The VISES of Garage Journal

Provincial · Jun 18, 2019

Originally posted by Provincial.

I have all the vises I need.
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Notice that I didn't turn these two down! :lol_hitti

Oily Nails · Jun 18, 2019

Ayup from wet England,
In between showers this weekend I spotted this little 3" Paramo No.1 vice[mounted to a wooden base sat on the scrap metal pile at the local reclamation yard.
Like most I didn't need another vice but when dealer said it was £10 it was under my arm sharpish!

Didn't get a "as arrived" photo but this was taken after the first wipe down with degreaser and WD40....and when I realised all the RED dust wasn't rust but hardwood sawdust!! :bounce:

Apart from a few paint splats and rust on the handle/knuckle the finish looks original

Jaws off and measured...

...The jaws are a little rough but more than serviceable.

There is 248 stamped onto the top of the dynamic jaw, any ideas GJer's :headscrat

I realised that the nicely made wooden plank/bracket was actually intended to clamp into a Workmate so I've remounted the vice to it after giving the wood a brief sand and rub over with stain. the edge of the plank could not line up better with the Workmate edge! :beer:

Apart from wire wheeling the handle and putting clear coat on it the wooden base probably had more work than the vice!!

May not be a museum piece but a very handy 3" vice to use with the Workmate, especially when working away from my small shop

Productbob · Jun 18, 2019

cleaned up the Hollands 45 from the barn find that's trying to pass itself off as a 46. It now spins smoothly and weighs less with all the rodent garbage out of it.
kept it industrial like the columbian 505 I did a while ago. Glad this one got saved.

dartworth · Jun 18, 2019

Erie PA

Vice capital of the US?

Vise · Jun 18, 2019

Ken - that Prentiss doesn’t seem to be in horrible shape. Do you see other cracks, or just the jaw brazing?

Chris- ah, I really like the swivel jaw Prentisses. Nice collection.

Bob - that Hollands looks great, although IMO it loses something when you remove the rat droppings.

And I think it could be a Hollands 15 masquerading as a 46. Very nice vise in any event.

Smitty · Jun 18, 2019

dartworth said:
Erie PA

Vice capital of the US?

I’m thinking Watertown, NY

Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

MintHue · Jun 18, 2019

I picked up my first vise, a Ridgid 50FPN.

It appears to be made by Columbian, identical to a 504/604, which is what it says inside the fixed jaw.

Is the washer on the screw standard for Columbian vises? There's a lot of backlash, I was thinking about adding a thicker washer between the screw and the dynamic jaw.

It would be nice to find the a swivel base for it, but I'll just mount it and use it fixed. It looks to be in pretty good shape, I'll clean it up, lube it, and put it to work.

va.grouseman · Jun 18, 2019

Mint, that's a nice starter.---In a few years we'll be hearing, "well this one makes 100".

KMScott · Jun 18, 2019

Smitty said:
I’m thinking Watertown, NY

Heading to Watertown over the fourth of July Smitty, want me to check on anything. This is where my Mothers side is from.

Smitty · Jun 18, 2019

I’ll take a mint condition 58 if they have any new old stock laying around.

va.grouseman · Jun 19, 2019

I'll take a beat-up 408 KM :thumbup:

kenc184 · Jun 19, 2019

Productbob said:
cleaned up the Hollands 45 from the barn find that's trying to pass itself off as a 46. It now spins smoothly and weighs less with all the rodent garbage out of it.
kept it industrial like the columbian 505 I did a while ago. Glad this one got saved.

Bob, The Hollands looks great. Any idea on the mystery of the mis marking?

kenc184 · Jun 19, 2019

Vise said:
Ken - that Prentiss doesn’t seem to be in horrible shape. Do you see other cracks, or just the jaw brazing?

Vise: It appears in decent shape, no slide cracks, the jaw faces look decent, even the handle is straight. It's just that gouging behind the top of each jaw that has me mystified. I need to get the jaws off to see what's what.

kenc184 · Jun 19, 2019

Oily Nails said:
Ayup from wet England,
In between showers this weekend I spotted this little 3" Paramo No.1 vice[mounted to a wooden base sat on the scrap metal pile at the local reclamation yard.
Like most I didn't need another vice but when dealer said it was £10 it was under my arm sharpish! shop

Oily: What's the big Record underneath your new acquisition? My Dad had a Record Fitters vise which - at least by my standards at the time - was massive, of course compared to what you see here on GJ it was just a mid sized vise.

exmaxima1 · Jun 19, 2019

Post Curing Paint with Induction Cooktop

Just thought I would post a pic of how I post-cured paint on a small utility vise. You need to monitor the heat rate, but it does seem to work ok.

Oily Nails · Jun 19, 2019

kenc184 said:
Oily: What's the big Record underneath your new acquisition? My Dad had a Record Fitters vise which - at least by my standards at the time - was massive, of course compared to what you see here on GJ it was just a mid sized vise.

Kenc184, "Big Green" is actually a Samsonia Perfect Model "J"

I actually picked her up a few months back from the same Reclamation Yard for £30

Productbob · Jun 19, 2019

thanks vise & ken Really no clue as to the mis-marking. Would have thought it would have been caught at some point in the process; guessing a weird series of errors combined to let an unusual Hollands out the factory door. :dunno:

Shiftless · Jun 19, 2019

Oily:
I’d like to ask you and other members on that side of the pond if there is any chance this unusual little vise of mine was made by Samsonia? I’m thinking not, (copyright infringement?) but the “Perfect” lettering is a mystery.
These 2 pics are before and after a quick clean up.
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timgunn1962 · Jun 19, 2019

As far as I can tell, "Perfect" was used by Parkinsons for vices/vises fitted with the Parkinson-patented Quick Release mechanism.

"Samsonia" was used for the cast-steel versions, while the Cast Iron versions were just marked as "Parkinsons".

There were different model series, of which J was one. The sizing was denoted by the number after the series and 38A corresponds to 6" jaws.

I'd not expect there to be any link between Shiftless' "Perfect" and Parkinson/Samsonia, mainly because it does not have the QR that would normally carry the Parkinson "Perfect" designation.

I could be wrong though, on several counts.

Shiftless · Jun 19, 2019

Timgunn:
Thanks for that background info on Samsonia. When I bought that little vise (didn’t pay very much... $20), I knew about Samsonia Perfect but I have never seen one this far from its home.

mike_paxton · Jun 19, 2019

Day didn't start out well, as vise I was inquiring about was a Columbian 2050 with a broken jaw. Ended up buying it for parts, but saw on swivel base when cleaning TAIWAN. Ugh!!!

However, at same sale, found a little vise. Got it cleaned up and turned out to be a Reed No. 202 with 2 inch jaws. Patent dates of Nov 3, 1908, Dec 12, 1912 and Aug 11, 1914.

Mike

davethorik · Jun 19, 2019

Wow that is way cool! The jewelers Prentiss vises and baby bullets seem to take up just about all the limelight for little vises, but that is spectacular. :beer:

Smitty · Jun 19, 2019

mike_paxton said:
Day didn't start out well, as vise I was inquiring about was a Columbian 2050 with a broken jaw. Ended up buying it for parts, but saw on swivel base when cleaning TAIWAN. Ugh!!!

However, at same sale, found a little vise. Got it cleaned up and turned out to be a Reed No. 202 with 2 inch jaws. Patent dates of Nov 3, 1908, Dec 12, 1912 and Aug 11, 1914.

Mike

I’m betting that you knew it was something special the second you made eye contact, those vises rarely come up. The fact that it appears to be complete makes a good day even better.

Outlawmws · Jun 19, 2019

Mike, Great score on the 2" Reed!

Vise · Jun 19, 2019

Ken - keep us posted on it. Looks like it will clean up nicely.

Mike- baby reed looks great! Nice pick up!

jmhinkle · Jun 19, 2019

mike_paxton said:
Day didn't start out well, as vise I was inquiring about was a Columbian 2050 with a broken jaw. Ended up buying it for parts, but saw on swivel base when cleaning TAIWAN. Ugh!!!

However, at same sale, found a little vise. Got it cleaned up and turned out to be a Reed No. 202 with 2 inch jaws. Patent dates of Nov 3, 1908, Dec 12, 1912 and Aug 11, 1914.

Mike

Awesome find! Wish I could get so lucky to park next to my 204.

Shiftless · Jun 19, 2019

Mike:
Great score :beer:

exmaxima:
That’s a great idea. Does the vise heat pretty evenly?
I’ll have to pick up one of those induction heaters.

kenc184 · Jun 19, 2019

The Prentiss 518 rehab is underway. I managed to get three of the four jaw screws out with my impact screwdriver, the fourth one however buggered up both my straight bits. One of the pictures shows a pretzelled bit sitting in my pliers.

Happy to report the fixed jaw "shelf" is in pretty solid shape, just that weird erosion behind the replaceable jaws, the mind boggles......

It's not clear to me how the screw is removed also, is it a roll pin? Looks welded to me (another P.O. kludge?) There's no backside exit hole so it can't be driven through. Any ideas?
Overall, other than the damn jaw towers, it's in surprisingly decent shape - screw, nut both good.

Fierljeppen · Jun 19, 2019

Productbob said:
thanks vise & ken Really no clue as to the mis-marking. Would have thought it would have been caught at some point in the process; guessing a weird series of errors combined to let an unusual Hollands out the factory door.

Productbob...So let's say that I'm a little intrigued with the Hollands model # mystery, go figure. After a little digging, including into one of my own Hollands, I think that your Hollands vise is a legitimate no-46. Hollands changed their numbering system sometime around 1913, and then again around 1917. The answer lies in the 1913 Hollands catalog no-22, which I've seen parts of somewhere in the Garage Journal. I'm still gathering data and on the hunt for more, so when I find something that we can hang our hat on, I'll let you know.

mike_paxton...Very nice find, that ones on my bucket list.

Dibiase77 · Jun 19, 2019

dartworth said:
Erie PA

Vice capital of the US?

Most definitely vise capital of US.

Reed, Holland, and Superior.

Wilton York Prentiss...don't know those fellows.[emoji3]

I'm just biased.

Now if I could just get my neighbor to sell me her Reed 104 at a reasonable price...

Sent from my Alcatel_5044R using Tapatalk

Productbob · Jun 19, 2019

Mike great find, congrats.

Ken nice start on the 518. sounds like a new collar is in the future.

Fierljeppen so I may have a 46 that use to be a 45 ...or a 45 that is now called a 46....or a legitimate 46 with no real connection to the jaw size... very interesting, that's why a like vises- lots of history and mystery! thanks

Fierljeppen · Jun 19, 2019

Productbob...All of the Hollands vises with the unusual "6" in the last digit of the model # have the same style of casting, which should mean that they're from the same time period (1913-1917). My No-216 resembles the specs of an older No-215. Your No-46 resembles the specs of the older No-45. The No-16 on eBay resembles the specs of an older No-15. Their change in the numbering system made no sense and is probably why they quickly changed to the much more logical numbering system around 1917, where the last # of any model was the actual width of the jaw. Anyway, I'm gonna followup with a nice graphical illustration for you when I get a little more detailed information.

kenc184...I'm putting together an illustrated timeline about the Wilton Tradesman vise style that should answer the question you had a couple days ago.

Yeah I know, I've got a vise problem.

kenc184 · Jun 20, 2019

Fierjeppen, that would be great thanks. Your response saves me "bumping" the post.

mike_paxton · Jun 20, 2019

Want to thank everyone who commented on the little Reed 202 vise.

Here are a few more pics of the Reed 202, that weren't shown in original posting.

In pics 1,3 & 4, you will see 820 and 320 stamped into the vise. Would this be casting numbers or could they be mfg dates?

Mike

scotts_4x · Jun 20, 2019

Here is an athol 614 1/2 that I picked up on Facebook marketplace for $60. Guy was asking $100 and I'm glad I didn't look at it In person before agreeing on $60 because it is in great shape (though rusty) and I may have paid the $100. Thus vice will be a gift for my brother.

I took the vice apart and cleaned it up with a wire wheel and brushes. Took the nut out and cleaned it and the lead screw and lubed with anti seize. Got her all taped up and put a few coats of self etching primer. I also picked up some spruce green paint that I saw on a vice here on GJ. I think it came out pretty good and am kind of jealous that it's not going on my bench!

I'm letting the paint dry for a day or 2 before reassembling. Should have more pics today or tomorrow.

-scott

Got it put together!

-scott

Shiftless · Jun 20, 2019

fierljeppen:
An illustrated guide to Tradesman vises would be great. I’m sure quite a few of us have those vises. I have a nice 1745. If you need them, put out a call for pictures and date stamp info on these pages and I bet you’ll get more than a few responses.

mike:
Those are date stamps.

Scott: welcome to the group. That’s an excellent first posting picture. Great work :beer:

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Shiftless · Jun 20, 2019

KMScott said:
Heading to Watertown over the fourth of July Smitty, want me to check on anything. This is where my Mothers side is from.

The other guys seem to be expecting you to bring back the monsters. Since you’ll no doubt be flying, that would be too hard. The rest of us would be more than happy if you could find a few of these and stick them in your baggage. Save one of these 2 inchers for me please.

(Thank you jakemac for this excellent photo found in the GJ files)
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kenc184 · Jun 20, 2019

Scotts4X
Those are a nice vise, I have one also. Mine has smooth jaws, looks like yours might too?

Oh, I paid $90 for mine so you did really well!

Shiftless · Jun 20, 2019

kenc184 said:
Scotts4X
Those are a nice vise, I have one also. Mine has smooth jaws, looks like yours might too?

Oh, I paid $90 for mine so you did really well!

I believe they came either smooth or patterned from the factory.

This 614 of mine has very lightly patterned teeth on the jaws. I assume that they are factory. I have another 614 with smooth jaws...no hint of cross hatching. I can only assume that smooth or cross hatched was an option.
Does anybody have catalog pages to back up this theory?

BTW, I paid $40 for mine but it took some work to get into this condition. (As found condition in pic #2)

wsyk51 · Jun 20, 2019

Hi, I recently purchased a C Parker Co. No. 880 vise. I had never seen one like it, can anyone tell me anything about it? Is it worth any money, hate to think I over spent. Thanks, Bob

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