Craftsman 5182 Restore

[thehorse13]

Craftsman 5182 Vise Restore

This vise followed me home. I tried my best to resist but in the end it was begging to be brought back to life.

As you can see from the exterior, it looks to have lived an easy life. I may still find something hiding during the overhaul but the bones look promising.

Vises like this turn up often around here and usually in the 50 dollar range. That is what I left behind for this vise but only because of how smoothly it works and how lightly used it appears.




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[JoCoSawdust]

Nice!! Those sure don't show themselves often in my neck of the woods.

 

[thehorse13]

I held my breath and dismantled this vise with nothing but my fingers crossed. This was the moment when I would learn if I have a gem or a dud.

As each piece came off in factory new condition, I could hardly believe my eyes. The Reed marked main nut was perfect, not so much as a nick on any of the screw heads, no cracks, welds or repairs...hooray!!!

Or so I thought.

The only slight bad news is that the screw collar is split in two pieces. The break is clean and across the recessed section of the part. I couldn't ask for a better place for this to be because I can certainly reuse this piece without issue or I can send it out for a newly machined piece.

Overall, I'm still very happy with this vise. It will clean up beautifully in a blue shade very close to the original.

There is also a lesson here to be had. Even when these beasts look virtually unused you never know what's hiding inside of a 90 year old tool.

 

[SweetD]

The screw collar was purposely split as part of the manufacturing process. That's how it's supposed to be. You've got a nice vise there, I have the 5187 version, slightly bigger brother.

Dave

 

[thehorse13]

The screw collar was purposely split as part of the manufacturing process. That's how it's supposed to be. You've got a nice vise there, I have the 5187 version, slightly bigger brother.

Dave

Well then this now makes a ton more sense. I sat here wondering what the hell could have caused the clean perfect split in two places when the jaws on this thing look virtually unused.

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Horse, that's a great vise. I'd love to find one in that condition.

In the first pic, what is that to the right of the collar and the main nut that looks like a bolt and a washer?

Is there a manufacture date stamped on the side of the static jaw like most Reeds?

 

[thehorse13]

Horse, that's a great vise. I'd love to find one in that condition.

In the first pic, what is that to the right of the collar and the main nut that looks like a bolt and a washer?

Is there a manufacture date stamped on the side of the static jaw like most Reeds?

That bolt goes into the pin that holds the main nut in the vise body. I've never seen this setup before.

I haven't taken a close look at the side of the static jaw just yet. I plan on giving it a thorough check when I strip it down to bare metal though. I will report back any findings on manufacture date.

 

[thehorse13]

Re: Craftsman 5182 Vise Restore

After about ten minutes on the wire wheel I am left with this. One part down, all the rest to go.



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[SweetD]

When I was researching my 5187 I ended up dating it 1942-47 (wrote it on the base with a Sharpie so as not to forget). So, wartime vise. I would think yours would be close to that...

 

[thehorse13]

A few new pieces of information have emerged to see the light of day once again.

First, the side of the vise is stamped 1-44. It's very hard to see but if you look closely, you should be able to at least see the "44" in the picture.

Second, I noticed a machined hole in the side of the slide. I wondered why it was there and the answer appeared through the decades of rust that were blasted away. Seems that these old Reeds preferred oil over grease.

And finally, as more and more rust, dirt and debris were coming off the body of the vise, I noticed that a good amount of original blue paint was still there. Even the white lettering was still there on the Craftsman raised lettering. For a minute or two I considered doing a preservation cleanup but then I remembered how beautiful AngryBeaver's 5182 looks with fresh blue paint so I decided to move ahead with prepping for a repaint.

 

[thehorse13]

Re: Craftsman 5182 Vise Restore

Magical things are happening on the lawn today.



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[Jayman17]

Re: Craftsman 5182 Vise Restore

Magical things are happening on the lawn today.



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Looking good, what brand/color of paint is that? I have a long C drill press I want to restore and that blue looks like a pretty good match.

Jay

 

[thehorse13]

Re: Craftsman 5182 Vise Restore

Looking good, what brand/color of paint is that? I have a long C drill press I want to restore and that blue looks like a pretty good match.

Jay

It's Krylon ColorMaster Satin Oxford Blue. This particular version is the paint + primer.

It is the closest match to 1940s Craftsman blue that I've ever found. I've used it on several items from that era and it looks great when dry.

 

[ALTEREGO]

Looking great! Can't wait to see the final product.

 

[thehorse13]

Here's the service refresh all ready to go. This thing will be mounted and used and to say it's as smooth as butter is an understatement. It's exactly what you would expect from a WWII Reed bench vise.

I strategically left certain scars and bumps on the vise. To me this preserves the soul of the tool and makes using it all the more fun.

 

[Shiftless]

That looks great! You scored a real deal picking that one up for only 50 bucks. I would have paid more and still thought I got a great deal.

 

[Jayman17]

Thanks for the info, your vise looks great!

Jay

 

[Alienbaby17]

That looks just right! I’d give that a lot of use.

Sometimes it’s fun to bang out a few smaller projects like these. They can be very satisfying. Nicely done!

 

[thehorse13]

That looks just right! I’d give that a lot of use.

Sometimes it’s fun to bang out a few smaller projects like these. They can be very satisfying. Nicely done!

The exact satisfaction that was needed after my last K200 roll cab incident.

 

[txlonghorn1989]

I'm not generally a paint guy but I have to admit that vise looks great. Congrats on finding one in such good condition.

 

[thehorse13]

Thanks fellas. This was a much enjoyed 90 minute project. I'm glad everyone else thinks that this old girl looks good in her new dress.

 

[ALTEREGO]

My dream vise right there!

 

[thehorse13]

My dream vise right there!

You have a few very nice examples to work on already. Before long you'll be like the rest of us and admit to your vise hoarding sickness.

The point is, you have someone's dream vise already. That Prentiss is very desirable.

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Beautiful work horse!