The VISES of Garage Journal

[Outlawmws]

MJ, Its definitely a Craftsman. Built by Reed

Link on the Craftsman years here: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=149519

The Paint looks like it will easily remove if you soak it in a Simple Green for a little while - Not forever - SG will remove House paint and rattle can pretty well, and if you are careful the paint on the badge will generally resist long enough to get the **** off before the part you want to keep does.

 

[PierceA]

MJOPE: That is a very good example of a major American vise maker producing products for Sears. It looks like a Reed vise. One of the best American vise makers.
There might be new replacement labels available. I'm not sure.

The trick to cleaning the label is to not remove any enameled lettering or background from the label itself.
So start experimenting on some of the painted areas not on the label. Start with water and dish soap and a toothbrush or a Q-tip. apply, let sit, brush or rub off. If no results, move up to a liquid hand cleaner like 'Goop'. often this will gently remove paint. But use it in multiple applications. You do not want to remove the enameling from the label.
You might have to try Lacquer thinner [acetone] or mineral spirits [enamel paint thinner] or Zylol, a stronger enamel thinner. Again, short time applications then wipe off, The best way is to remove 10-20 thin layers or amounts of the overpaint,, and NOT remove the details on the label.
A lot of work but worth the effort if new reproduction labels are not available..

PierceA

 

[Outlawmws]

Pierce , unless someone is making re-pops, the labels aren't available.

I'd not use the heavier solvents unless forced to. Mostly the paint is already coming off, but SG is VERY controllable for paint removal, especially for house paint.


I've recovered paint brushes completely ruined with dried house paint with a long soak in SG and I have recovered similar tool box labels with over paint in far better shape than that with SG.

 

[Shiftless]

Pierce , unless someone is making re-pops, the labels aren't available.

I'd not use the heavier solvents unless forced to. Mostly the paint is already coming off, but SG is VERY controllable for paint removal, especially for house paint.


I've recovered paint brushes completely ruined with dried house paint with a long soak in SG and I have recovered similar tool box labels with over paint in far better shape than that with SG.

outlaw and I have both had excellent results with SG soaks.
I too have rescued hopeless paint brushes I’ve picked up at garage sales for free or under a dollar.
The speed of clean up depends a lot on temperature. Use it undiluted.
Just check every 15 min or 30 min or hour until you get used to what it can do on all of the different paints we all run in to with restoring old vises.
For completely stripping down to bare cast iron, I use an old electric crock pot. Turn it on high for an hour or so and then turn it off and let it sit all night.
This little Franklin had greasy chipped black paint before the all night Simple Green hot tub party alone in the dark in my garage.

 

[MJOPE]

Thanks Outlaw, Pierce, and Shiftless. I appreciate the thoughts and suggestions. I’ve not used Simple Green but will give it a shot.

Based on a quick read of the link you provided, looks like it is a Reed either a ‘48 or ‘54.

I remember this vise as a kid and bent many a nail just to see them flatten out. Old man never “caught” me but all the bent flattened nails laying around were evidence enough. He never got too mad though, but did rip me for being wasteful.

It’ll be a while before I can get to it, but I’ll post pics as I work on restoring. I’ll work hard to keep the plate lettering in tact. Thanks again for the help/thoughts and sharing your knowledge. I appreciate it...

 

[PierceA]

Thanks Outlaw, I've never tried SG to recover a paintbrush. I'll have to give it a try. I have a few favorite sash brushes that I treat like gold. or like a first date. LOL. Want to keep them around for the future. I'll have to see how Hot SG works on them..

PierceA.

 

[cbacres]

Here’s a Reed 4C I picked up last week.


I heard about it on one of the FB vise pages, it was at a car swap meet about 2-1/2 hrs from me. I left early and was at the gates before they opened.

I gave it a quick go over, was happy with what I seen and made the deal.
All the treads are in great shape, and it operates super smooth despite needing some lube.




It’s a 10/66 build.


Here it is next to my C2



I’ve been looking for a while now, thrilled to of finally bought one.


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[Vise]

Good looking 4C with replaceable jaws. Nice scoop.

 

[KMScott]

cbacres, 4Cs are hard to come by and you are lucky to own one. The spindle threads are not that great, Reed uses toolsteel for their nuts and are hard and your threads on the spindle show wear. Keep it greased up and it will last your lifetime. Enjoy your vise.

 

[PghJKB]

outlaw has a good point about relative age. Through the bench mounts are always the older, correct?

Fierljeppen:
Thanks for the welcome! Is that your only one? Do you have any duplicates? Are there any others in our small club of Franklin owners?

FRANKLIN Club member since 2017

To paraphrase Groucho:
I would never join a club that would have me as a member.

Apologies for the width of the images, am just learning how to use this damn phone.

JKB

 

[Shiftless]

Pgh:
Thanks for posting and welcome to the club. I have vague recollections of watching Groucho on my parents’ big ol’ console B&W TV back in the ‘50s.

 

[Shiftless]

Thanks Outlaw, I've never tried SG to recover a paintbrush. I'll have to give it a try. I have a few favorite sash brushes that I treat like gold. or like a first date. LOL. Want to keep them around for the future. I'll have to see how Hot SG works on them..

PierceA.

Try room temperature SG first. That’s what I did to save paint brushes.
If you’ve got some paint stripper, I’d use that. I have some old, now banned, methylene chloride based stripper. That stuff works great!
And use a paintbrush comb too. (Look it up...)
I would worry that the hot SG soak would attack the handle and the area where the bristles are attached.
If you are restoring natural bristle brushes, after washing out ANY soap or detergent, let the brush dry and work in a small amount of raw linseed oil. NOT BLO! That will restore the natural oils present in natural bristle brushes.

 

[PghJKB]

Try room temperature SG first. That’s what I did to save paint brushes.
If you’ve got some paint stripper, I’d use that. I have some old, now banned, methylene chloride based stripper. That stuff works great!
And use a paintbrush comb too. (Look it up...)
I would worry that the hot SG soak would attack the handle and the area where the bristles are attached.
If you are restoring natural bristle brushes, after washing out ANY soap or detergent, let the brush dry and work in a small amount of raw linseed oil. NOT BLO! That will restore the natural oils present in natural bristle brushes.

Think the next step up in terms of an alkaline would be TSP (TriSodiumPhosphate) - I would not use it on natural bristle brushes, but it works well otherwise. Soak the brushes, checking every few hours. The paint gets soft and "strips off" - wear gloves to remove the paint by hand. (I use a flea comb)

From Wikipedia:
TSP is still in common use for the cleaning, degreasing, and deglossing of walls prior to painting. TSP breaks the gloss of oil-based paints and opens the pores of latex-based paint, providing a surface better suited for the adhesion of the subsequent layer. - End citation

It is not as environmentally friendly as SG or Awesome, but t does work well.

PghJKB

 

[CRSINMICH]

Welcome New Member PghJKB: Your fellow FRANKLINS are glad to add you to the short (but growing) membership list. Be sure to watch for a PM containing the secret handshake and High sign.

 

[ed4banger]

An old vise my dad had attached to a bench that had been in storage for years. I dug it out and took some pics. I think it’s an old Craftsman. I’m thinking I may restore it. Any ideas on how old it is and what it might be worth? I don’t plan to sell just curious. Also, any thoughts on how to get the paint off the Craftsman plate? Thanks...

Sweet, Craftsman Vises-R-Me......That vise will date to around '46 or '47 maybe. Plate is aluminum, so soaking in some de-greasers might pit it. I have soda blasted a few, and that is best method of stripping paint IMO. Finding a nice replacement is not that hard on ebay, as this size badge was common. Its mounted with pins, which can be a challenge removing, not a good idea to break them, if U are going removal route, I can give a few tips. I have had luck refinishing these badges, but it can be a little hit and miss on results, almost worth avoiding the hassle by just sourcing a replacement.

 

[AK4570]

It appears as if one of these was posted some time ago, perhaps before the great photo purge which shall not be named…

At any rate, here is an Italian made FZA Mondial 150mm (5.9inch) forged steel vice. Weight: 17kg (37.5lbs)

Includes the accessory “turntable” or what we would usually refer to as a swivel.

As far as I’ve been able to find, these are not available in the US.

Interesting story: this vice came to me in trade from a friend who worked on the North Slope of Alaska for a company that was closing up during one of the economic downturns that plague the oil industry. The company (which shall remain nameless in an effort to protect the innocent) was closing down several maintenance shops and the supe gave my friend permission to haul this vice home if he could get it into his luggage for the flight back. At the time, I was making kydex gear as a side hustle and wound up with this vice for the grand total of a single AR mag pouch.

Single catalog page attached... I've got the complete version if anyone's interested.

Here it is from the European branch of Amazon:

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00L7NJBZY/

And the turntable (swivel)

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00L461MG0/

It’s a lot lighter than a comparable Wilton/Reed/etc., but this thing is hell-for-stout due to being forged steel rather than CI. This vice is easily one of my favorite pieces of shop equipment.

 

[bigdave_185]

New to vises. What is the brand of quality of this?




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[davethorik]

New to vises. What is the brand of quality of this?

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The 'C' stands for China

 

[ChefRex]

New to vises. What is the brand of quality of this?




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Yes, Cy-na, Don't hit it too hard not that you should ever.

 

[bigdave_185]

For real? Just seen it on a local sales add looks to be in decent shape, and cheap price. I giggled C for Cheap lol


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[bagged89s10]

It’s the second month of 2021 and the 2nd 8” inch vise of the year for me. Actually it’s only the second 8” vise I’ve ever found. Funny thing is this one was 2 doors down from where I bought my Parker 958. Less than 500 ft away from each other which is a little weird.

This one needs a new screw. It’s frozen so I couldn’t really take a look inside. I’m hoping the nut is ok. The story is that the guys I bought it from has an 85 yr old coworker who had this vise sitting outside for 20+ years. It might have possibly been in the mud for a while too so the back end of the screw is rotted and chewed up. Is this screw a standard acme thread? If it is it would be a lot easier for me to make a replacement.

 

[67vetteguy]

Just completed my first restoration...a Yost 203 that was in one of our out back garages at our mining museum in NJ (Sterling Hill Mining Museum). This was so disgusting that I never used it or even noticed bolted to a table. Anyway, took it home and removed quite a bit of welding spatter, did some grinding, a little filler work around the jaws and 21 man hours later, I have this jewel that I don't want to return! Very satisfying! Looking for another project vise now!

 

[MJOPE]

Sweet, Craftsman Vises-R-Me......That vise will date to around '46 or '47 maybe. Plate is aluminum, so soaking in some de-greasers might pit it. I have soda blasted a few, and that is best method of stripping paint IMO. Finding a nice replacement is not that hard on ebay, as this size badge was common. Its mounted with pins, which can be a challenge removing, not a good idea to break them, if U are going removal route, I can give a few tips. I have had luck refinishing these badges, but it can be a little hit and miss on results, almost worth avoiding the hassle by just sourcing a replacement.

Thanks for the thoughts. I will try to keep it in tact if I can since it was my dad’s. If that doesn’t work I’ll go the replacement route. I appreciate the suggestions and date info.

 

[PSCo1867]

Well you got my curiosity up so I had to go out in the shop with my wife's bathroom scales and weigh it. I knew it was heavy but wasn't sure how much but it weighed 118lbs. The jaws measure 6 1/4" wide. I don't know if the handle in it is original or not but my suspicion is that it isn't. It just seems more modern and it isn't tight in the hole in the lead screw.

Hi rmnewcom: So I looked at our Union Backus to get you a handle size (assuming we have the original handle) and it's 7/8" dia and 21" long.

However, and this is a big however, ours is the 7" jaw model vise, which is bigger than yours. The 7" version has already been posted in "The Spreadsheet" thanks to a link from KMScott in the vise info thread:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=8186607&postcount=1211

Kevin's photo shows replaceable jaws. The jaws on ours appear to be home-made. The original jaw groove is evident behind these jaws.

In the pics, you can see how someone had mounted the traverse T-bolt, exposing the NUT for easy wrench access.

Dang: this poor lonely old vise....unused in years....in an abandoned part of the mill.......collecting dust....

Anyhow, nice save and cleanup of your Union-Backus!

 

[ChefRex]

Nice looking little Craftsman if anyone is local,
https://www.facebook.com/marketplac...53/?ref=category_feed&referral_code=undefined

 

[rusty65]

New addition to my miniature collection. Hand made in 1914 imported from Germany. I was told that this vise was made from about 20 pieces and no castings were used. I believe this was based off of a Carl froh vise.







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[Fierljeppen]

rusty65...That's a very interesting miniature collection you have going for you. I like it!

 

[ChefRex]

Rusty, that's just plain cool as is the rest of your collection!

 

[GForceJunky]

Fantastic collection and that new one looks great! Love the detail work.

 

[Maui]

I just picked up this set of four vises today. The one that I need a little insight on is the miniature swivel base vise. It has no markings on it other than the number 173 stamped on the underside. Anyone have an idea of what company might have manufactured it? The jaws measure approximately 2” across.

 

[WhoWhatNow]

I just picked up this set of four vises today. The one that I need a little insight on is the miniature swivel base vise. It has no markings on it other than the number 173 stamped on the underside. Anyone have an idea of what company might have manufactured it? The jaws measure approximately 2” across.

Prentiss

 

[Fierljeppen]

I just picked up this set of four vises today. The one that I need a little insight on is the miniature swivel base vise. It has no markings on it other than the number 173 stamped on the underside. Anyone have an idea of what company might have manufactured it? The jaws measure approximately 2” across.

Prentiss

Yup...It's a Prentiss no.39, which came out in the mid 1890's. Yours must be a later model, since it has the cylindrical screw spindle instead of the meatball.

Here's a link to Smitty's in the spreadsheet.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=8043426&postcount=74301

<hr>

 

[Outlawmws]

Prentiss

 

[PierceA]

That little Prentiss a very nice and rare vise.

PierceA

 

[Maui]

Thanks everyone. It’s the smallest vise I own now.

 

[Herbie Herbivore]

I am new to the Garage Journal but have been reading threads on vises for a while. Someone on one of the threads wrote that his vice was vises. I think that I have the same problem. The first vise I restored was a 3-1/2" Wilton, so I bought a couple of cans of Verde Green paint. I used those same cans to paint the next four vises that I restored. Is it wrong to paint these vices a Wilton color?
Columbian 506
Yost 33C
Yost 4-1/2
Ridgid 4-1/2

 

[ncgun99]

I am new to the Garage Journal but have been reading threads on vises for a while. Someone on one of the threads wrote that his vice was vises. I think that I have the same problem. The first vise I restored was a 3-1/2" Wilton, so I bought a couple of cans of Verde Green paint. I used those same cans to paint the next four vises that I restored. Is it wrong to paint these vices a Wilton color?

Columbian 506

Yost 33C

Yost 4-1/2

Ridgid 4-1/2

I personally like verde green. For me I do all of mine a different color. Just personal preference. I do each vise the color I think it should be. Have yet to strip one back down and repaint it.

Your vise your color.


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[MayerMR]

I am new to the Garage Journal but have been reading threads on vises for a while. Someone on one of the threads wrote that his vice was vises. I think that I have the same problem. The first vise I restored was a 3-1/2" Wilton, so I bought a couple of cans of Verde Green paint. I used those same cans to paint the next four vises that I restored. Is it wrong to paint these vices a Wilton color?
Columbian 506
Yost 33C
Yost 4-1/2
Ridgid 4-1/2

Hell no, it's a beautiful color. In fact, I like it on some other vises more than I do on Wilton vises, at times. Yours are good examples. Nicely done.

S/F,

-Matt

 

[bigdave_185]

Maybe covered but the search bar left me just as lost

Looking at making a new set of jaws for my monarch

Looking on line says A2 tool steel then getting it hardened ( I have access to a kiln)

Am I on the right direction?


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[coljar]

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Ok, so I didn't really more bullets, but a friend saw it on FM, it was close, I didn't have a 4 1/2", I hadn't bought one in a while, the price was ok, I...………………..