The VISES of Garage Journal

[va.grouseman]

Still waiting for a barely used 800s to pop up for $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Me too, make it a double.---Just give me a gross.

 

[Shiftless]

Thanks Smitty

 

[Shiftless]

Still waiting for a barely used 800s to pop up for $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Me too, make it a double.---Just give me a gross.

Better chance of finding a nice 500 for $800

 

[Vise]

Nice pick up Bagged! That’s a great 8” Parker. Especially love the tag.

 

[va.grouseman]

Regarding the last 5 pages, sure has been some fine eye candy.---Great pics and great posts.---I never learned to read so I really do need those good pics.---The wife reads me the posts.


Vise, awsome 408.---Your 408 would pat my 406 on the head like it was a little nephew.---That sweet crisp slide is what tells the tell.---That's only the second one I've ever seen.---Demoman was chasing one down in Georgia but lost it's trail several years back.


Bagged, congrats on the 8 incher.---That looks like a real work horse, and built like a tank.


Zoomie, thanks for showing that baby clamp-on collection.---That's awsome.---You're scarfing up vises and not telling us about them.---That little family has grown since the last time I saw it.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Shift: Here's my Little Giant 5225. Notice the captured wrench just like the big boys. The insignia on the nose is unusual too.

Boatman: Is there a triangle on the nose of your #23?

 

[Boatman53]

No, nothing on the end of the screw.
Jim

 

[PierceA]

Bagged: I have the brother to your Parker 958, Here it is with a few other vises hanging around. Hitching a ride on the slide is a Parker 'Big Bear'. 'automotive vise'. Behind on the bench is the tail end of a Wilton 9450.
And a photo of my smallest vise: a surface mount, not a clamp mount jewelers vise with 7/8" wide jaws, sitting on the 8' wide jaws of the Parker.

According to the spreadsheet the 978 weighs 298#. It is 2" taller than three soda cans stacked. I need to take a photo of that.. And maybe one of my entire Parker line up.

PierceA

 

[dannyr]

Speaking of small vises, I found my unicorn vise. Even though I was closing my shop and moving to Maine giving away and selling tools right and left (yes I parted with several large vises and an anvil) when a friend asked me to go with him to look at and possibly buy some tools from a friend that had passed away. Long story short, I came away with this little guy and many other hand tools.
Jim

As you probably know, Eclipse is a Sheffield, England, brand - well known for their hacksaws and blades, in later years part of James Neil (Sheffield equivalent to Starrett). Good quality tools, no big vices but a few small fellows for the tool room.

 

[Boatman53]

Yup I knew it was from England that is why I never thought I’d find one in the wild.
Jim

 

[bagged89s10]

Bagged: I have the brother to your Parker 958, Here it is with a few other vises hanging around. Hitching a ride on the slide is a Parker 'Big Bear'. 'automotive vise'. Behind on the bench is the tail end of a Wilton 9450.
And a photo of my smallest vise: a surface mount, not a clamp mount jewelers vise with 7/8" wide jaws, sitting on the 8' wide jaws of the Parker.

According to the spreadsheet the 978 weighs 298#. It is 2" taller than three soda cans stacked. I need to take a photo of that.. And maybe one of my entire Parker line up.

PierceA

Nice 978!

I’d love to have a giant swivel base If I can find one. It’s insane the weight difference on Parker’s as the sizes go up. I’m kind of mad I sold my 955. I currently have a 953-1/2, 954, 956, 958. I might go on the hunt to complete the full 95 series now that I have the 958.

 

[Vise]

I'll echo the praise for that 978. Very nice vise!

 

[bagged89s10]

Thanks Smitty

I have one open screw vise and it’s one of my favorites. Lewis No. 10

 

[Shiftless]

I just got the labels onto this rather rare Columbian 804

For those unfamiliar with this model, it’s made of steel plate, welded together.
I stripped it all down, painted the body parts and polished the swivel base, the slide, the jaws, and of course the nose and the handles. I used Fluid Film to protect the bare metal.

Here are before and after pics.

 

[Vise]

Bagged - This Lewis vises are nice, especially the swivel jaws.

Shift - that’s a really interesting vise and you did a great job with it. Did you find decals for it?

 

[Tinkerer2]

Shiftless,

That originally looks nicer (if that is before any cleaning) than the one from my grandfather.

Anyone looking for labels, I have some for sale in the Garage sale section.

Here is my before and after. I used fluid film on the flat anvil space.

 

[Shiftless]

Thanks for posting yours, Tinkerer. I remember way back when I first posted mine in it’s as found condition and you chimed in with the amazing twin condition of your granddad’s vise.

Yours came out quite well. Good work!
Your stickers are closer to original.

I see you used Regal Red. I chose Sunrise Red.

I reshot a few more pics out in the sunshine today to show what sunrise red looks like in the sunshine. It is extreme. This is only the second vise I have ever painted in that color. I did the other one, a Wilton Tradesman I bought to flip in that color thinking that a snap on fan might be attracted to it. The guy I finally sold it to didn’t much care for that color and was hesitating so I threw in a fresh can of the standard Verde Green at no extra cost to seal the deal. He was more than happy.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Shift: No respect for open screws?!!! This 1878 Walworth steamfitters' vise commanded plenty of respect back in the day, so mind your P's and Q's there buddy.

It has a handle now.

 

[Shiftless]

Shift: No respect for open screws?!!! This 1878 Walworth steamfitters' vise commanded plenty of respect back in the day, so mind your P's and Q's there buddy.

It has a handle now.

It does seem as though there ARE a few exceptions to the Rodney Dangerfield “quote”. That Walworth is certainly one of them.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Seeing bagged's Lewis patent reminded me of the Walworth. With 5" jaws and weighing 80 pounds, it's not a homeowner's vise.

 

[va.grouseman]

Shift, I've got 3 of those #804s myself and gave a 4th to my younger son as a house warming gift.---I love those things.---If you want to give a good gift to a young whippersnapper who will probably have no respect for a vise as a valuable tool, then get him/her an 804.---They're built like a Panzer V.

 

[Vise]

I always thought the wallworths were cool vises. The open screws don’t get much love, but there are some interesting ones for sure.

I finally cleaned up my railroad stand. There was 100 years of paint to wire wheel off. This stand weighs 725lbs and will have a Prentiss 58 mounted on it. For now I’ve just rubbed it down with BLO, but may eventually use some Sculpt Nouveau metal oil and clear guard for a more durable finish.












Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[GForceJunky]

Vise, that's beautiful! Also, thanks for the period pictures/depictions. Can't wait for the picture when you've got 'em both back together after getting all gussied up!

Wish I could find one of those stands. If you don't mind me asking, how much did it run you?

Also, still on the topic of vises. Thoughts on a Wilton C2 with no swivel base for $500? Looks to be in decent shape but would benefit from at least a mild cleanup. The swivel bases are not cheap to buy though...

 

[MJOPE]

I just got the labels onto this rather rare Columbian 804



For those unfamiliar with this model, it’s made of steel plate, welded together.

I stripped it all down, painted the body parts and polished the swivel base, the slide, the jaws, and of course the nose and the handles. I used Fluid Film to protect the bare metal.



Here are before and after pics.

Congrats on the great job. Very crisp...

 

[TheOriginalJudgie]

I've been after a pipe vise for some time, most to help with threading smaller diameter rod and pipe. While having come across a few used, they've all been in bad disrepair or too damn far away to warrant the drive. Instead I supported Aussie made and owned and finally bought a set of Dawn Super Grade Magnetic Pipe Jaws (part number 61015) and so far they've proven very handy, the latest being fixing the thread of a scale prop I had made for a long-term project. I've attached a few photos so you can get an idea of what they look like and how they're used, certainly better than the plastic and aluminium soft jaws i've got, what I call the "Aeroflow" style that have been copied and ripped off by so many manufacturers, particularly Chicom. I'm very surprised no-one has ripped these Dawn ones off , i'm thinking they must be very aggressive in protecting their patents and IP.

 

[Shiftless]

Thanks MJOPE,
I spent more time on that one than most of the others I’ve done up. I was looking for that crisp and shiny look. I used a couple of coats of sandable primer. The glossy paint shows the tiniest of mistakes. You can’t get away with much under shiny paint. The textured or hammered paints are far more forgiving.

T.O.J.:
Those are very cool vise accessories. Dawn vises have a very good reputation all around the world. I don’t have one in my collection but I would certainly pick one up for the right price. Those offsets are at the top of my Australian wanted list.

Vise:
Great score! It’s so satisfying to find something like that with hundred year old photos showing them at work. My daily driver Wilton C1 has never been inadequate for my work but if I had to clamp some locomotive parts I might need to upgrade.

 

[TheOriginalJudgie]

@VISE

That is a hell of a stand!!! and a hell of a vice! I'm guessing once that combo is mounted in situ, it ain't moving again!

 

[Vise]

Thanks, guys. The combined weight of the stand (725lbs) and the Prentiss 58 (276lbs) is 1001lbs. I might have mentioned this before, but the cool thing about this railroad stand is that the existing set of bolt holes on the stand exactly matches the bolt pattern of the Prentiss 58. So my decision was made for me as to which vise I mounted. As for the question about price, the railroad stands seem to run between $1-2k these days. There are a few different styles, with variations in size and weight (e.g., a 4 bolt base vs a 6 bold base). This one likely came out of a AT&SF railroad hop in Topeka or Atchison, as it was found in Kansas, but who knows.

 

[SRU1436]

I always thought the wallworths were cool vises. The open screws don’t get much love, but there are some interesting ones for sure.

I finally cleaned up my railroad stand. There was 100 years of paint to wire wheel off. This stand weighs 725lbs and will have a Prentiss 58 mounted on it. For now I’ve just rubbed it down with BLO, but may eventually use some Sculpt Nouveau metal oil and clear guard for a more durable finish.












Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

So Awesome, I’m jealous. That stand is badass.

 

[wrenchguy]

I finally cleaned up my railroad stand. There was 100 years of paint to wire wheel off. This stand weighs 725lbs and will have a Prentiss 58 mounted on it. For now I’ve just rubbed it down with BLO, but may eventually use some Sculpt Nouveau metal oil and clear guard for a more durable finish.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Is it hollow vertically?

 

[Vise]

So Awesome, I’m jealous. That stand is badass.

Thanks very much!

Is it hollow vertically?

Yes, the center is hollow and the walls of the center column are over 1" thick.

 

[Smitty]

Vise: That RR stand is about as heavy duty as it gets and the Prentiss 58 is going to look great on there. Here’s another pic of your stand in action.


Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Shiftless]

I love those pics of vises like ours hard at work back in the day.

How about if some of you guys who have 3D printers and the skill to program them get busy and make scale models of that stand to use in displaying the mini vises we love so much? Think of a nickel plated Prentiss jeweler’s vise sitting on a 4 inch tall railroad vise stand. !!!

The surface finish of the 3D stuff I’ve seen leaves a lot to be desired but we all know how to paint right?

 

[Outlawmws]

This is a cool idea! Anyone have a drawing of a RR stand?

 

[Vise]

Nice pic, Smitty.

KMScott did a couple railroad stand drawings. This one is pretty close to mine, except mine is 31.5” high and I think my top is 15” wide.

There are a couple people making mini railroad stands for jewelers vises on FB. Some are fabricating and I know at least one person plans to cast a few at some point.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[KMScott]

This is a cool idea! Anyone have a drawing of a RR stand?

I got one.



Sent from my iPad using Garage Journal

 

[Outlawmws]

Oddly the download of the pic won't load? claims its a jpg, but two different things won't open it...

My son's 3d printer is limited to about 5X5X5, so, theoretically it could do a 1/8 scale stand and a 1" vise jaw would be needed to simulate an 8" RR vise..

 

[wrenchguy]

I finally cleaned up my railroad stand. There was 100 years of paint to wire wheel off. This stand weighs 725lbs and will have a Prentiss 58 mounted on it. For now I’ve just rubbed it down with BLO, but may eventually use some Sculpt Nouveau metal oil and clear guard for a more durable finish.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Is there a preference for the vise being mounted to the stand in relation to the stands oblivious counter balance? I see it 3 different ways in the illustrations posted here. Reasoning?

 

[Shiftless]

Is there a preference for the vise being mounted to the stand in relation to the stands oblivious counter balance? I see it 3 different ways in the illustrations posted here. Reasoning?

In the pic that Smitty posted, the triangular gusset was at the tail end of the vise for a counter balance effect.
With a base that has a bottom plate that big and with a total weight of 725 pounds, it probably doesn’t matter that much.

 

[Vise]

Is there a preference for the vise being mounted to the stand in relation to the stands oblivious counter balance? I see it 3 different ways in the illustrations posted here. Reasoning?

For mine, it appears the operator used the space to the left of the vise as a work table. Depending on what you were doing with the vise and the layout of the shop, you might have wanted that work space on left or right of the vise. Alternatively, if the vise was just used to clamp down on the massive train part of the day, you might have wanted it mounted on the end, like in Smitty’s pic, for counterbalance. Just theories, of course.