Reed vise No. 31? Need some knowledge

I picked this vise up today on a workbench I bought for the basement and
I can't find any info about it. The only numbers I see are the patent numbers and a 31 on the static jaw with the numbers 479 stamped on the static and the dynamic jaws. Any info brought forth would be greatly appreciated and yes once I determine exactly what it is and an approximate value to ask it will be in the for sale section of the forum. Now onto the pics.

It has a swivel base with 3 bolt down lugs. It has a large stud through the bottom that tightens the vise to the base with a lorge nut and you can see the lugs on each side that go into the stop locks around the base. I have not come across this type before and was hoping I could hear from one of the experts on here. It has the bolts and recesses for the pipe jaws, but unfortunately, no pipe jaws.

Thanks for any help,
Mike

That vise seems to be in excellent condition for a 100 year old antique. That (thur the bench) swivel was nearing its end about that time. I've got a similiar old Parker combo and I'm going to cut the post off and it fits perfectly on a 4 bolt Wilton base so I'm going to convert it. A Springtime project.

Yeah, it is in excellent shape. Other than the patina, there is hardly any rust and the action is butter smooth. Borth jaws align perfectly and the crosshatch of the jaw faces is almost mint. The vise was very well taken care of. The post is actually threaded into the bottom of this one like a stud. You can see the threads in the first few pics.

There's an old ad for one here that porphyre posted a while back.

bl00 said:

There's an old ad for one here that porphyre posted a while back.

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Thank you.

bl00 said:

There's an old ad for one here that porphyre posted a while back.

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Your just a wealth of information!!

I see the ad I posted was linked to already.

It's not 100 years old, probably manufactured sometime between 1920 and 1935 or so.

I've got a #32. User brats.n.harleys has a #33. I don't know of anyone around here that has a #34.

The nuts for the missing pipe jaws are 3/8" square drive.

This is a great vise, EXCEPT for the swivel mechanism. I hate it. I never swivel mine, and also, it seems like it doesn't hold the vise that securely. I've been wailing on it before and have seen a small gap forming on the back between the vise body and the swivel base.

The stud for the swivel that's inserted into your vise body is not the OEM configuration. It's much too long. Also, there's supposed to be a wide flat spacer on the bottom of the swivel base to help spread the load. I don't have it for my #32, but have seen pictures. It was probably 3/4" thick and about 4" diameter. Tapered edges, shaped like a pancake.

As far as selling it, it's a smaller vise, but it's a combination vise and therefore big for its size. Most 3.5" vises aren't going to have that huge throat depth or weigh nearly 50lbs. However, there's the craptacular swivel mounting method.... Considering the crappy swivel, I'd say $0.50/lb. That's what I paid for mine in similar condition. Do a good job respraying it satin black and replace that hold-down stud and you could ask $0.75/lb. Dunno if you'd get it.

Nice find!

The spacer is actually there, it is just hidden by the base in the pictures. I am missing the original screw for the base stud though. This one just has a large nut below the spacer. I will probably just keep this one and use it if it isn't worth much monetarily as it seems to be in exceptional shape. I have a wilton 450s that I was going to mount on the bench I got, but I will probably sell it and use this one for what few times I need a vise.

porphyre said:

As far as selling it, it's a smaller vise, but it's a combination vise and therefore big for its size. Most 3.5" vises aren't going to have that huge throat depth or weigh nearly 50lbs. However, there's the craptacular swivel mounting method.... Considering the crappy swivel, I'd say $0.50/lb. That's what I paid for mine in similar condition. Do a good job respraying it satin black and replace that hold-down stud and you could ask $0.75/lb. Dunno if you'd get it.

Nice find!

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So that 48 pound vise is only worth $24 to $36 bucks? Yea right, hope you are being sarcastic LOL. I have no problem selling a vise like that for about $100 plus as is. Would proably ask $150 for it and let them talk me down.

autopts said:

Your just a wealth of information!!

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My wife thinks you are confused about what a wealth of information is. I, however, agree with you.

kblazer87 - Yeah, the Wilton name is gold. You'll get a ton more money for that vise than the Reed, even though the Reed is fully its equal as far as quality and craftsmanship are concerned.

bluebolt said:

So that 48 pound vise is only worth $24 to $36 bucks? Yea right, hope you are being sarcastic LOL. I have no problem selling a vise like that for about $100 plus as is. Would proably ask $150 for it and let them talk me down.

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Yes, that's what I'm saying. $30 is a nice round number. It's got a crappy swivel mechanism and the pipe jaws are missing.

I paid $30 for my 72 lbs vise in same condition, but I got a deal. There are MANY guys who advocate not paying more than $0.50/lb for unrestored old iron. Now, if the vise in question was fully cleaned up with a nice paint job and complete w/ pipe jaws, then yeah, it'd be a lot more.

No one on this board would give you $100 for an unrestored, 3 1/2 jaw vise w/ missing pipe jaws....

porphyre said:

kblazer87 - Yeah, the Wilton name is gold. You'll get a ton more money for that vise than the Reed, even though the Reed is fully its equal as far as quality and craftsmanship are concerned.



Yes, that's what I'm saying. $30 is a nice round number. It's got a crappy swivel mechanism and the pipe jaws are missing.

I paid $30 for my 72 lbs vise in same condition, but I got a deal. There are MANY guys who advocate not paying more than $0.50/lb for unrestored old iron. Now, if the vise in question was fully cleaned up with a nice paint job and complete w/ pipe jaws, then yeah, it'd be a lot more.

No one on this board would give you $100 for an unrestored, 3 1/2 jaw vise w/ missing pipe jaws....

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I think we will have to agree to disagree. The $.50/lb is a crock in my opinion. If you are in an area that has a ton of old vises maybe but not where I am at. I prefer a vise that's not "restored" anyways, too many times paint is covering up a problem. Condition is my #1 priority.

As far as the value of this particular vise it has condition going for it and age. It's a collectible item that you can use. If I was local to this vise I would probably pay $100 for it myself. Of course vise collecting seems to be my new thing LOL.

I buy and sell vises all the time locally. Mostly it's about turning them to buy another vise that I don't have. I get two of the same type vises and the worst one goes up for sale. Case in point I had a 3.5" Wilton non swivel bullet that had been beaten and welded on. Functionaly good but cosmetics not so great. Paid $15 for it at garage sale. Found a nicer swivel 3" bullet for $50. Guy I know was looking for a bullet so sold him the "ugly" 3.5" for $60.

I usually pay about a $1 a pound for a machnists vise and sell them for about $2 a pound. These are not "restored" prices, I clean them and wire brush the handles and jaws and look for issues. I have never repainted a vise.

But opinions vary.

bluebolt - Ummm, congratulations on living in an overpriced area....? Search around this board and you'll get a feel for the prevailing vise price guidelines.

Ahhh…Nothing so sharpens the vise buying skills as a good old fashion gentlemen’s debate over pricing.
This is an interesting debate. I bought a fuller 3 ½ vise for $3 at a garage sale and a Chas Parker for $75 (this is the vise in my thread Chas Parker 974 ½ vise restoration) and several others priced in between.
Here are some random thoughts I have on used vise pricing
• Maybe the GJ readership covers too big a geographical area to put a standard price/lb on used vises. Besides location, vise condition affects price, more on that later.
• Prices where I live seem high compared to the numbers I see in GJ
• I think “The Vises of Garage journal” thread has changed the used vise market forever! (no no that’s NOT a complaint, I love that thread!!) Each day there are more buyers of used vises and you know the old supply and demand theory.
• Vises are a hobby so within limits who cares how much you paid?!?! If you like the vise and are happy great! Remember this is a hobby!
• It is more likely to see a great vise purchase posted on GJ (and the “you ****”) than it is to see a post where someone says “here is the vise I bought for 4 $/lb”. So even reading GJ may not give a clear picture on pricing.
• In the beginning when I didn’t know too much about buying old vises for a hobby I paid more to error on the side of quality.
• You can get a good deal at a Garage sale, but one must consider the time & gas money to find it. Of course I realize the hunt is half the fun and if it is a hobby and you are running around together with a friend that’s great. I think I read on GJ where someone said one in ten garage sales net a purchase.
• Buying a vise from an online auction is easy. I sit in my lazy boy with my laptop and bid. I don’t spend a dime until I go to get it. Then when I pick it up I look at the stuff to bid on during the next auction. (So I have looked at the vises I am bidding on.)
• If there are 4 vises in the auction I bid on the best one. I only bid on the others if I can get a really good deal. Therefore, my $/lb would be higher because I am picking out the best vises.
• The online auction I use has a 10% buyer’s premium and then sales tax on top of that.
• So auctions have buyers fees, garage sales take time & gas money, Ebay has shipping and you can’t look at it. So maybe CL is the way to go. I am more willing to pay more for a vise I can look at.( if the Ebay seller has a return policy that is ok too)
• Since vises do not have a rating system for condition it seems unfair to set a standard $/lb price. Condition of used vises can vary a lot!! And the $/lb should vary a lot with condition.
• Here is an interesting exercise What would you guys pay for the exact same, name brand (but not Wilton), 50lb vise in the following 4 conditions below??
o Condition 1 – A vise just removed from an estate where it has been sitting in someone’s basement or garage. Less wear and tear than normal. Basically a very nice used vise.
o Condition 2 – The vise was recently removed from a machine shop, well used, a slight bent handle, saw marks in jaws, some evidence of it being used as an anvil. Not horrible but well used.
o Condition 3 – This vise is really rough, blue heat marks, saw marks, loose jaw, bent handle, ram has been used as an anvil, swivel handle missing.
o Condition 4 – one that is rusted solid.



OK, I better stop now before I stir up too much trouble……..
Have great day!
Greg