The VISES of Garage Journal

[FD611V]

Been sometime since I have been here. All due to my wife having a stroke in February. Note: Not the type of stroke from me buying too many tools. She is back to about 85% use of her arm and leg. For many years I've wanted what you would call a ...Drill Press Vise. Been searching for weeks and decided to buy a Craftsman's Cradle Angle vise. Here is a photo of it.

It's only a 3 in. size, but it will do for what I might need for drilling small items on my drill press. Total cost with shipping and sales tax..$55.24

 

[Provincial]

Bret888, good first post! I guess this establishes the origin of the swivel/double jaw vise that the asians like so much! Mr. Fulton sounds like the type of motivated innovator that made America great a hundred years ago.

Nice vise! It looks like a well-designed piece, and is in good condition. Truly a piece of history.

 

[Outlawmws]

Nice Fulton Bret888!

FD611V, sorry to hear about your wife's Stroke, I hope she makes a full recovers!

Nice DP vise! You should get a lot of use out of that!

 

[Outlawmws]

I have no need for a wood vise, but this seems like a decent price for what looks like a vintage Wilton wood vise? Are the Wilton wood vises of similar quality to the Wilton mechanic or combo vises?

http://images.craigslist.org/5L45H35Md3Gf3L23F8c6db14560f50d1a10f0.jpg
Wilton 7" Vise - $40 (Broomfield, Colorado)
We have 2-Wilton 7" Vises at $50 each
Heavy Duty Steel in great condition

What is nice about that Wilton is it s offset a bit, allowing something bigger to be dropped through the offset "opening" where there are no slides. Most WW vises I have seen (including all that I own) are centered.

 

[Catalyze]

FD611V - I do hope your wife contiues to improve and that she monitors your tool purchases with an iron fist. Vise addiction is a terrible thing.....just ask us.

Brett - nice find on that vise of yours! My wife found me a 4" Hudson vise made in NY state back in the 30's. It seems like America used to have tons of car builders and vise makers back then.

Shootist - I think you are going to like that Yost 204. Very nice shape and a proven design.
Craig

 

[Catalyze]

Here is a couple of Cratsman 3 1/2" before photos. This vise came out of Michigan and the slide has never been hit that I can tell. It wasn't rusty at all.....just black everywhere. It seemed to have been available in the 60's according to Outlawmws Craftsman thread.
View media item 21868View media item 21869View media item 21870
Since I can't seem to leave well enough alone, the vise got a bit of paint and buffing. I was never taken with Craftsman vises but I think I may have changed my mind.
View media item 22023View media item 22022View media item 22024Craig

 

[FD611V]

Catalyze, that is one fine paint job you have done. I'm always glad at one who will take an old "ugly" item and relieve it of it's old paint and such and turn it back into a new looking product...such as you have done. Most people just use or stow them on a workbench and let the dust collect.

 

[Laker]

wow nice job Craig

 

[NCCheesehead]

I have a question for you guys...how are you guys getting the bare steel parts so shiny ?

 

[SRX]

I have a question for you guys...how are you guys getting the bare steel parts so shiny ?

Ditto?

 

[mryyc]

Just finished up restoring my first vise. You guys are contagious as I have now another 4 in line waiting now We'll have to wait and see how the paint job holds up, this was a learning experience, first time using an HVLP gun as well as blasting.

 

[bigcaddy]

I have a question for you guys...how are you guys getting the bare steel parts so shiny ?

Aside from lots of free time? It all depends on what works best for you or what kind of equipment you have in your shop.

Progressively finer grit sandpaper will get most of the heavy stuff off but then you can finish it with a scotch brite wheel and then polish it with jewelers rouge.

I didn't have any idea either until i started messing around in my shop and asked questions on here.

 

[Laker]

I have a question for you guys...how are you guys getting the bare steel parts so shiny ?

I used a wired wheel, then 000 steel wool, then (car) wheel wax to prevent oxidation

 

[bgott]

I'm glad you posted that picture of that Atlas "Nutyp" Vise, post #4921. Now we know where the design for the Asian commodity vise we see all the time came from.

http://garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=197632&d=1342717405

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

Just finished up restoring my first vise. You guys are contagious as I have now another 4 in line waiting now We'll have to wait and see how the paint job holds up, this was a learning experience, first time using an HVLP gun as well as blasting.

[/QUOTE

got the same one for $15 but mine was restored. although its not as nice as yours

 

[Coolabah]

Just picked up an old Reed 104 ... can anyone tell me what the original paint color might be ?

It had been repainted (badly) and when I stripped this off , there was a little patch of black paint under that... would appreciate any info

 

[Catalyze]

Thanks all for the good thoughts on the Craftsman!

Cool - I believe that all my Reeds have been a semi flat black color.

Mryyc - very nice looking Wilton there, it seems to have found a good home.

Craig

 

[Canoe50]

Just finished up restoring my first vise. You guys are contagious as I have now another 4 in line waiting now We'll have to wait and see how the paint job holds up, this was a learning experience, first time using an HVLP gun as well as blasting.

You're off to a good start with your first restoration. Great job!

 

[SHOOTIST357]

Here is a couple of Cratsman 3 1/2" before photos. This vise came out of Michigan and the slide has never been hit that I can tell. It wasn't rusty at all.....just black everywhere. It seemed to have been available in the 60's according to Outlawmws Craftsman thread.

Since I can't seem to leave well enough alone, the vise got a bit of paint and buffing. I was never taken with Craftsman vises but I think I may have changed my mind.

View media item 22024Craig

Wow-- the old Craftsman vises are appearing a lot lately-- nice work--did you pull the jaws off? how hard were they to remove?

SHOOT

 

[emeraldcoupe]

i picked this craftsman 4" up about an hour ago at an estate sale. paid $30 for it.besides the crappy paint job, this thing is real nice. the jaws are like new, and it opens/closes nice and smooth.

 

[Outlawmws]

Nice find! Catalyze just posted a restored version of that vise so you have standards to meet!

That should restore fine!


If you want to get the shlock paint off the embossed logo, I've had good luck using Simple Green on a soaked piece of paper towel for reasonably successful layer by layer paint removal.

 

[Catalyze]

Isn't it funny how we seem to have waves of certain vises pop up at the same time? This summer it is Craftsman vise time.

Emerald - I posted a note under your separate thread, but to repeat a point that Columbian is the maker of this model vise. On the main nut you can see their mark and model number.

Thanks Outlawmws! I like your idea of Simple Green on the name plate. Simple Green can do some pretty good things around the shop. I still keep an old can of Turtle Wax Bug and Tar Remover around. It is probably just solvent in thick form, but it works great on small cleaning problems.

Shoot - Since no one but you and I are reading this.....I cheated. I did not remove these jaw faces. I started to and then realized that most of the time when I punch the pins down and out, at least one breaks. Then I have to measure it and go to Fastenall and order the correct rod size. 4 days and a shipping charge later it arrives. On a big old rusted vise, I would have done it but this one was just fine. I used my pedastal buffer and hit the jaws and then masked then carefully. After the paint dried, I cleaned off the pin tops too so it all looks like they got removed......now that you know, don't tell anyone.
Craig

 

[EOC_Jason]

Was doing some cleaning up on the deck above the office and found this old pipe vise that was my grandfathers. I wish I took some before pics, it was completely covered in surface rust, oil, grit, grime, etc... It's an Armstrong Brothers #71, that's all I know about it. I really like the little logo of the arm with a hammer in his hand. It looked like the original color was more like a Rigid orange, but I always liked red...

At first I wasn't going to take it apart, but since I had it soaking for two or three days in oil I figured what the heck and it came apart easy as pie.

 

[Outlawmws]

I have an Armstrong Pipe vise similar to that one. I think the Co. name was Armstrong Bridgeport when this one was made. Bridgeport may have been the city it was in as well, but elsewhere its marked "Made in USA" w/o any city reference...

Mine only goes to 1-1/2" pipe so definitely a homeowners model!

I also have my fathers old Erie Pipe vise, physically a little larger but I doubt it goes any bigger than the Armstrong does. That blue paint job was done by me while in Jr High or High school. I also used the same paint on my dad's old swivel jaw vise, that a few years later bit the big one when I broke the swivel jaw in two trying to press control arm bushings in. It was probably about a 4" vise, and an enclosed screw vise. I'm pretty sure it went to that big scrap yard in the sky, unless it's collecting dust in a corner of my mom's garage yet... I can't recall the brand it was, those things didn't stick back then...

I always liked how these are completely adaptable for right or left hand mounting on a bench corner, just swap the hinge pin from one side to the other so it opens from the front...

 

[maddawg308]

My dad gave me this one a couple years ago, he was going to throw it away because he has a better one. This one doesn't have a maker on it. It's well used, been in the family for many decades, I wouldn't say it's abused but a restoration will probably be in its future. Only marks on the side are "380A", and the patent date, which is in 1912. Looks more like an anvil than a vise, jaws are just under 3" wide. Not too useful for my hobby of working on military vehicles, but I'll save it for family's sake, and I might be able to use it for smaller stuff.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Holy cow, it looks like a vise had rough *** with an Anvil and that's what you ended up with!

Outlaw - As for my pipe vise, on the other side it says "Chicago" and USA on it, not surprising that it was made there. Also you can see a V-250-A on the arm in the pic above. On the underside of the base is another number, probably a serial number.

Next project is to make a base for it! I have three little 6" or 8" rims that I was going to make a triangular base from... Not the usual car rim... should be interesting.

 

[Catalyze]

Jason - your Armstrong pipe vise had the following catalog description back around 1940 or so.
Cadmium Finish
This vise is automatic locking and combines convenient weight with swift action. The frame and base are made of certified malleable iron.
71- $5.00 Holds pipe - 1/2" to 2 1/2" Weight - 10 pounds

Grats on a great old pipe vise.
Craig

 

[Jarhead0408]

I've got the same Craftsman vise. Bought it from Bull. It's a really sweet vise!

 

[rusty65]

My dad gave me this one a couple years ago, he was going to throw it away because he has a better one. This one doesn't have a maker on it. It's well used, been in the family for many decades, I wouldn't say it's abused but a restoration will probably be in its future. Only marks on the side are "380A", and the patent date, which is in 1912. Looks more like an anvil than a vise, jaws are just under 3" wide. Not too useful for my hobby of working on military vehicles, but I'll save it for family's sake, and I might be able to use it for smaller stuff.

That is one interesting looking vise. They took the idea of a built in anvil to a state where its a built in vise.

 

[zoomieport]

Only my 2nd 8" vise... haha!

 

[rusty65]

My little lakeside vise bought off Craigslist.

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[/IMG]

Should i do a full resto or keep it with its patina.

 

[Outlawmws]

My dad gave me this one a couple years ago, he was going to throw it away because he has a better one. This one doesn't have a maker on it. It's well used, been in the family for many decades, I wouldn't say it's abused but a restoration will probably be in its future. Only marks on the side are "380A", and the patent date, which is in 1912. Looks more like an anvil than a vise, jaws are just under 3" wide. Not too useful for my hobby of working on military vehicles, but I'll save it for family's sake, and I might be able to use it for smaller stuff.

I really like those combo setups despite their shortcomings.

 

[Outlawmws]

My little lakeside vise bought off Craigslist.

[/IMG]

Should i do a full resto or keep it with its patina.

That one is nice enough I'd wire wheel the surface rust, and give it a good cleaning, and use it. You even got the Pritchel hole hot chisel. (something I've never got with any of my finds...) A little use patina doesn't take away IMO. (Different story when they have the finish beat off them...)

 

[wxm]

I have an Armstrong Pipe vise similar to that one. I think the Co. name was Armstrong Bridgeport when this one was made. Bridgeport may have been the city it was in as well, but elsewhere its marked "Made in USA" w/o any city reference...

I have a similar Armstrong that I restored a short while ago. Here are the pictures before and after

 

[bczygan]

Was doing some cleaning up on the deck above the office and found this old pipe vise that was my grandfathers. I wish I took some before pics, it was completely covered in surface rust, oil, grit, grime, etc... It's an Armstrong Brothers #71, that's all I know about it. I really like the little logo of the arm with a hammer in his hand. It looked like the original color was more like a Rigid orange, but I always liked red...

At first I wasn't going to take it apart, but since I had it soaking for two or three days in oil I figured what the heck and it came apart easy as pie.

http://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/armstrong-bros.html

Here:

 

[Outlawmws]

Isn't it funny how we seem to have waves of certain vises pop up at the same time? This summer it is Craftsman vise time.

SNIP

Thanks Outlawmws! I like your idea of Simple Green on the name plate. Simple Green can do some pretty good things around the shop. I still keep an old can of Turtle Wax Bug and Tar Remover around. It is probably just solvent in thick form, but it works great on small cleaning problems.
SNIP
Craig

Things do run in streaks for sure, I've picked up more vises (11 at least) this spring/summer than I have in past 5-10 years, and I've bought 3 tool box stacks (2 basically full) in the same period, plus a few singleton boxes...

Yep the Simple Green works well I recovered an SK badge that way (with a little work with some toothpicks) and it didn't touch the original background paint...

 

[write2dgray]

Here's my second restoration job, this one a smaller Wilton, model Cadet 9135.

3 1/2" jaws, open to 4 1/2", ringing in at 18 pounds dry.

When I picked it up she was missing both of the swivel tighten levers on the base, and Nightshift here was kind enough to help get her going - thanks once again sir.

Any guess as to the year on this one? The metal stamp on the bottom of the slide is not quite legible.

Cheers,
David

 

[write2dgray]

And here are a few of the completed restoration.

 

[bigcaddy]

Here is the newest vise i picked up this morning. Its nothing too special but will clean up just fine

 

[north]

Here's my second restoration job, this one a smaller Wilton, model Cadet 9135.

*snip*

Here is the newest vise i picked up this morning. Its nothing too special but will clean up just fine

Looks solid. What's the specs?