The VISES of Garage Journal

Toolman Tim · Apr 3, 2012

My recent “barn” find, right down to the bale twine on the vise handle. It’s a Prentiss No. 23 swivel jaw, and weighs in at slightly under 200 pounds. It is no “cream puff”, missing the swivel base, and has some welding done on the jaws, but is still a great heavy vise.
I have several other vise projects, so if someone has been looking for one of these No. 23’s as a must have, PM me.

Tim

asadsack · Apr 3, 2012

bluebolt said:
Nice resto!

HI,
Thanks for the compliment. If you liked this resto, check out my new posting. It concerns a beat-up old Columbian 108 I was able to bring back to life.

bigcaddy · Apr 3, 2012

He is a pic of a 4" Wilton bullet that i purchased last year but don't think it was ever posted on here. It got a quick refinish but was replaced by a bigger vise on my bench a while ago.

asadsack · Apr 3, 2012

Here's a link to check out my little bench vise that I rescued from the ravages of an evil trucking company maintenance garage. This poor old Columbian 108 was beaten so badly that both jaws were knocked out. As if that wasnt bad enough, it was also the victim of some stupid amateur repairs that left it sloppy and pretty weary. The good news, it's all better now, and it's leading a happy, productive life in my garage. I'm proud to have it as a member of my team.

BTW, I used this vise to hold the Yost parts safely and securely for a thorough wire-brushing. As I said, this big guy is a valued member of my team!!

Let me know what you think.

http://s1172.photobucket.com/albums/r563/Myolmurphy4u/my little vise/

bigcaddy · Apr 3, 2012

asadsack said:
Here's a link to check out my little bench vise that I rescued from the ravages of an evil trucking company maintenance garage. This poor old Columbian 108 was beaten so badly that both jaws were knocked out. As if that wasnt bad enough, it was also the victim of some stupid amateur repairs that left it sloppy and pretty weary. The good news, it's all better now, and it's leading a happy, productive life in my garage. I'm proud to have it as a member of my team.

BTW, I used this vise to hold the Yost parts safely and securely for a thorough wire-brushing. As I said, this big guy is a valued member of my team!!

Let me know what you think.

http://s1172.photobucket.com/albums/r563/Myolmurphy4u/my little vise/
myol50cal

Your Columbian looks like it got a bit of a haircut :lol_hitti

How big is that Vanderman you have sitting behind it? I've got 4 of the 180 pound ones sitting it my shop, waiting to be restored. It would of been done sooner but they are just so damn heavy and cumbersome to handle. They have to be, when unmounted, the most awkward vise ever created.

asadsack · Apr 3, 2012

Hi,
That's a good way to put it about the 108. Although it did get nipped a bit, I think the end result is all good. One of these days, I'll rustle up the dough and have the shoulders milled and new jaws made.

As for the Vanderman, it was a Number 3. It weighed about 160 pounds. Unfortunately, I had to sell it. I'd love to get another to clean up. They were big, tough old vises.

Another vise similar to the Vanderman in looks,time, and location was made by Merrill Bros of Brooklyn, NY. They made four sizes, the largest of which had 8-inch jaws and weighed a robust 215 pounds. I guess that's my Holy Grail of vises. Somewhere, there's one with my name, just waiting to be brought back to life!!

zuk123 · Apr 4, 2012

Thanks BlueBolt. I thought it might be something like that. I will take a close look at what is needed to replace the washer I'm using.

Any idea of the age?

Any thoughts on color? It is faded so much it almost looks like raw metal.

I did get a chance to measure it today, jaws are 4" wide, and open just shy of 8".

I have been infected. Yesterday I went to look at a CL vise from a guy's hobby machine shop. Turned out to be a fairly modern USA Craftsman 5 1/2". Like new, but I didn't think $100 was a great price. I had my heart set on finding something old and BIG and cheap!

Still working my way thru all the inspiration here, up to page 170, the end is in sight.

Thanks to everyone for sharing.

zuk

meatsis · Apr 4, 2012

has anyone ever seen or heard of a parker vise with 12 inch jaws? i spoke to a guy who was selling an 8 inch prentiss with a swivel base and swiveling rear jaw and he said he got those 2 vises out of an old mill. he said the the 12 inch parker weighed in excess of 450 lbs. just wodering if anybody has ever heard of this

asadsack · Apr 4, 2012

Hi,
Based on some catalog reprints I've seen, the biggest Parker vise had 8-inch jaws and weighed about 300 pounds. The 1939 catalog lists it as a model 808.
They probably made a swivel version of this model. A 12-inch jaw Parker would really be interesting.

Blacktop · Apr 4, 2012

Has anyone ever seen the Parker 25 that I posted pictures of above in a Catalog?

canuckian · Apr 4, 2012

Just got this snap on rebranded 1750 in the mail today. Not pretty to look at right at the moment but it's straight and almost complete (missing 2 collet screws and pipe jaws). Pipe jaws are ordered and I can pick up 2 screws locally.

bl00 · Apr 4, 2012

Blacktop said:
Has anyone ever seen the Parker 25 that I posted pictures of above in a Catalog?

Here's a couple from 1875 and 1883. That's a nice vise. I like the very defined lettering on the side.

Blacktop · Apr 4, 2012

bl00 said:
Here's a couple from 1875 and 1883. That's a nice vise. I like the very defined lettering on the side.

Great pictures, Thank you! Any idea if I will ruin the value if I restore/ repaint the vise?

Recoil Rob · Apr 5, 2012

Came across this for sale locally, a Studebaker hydraulic vise, apparently used in conjunction with a foot pump to supply hydraulic oil. Supposedly like new, in storage for 50 years, asking $200

Outlawmws · Apr 5, 2012

Just the vise, no pump or controls? Seems high to me...

Recoil Rob · Apr 5, 2012

Me too, these things at all rare?

bl00 · Apr 5, 2012

Recoil Rob said:
Me too, these things at all rare?

I think I've seen 4 for sale in the last year or so. One was $50, another was $200, and I don't remember the asking price on the other two. All of them had the hydraulics, but none were in the condition of this one. I think they're pretty neat looking and wouldn't mind having one. Of course I use that reasoning to buy just about anything.

bl00 · Apr 5, 2012

Blacktop said:
Great pictures, Thank you! Any idea if I will ruin the value if I restore/ repaint the vise?

Possibly, but it's probably not worth that much anyway, so have at it. Vises with that type of swivel mount don't seem to sell too well. There are several guys on here who buy and sell vises who could give you a better idea of value.

bams50 · Apr 5, 2012

Recoil Rob said:
Came across this for sale locally, a Studebaker hydraulic vise, apparently used in conjunction with a foot pump to supply hydraulic oil. Supposedly like new, in storage for 50 years, asking $200

Being the resident Studebaker freak I'd love to have one of those, just not feeling the $200 without the pump :sad:

Duker · Apr 5, 2012

I just finished restoring this bullet vise.

I would love to find a Athol or Rock Island to restore as well. I just posted about the restoration of the bullet vise here if anyone is interested: http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100158

DannyD · Apr 5, 2012

Stumbled upon this big guy while searching the local classifieds

jeffmoss26 · Apr 6, 2012

FINALLY I have something worthy to contribute! Picked this Samson vise up today at a garage sale for 35 bucks. Any info on the brand would be appreciated!

write2dgray · Apr 6, 2012

Here's a roller coaster I'm sure many have experienced.

Looking for a light metal fab table on Craigslist, I came across one with a vice attached (first photo from CL ad).

$40, I was there. Story is it is old used Boeing surplus, Dad passed away a decade ago and retired from Boeing over 20 years ago.

Picked it up and the vice was frozen solid in every way. Showed only light use save for a broken replaceable jaw on the dynamic side.

Next photos show the vise after a dip to remove rust. She is clean

, and has all the characteristics of a Wilton, save for a born in the USA or Wilton stamp. The only markings are the N2 and 111147 on the side and a stamp of N1 111141 on the inside face of the dynamic jaw (both shown in photos).

After spreading the jaws it became apparent I have a significant problem. Looks like this one may be a dud. Any thoughts or remedy for this old guy or is it time to part out/scrap?

Cheers,
David

Low Friction · Apr 6, 2012

I saw this bench also. I would have picked it up if I had room for it. Looks like you just need some jaw inserts. They appear to be rectangular bar style inserts. Is the acme nut usable?

I've picked up several 4" Wilton bullet vises and a Columbian 4" from Boeing surplus. If you keep watching the auction site you can get some screaming deals industrial quality shop equipment. 4" appears to be the standard size for Boeing, I've never seen any other size from them.

Update:

Ahh...looking closer at your pics. The casting is broken. Too bad, not sure what you can do with it.

SweetD · Apr 6, 2012

write2dgray said:
.

After spreading the jaws it became apparent I have a significant problem. Looks like this one may be a dud. Any thoughts or remedy for this old guy or is it time to part out/scrap?

I think you got a good deal on the table for $40. Too bad about the vise. I've never seen one broken like that at the slide.

blazemaster83 · Apr 6, 2012

Here is my largest vise. There are no markings for a name or numbers anywhere. I saw it in the back of a machine shop in the spare room that gets filled with junk. It had to have been there a very long time, i dug it out. It was covered in chips so bad I didn't know what it was at first. The owner said I could have it, if I could carry it to the truck. Good lord let me tell you, this thing thing almost broke me, but I was determined. I would guess around 150-180lbs. The jaws measure 13 inches, there a jacob's 20n next to it in one of the pics, and it's on a 22 inch table(no I didn't drill the holes of shame :sad:

).

It sat in my garage for about 6 months, because I had other projects going on. Once those were all done and I was twiddling my fingers, I yanked this thing out. I didn't do the full wire wheel resto(and now I wish I had, oh well), I just wanted to clean out all the gunk and throw some paint on it. In the process of dismantling it I discovered that it is not really complete, and some of the stuff seems to be cobbled together by a machine shop(now I know why it was free lol). It will need some head scratching and some fabricating, but I would like to see this beast back in action on my drill.

If anyone has one of these or has seen one, I would sure appreciate some advice, thanks for looking! :beer:

Outlawmws · Apr 6, 2012

write2dgray said:
SNIP

After spreading the jaws it became apparent I have a significant problem. Looks like this one may be a dud. Any thoughts or remedy for this old guy or is it time to part out/scrap?

Cheers,
David

Ordinarily a broken casting like that would be very bad news. In this case, you may be able to save it, since that slide is pressed into the dynamic jaw anyway.

Can I assume the sliding sleeve is free of the static jaw/base?

If so and the broken parts mate well, preheat the assembled pieces in an oven so they are good and hot. Then Braise the sleeve back into the dynamic jaw, (broken bit and all) and the bury the hot mass in (preheated) sand to cool slowly.

You might even makeup some braise rod preforms to go inside before pressing. (knock the white flux off some rod, and save it, pound the rod flat and cut into appropriate lengths and add both rod and flux before pressing together. when all the braise material is molten, clamp it to final depth and then finish braising. (then bury in the hot sand as above.)

Nightshift · Apr 6, 2012

Outlawmws, seems like waaaaaayyyyy too much work trying to fix a knock-off vice showing all the signs of severe use and fatiqued metal. David, if it were me ... I'd put it back on CL for free to anyone who wants it ... especially since it came for free on an excellent value $40 bench! Just my $0.02 worth. Cheers, Bill

Outlawmws · Apr 6, 2012

blazemaster83 said:
Here is my largest vise. There are no markings for a name or numbers anywhere. I saw it in the back of a machine shop in the spare room that gets filled with junk. It had to have been there a very long time, i dug it out. It was covered in chips so bad I didn't know what it was at first. The owner said I could have it, if I could carry it to the truck. Good lord let me tell you, this thing thing almost broke me, but I was determined. I would guess around 150-180lbs. The jaws measure 13 inches, there a jacob's 20n next to it in one of the pics, and it's on a 22 inch table(no I didn't drill the holes of shame ).

It sat in my garage for about 6 months, because I had other projects going on. Once those were all done and I was twiddling my fingers, I yanked this thing out. I didn't do the full wire wheel resto(and now I wish I had, oh well), I just wanted to clean out all the gunk and throw some paint on it. In the process of dismantling it I discovered that it is not really complete, and some of the stuff seems to be cobbled together by a machine shop(now I know why it was free lol). It will need some head scratching and some fabricating, but I would like to see this beast back in action on my drill.

If anyone has one of these or has seen one, I would sure appreciate some advice, thanks for looking!

I think you are only really missing one bit. That seems to need a secondary jaw between the main dynamic jaw, and the work piece. A block of steel with some holes to mate with the two screws should do it. I'd set the jaw part you have as far forward as possible and make the new jaw so that is has maybe 1/4 to 1/2" gap (so you can close the gap using the screws) then drill the pockets so the tops of the jack screws will engage. (I'm assuming those tops are machined so the threads are clear on the ends) make the holes loose enough so you can clamp the jaw cocked a bit if desired.

Another possibility is that each screw gets a rounded jaw, so you can clamp oddly shaped or round pieces in the vise, using a three point clamping technique. heck, you could set up jaws for both.

You can also do a second straight jaw, much thinner for clamping larger pieces. (probably gain an inch or two?)

Outlawmws · Apr 6, 2012

Nightshift said:
Outlawmws, seems like waaaaaayyyyy too much work trying to fix a knock-off vice showing all the signs of severe use and fatiqued metal. David, if it were me ... I'd put it back on CL for free to anyone who wants it ... especially since it came for free on an excellent value $40 bench! Just my $0.02 worth. Cheers, Bill

That may be true, but what the vise is or isn't is unknown. The repair effort might or might not be worth the value of the vise, but the learning experience, if you have never done such a repair, can also be of value. That is up to the OP...

Outlawmws · Apr 6, 2012

blazemaster83 said:
Here is my largest vise. There are no markings for a name or numbers anywhere. I saw it in the back of a machine shop in the spare room that gets filled with junk. It had to have been there a very long time, i dug it out. It was covered in chips so bad I didn't know what it was at first. SNIP

The more I think about this after looking more at the pics, I'd guess there was two swiveling, probably rounded, jaws that bolted in on the T slots in front of the main dynamic jaw. It might be worth a second trip into that back room to look for the missing bits, whether they are the three point type, or a flat slab...

asadsack · Apr 6, 2012

DannyD said:
Stumbled upon this big guy while searching the local classifieds

Hi,
Nice Merrill Bros. It's funny that I mentioned one of these vises the other day and all of a sudden, there's yours. How big is this vise. They came in four sizes. The biggest was over 200 pounds. Seeing yours, gives me hope that one will turn up for me.

gatewaysysop · Apr 6, 2012

jeffmoss26 said:
FINALLY I have something worthy to contribute! Picked this Samson vise up today at a garage sale for 35 bucks. Any info on the brand would be appreciated!

The pattern at the top of the jaws and the overall appearance is just screaming "Rock Island" if you ask me. Check out this post, I have some pics of one that my father is selling at the moment. You can see the exact same features and the marking on the top of the jaw too.

My money says Rock Island was the OEM behind this brand, or at least this particular vise. :thumbup:

jeffmoss26 · Apr 6, 2012

Very interesting! It looks spot on!

zoomieport · Apr 6, 2012

jeffmoss26 said:
FINALLY I have something worthy to contribute! Picked this Samson vise up today at a garage sale for 35 bucks. Any info on the brand would be appreciated!

Here is an add...

Outlawmws · Apr 6, 2012

Boy Jeff, based on that ad, you overpaid by about 20-25 bucks! :lol_hitti

How many inches was the jaw?

:evil:

Low Friction · Apr 6, 2012

That Samson says 5264 on it's side. So from that ad it's a 4" jaw.

jeffmoss26 · Apr 6, 2012

Yep that's right! What year is that ad?

Low Friction · Apr 6, 2012

jeffmoss26 said:
Yep that's right! What year is that ad?

That ad was lifted off of Ebay. It says it's from 1929.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1929-Print-...747?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item564946dac3

zoomieport · Apr 6, 2012

Low Friction said:
That ad was lifted off of Ebay. It says it's from 1929.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1929-Print-...747?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item564946dac3

Lifted?

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