The VISES of Garage Journal
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- Start date
KMScott
Well-known member
Dave
I agree A2 is a good choice. S7 is another good choice but A2 is more available. If I was using a Kiln I would wrap the jaws separately in SS foil with a piece of paper wrapped with each jaw to help with oxidization. I added my heat treat poster to help you with the heats. When you pull the jaws from your kiln be sure to air cool to around 150 degrees then when your oven cools down to 1000 add the jaws again and soak for a good hour to draw back the hardness to a 54/56 Rockwell hardness. Good luck and be sure to post some finished pics of your work. I added a couple links that might help in jaw building. Good luck.
https://wiltonviseparts.wordpress.com/2017/11/12/cutting-serrations-on-jaw-faces/
https://wiltonviseparts.wordpress.com/2013/11/15/vise-jaw-steel-and-heat-treating-why-it-matters/
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MayerMR
Well-known member
Maybe it's bc I'm on my phone, but what am I missing? Is it a shame bc it's not in my collection?? Lol
bigdave_185
Well-known member
Being new to the forum do we have any supporting venders or maybe a source you would suggest? I’m leaning to the A2. It’s less expensive and i have found some random sources but again is there a preferred?
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Outlawmws
Well-known member
Broken, brazed and painted slide...
KMScott
Well-known member
Fierljeppen
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2018
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- 1,159
It's not the vise, I don't think he likes his official "Franklin Club" hat.
We can upgrade the beer, but the hat stays!
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wrenchguy
Well-known member
The repair looks old school fine, i wouldn't kick it outa bed.
Fine example of a survivor, deserves a place in a collection of someone who knows.
coljar
Well-known member
Yes, I was thinking that repair was probably done long ago by someone who knew what they were doing. I wouldn't be afraid to use it.
MayerMR
Well-known member
Oh now I see it. Well, I certainly wouldn't lose too much sleep over that fine repair. I've come to grips that if I want to get the rare boys without paying a million bucks, I'm going to have to be okay with a repair job here and there.
PierceA
Well-known member
MayerMR:
Your comment closely describes my collecting: I have several rather rare and unusual vises. Some are in great shape, some however are repaired or still need repair.
Since I can do most of the repairs, it is a fun process, and keeps me busy, and entertained. And my abilities to repair allows me to consider owning the occasional 'unicorn' and far below 'unicorn' prices..
Much like in the antique car world.. While I enjoy looking over a really good concours-level restoration of a great car, I have much more appreciation and respect for a survivor car that has been kept on the road and touring with reliable service to the owner.
Another way to put it: I have seen many collections of cars that were created by 'just writing a check'. And while I respect the bank account of THAT size. I like the cars and collections of those with much shallower pockets and willing to not have everything 'perfect'..
PierceA
rangerfredbob
Well-known member
Here's the other two vises in my garage, a Littlestown 3.5" I believe and a 5" Wilton. Both have been troopers, I think I got the Littlestown at a garage sale for $5 or $10 a few years ago, similar for the Wilton, maybe $15... I broke the Wilton a few years ago when I was using it wrong, the dynamic jaw was held on by a roll pin if memory serves and the bottom of the casting broke off, with a lot of preheat (as seen by the missing paint) we welded it back on with some nickel rod...
I don't see much info on the littlestown vise in the vise info thread, must not be common, if it would help I could get some dimensions and better pictures... I know it's not a super precision rare vise, but has treated me well...
I'm not sold on this type of jaw setup like both of these are, but for general small projects the small horizontal area taken up by the screw and beam is nice at times for small vise projects...
I don't see much info on the littlestown vise in the vise info thread, must not be common, if it would help I could get some dimensions and better pictures... I know it's not a super precision rare vise, but has treated me well...
I'm not sold on this type of jaw setup like both of these are, but for general small projects the small horizontal area taken up by the screw and beam is nice at times for small vise projects...
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Outlawmws
Well-known member
The Littlestown vises pop up in here every so often.
I have a 3-1/8" No. 900, and a very similar Lake Side homeowners exposed screw vise I keep on my Welding roller box/bench. It is my primary "ground clamp" for smaller pieces (or even sometimes larger pieces).
The bench has a steel plate top, and the mag mount ground gets slapped on that, and the plate has a wire to the vise, and a second ground with a clamp for when the vise, plate, or mag mount won't suffice. This keeps it easy.
I have a 3-1/8" No. 900, and a very similar Lake Side homeowners exposed screw vise I keep on my Welding roller box/bench. It is my primary "ground clamp" for smaller pieces (or even sometimes larger pieces).
The bench has a steel plate top, and the mag mount ground gets slapped on that, and the plate has a wire to the vise, and a second ground with a clamp for when the vise, plate, or mag mount won't suffice. This keeps it easy.
Shiftless
Well-known member
tool_scrounge
Well-known member
Littlestown vises seem common enough, but they are kind of the "Chevy Spark" of the vise world. They were designed to be inexpensive consumer vises, nothing fancy but they work as intended.
For reference, my avatar is a Littletown vise I picked up for $10 to use at my previous employer. We used the heck out of it, but more as a third hand instead of a traditional vise.
Now if I could just find a Littlestown M3 vise...
CRSINMICH
Well-known member
Shiftless
Well-known member
Thanks, CRS!
va.grouseman
Well-known member
Alright, who wound up with this little cutie?---Nice specimen, a little pricy says I, says me.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vtg-Prenti...chmaker-Jewelers-Swivel-Jaw-Base/265051101738
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vtg-Prenti...chmaker-Jewelers-Swivel-Jaw-Base/265051101738
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PghJKB
Well-known member
VA
Do you think anyone DUMB enough to bid that much would be even DUMBER enough to admit it?
Would love to hear the the whole litany of: "given the condition and rarity blah, blah, blah"
A textbook case of a bidding war ultimately lost by the "winner".
JKB
va.grouseman
Well-known member
---Nail on the head.Outlawmws
Well-known member
To the breed of collectors that bid that high, I doubt any of that would bother them. They either have more $$ than brains, or simply don't care what they have to spend. They "Beat those peons" and that's probably enough for them.
Well, I did pay $1000 for a ratchet once........I guess its worth what you pay for it.........The desire to complete a collection or series of something can can be pretty great. Money means different things to different people. I never personally bid to beat somebody, I bid because I want something........
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Okay, you have got to post a picture of the ratchet or tell us more. Was it one of the torque multiplying large ratchets?
JA Fors Craftsman ratchet
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gearhead1960
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Found this Dunlap 5239 for the grand sum of $5 today at an Estate Sale.
CRSINMICH
Well-known member
gearhead: Rest assured that you didn't overpay for that vise. Dunlap is another underappreciated name like Littlestown. It should be a fine light duty tool.
Shift: Look. It has a boss too.
Shift: Look. It has a boss too.
gearhead1960
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I figured as much.....
PierceA
Well-known member
The winner in an auction is often the guy with the highest level of Testosterone in his blood, as well as having the deepest pockets.
There was a very, VERY nice 1927 Pierce Arrow 4-passenger touring car that sold at a renown auction for $96K, I'm a technical advisor for the Pierce Arrow Society, so I ended up being contacted by the new owner's mechanic.. We sorted through several issues with the car, and when it was done being sorted out, it was a much better car. About two years, maybe three years later, the owner either got bored with it, or wanted his money back out of it to spend on another car..
The '27 Touring went back to the same auction, same location. And only brought $57K. It was a better car the second time around. by far.. And yet brought a significantly lower price.. and the economic situation in the country was not a major part of the poor price realized.
I believe there simply were not at least two bidders with deep pockets an an over abundance of Testosterone in their blood streams.. Not enough competitive hormone driven emotion to keep bidding higher..
The above said, I personally LOVE IT when the guys with the deep pockets are not interested, and I get to bid on something that makes my BP rise, and not their's.
PierceA
There was a very, VERY nice 1927 Pierce Arrow 4-passenger touring car that sold at a renown auction for $96K, I'm a technical advisor for the Pierce Arrow Society, so I ended up being contacted by the new owner's mechanic.. We sorted through several issues with the car, and when it was done being sorted out, it was a much better car. About two years, maybe three years later, the owner either got bored with it, or wanted his money back out of it to spend on another car..
The '27 Touring went back to the same auction, same location. And only brought $57K. It was a better car the second time around. by far.. And yet brought a significantly lower price.. and the economic situation in the country was not a major part of the poor price realized.
I believe there simply were not at least two bidders with deep pockets an an over abundance of Testosterone in their blood streams.. Not enough competitive hormone driven emotion to keep bidding higher..
The above said, I personally LOVE IT when the guys with the deep pockets are not interested, and I get to bid on something that makes my BP rise, and not their's.
PierceA
PA, you make a great point.
Testosterone, eh?
I was going to argue that a cute little jeweler’s vise like that might be equally attractive to a female...but then I remembered that a baby can’t eat it, sleep in it, or **** in it. Nor does it evoke nostalgia of any of those things. So testosterone it is.
So many people are in the habit of stretching their dollars day-to-day, but then toss away months of savings in a weekend on the right thing or in the right place. Doesn’t that make us all fools? Only thing I can think of more foolish is to NOT spend it before I die.
The new owner of that vise is only a fool if he can’t pay for it. That little vise is worth every penny of $870 at this moment. If it’s not, show me another one you’d sell for less right now.
(And no, I am not looking to buy one!)
I sometimes hear that this or that “is a tool - it’s meant to be used.” A ratchet is a tool...a vise is a tool...SO IS MONEY. You use it to satisfy your needs, your anticipated needs, and then your desires.
Testosterone, eh?
I was going to argue that a cute little jeweler’s vise like that might be equally attractive to a female...but then I remembered that a baby can’t eat it, sleep in it, or **** in it. Nor does it evoke nostalgia of any of those things. So testosterone it is.
So many people are in the habit of stretching their dollars day-to-day, but then toss away months of savings in a weekend on the right thing or in the right place. Doesn’t that make us all fools? Only thing I can think of more foolish is to NOT spend it before I die.
The new owner of that vise is only a fool if he can’t pay for it. That little vise is worth every penny of $870 at this moment. If it’s not, show me another one you’d sell for less right now.
(And no, I am not looking to buy one!)
I sometimes hear that this or that “is a tool - it’s meant to be used.” A ratchet is a tool...a vise is a tool...SO IS MONEY. You use it to satisfy your needs, your anticipated needs, and then your desires.
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PierceA
Well-known member
LS; the best financial plan is that you enjoy life, never go hungry or cold, have what you want, take care of those you love.. and when it's all over?
The estate's check to the undertaker bounces. !!
PierceA
The estate's check to the undertaker bounces. !!
PierceA
va.grouseman
Well-known member
Proverbs 30:8 says ("Give me neither poverty nor riches").---I think that is a worthy petition and a good safe spot to live life.
bigdave_185
Well-known member
Just off the phone with key metals in Chicago, really nice folks at for $46 bucks I’ll have two pieces of steel to mill into vise jaws. Keyed for Allen head cap screws, now to figure out the best way to knurl a flat stock bar
https://www.keymetals.com/index.html
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That Prentiss jewelers vise that sold for $870 had quite a bit of the original paint and pin-striping. The problem with the vise is that it had two good size chunks missing from the jaws. Somebody really overpaid for a vise with issues.
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Shiftless
Well-known member
P.A. and Smitty and others are right about that. IMHO, that’s the right price for a pristine example. Maybe we’re all a bit too fussy about jaw chips though.
As many have said, when 2 guys start bidding against each other, logic goes out the window. It gets to the point of who’s is bigger, yours or mine?
As many have said, when 2 guys start bidding against each other, logic goes out the window. It gets to the point of who’s is bigger, yours or mine?
Greetings everyone,
I have been searching for several vises in the Atlanta area. Nothing has panned out so far; however, I did come across this vise. Anyone have any idea what brand and country of origin this vise is?
View media item 110480
I have been searching for several vises in the Atlanta area. Nothing has panned out so far; however, I did come across this vise. Anyone have any idea what brand and country of origin this vise is?
View media item 110480
Fierljeppen
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2018
- Messages
- 1,159
It looks like an old Hollands Keystone mechanics vise mfg. in Erie, PA. I'm sure that vise is in the spreadsheet if you're interested to see another one.
<hr>
I'll chime in about the Prentiss Jewelers Vise auction. Other than the -2- small chips in the vise jaws as already pointed out, it was a very nice vise with a lot of original paint and pinstripes. That's not just my opinion, there were over 100 watchers, including many of you for this auction.
I'm still looking for my 1st Prentiss Jewelers vise and this one would have easily satisfied that desire at a lower price. With that being said, I don't think the final price was out of line at all. It's a fairly rare vise, especially when compared to a very common "baby" Wilton, which fetches near that price all the time.
There were at least -5- different serious bidders, with no snipers at the end, making me believe an unemotional price was realized in the end.
Anyway, it's refreshing to see diverse opinions on this thread, without anyone losing respect for someone with a different point of view. I think what this world needs to save itself is just more "vise collectors", others may disagree.
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dannyr
Well-known member
Does the Prentiss get extra attention from collectors because it is (or a close relative of) the small vise in the Henry O Studley tool cabinet? (Which only has one owner, but folks are reproducing it, so any tool in there gets extra seekers).
How much would the Studley cabinet and bench with the 3 vises go for (7 or 8 $ figures?).
How much would the Studley cabinet and bench with the 3 vises go for (7 or 8 $ figures?).
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This is a gentlemen's thread for sure. It sounds hokey, but it gives me some hope...