The VISES of Garage Journal

[royudc]

Twagler and shiftless, I have a RAE 204 and ithas the same beefy lock downs. I've made new handles for mine because they were missing.

Twagler, that RAE in the pic does not look like a 7 inch wide jaw to me.
I'm no expert, but I have followed up on some ads for vices and discovered that people are measuring the jaw OPENING, not the width.
My 204 will be re-assembled later this week, but here's some before pics.

Ron

 

[Shiftless]

royudc:
Yeah, I too have seen that a lot. All of us here describe jaw width as the size of the jaws but many others seem to think the width of the jaws is how wide it will open. I bet there are a few 3 inch jaw vises that would open to 7 inches especially if somebody opened it beyond the safe point and continued until the main screw was almost out of the nut.

 

[Duke74]

I have also seen that up here in Canada. I messaged one lady a few days back. She was listing a 4 inch as a 6 inch. She had the vise opened all the way and a tape showing the 6 inch opening. I told her Vise size depended on width of jaws and not how wide it opened. She thanked me and changed her listing.

 

[Dlavallee22]

Twagler:
your Rae 203 is awesome! That’s in great shape for sure and i love the remnants of the original sticker it looks like. I’m curious… are there 2 swivel lock downs on your 203?

royudc:
I love the look of your Rae 204. They certainly do look like some stout strong vises. I love how it has 2 swivel lockdowns which is rare on a vise of this size

 

[Duke74]

Hey. Someone has posted this for sale in my area. To me the price is a bit steep at $100 Can. The second pic is a little red Vise, the lady says it says “made in USA” but she can’t make out the make of it due to poor eyesight. She is gonna try and send me a couple pics so I can try and make it out. Any ideas on what it is while I wait? She wants $30 for it.

 

[Duke74]

Hey. Someone has posted this for sale in my area. To me the price is a bit steep at $100 Can. The second pic is a little red Vise, the lady says it says “made in USA” but she can’t make out the make of it due to poor eyesight. She is gonna try and send me a couple pics so I can try and make it out. Any ideas on what it is while I wait? She wants $30 for it.

Here are the pics she sent. All I can see is the made in USA stamping. $30 seems a bit too pricey for a no name.

 

[Shiftless]

$30 is beyond the going rate for those in my area.

Are you looking specifically for a clamp on vise or just an inexpensive vise?

 

[454ragtop]

Getting back to that Armstrong Bros. vise, I suspect it was made for them by Columbian, hence the tag rather than cast in place lettering.

 

[twagler]

Twagler:
your Rae 203 is awesome! That’s in great shape for sure and i love the remnants of the original sticker it looks like. I’m curious… are there 2 swivel lock downs on your 203?

Thanks, yes it does have two swivel lockdowns. Here is an "as-found condition" picture showing both sides:


I was going to strip this vise down and repaint it, but when I started I realized that it was in good condition under the dirt and light surface rust. I just scrubbed it down with Bar Keepers Friend (oxalic acid) which is supposed to be good for removing rust without damaging paint.

I was able to save some of the sticker that you noticed. Not too many Rae vises with stickers left from this era (1950's probably), but here is what it would have looked like.




Rae vises definitely didn't skimp on the swivel lockdowns. Here is another Rae that I own, which has the "retained wrench" style that I find really good.

 

[royudc]

Trailer, nice 204 you have there.
It must be a different vintage than mine, mine has the sliding bars on the lock downs.
They seem to be pretty rare, yours and mine are the only two of this style that I've come across.
I've attached some pics of mine now that the refurb is complete.

Ron

 

[Duke74]

$30 is beyond the going rate for those in my area.

Are you looking specifically for a clamp on vise or just an inexpensive vise?

Not looking for a clamp down Vise, unless I get a good deal or it’s a rare one. I thought hers might be but I doubt it now. I am posting a couple pics of my favourite clamp down Vise. It’s the earliest version of this model because it has the patent number on it. Dates back to the 40’s.

 

[Outlawmws]

I would not class that as a clamp on vise. its an early swivel base. generally pre 1900 or very early 20 century. Those often had holes in the flange for a drop in pin to prevent slipping rotation-ally.

 

[ejot]

I'm loving these RAE's. The dual lock downs with beefy handles would be a worthwhile mod for any swivel base of that style.

@twagler - Very nice preservation of the 203 paint and sticker, that thing is killer. Interesting that the 'meatball' was pretty clearly factory painted. I sometimes wonder how common that may have been, across other makes.

 

[va.grouseman]

I agree with Outlaw.---That Record is a swivel based bench vise.---Through the bench, bench vise.

 

[Duke74]

I agree with Outlaw.---That Record is a swivel based bench vise.---Through the bench, bench vise.

Yeah. I guess so, makes sense.

 

[dannyr]

I agree with Outlaw.---That Record is a swivel based bench vise.---Through the bench, bench vise.

They're not uncommon, but much liked here in their home patch, there's also a big brother, the 75. And if you want a clamp on, the smaller Imp (or 80?) is good.

 

[jaycobie]

Recently got this rare bird: A No. 2 Record clone vise from Denmark, and it's actually really well made. Looks for all the world like a Record or Paramo vise, save for the "Made in Denmark" on it's side.
I've never seen this type of replaceable nut before. The tension spring on the spindle is seemingly really tight, and turning the handle is surprisingly smooth on this vise.

EDIT:
After some research (and help from a friend in Denmark) I found out that the vise was made by "Kerteminde Jernstøberi" which translates to Iron Foundry of Kerteminde.
The brand name on the label is "Amanda", which I understand refers to some part of the history of the town of Kerteminde, Denmark.

The company was active from about 1891 - 1994, but I have no real idea what period they made vises in. One article I read said they closed the ironworks in 1961, after which it focused on being a machine works, making primarily winches and hydraulic systems for ships and trucks. It's not clear to me at this point if they were making vises pre or post 1961.

Some measurements of the vise (in European units )
90mm wide jaws
Weight 8.1kg

110mm jaw opening w/ full screw engagement
Max opening 130mm
Grip depth: Top of jaw to top of slide depth is 54mm
Slide is 50mm wide

Handle is 12mm thick (ends of course larger)
Handle is ~200mm long

Base is 155mm wide
Total length about 315mm
Height from bottom of base to top of jaws ~127mm
Base mounting holes are 12mm wide

 

[Productbob]

sent this photo over to get it added to the list but figured someone may have a thought on this. It's a 214 1/2, dated 1/42. Unusual things about it are it opens to 7 1/4" instead of the 6 1/4" in the Reed literature and it has a 4 hole base. I've never had a 4 hole base that wasn't marked as a 'R' or 'C' inside the base casting. This one has no R or C inside the casting just a plain old 4 1/2 with 4 feet. War time unicorn?

 

[JradM]

Anyone heard of "Crawford" before?

It says "made in Canada" -that's enough justification for my interest - but I didn't find much when I Googled or searched the threads. Just curious if anyone has any info to share. A Record clone I assume?

 

[Duke74]

I see them every now and then here in Canada. Haven’t bought one YET. Founded by Gordon Crawford around 1950. Based in Woodstock Ontario. That’s about it.

 

[ejot]

I know yoke vises don't get much love here and this isn't mine, but it was just too jaw-dropping and cool not to share. I think it's a 12" pipe capacity, apparently a Hollands. What a beast.

 

[mike_paxton]

Ejot, do like that Holland pipe vise you posted above. Just finished cleaning up a small Holland 401 pipe vise. I was looking for one which had both the mounting base and also had the clamping base as well, as sometimes work away from home. In looking through pics of tools on MarketPlace the other day, found it looking up at me from wooden tool box in pic 1. Owner willing to sell it separate from other tools and it was only a few miles to go fetch it. Pic 2 & 3 after cleanup. Mike

 

[royudc]

Anyone heard of "Crawford" before?

It says "made in Canada" -that's enough justification for my interest - but I didn't find much when I Googled or searched the threads. Just curious if anyone has any info to share. A Record clone I assume?

I've seen them in a few auctions and on Kijiji but never in person.
They look very similar to Record's design to me.

Ron

 

[bulletpruf]

Anyone know where I can find some jaws for a Parker 974? There's one for sale near me, but it's missing a jaw.

 

[Outlawmws]

Parker jaws are a pain as each set is hand fitted, lots O' curves... even if you find a donor vise, it may need fitting...

 

[tool_scrounge]

Anyone know where I can find some jaws for a Parker 974? There's one for sale near me, but it's missing a jaw.

Outlawmws is right, normal Parker curved jaws are really hard to replicate. If it was a Parker, division of Union Mfg vise, later versions of those had normal jaws. Usually those had a stick on nameplate (sometimes missing) with a 974B part number. Photo of an example below.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachments/vises-001-jpg.128317/

 

[bulletpruf]

Here's the vise in question. For sale locally for $45.

 

[Duke74]

Jump on it.

 

[Duke74]

I need a moveable jaw for this. No markings on it except for 150. It was my Granddads. Not old but she is a beast, I have no idea how he broke it. I want to use it for work and leave my vintage vises on the shelf. To me it looks like a FPU Vise. Any ideas? It’s no good the way it is and it makes an ugly paperweight. Thanks

 

[honza.vosalik]

It’s taken me 14 months to finally get to but man am I glad with how this turned out. Reed 214S filers vise with replaceable jaws and the awesome oval logo. No original paint to save on this one unfortunately. Date stamped 12/76 and hands down one of my all time favorite vises. I’ll be bolting this one down as my new user very shortly!

Man, that's an awesome color scheme. I might do something like that on my Reed (104S or 206R).
I think the filers vise is awesome, I haven't had the chance to find one yet.

 

[LesserSon]

I picked this up at flea market this morning. There are no manufacturer names or model numbers. I don’t know if the spring is original or later add-on, or why it is so long.

Anyone recognize it? Speculation?

EDIT - I think I figured it out - Parker. I’ll measure and see what else I can find out.

 

[Dlavallee22]

Dlaval, I can’t quite tell if that vise was painted or if that is BLO or black metal oil?
If it is paint what brand/color is it? Sure looks nice! Thanks

Jay

Hey Jay, so this is just BLO applied with dust left on the vise after wire wheeling which tends to give the BLO a darker color to it. My rags start white and end up a dark gray when all is said and done. Vintage Reed cast iron always seems to come out great with BLO! The red emblem and gold lettering were both done with just sharpie oil based paint pens

 

[454ragtop]

I need a moveable jaw for this. No markings on it except for 150. It was my Granddads. Not old but she is a beast, I have no idea how he broke it. I want to use it for work and leave my vintage vises on the shelf. To me it looks like a FPU Vise. Any ideas? It’s no good the way it is and it makes an ugly paperweight. Thanks

Looks like a Bison, or Bison knockoff. Look at the end of the screw by the handle and see if it has anything stamped on it. Probably going to be tough to find.....

 

[Duke74]

I can’t find “made in Poland” on it. On the farm we have a 4 inch bison vise and it does have it stamped on the handle. This Vise might be a knockoff. Any ideas on where I could find a moveable jaw?

 

[NYBODYMAN]

I snagged this Chas. Parker Model 22X this morning from Craigslist. It was a few minutes down the road from me so I took a chance and checked it out. It appears very clean other than the flaking paint. I don't see any casting issues, gouges etc. Even the jaws are smooth and clean. The swivel locking handle is missing (hopefully I can find a replacement somewhere) and the bolt holding on the front collar looks like a replacement. Looking for the vise experts insight/opinions. What are these worth as is? Restored? Are parts readily available? What was the original colors of these? Anything else seem awry?

 

[ejot]

I recall the asking price on that ad being completely reasonable but not in the range to attract the flippers. A comparably priced 22X in similar condition sat on offer in the area for over a month this past Spring before finally getting snapped up and reposted on eBay with a stupid BIN.

Very rough era is ~first two decades of 1900's. It shows up in the 1912 catalog for example. The real experts here could give a more refined window of manufacture date.

The retaining collar bolt is indeed a replacement and the original would have had a high profile slotted head. For some reason that model seems particularly prone to missing swivel lock handles. I'd say over half of the ones I've seen.
Originally there was a removable alignment pin opposite the swivel lock - pic below.
edit: I now believe your vise is slightly later than the one pictured below and is correct as-is. This model got a couple revisions during its lifetime.

Replacement parts are not readily available and would need to be sourced from a parted out vise. Best route for the swivel lock handle will be fabricated replacement.

I've seen black and light green Parkers that I could convince myself were original paint. Not sure if any truly reliable information is available on this though.

 

[NYBODYMAN]

I recall the asking price on that ad being completely reasonable but not in the range to attract the flippers. A comparably priced 22X in similar condition sat on offer in the area for over a month this past Spring before finally getting snapped up and reposted on eBay with a stupid BIN.

Very rough era is ~first two decades of 1900's. It shows up in the 1912 catalog for example. The real experts here could give a more refined window of manufacture date.

The retaining collar bolt is indeed a replacement and the original would have had a high profile slotted head. For some reason that model seems particularly prone to missing swivel lock handles. I'd say over half of the ones I've seen.
Originally there was a removable alignment pin opposite the swivel lock - pic below.
edit: I now believe your vise is slightly later than the one pictured below and is correct as-is. This model got a couple revisions during its lifetime.

Replacement parts are not readily available and would need to be sourced from a parted out vise. Best route for the swivel lock handle will be fabricated replacement.

I've seen black and light green Parkers that I could convince myself were original paint. Not sure if any truly reliable information is available on this though.

I take it your from the Hudson Valley area then. Thank you for the insight. Any idea where I can find a date code on it?

 

[lardy1]

I put a lowball bid on an Athol 615 recently but was predictably outbid. It ended up selling for seventy six dollars. I probably should have followed it and bid more but I just don't have the need for a vise that big. Always a few vises in this weekly auction but rarely see an Athol.

 

[Shiftless]

If that one was in decent condition, that price was a good deal.

 

[Shiftless]

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a pic showing how well hot Simple Green removes paint. I repainted with dark steel gray metallic and highlighted the lettering with a red paint pen.
The emblem was worn and damaged in some places. It looks like the casting was a bit misaligned at the factory. I did the highlighting thing anyway.
This vise is about 70+ years old.