 58 was mounted on this stand back in the railroad shop, which is a relief, as it makes my decision easy: no choice but to mount the 58 on it. Between the 725lb stand and the 276lb vise, this set up is over 1,000 pounds.

Here’s some more video of the stand and vise, if you’re interested:

Vise,
Now that's a proper rig
Well done.

Royce

High praise. Thanks, Royce!

 

[Dandy Dave]

All this going to the extreme for an old vice on here has me thinking. I always viewed these as utilitarian device, or tool. Thinking maybe I should restore the Old Read 4C I posted here a few pages back and put it up on a pedestal. Maybe gold plate it even.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

All this going to the extreme for an old vice on here has me thinking. I always viewed these as utilitarian device, or tool. Thinking maybe I should restore the Old Read 4C I posted here a few pages back and put it up on a pedestal. Maybe gold plate it even.

Careful.... you'll get addicted like the rest of us.

 

[Shiftless]

D.D.:

Here’s a little Gold plated vise I found on the interweb.

I wouldn’t do that to a 4C...maybe a baby bullet ???

 

[Dandy Dave]

D.D.:

Here’s a little Gold plated vise I found on the interweb.

I wouldn’t do that to a 4C...maybe a baby bullet ???

Niiiccceeeee… LOL. Must be a jeweler's vice. Don't worry. I want to use the 4C Reed and I'm too cheep to gold plate it. But the pedestal part I have yet to figure out how high up I want it. Ohh geezzz. Here comes my better other half. Better get out of here before she gets jealous...

 

[ed4banger]

Some of these heritage badged craftsmans have been showing up, question is why where they badged that way. After some discussion with fellow collectors and spending some time going through old 1940s Craftsman catalogs, we generally agreed (I think) that the Rock Islands badged this way with heritage logo (we have seen 3 now like this) were war vises, sold in the mid 40s, at the end of the partnership of Craftsman with RI. Craftsman started selling Reeds by 1945, and the heritage logo was starting to show up in parts of the catalogs during the mid-later 40s. Someone correct me if wrong.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Ed,

I have a Reed made vise with the heritage logo. It was stamped 12/48. Other members here have pointed out the heritage badge was only used on the reeds for I believe a year or two. I am hoping some of them will chime in.

 

[ed4banger]

Ed,

I have a Reed made vise with the heritage logo. It was stamped 12/48

Yeah I have a few of those Reeds w/heritage badges as well. This post was really about the uncommon Rock Island with heritage badge.........

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Oh, I didn't read your post correctly. My bad

 

[ed4banger]

Oh, I didn't read your post correctly. My bad

No big deal, all this I find interesting, the transitioning by Craftsman through their manufacturers, I wish there was more documentation as to what was really going on.

 

[Smitty]

Here’s something you don’t see everyday. This is a chrome plated Wilton 350. The seller said is came out of a clean room.


Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Fierljeppen]

Rare bird, nice pickup Smitty! I'd imagine the chromed vises would require a lot of extra prep work before they'd be ready to send to the plater.

How about a few more photos at your convenience?

 

[Smitty]

Thanks Jeppen, I just got off the road from a 2 1/2 hour road trip to pick it up so I’ll do pics tomorrow. This vise was clearly prepped before plating and it seems professionally done. Do you know if Wilton offered this as an option? I don’t recall seeing any mention of plating in their catalogs.

 

[Fierljeppen]

Smitty...It appears Wilton did offer chrome plating as an option. I found a couple of Google snippets and this 2010 GJ post.

Yes, matter of fact I've seen dozens of them. In 1988 I worked with a maintenance tech who used to work at the Wilton vise facility in Schiller Park, Illinois and he was able to get employee discounts thru another employee that still worked there. So I arranged to buy 5 vises for myself, so when I went with him to pick them up at the Schiller Park plant I was given a tour and there I saw more than a dozen large chrome Wilton vises.

From what I understood is that these were special order and were on average another $300 - $600 above the price of the vise depending on size. I saw the vised in the deburring/smoothing stages prior to chroming and polishing stages after plating. There were 4 guys that the smallest had to be 6'6" tall and about 350 of solid muscle standing in front of these large belts sanders that had different grit belts and they would hold a vise in their hands and move it around cleaning off all of the casting marks.

The same thing happened at different stations until it was almost mirror smooth and then they were packaged and sent out for plating. Of course the vise bodies were done separately from the moveable jaws. When they came back from plating they were polished on large floor mounted pedestal buffers. It was pretty impressive and I will say that being 6'3" and 320 pounds back then I was somewhat intimated by those guys polishing the vises, everyone of them had biceps that were about the size of their heads.

I don't know if Wilton still offers this, but after seeing it, I decided that if I ever won the lottery I would get a chrome Wilton, to match the chrome Bridgeport mill I would buy.

TheGrooveking

 

[Shiftless]

Another rare find for Smitty! Congrats for finding that one.
And thanks for uncovering the background story Fierljeppen.

 

[Smitty]

That was a great post Jeppen, I’m going to pull it out of the truck right now and take some pics, hold tight.

Thanks Shift.

 

[Vise]

Wow, I thought for sure that was a home chrome, but sounds like it could be factory. Nice pick up Smitty!

 

[Smitty]

Jeppen got me motivated, here’s a few more pics. The vise went through a ton of prep before plating. The date stamp has me scratching my head.


Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[rusty65]

That’s a sweet find. My guess would be it was a factory option possibly a medical equipment assembly plant. Basically a place where everything needed to be clean and shined up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Smitty]

Wow, I thought for sure that was a home chrome, but sounds like it could be factory. Nice pick up Smitty!

Vise, if you look closely you can still see the sand texture from the original casting at the Wilton letters. Somebody really put a ton of time cleaning this up before plating.

 

[Smitty]

That’s a sweet find. My guess would be it was a factory option possibly a medical equipment assembly plant. Basically a place where everything needed to be clean and shined up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Rusty, I’m thinking The Death Star for working on droid parts.

 

[AngryBeaver]

Some of these heritage badged craftsmans have been showing up, question is why where they badged that way. After some discussion with fellow collectors and spending some time going through old 1940s Craftsman catalogs, we generally agreed (I think) that the Rock Islands badged this way with heritage logo (we have seen 3 now like this) were war vises, sold in the mid 40s, at the end of the partnership of Craftsman with RI. Craftsman started selling Reeds by 1945, and the heritage logo was starting to show up in parts of the catalogs during the mid-later 40s. Someone correct me if wrong.

Reedsmans have shown up with 43' dates. I own a 43 dated 5180. earliest catalog showing them I believe is 44. I have not seen a 43 catalog to verify that though.

 

[MileHighRover]

Vise, if you look closely you can still see the sand texture from the original casting at the Wilton letters. Somebody really put a ton of time cleaning this up before plating.

All of y'all are clueless. Everyone knows that was Don Long's vise. Geez.

 

[steaks&anvils]

Here’s something you don’t see everyday. This is a chrome plated Wilton 350. The seller said is came out of a clean room.

Cylon vise.

 

[wrenchguy]

That’s a sweet find. My guess would be it was a factory option possibly a medical equipment assembly plant. Basically a place where everything needed to be clean and shined up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My thought, if you could afford the option you could get 1. Bernie Little of MISS BUDWEISER unlimited hydroplane fame had chrome wiltons on the front and rear corners of his numerous support trucks. All his trucks were custom built and the vises were mounted to the special chrome plated bumpers. 4 per truck.

 

[Smitty]

Steaks&anvils...lol, you might be on to something.

 

[lucasd2002]

Anyone have a source for a replacement main screw for a Parker 205?

If all else fails I could machine one for you out of 4140 Chromium Nickle Steel. But you could check with McMaster-Carr for am Acme Threaded rod and go from there also.

Thanks Dave.

My first thought was also McMaster, but don't these old vises use square thread, not Acme? Is there a source for an Acme threaded nut for Parker vises? Apologies if these are obvious questions - I'm learning.

Also, can I remove the broken rod from the meatball and attach a new rod? How simple of an operation is that? I have access to nice machine shop at work (although I would depend on others' skills).

The broken rod is at work so I'll measure the length, diameter, pitch, etc. tomorrow.

Edit: thanks to the GJ spreadsheet, I know that the Parker 205 has 4.5" wide jaws and opens to a capacity of 7" wide (and weighs about 75lb). The Parker 974 1/2 has the same stats. Can anyone confirm that the main screw and nut are interchangeable for these 2 models? Are there other models that would be compatible with the 205?

 

[cclfn]

Jeppen got me motivated, here’s a few more pics. The vise went through a ton of prep before plating. The date stamp has me scratching my head.

WOW! That's great thanks for sharing the additional photos.

 

[PghJKB]

Thanks Dave.

My first thought was also McMaster, but don't these old vises use square thread, not Acme? Is there a source for an Acme threaded nut for Parker vises? Apologies if these are obvious questions - I'm learning.

Also, can I remove the broken rod from the meatball and attach a new rod? How simple of an operation is that? I have access to nice machine shop at work (although I would depend on others' skills).

The broken rod is at work so I'll measure the length, diameter, pitch, etc. tomorrow.

Depending on the manufacturer and the time of manufacture, the threads can be acme, square, buttress and even double/twin. Kevin Scott would be the best source for this information.

Friction welding can be used to mate the rod into the nose - IIRC Wilton currently uses this method. You can Google friction weld and check out how it works.

JKB