The VISES of Garage Journal

Call me the Breeze · Sep 5, 2010

Nightshift said:
Thought I would give you guys an update on one of my Wilton 500S vices that had the missing ear on the swivel:

- 1st pic is what it looked like after I cleaned off the white paint
- next one shows the new ear I made from some 1" thick stock and the notch I milled out so it sits in there flush
- 3rd one shows the ear bolted on with 3 flatheads each with a drop of red loctite for good measure
- 4th one is a closeup
- 5th one is the business side up
- and lastly, here's a skill-testing question ... which ear was replaced?

Cheers, Bill

The left one on the bottom. (the ears look a "hair" more rounded than the other three) awesome repair!

autopts71045 · Sep 5, 2010

tiredmule said:
Love the posts and pictures...great info!

Restoring an Athol 614 my father in law had from his truck dealer days...amazing piece of old foundry work, so simple, so well designed...everyone is making fun of me wanting this, 'cause I can hardly lift it...but next time I go to hold something, it will be held!

2 questions: 1) Does anyone know what color these Athol vises were originally? It was topcoated a light green somewhere along the line, but I think there are traces of a very dark grey, almost black original color.
2) What should I lube the screw with, and what about the ways/ pads it travels on? The diesel mechanics had this thing loaded up with 50 years of hard heavy grease and dust.

Thanks for your help!

Just guessing, I believe that Athols were originally black. Any lube that cuts friction will work. But thats just my opinion. Different people use different lubes or even wax.

mjozefow · Sep 5, 2010

tiredmule said:
Love the posts and pictures...great info!

Restoring an Athol 614 my father in law had from his truck dealer days...amazing piece of old foundry work, so simple, so well designed...everyone is making fun of me wanting this, 'cause I can hardly lift it...but next time I go to hold something, it will be held!

2 questions: 1) Does anyone know what color these Athol vises were originally? It was topcoated a light green somewhere along the line, but I think there are traces of a very dark grey, almost black original color.
2) What should I lube the screw with, and what about the ways/ pads it travels on? The diesel mechanics had this thing loaded up with 50 years of hard heavy grease and dust.

Thanks for your help!

See the links in my sig. :beer:

Kevin54 · Sep 5, 2010

Great repair on the ear. One thing to think about though is the base is weakened not only by the broken ear but also now by the three holes drilled into it. What mounting it onto a table top, mount the repaired ear towards the front. By doing that, any downwards pressure or pounding on the vise will put downwards pressure on the repaired ear. If it is in the back, anytime that you would put downwards pressure on the vise it would want to pull up on that ear. Other than that, great job on the repair and not noticeable from what I can see. :thumbup:

CrustyD3mon · Sep 5, 2010

Nightshift said:
Thought I would give you guys an update on one of my Wilton 500S vices that had the missing ear on the swivel:

- 1st pic is what it looked like after I cleaned off the white paint
- next one shows the new ear I made from some 1" thick stock and the notch I milled out so it sits in there flush
- 3rd one shows the ear bolted on with 3 flatheads each with a drop of red loctite for good measure
- 4th one is a closeup
- 5th one is the business side up
- and lastly, here's a skill-testing question ... which ear was replaced?

Cheers, Bill

Nice and clean Job....

Nightshift · Sep 5, 2010

Kevin54 said:
Great repair on the ear. One thing to think about though is the base is weakened not only by the broken ear but also now by the three holes drilled into it. What mounting it onto a table top, mount the repaired ear towards the front. By doing that, any downwards pressure or pounding on the vise will put downwards pressure on the repaired ear. If it is in the back, anytime that you would put downwards pressure on the vise it would want to pull up on that ear. Other than that, great job on the repair and not noticeable from what I can see.

Yup, that's exactly what I'm gonna do for those reasons! Even though I don't pound much on a vice on my bench (I have an anvil and a couple other large vices for abusing things).

Nightshift · Sep 5, 2010

Call me the Breeze said:
The left one on the bottom. (the ears look a "hair" more rounded than the other three) awesome repair!

Awe, you musta looked on the bottom! I should'a taken my hammer and made a few "casting mark" dents in the surface before painting! Bill

autopts71045 · Sep 5, 2010

Nightshift said:
Thought I would give you guys an update on one of my Wilton 500S vices that had the missing ear on the swivel:

- 1st pic is what it looked like after I cleaned off the white paint
- next one shows the new ear I made from some 1" thick stock and the notch I milled out so it sits in there flush
- 3rd one shows the ear bolted on with 3 flatheads each with a drop of red loctite for good measure
- 4th one is a closeup
- 5th one is the business side up
- and lastly, here's a skill-testing question ... which ear was replaced?

Cheers, Bill

Bill, I'm definitely impressed on your work on that base. I've never seen a base repaired before, and your job was awsome!

Steve V. · Sep 5, 2010

Damn fine work Bill! Don't forget to show us the finished product all mounted up.

Steve

Nightshift · Sep 5, 2010

autopts71045 said:
Bill, I'm definitely impressed on your work on that base. I've never seen a base repaired before, and your job was awsome!

Now you know how to do it Nick! Once your new jaws arrive for it, I'll get it mounted up on my bench.

pipehack · Sep 5, 2010

#1 thread! I.M.O.

Toolman Tim · Sep 7, 2010

ID This Old Vise.

Just a "Newbie" to the board, but has anyone come across a vise like this one? Its a vice and anvil combo, and very old from family farm. Doesn't seem to have a name on it.

Thanks

mjozefow · Sep 7, 2010

Toolman Tim said:
ID This Old Vise.

Just a "Newbie" to the board, but has anyone come across a vise like this one? Its a vice and anvil combo, and very old from family farm. Doesn't seem to have a name on it.

Thanks

Its called a Handy Anvil. :beer:

And welcome to GJ!

rsieracki · Sep 13, 2010

A few of my vise's....
on the bench is the main vise out in my backyard shop, clamped in it is my maternal grandfathers (who i never met) shopking from the 40's-50's

these are some Wilton Wood vises i bought from my middle school wood shop long after the stopped shopclasses (got a bunch of tools too

) oh aon on the far right is a columbia

next is a Columbia D43 i got for $20 of CL while out of town on business due to me surfing GJ and getting the idea that i should restore an old vise...

and the back half in its new paint

missing is my 600S wilton that i left in a garage (and therefore no longer have) i rented a few years back bolted to a bench i made due to a missing part before i knew the value of those... it was like NOS barely used

... when i read about their value i almost had a heart attack

Gatex · Sep 13, 2010

So, it's my first post to the GJ forum. I must say that I absolutely hate this forum. Every time I think I have my garage nicely set up, I come here to discover how wrong I am. :bowdown:

Without further ado, here is a vice I picked up at the swap meet today for $15. It has 3.5" jaw width and the following markings "Babco OAKLAND 21.CAL. MADE IN JAPAN". Obviously, the company no longer exists, so I don't know much about it. It seems like someone did a nice job sandblasting it clean, and after I added a tad of grease, it's running great. I was looking for a smaller swivel base, and this was just right.

Babco OAKLAND 21.CAL. MADE IN JAPAN:

Does anyone have any suggestions for painting vises? Any particular paints/primers that sustain the kind of use and abuse expected of a vise? How many coats? Spray versus brush paint? Any suggestions would be welcome.

I also have one identical to the one below, but made by Irwin (Home Depot), I know it doesn't meet the coolness and quality factor of all the other vises in this thread, but given the yaw and roll feature, it's a great general purpose vise:

It seems like this model is rebranded by many. Does anyone know who made the "original" quality version of this vise?

rsieracki · Sep 13, 2010

i used rustoleum primer (i like rusty metal primer i think its thicker and hides more) and a rustoleum sprayed top coat or 2-3. others like brushed. i considered powdercoating but didnt want to spend the money

ZRX61 · Sep 13, 2010

Gatex said:

I have one of those in orange, it has a pair of soft Wilton jaws for gripping stuff without buggering it up or snapping the vise in half.

DaleK · Sep 13, 2010

Prepare for minor suckage.....

Replied to an ad online last night for a guy just around the corner that wanted to get rid of a workbench in a house he'd just moved into. Got to it 2 minutes after he posted. Stopped today, workbench was rough but sturdy and he also included a bunch of nice shelf brackets and....

Not very hefty but it fits in nicely in a gap between the vises I own already. VERY nice smooth action, particularly the swivel.

And all for free.

autopts71045 · Sep 13, 2010

Very nice vintage find. maybe the holes in the sides were from the old style jaw liners that were held on with screws. The jaws look nicely squared off. I'm guessing 60+ years old on that little beauty!

Kevin54 · Sep 14, 2010

Looks almost like the one I just got from my dad. I'll have to look again, but I think it is a 300. (The dirty one) I just have a lot of cleaning to do to it, then a repaint. So that gives me two Desmonds now. The company is right down the road from me that made them although they are still there they just make wheel dressers now.

GarageEnvy · Sep 14, 2010

Man have I been dying to post in this section. Well, I think I might have gotten a deal. I bought a neat Parker vise today. About 4" wide and with a nice opening size of about 9". It came with a set of brand new, never installed jaws. I paid $50. How'd I do?

autopts71045 · Sep 14, 2010

Actually you did good. It looks like that swivel base was added to what was originally a stationary vise. That vise was made to be used without a base. Replaceable screw on jaws are not common with the usual Parker vise. That might have been one of the last Parkers that was made my Union Mfg Co. in the 50's and it could be a mixture of parts. I like the fact that it does not have the typical Parker jaws. An interesting and very useful piece.

Movntainking · Sep 15, 2010

Anyone have any information on RAE 6" Bench Vises out of Canada?
Picked one up last week and cleaned it up, works awsome. Just wanted to get a idea of it's age. I could not even find any information on the company and when they existed. Anyone?

Movntainking · Sep 15, 2010

Anyone have information on RAE vises out of Canada. Picked one up and wanted to get a idea of it's age. It's a 6" bench vise works awsome.

mjozefow · Sep 15, 2010

Movntainking said:
Anyone have information on RAE vises out of Canada. Picked one up and wanted to get a idea of it's age. It's a 6" bench vise works awsome.

It looks rather like a Henry vise, also Canadian made.

I am perpetually amazed at the variety that shows up on this thread. I never would have guessed almost a year ago that this thread would have taken off like it did!

I'm giving it 5 stars even though I started it. Everyone's contributions have made it one of my favorite threads on here.

Nightshift · Sep 15, 2010

Movntainking said:
Anyone have any information on RAE 6" Bench Vises out of Canada?
Picked one up last week and cleaned it up, works awsome. Just wanted to get a idea of it's age. I could not even find any information on the company and when they existed. Anyone?

I also have a Rae 6" ... see post #711. No idea of the age though! I like yours better though with the swivel! Bill

fishman76 · Sep 17, 2010

I did just list that Huge Yost 108 on ebay if anyone cares.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...07806&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT#ht_500wt_1154

<a href="http://s889.photobucket.com/albums/ac100/fishman76_2010/?action=view&current=179fe5a5.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i889.photobucket.com/albums/ac100/fishman76_2010/179fe5a5.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

mjozefow · Sep 17, 2010

That Yost needs new jaws. I hope you get your asking price. Sometimes they sell, other times not. It all depends on the market I guess.

They look hot forged though, so you would have to mill them out and drill/tap to accept inserts. That would be a fun project!

GarageEnvy · Sep 17, 2010

I'm just glad that gian vise is in SC. If it was in California I'd probably have to buy it.

fishman76 · Sep 17, 2010

mjozefow said:
That Yost needs new jaws.

Need is definitely a relative term. Those jaws have a face of 16 square inches and still meet tight. This vise is obviously not for precision work, so I'm not sure what milling the faces would accomplish. That being said, I showed them in the pics so any potential buyer would see the condition.

And as far as the price, in all the research I did it seemed to be a fair value. I've seen them sold for more and for less. Ones that large, with no major defects are getting rarer and rarer. I should stop now, you guys are probably the last ones that I need to rant to.

fishman76 · Sep 17, 2010

Plus, this thing is really more of a kid's toy.
<a href="http://s889.photobucket.com/albums/ac100/fishman76_2010/?action=view&current=345d2e77.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i889.photobucket.com/albums/ac100/fishman76_2010/345d2e77.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

sossol · Sep 17, 2010

I don't have many (yet), but here's what I've got. I don't know the vintages of any, and don't know the maker of the small black vice or the blacksmith vice (I'm hoping to get some help on that). I probably won't restore any of them except the Craftsman.
Fortunately they all operate like new, no major nicks, and only the Shop King is missing the base and pipe jaws.
The Craftsman has a notched base, which I've never seen before.
The mystery clamp-on vice has "PAT. JUNE 16, 1886" cast into it, but nothing else that I could see, but I haven't cleaned it up at all.
Collectively, I've spent a theoretical total of $25 so far. I say theoretical because I haven't actually paid the $25 for the blacksmith vice yet. I'm sure I will someday. The rest were inherited or were gifts.
I have other various modern vices, but they're only a couple of years old, so I didn't bother taking photos of them.

Neil

mjozefow · Sep 17, 2010

fishman76 said:
Need is definitely a relative term. Those jaws have a face of 16 square inches and still meet tight. This vise is obviously not for precision work, so I'm not sure what milling the faces would accomplish. That being said, I showed them in the pics so any potential buyer would see the condition.

And as far as the price, in all the research I did it seemed to be a fair value. I've seen them sold for more and for less. Ones that large, with no major defects are getting rarer and rarer. I should stop now, you guys are probably the last ones that I need to rant to.

Oh I wasn't saying it's not worth it. I really meant good luck with the sale! :thumbup:

And the jaws may meet up tight but all of the original serration is gone. I was saying make them Wilton style, but that will be for the new owner. It is a nice vise and will look good in someones shop!

autopts71045 · Sep 17, 2010

Your right Mitch, this thread went wonderfully out of control. I enjoy it as much as you and everybody else. Fishman, theroretically, if you had a way to square up and mill those jaws, Mitch could probably make you a set of add on jaws with pin supports and if those surfaces were 100% true, that Yost would kick ****! That Reed 108 that sold last week for $800 was nothing spactular.

fishman76 · Sep 17, 2010

mjozefow said:
And the jaws may meet up tight but all of the original serration is gone.

I'm pretty sure it was never serrated

spongerich · Sep 17, 2010

sossol said:
The mystery clamp-on vice has "PAT. JUNE 16, 1886" cast into it, but nothing else that I could see, but I haven't cleaned it up at all.

I have 2 that are very similar. I think you'll find "H&B" cast on that somewhere. If so, you might be interested in checking out google patents and search for patent # 320224.

Mine are a little smaller than that one.

fishman76 · Sep 18, 2010

The only reason I'm getting rid of the big one, I found a couple smaller ones that suit my purposes better.

A 5" Parker
<a href="http://s889.photobucket.com/albums/ac100/fishman76_2010/?action=view&current=d18331b6.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i889.photobucket.com/albums/ac100/fishman76_2010/d18331b6.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
and a 4 1/2 Reed
<a href="http://s889.photobucket.com/albums/ac100/fishman76_2010/?action=view&current=ae78c908.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i889.photobucket.com/albums/ac100/fishman76_2010/ae78c908.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

So right now in my shop I have about 13 vises total (a bunch of those are woodworking ones)

Mark in Indiana · Sep 19, 2010

This is a GREAT thread! I have a small clamp vise pictured below. Does anyone know who made it or how old it is? My Dad gave it to me years ago. I used it a lot while working in arial lifts. It was very handy to clamp the vise on to a basket rail and do my vise work without coming back down to the floor.

Thanks,

Mark in Indiana

Mark in Indiana · Sep 19, 2010

Sorry. Here's a better picture.

senlow · Sep 19, 2010

Mark in Indiana said:
This is a GREAT thread! I have a small clamp vise pictured below. Does anyone know who made it or how old it is? My Dad gave it to me years ago. I used it a lot while working in arial lifts. It was very handy to clamp the vise on to a basket rail and do my vise work without coming back down to the floor.

Thanks,

Mark in Indiana

I'm pretty sure that it's a Stanley. Here is a photo of my son's Stanley that has a clamp on, swivel base.

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