The VISES of Garage Journal

[mckay3d]

Thank you Shiftless! I do have a railroad tie anvil.

 

[Outlawmws]

All of my track sections came from Yard/Estate sales, a couple were already Anvil Shaped Objects (ASO). their is a thread for RR track anvils? - I didn't save it - maybe its the Anvil thread? https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33788&highlight=Anvil

 

[Outlawmws]

Excellent question!
Many of us who haven’t spent big money on a real anvil have a short piece of railroad track to use for heavy pounding.
IMHO, those “anvil” sections on vises are OK to use for light tapping kind of work. Of course anything like that might leave dings. A “user” vise will get scratches, chipped paint, dirt, etc.
I suppose there are some with show garages where everything is museum quality and the vise has a color sanded clear coat paint job and a mirror finish anvil section that gets waxed once a week.

Some of us who HAVE the big anvils still have a RR section or other "beater" pieces of big steel as its NOT good to cold form on a good anvil, RR is nice as the track surface is TOUGH - however its not flat unless its been machined or ground flat.

 

[dct55]

I think that would be "Standard Vise". I have one that looks like the Metro.

 

[Shiftless]

All of my track sections came from Yard/Estate sales, a couple were already Anvil Shaped Objects (ASO). their is a thread for RR track anvils? - I didn't save it - maybe its the Anvil thread? https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33788&highlight=Anvil

Somebody will just have to start that thread! You or me?

Some people modify the track sections to better approximate the shape and utility of a real anvil.
Did you ever see the one SnapMom posted way back when? Maybe she still has it.

.

 

[Andy FitzGibbon]

Where can I find a length of railroad track?

Any railroad line. It's free, but requires an investment in a portable bandsaw [emoji23]

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[Outlawmws]

Any railroad line. It's free, but requires an investment in a portable bandsaw [emoji23]

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I know you are joking, but taking anything from a RR right of way is a good way to land in jail; They have really tightened up with people stealing steel for selling to scrappies.

 

[Outlawmws]

Somebody will just have to start that thread! You or me?

Some people modify the track sections to better approximate the shape and utility of a real anvil.
Did you ever see the one SnapMom posted way back when? Maybe she still has it.

.

I searched - there were several, but this seems to be the main one? https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=200930&highlight=Rail+anvil

And I do remember Snap Mom's. I have at least one with some shape -I should detail it out a little:

 

[Shiftless]

Thanks for the link, outlaw.
Yours is really something! Did you do the shaping on that one? Lots of work there. Rail is really hard steel.

I posted pics of my two over there in an attempt to revive an old thread.

To bring us back to vises here, I’ll post a pic of one of my baby bullets on top of a 6 1/2 inch long chunk of rail.

 

[Smitty]

Here’s a finishing and general use anvil that I made. It’s a 4x4x16 of 1018 mild steel and works great for a variety of operations in the forge. I have full sized anvils but I let beginners start out on the 1018 instead of a hay Budden. I got the steel at a local supplier for around $80.

I made the stand out of Doug Fir 4x6’s and I used garage door handles to hold the tongs.
There are economical ways to start hitting hot steel with the price of anvils being so high these days.


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[tool_scrounge]

There is a guy on eBay (no connection to me) selling 12 inch long pieces for $25 with $15 more for shipping. He sells a lot of them. That would put you at about $40 to your door.

I got my chunk from a Craigslist deal for $20 but that was after a lot of time checking ads every day and being able to drop everything and drive out to pick it up. Considering everything, if you’re happy with $40 do it that way.

This may be the Ebay supplier you are referring to:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Railroad-T...lb-One-Piece-12-RAIL-1-Foot-Long/164651249303

Note - they are many sizes of rail road track. At 17.6 lbs/foot, this is smaller sized rail. They do not give all the dimensions, but from measuring the photo it looks to be only 4.1" tall. The rail I purchased was 7" tall and weighed 42.2 lbs per foot, over 2.4x as much weight per foot.

 

[Outlawmws]

TS , that comes to 126 per yard, so even that isn't the heaviest.

 

[Shiftless]

Smitty: That’s a really serious work station you put together

All:

Here is the JSB made in Japan vise I asked about a few days ago. Nobody responded with any info but that’s OK. I didn’t expect any because it seems like JSB must have gone into a witness protection plan or something. No history seems to exist. Based on the general shape, I’m guessing 1950’s or so.

 

[cretedog]

Nice Smitty!

Here’s a finishing and general use anvil that I made. It’s a 4x4x16 of 1018 mild steel and works great for a variety of operations in the forge. I have full sized anvils but I let beginners start out on the 1018 instead of a hay Budden. I got the steel at a local supplier for around $80.

I made the stand out of Doug Fir 4x6’s and I used garage door handles to hold the tongs.
There are economical ways to start hitting hot steel with the price of anvils being so high these days.




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[Smitty]

Shift, it’s higher than the anvils so it comes in handy for finish work. My back likes it.

Cretedog, thanks, it was a fun project.

 

[Shiftless]

Smitty:
That’s why it’s so rewarding to build stuff yourself. You had the ability to cut those 4x6s just the length you wanted to make the working height just right for how tall you are.
Even though I am only 5’9” tall, I built my main workbench to have the surface 38 inches above the floor. Most of the stuff I work on is small so that height is perfect for me.

 

[Smitty]

Shift: you’re so right about having a comfortable working height. I tap these roses out on the high anvil and it really saves my back.


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[67vetteguy]

New to Garage Journal and I have become fascinated with the selection of vises you folks have. So much so that I just purchased a new Wilton 300 s (made in USA). I inherited this 4 inch PARAMO from my Uncle Mike who was a machinist and left me his complete machine shop. The PARAMO has zero rust, just patina and zero saw or file marks. The paint is 100% original and I am glad that I didn't repaint it. t I have been sorting and cleaning all of his tools during the pandemic and it is good therapy!

I keep the 4 youtube videos of the "Vises of Garage Journal" running in the background. I am hooked now!

 

[Outlawmws]

67V, That is one AWESOME condition Paramo! Rare to see a swivel on an English vise!

 

[Shiftless]

vetteguy:
Outlaw beat me to it. That’s a fantastic Record vise you have there and all the better to be equipped with the rare swivel base. You’re smart to keep the original paint and well earned patina of age. Even the decal is mostly still there.

BTW, based on your avatar name, do you have one of these?
They were new when I graduated from high school.

 

[Dividing Creek]

My son has been bitten by the Reed vise addiction. He found a round nose 208 listed @ an Amish run estate auction in Florala, Alabama. There were hundreds of Amish from all over the Mid West in attendence- seems the religion allows hiring someone to drive them in an f350 with goosneck to far away auctions. There were hundreds of horse drawn implements to auction and three auctioneers going simulatneously all day long, stuff wasselling for crazy prices. The estate included a very large anvil and vise collection -enough to cover most of the bed of a flatbed semi trailer. The anvils and vices were saved for a special 5pm auction. After watching the amounts of money being spent all day my son was worried he had enough money to be a contender.
One of the first anvils was a 982 lb one and it brought $5600. The auctioneer worked through all the anvils and the first vise up was the Reed 208, the anvils all brought top dollar. There were other 8 inch vises including a Columbian and a couple others I dont recall the makers of. There were a dozen or so smaller Reeds. My son had his alternate lot numbers written down. Because this was an Amish run auction, there was no online bidding, or phone bidding.
We are from Central Virginia so it was a long trip to a farm on the Florida/ Alabama line nd my son was on a mission to come away with something. The Reed 208 was the first vise to auction. The auctioneer tried to start the 208 @ $2800 citing a recent sale of $3200 for a 208(my son also knew about this one), then he dropped to 2500, 1750, 1500, 1000, and then $500 and things took off. Son won for $1100. The lesser vises beside it went for $810 for the Columbian and $750 for the no name beside it.
Many here are able to buy things far far below market value and thats great but I dont think they could possibly value their purchases any higher than he does this 208. The vice was on a pedestal with a chunk of 1.25 inch plate as its ground base. Between the 288lb vise and the pedestal a conservative guess would be 400 lbs. It took 5 large men to lift the thing into the f350. Instead of lifting it out with a fork lift when we got it back to Virginia he disassembled it in the truck and moved it that way, cleaning and lubing it as he reassembled it. He's read the date stamp thread and will try to find them in the morning. The handle has some bow in it- obviously a huge cheater bar was used on it in the past. He's hoping our 50 ton press will straighten it. Personally I like the bend.

 

[67vetteguy]

Thanks for your response on the vise! Yes me too....funny how those high school wishes follow us all of our lives.....1967 4 speed 327/350, < 49,000 miles.

 

[Vise]

My son has been bitten by the Reed vise addiction. He found a round nose 208 listed @ an Amish run estate auction in Florala, Alabama. There were hundreds of Amish from all over the Mid West in attendence- seems they can hire someone to drive you in an f350 with goosneck to far away auctions. There were hundreds of horse drawn implements to auction and three auctioneers going simulatneously all day long. The estate included a very large anvil and vise collection -enough to cover most of the bed of a flatbed semi trailer. The anvils and vices were saved for a special 5pm auction. After watching the amounts of money being spent all day my son was worried he had enough money to be a contender.
One of the first anvils was a 982 lb one and it brought $5600. The auctioneer worked through all the anvils and the first vise up was the Reed 208. There were other 8 inch vises including a Columbian and a couple others I dont recall the makers of. There were a dozen or so smaller Reeds. My son had his alternate lot numbers written down. Because this was an Amish run auction there was no online bidding, or phone bidding.
We are from Central Virginia so it was a long trip to a farm on the Florida/ Alabama line nd my son was on a mission to come away with something. The Reed 208 was the first vise to auction. The auctioneer tried to start @ $2800 citing a recent sale of $3200 for a 208(my son also knew about this one), then he dropped to 2500, 1750, 1500, 1000, and then $500 and things took off. Son won for $1100. The lesser vises beside it went for $810 for the Columbian and $750 for the no name beside it.
Many here are able to buy things far far below market value and thats great but I dont think they could possibly value their purchases any higher than he does this 208. The vice was on a pedestal with a chunch of 1.25 inch plate as its ground base. Between the 288lb vise and the pedestal a conservative guess would be 400 lbs. It took 5 large men to lift the thing into the f350. Instead of lifting it out with a fork lift when we got it back to Virginia he disassembled it in the truck and moved it that way, cleaning and lubing it as he reassembled it.. He's read the date stamp thread and will try to find them in the morning. The handle has some bow in it- obviously a huge cheater bar was used on it in the past. He hoping our 50 ton press will straighten it. Personally I like the bend.

Thanks for sharing your story. I think Wrenchguy posted the link to this auction. Is this the vise?

 

[Dividing Creek]

Thanks for sharing your story. I think Wrenchguy posted the link to this auction. Is this the vise?

It is. He's cut the welds and will file/mill off the rest. Swivel is free. He's not been able to free up the two twist/cam locks yet.

 

[Vise]

It is. He's cut the welds and will file/mill off the rest. Swivel is free. He's not been able to free up the two twist/cam locks yet.

Very nice. Glad he was able to get it. Do post up some more pics when you have time.

 

[DLW875]

I purchased the Athol vise about 25 years ago at a flea market for around $25. I restored it about 7 years ago and it is my primary vise. The smaller vise is a Montgomery Ward that was a rusty orphan at a yard sale with a $1 price tag on it. I couldn't stand to leave it there so I picked it up and restored it to the condition you see now. It's really a good piece for its size.

 

[tool_scrounge]

New to Garage Journal and I have become fascinated with the selection of vises you folks have. So much so that I just purchased a new Wilton 300 s (made in USA). I inherited this 4 inch PARAMO from my Uncle Mike who was a machinist and left me his complete machine shop. The PARAMO has zero rust, just patina and zero saw or file marks. The paint is 100% original and I am glad that I didn't repaint it. t I have been sorting and cleaning all of his tools during the pandemic and it is good therapy!

I keep the 4 youtube videos of the "Vises of Garage Journal" running in the background. I am hooked now!

I have the same model vise. What year was yours made? It should be stamped on top of one of the vise jaws.

 

[Dividing Creek]

some shots from the auction in Alabama. Big vises and lots of black hats.

 

[PierceA]

A Craigslist Success !!
Usually I have lousy luck with Craigslist. I swear my emails to the CL sellers goes into a 'black hole'. Weeks of daily emails [and the ad ONLY has an email for contacting the seller]

But Yesterday, Sunday evening, I checked CL and there was a new ad: 'Large Vise for Sale'.
The location was a town only 25 miles away and the ad had been posted at around noon on Sunday.
I looked at the three photos, while they were not great images, they clearly showed the vise to be a Charles Parker 976 ! And it appeared to be in reasonably good condition..

I fully expected to have the seller either reply with: Sold already! or ignore my email requests to come inspect/buy the vise.. But nothing ventured.. nothing gained.. So I sent the email.. And I got a reply within about 30 minutes.. The vise was available and yes I could come inspect it at 0900 on Monday..

So, I dusted off the alarm clock [after 50+ years of getting up to an alarm, I hate them! ]. And went to check out the vise..

And it is a really nice vise.. I think the 'fork' for retaining the main screw is a reproduction one, unless Parker on their later vises used brass for the fork occasionally? My 978, and 974A still used steel or iron for the fork.. So I think this is a very nice recasting of an original in brass. Great detail on the lettering too.

The jaw surfaces are very nice, some light hammer marks which are to be expected.. The handle is in nice condition, and the slide is tight, the nut tight in it's dovetail, etc.. A really nice vise..
And I had been looking for a 976 to complete my lineup of Parker 97- series.

I now have in the 97-series a 973, 974, 974-1/2, 975, 976, and the monster 978. I put them all on one heavy layup table for a 'family photo'.. I thought that I still needed to find a 7" '9-series', but I went to the spreadsheet info and looked at the brochures available, and there are no 977 Parker vises..

The first photo has the 974-1/2 near the 976 for comparison, but the perspective in the photo doesn't do justice to the size of the 976. The spreadsheet states, and brochures also state that the 976 weighs 157#.. And that checks with my scale.. within a pound.

THEN an amazing thing happened !! I finally got a reply to a CL ad I'd been emailing for weeks.. And I headed over to buy a DropFo 5". The big brother to my DropFo 4"..

So Craigslist paid off today !! Photos of the DropFo in a day or two.

Pierce A.

 

[Outlawmws]

Perseverance pays off! Usually when unexpected!

 

[va.grouseman]

Real nice family Pierce.---976 is in nice shape.---That's the nature of hunting any game.---I hunted Ruffed Grouse for nearly 30 years, some days never fire a shot or see a feather, some days get the limit.---Same with hunting vises.---That's just the way it is.

 

[Shiftless]

Sometimes, they may do a medical procedure. For instance, they may eliminate malignancy or open up a blockage in the urinary plot. Urologists work in an assortment of settings, including medical clinics, private facilities, and urology focuses.

Looks like we’re part of the current wave of spammers drowning out GJ.
I’ve already reported 3 others tonight.

 

[KMScott]

Nice collection Pierce, Parker made Bronze Collars for several of their vises.


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[Vise]

A Craigslist Success !!
Usually I have lousy luck with Craigslist. I swear my emails to the CL sellers goes into a 'black hole'. Weeks of daily emails [and the ad ONLY has an email for contacting the seller]

But Yesterday, Sunday evening, I checked CL and there was a new ad: 'Large Vise for Sale'.
The location was a town only 25 miles away and the ad had been posted at around noon on Sunday.
I looked at the three photos, while they were not great images, they clearly showed the vise to be a Charles Parker 976 ! And it appeared to be in reasonably good condition..

I fully expected to have the seller either reply with: Sold already! or ignore my email requests to come inspect/buy the vise.. But nothing ventured.. nothing gained.. So I sent the email.. And I got a reply within about 30 minutes.. The vise was available and yes I could come inspect it at 0900 on Monday..

So, I dusted off the alarm clock [after 50+ years of getting up to an alarm, I hate them! ]. And went to check out the vise..

And it is a really nice vise.. I think the 'fork' for retaining the main screw is a reproduction one, unless Parker on their later vises used brass for the fork occasionally? My 978, and 974A still used steel or iron for the fork.. So I think this is a very nice recasting of an original in brass. Great detail on the lettering too.

The jaw surfaces are very nice, some light hammer marks which are to be expected.. The handle is in nice condition, and the slide is tight, the nut tight in it's dovetail, etc.. A really nice vise..
And I had been looking for a 976 to complete my lineup of Parker 97- series.

I now have in the 97-series a 973, 974, 974-1/2, 975, 976, and the monster 978. I put them all on one heavy layup table for a 'family photo'.. I thought that I still needed to find a 7" '9-series', but I went to the spreadsheet info and looked at the brochures available, and there are no 977 Parker vises..

The first photo has the 974-1/2 near the 976 for comparison, but the perspective in the photo doesn't do justice to the size of the 976. The spreadsheet states, and brochures also state that the 976 weighs 157#.. And that checks with my scale.. within a pound.

THEN an amazing thing happened !! I finally got a reply to a CL ad I'd been emailing for weeks.. And I headed over to buy a DropFo 5". The big brother to my DropFo 4"..

So Craigslist paid off today !! Photos of the DropFo in a day or two.

Pierce A.

That 976 is a beauty. As KMScott said, Parker did use bronze collars for some period of time. I believe it was post-war, but I haven't proven that. That 978 is also fantastic. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Shiftless]

D.C.:
Thanks for the pics. What kind of prices did the nicer vises bring that day?

PierceArrow:
Congrats on completing your Parker family tree. Looking good.

Vise and KMS:
That’s good to know about Parker collars. I’m in the market for a replacement collar for a Parker 31 oval slide. I know that copper was rationed during WWII so that would affect companies that wanted to cast in bronze. Most of you probably know that bronze is an alloy that is mostly copper. So that might be a way to trace production years for bronze collars. Post war like Vise said. But maybe 20’s or 30’s or ???

 

[PierceA]

Shiftless: your question regarding the use of Bronze during war-years is why I mentioned that my two latest-production Parkers and Steel or iron 'forks'. I suppose that Parker had their reasons for using bronze when they did.. one being that bronze to steel is basically self-lubricating..

I had not seen any other non-ferrous forks on any Parkers on GJ or elsewhere.. I'm very happy with this 'new' vise: one finger from clamped out to full extension, and back. without raising a blister on my 'one finger'.. LOL

Dr Scott: Kevin, how would you compare the strength of a bronze fork to a normal ferrous-metal alloy fork ?? I'd think bronze might be more forgiving, a bit more flex before breaking?

Does anyone have a Parker vise wrench in #4 size? it's 1-1/16 hex.. the 976 hex is the same size as the 978's locking bolt's hex size..
If so please PM me with a price.. or a possible trade if you are in need of something?

If I can't find a #4 vise wrench I'll take the one off my 978 and send it out to be reproduced in a quantity of at least 5 or 10 of them.. I need to find out pricing for Iron [and what alloy or type] Bronze or brass..
All the work to have a vise wrench with 'Charles Parker' on the handle.. LOL

Pierce A

 

[Shiftless]

Authenticity is indeed important. However... I’ll admit that one of my Wilton bullets has an automotive freeze plug for an end cap.

Speaking of Parker collars, and the authenticity or lack thereof, has anybody needing a small one ever considered a distributor hold down bracket?

I’m mostly joking but partly serious. A little grinding and some black paint and...

 

[PierceA]

Hi Shiftless, the distributor hold down could work in a pinch. BUT there would be a LOT of grinding to create the setback of the original collar. all but a few Parkers have the tab that the collar retaining screw threads into standing proud of the dynamic jaw by about 1/4" or up to 1/2" on the big vises..

There would be a lot of end play in the main screw, unless you put a stack of washer between the thrust surfaces, which would work. Just not quite 'kosher'. .

Do you have an image of the collar for your 31 oval slide? I have either a 30 or a 31 I can post a photo for you.. or do you have a broken collar on your 31?

PierceA

 

[67vetteguy]

OK: To answer "tool-scrounge" (I don't have enough posts to message yet); I took a good look at the vise's static jaw and saw 60-3 as seen in the photo. Now looking with a more careful eye; I noticed that my Uncle Mike had the jaws reversed to protect the serrations so I was very happy to turned the jaws into their proper position and they are brand new! See photos of the 4.5 inch Paramo plus a 4 inch Columbian vise that I bought in 1974.

 

[Shiftless]

PierceA:
I have a broken collar situation on a Parker 31 that is not yet in my hands.
It should be here by the end of the week. Based on photos, it looks like it is still operational but a big chunk of it is missing. It’s not going to be a user but I want to clean off the crud and apply a BLO finish. The original paint or Japanning might be saveable. It would be a distraction to make it handsome again and have a broken collar. But then again, originality counts and if it still works, why replace with new?

Was anybody here bidding on this one? Somebody slipped in a snipe bid with 5 seconds to go but my secret maximum proxy bid was higher.
If you’re dying to know what the final bid was, PM me.