what were the original factory colors of old USA-made bench vises?

wild cowboy · Sep 28, 2014

Question for you vise experts, I understand that back in the day (1960's and earlier), the "big iron" USA-made vises from each company pretty much came in just one original color, which was associated with that company.

We all know the greenish-blue Wilton color, but could those of you with original paint vises weigh in on what the other manufacturer's standard color was, and include a photo of a vise with that precise shade for reference if you have one, this would help those of us who want to restore our vise back to "all original" look.

So in other words, what was the original factory color for an old USA-made Reed, Parker, Prentiss, Columbian, Athol, Rock Island, Yost, etc.

ZRX61 · Sep 28, 2014

Morgans were black, then blue (Ford engine blue is close enough).
Columbians were mostly burgundy.
Sheltons were moss green, pretty much identical to RAF cockpit green.

drivesitfar · Sep 28, 2014

Prentiss were black or a wine color.

Craftsman were blue and then red

American Scale was black

Morgan now i think paints everything battleship grey because they only sell to the government

Parkers were black or a shade of green

Wiltons had several colors first greenish, then a blue grey and then a silverish green (I think that's right)

I think the older ones prior to 1920's were mainly a blackish color, but not positive about that.

interesting question for a thread. :thumbup:

jakemac · Sep 28, 2014

Early Reeds were black. IDK what color the mid-century ones were.

Cinneagh · Sep 29, 2014

Subscribed
I've got on old Rock Island I need to paint...

Alan Douglas · Sep 29, 2014

This Parker 953 has its original paint as far as I know.

ZRX61 · Sep 29, 2014

Cinneagh said:
Subscribed
I've got on old Rock Island I need to paint...

Battleship grey looks original on one of mine, but it will be getting black hammertone to match the other one.

dr_clyde · Sep 29, 2014

Pretty sure Yost was blue. Not really sure of the shade, but Ford blue seems close.

My old Emmert was a forest green.

bochnak · Sep 29, 2014

ZRX61 said:
Morgans were black, then blue (Ford engine blue is close enough).

I just picked up a Morgan 135 that I might paint. I see paint drips on this one, not sure if ever was painted or not.

wild cowboy · Sep 29, 2014

this Morgan 80's paint (blue) appears to be original and correct for the Morgan Milwaukee models

Snap_cap · Sep 30, 2014

drivesitfar said:
Prentiss were black or a wine color.

Craftsman were blue and then red

American Scale was black

Morgan now i think paints everything battleship grey because they only sell to the government

Parkers were black or a shade of green

Wiltons had several colors first greenish, then a blue grey and then a silverish green (I think that's right)

I think the older ones prior to 1920's were mainly a blackish color, but not positive about that.

interesting question for a thread.

My NIB #643-1/2 is a greenish-gray color.

Carla · Sep 30, 2014

jakemac said:
Early Reeds were black. IDK what color the mid-century ones were.

Concur

From what I've seen, I think the Reed works went to a medium grey colour sometime after the war, possibly late '40's early '50's.

As a generality, with, doubtless quite a few exceptions, it would appear that most of the 'old-line' vise makers used the common 'industrial black' medium-gloss paint for their 'industrial' lines, and various 'more attractive' colours for their less-expensive lines meant for the motor trade and home-shop applications.

The 'home hobby shop' market, in vises, was a very competitive one, in which 'styling' and colour were aggressively pursued, to attract such buyers as might prefer a 'modern-looking' vise......much as car makers of the 'art deco age' were doing.

At a guess......and this is only a guess......the vise makers didn't see any need to compete on 'colour' or 'sales attractiveness' of their industrial lines, on the theory that the purchasers simply didn't care about the colour of their vises, or would re-paint them in 'company standard' colours, whatever such might be.

There were exceptions, to be sure.......I've seen Prentiss vises with nicely done nickel plating, or filled/rubbed castings, in a 'brick red' or 'deep wine red' with 'straw' line-striping, and, tho I've never seen one myself, the Parker works advertised their 'white vises' as a 'sales ploy'.

(I can imagine a new fad, of 'image-conscious' vise owners doing high-quality refinish on their old vises, with filled/rubbed castings, and rubbed paint finishes, with line striping........or, imagine replicating one of the 'special order' nickel-plated Prentiss vises, with highly finished castings......for that matter, imagine a new fad for polishing-out and nickel-plating the Wilton vises....they would look 'dramatically fancy' to be sure)

I'd think it quite plausible, but don't know, first-hand, that some supply houses might have specified a 'house colour' when ordering stock quantities of vises from a manufacturer....again, a bit of 'sales image'.

(added on edit.......this certainly was done, in some instances, such as the Snap-On Co. offering Wilton vises painted 'Snap-On red', and with a 'Snap-On' logo sticker.......and one will sometimes see larger vises of other makers which appear to have been originally painted in red, as well, as that colour became common in equipment for the motor trade.)

cheers

Carla

CudaChick1968 · Sep 30, 2014

Subscribed!

More fuel for my vise vice.

Here's my little Phoenix jeweler's vise patented June 15, 1885 which, as far as I know, is still original. It's unpainted or black, tough to tell. I'm still up in the air about restoring it or leaving it as is.

Here's a group photo of my meager collection; Phoenix on the left, a red Craftsman 3 1/2 and my old Reed which looks like a faded green.

shanny19 · Oct 1, 2014

Cinneagh said:
Subscribed
I've got on old Rock Island I need to paint...

My 1951 model 951 had been repainted 3 times, but at the very bottom was a bright lime/chartreuse/safety green that I associate more readily with 1970's fire engines than 1950's vises.

I couldn't do it, I painted it hammertone brown.

EOC_Jason · Oct 1, 2014

Newer Reeds were machine tool gray...

Carla · Oct 1, 2014

CudaChick1968 said:
Subscribed! More fuel for my vise vice.

Here's my little Phoenix jeweler's vise patented June 15, 1885 which, as far as I know, is still original. It's unpainted or black, tough to tell. I'm still up in the air about restoring it or leaving it as is.

Here's a group photo of my meager collection; Phoenix on the left, a red Craftsman 3 1/2 and my old Reed which looks like a faded green.

Hi, Leanna,

Congratulations, your work on the Youtube video is really well done.... : )

If I may offer you an idea, it would be that your Reed vise was originally the common Reed medium grey, which has oxydised to a greenish colour over time...some were a slightly greenish grey when new, probably from differences in mixing-up various barrels of paint for production.

Its purely a matter of personal taste, to be sure, but if that vise was mine, and I had your abilities with paint-work, I'd fettle down the castings on that Reed, using small mounted points in a die grinder to clean up the lettering, bringing the castings dead-smooth, and do powder-paint in a light French grey, with a medium red for the lettering.

(for such a tool, an 'under-stated' finish is to be preferred to a 'dramatic' one, just as my own opinion.....gentle elegance, not 'gaudy'. A fire crew, on the other hand, might prefer their particular shade of red, or the famous San Francisco Fire Dept. dark maroon, with some gold leaf floral work.....its all 'personal taste'.)

I've refinished a couple of old vises as presents for mechanic friends, but used a catalysed epoxy paint, 'colour-sanding' between coats, then 'rubbing-out' for a finish.......analogous to the old 'lacquer jobs' on cars.....but 'never again', its way too much work.

Vises I use myself, or refinish for friends in the now, get painted with a so-called 'industrial quality' of spray-can primer and paint......a 'fair' finish, not 'good', but relatively easy'.....and 'good enough for the purpose'.

Your finish work, with modern techniques, is truly excellent.....and your Reed vise really should 'get the treatment', if I may suggest so.

cheers

Carla

CudaChick1968 · Oct 1, 2014

Wow, thank you Carla!

I appreciate you taking some time to check out the Intro Movie, the kind words and for your always-awesome suggestions!

I was hoping to get to my Reed sometime over the summer but, due to the usual press of business, it hasn't worked out according to plan. I'll get to it someday though ... and hope to do it justice worthy of the GJ Vise Addicts.

I've used it a few times with just light duty tasks and would probably admit to babying it lol; Billy's big swivel base sees the real heavy action in the shop though. Mine I'll make pretty and his ... well, it'll be covered in welding slag and grease anyhow.

Thanks again! Cheers back at ya!

gpw_42 · Sep 12, 2017

ZRX61 said:
Morgans were black, then blue (Ford engine blue is close enough).

ZRX, do you have any updated info on when the Morgan Chicago vises changed from black to blue? Know this is an old thread.

Thanks,
Steve

ndnchf · Sep 12, 2017

I have this Littlestown No. 400 vise that still retains a lot of its original green paint.

Cope · Sep 12, 2017

Alan Douglas said:
This Parker 953 has its original paint as far as I know.

You're correct. I have a 954 1/2 and my cousin had a similar vise and both were black.

Cope · Sep 12, 2017

drivesitfar said:
Craftsman were blue and then red

My Columbian 505 was battleship gray originally.

Jdiggiddy · Dec 29, 2019

I have a old Fulton vise #160 with swivel. I was trying to figure out original colors
And any other info would be great. Was in a old barn on the property

Snap_cap · Dec 29, 2019

Already posted above.

ALTEREGO · Jun 23, 2020

Hello Everyone,

I know this is an old thread but I’m hoping this is the best place to ask.

I recently acquired the Morgan Chicago 145 Vise below and I will give it a refresher as soon as the whether cools of a little.

I was wondering if anyone can help me with the exact/correct color codes or color name(s) for the best paint (spray cans) to match the original color of the vise.

From what I have learned on the forum, the pre 1965 Morgan Chicago vises were black and Morgan Aurora and Morgan Milwaukee are painted blue.
The consensus on the forum is “Ford engine blue” or “(federal) safety blue” is very close to the factory original blue, am I correct?

Is “Ford Engine Blue” or “safety blue” the correct name of the paint for a certain brand? Is there a different color code for a different brand? Which brand do you guys recommend and what color code would it be in that brand?

I read that on the older Morgan Chicago vises and perhaps some of the newer ones, battleship gray was used. If that’s the case, can anyone share the color code/brand that is preferred?

I believe this site to be the authority on vintage vises so I wouldn’t be surprised that if a color is used by multiple users of this site, future generations would think of that color as the “factory” original in years to come!

Anyways, thank you in advance for your help!

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exmaxima1 · Jun 23, 2020

ALTEREGO said:
I recently acquired the Morgan Chicago 145 Vise below and I will give it a refresher as soon as the whether cools of a little.

I was wondering if anyone can help me with the exact/correct color codes or color name(s) for the best paint (spray cans) to match the original color of the vise.

From what I have learned on the forum, the pre 1965 Morgan Chicago vises were black and Morgan Aurora and Morgan Milwaukee are painted blue.
The consensus on the forum is “Ford engine blue” or “(federal) safety blue” is very close to the factory original blue, am I correct?

Is “Ford Engine Blue” or “safety blue” the correct name of the paint for a certain brand? Is there a different color code for a different brand? Which brand do you guys recommend and what color code would it be in that brand?

I've only seen one Morgan Chicago that was black, so it was likely that everyone painted them somewhere along the line. My Morgan 304 came to me red so I stripped it and repainted "Ford Blue". At my workplace there are numerous Morgans and the shade of blue varies quite a bit. I like the darker version (like mine) better than the lighter blue on later Morgans.

TRWham · Jun 23, 2020

Just be aware there is more than one "Ford blue" depending on what kind of Ford you are talking about. At least 2 blues were used on engines (early and later). Ford tractors may be yet a different blue, but I only know about the engines.

ALTEREGO · Jun 24, 2020

exmaxima1 said:
I've only seen one Morgan Chicago that was black, so it was likely that everyone painted them somewhere along the line. My Morgan 304 came to me red so I stripped it and repainted "Ford Blue". At my workplace there are numerous Morgans and the shade of blue varies quite a bit. I like the darker version (like mine) better than the lighter blue on later Morgans.

Thank you exmaxima, do you recall what color code/name and brand you used? Your vise looks great!

TRWham said:
Just be aware there is more than one "Ford blue" depending on what kind of Ford you are talking about. At least 2 blues were used on engines (early and later). Ford tractors may be yet a different blue, but I only know about the engines.

Hi TRWham,

I actually read an article about Ford blue paint for their engines, and you are right, there are at least two blues and probably many shades within those two that were used.

I know that picking a color for a vise is highly dependent on the taste of the owner, but I was hoping if there was a consensus to follow that guideline but it seems like that is not the case.

I'll see if I can find a spray can of Ford blue automotive paint for cheap, otherwise I might go with engine paint. I like the darker shade of blue better but I would also like to keep it as close to original as possible. Decisions, decisions!

Thank you everyone for your help!

exmaxima1 · Jul 6, 2020

ALTEREGO said:
Thank you exmaxima, do you recall what color code/name and brand you used? Your vise looks great!

I used Krylon "True Blue" for my Morgan 304. It looked very close to the Duplicolor Ford Engine Blue (not the "old Ford"), but I don't like Duplicolor paints.

ALTEREGO · Jul 7, 2020

exmaxima1 said:
I used Krylon "True Blue" for my Morgan 304. It looked very close to the Duplicolor Ford Engine Blue (not the "old Ford"), but I don't like Duplicolor paints.

Perfect! That’s exactly what I needed to know!

How come you don’t like Duplicolor?

Thanks!

exmaxima1 · Jul 7, 2020

ALTEREGO said:
Perfect! That’s exactly what I needed to know!

How come you don’t like Duplicolor?

Thanks!

The stuff seems too thin and chips too easily. It might be well-suited for automotive touchups, but I prefer more thickness and toughness for machinery.

ALTEREGO · Jul 9, 2020

exmaxima1 said:
The stuff seems too thin and chips too easily. It might be well-suited for automotive touchups, but I prefer more thickness and toughness for machinery.

I'm glad I asked, I would have never though of that! Thanks for taking the time to respond. In your opinion, how does Krylon compares with Rustoleum premium can spray paints?

I picked up 3 new (to me) vises yesterday, including one Morgan Milwaukee 4" and one Morgan Milwaukee 3". The two Morgan Milwaukee vises seem to have the original blue paint color still on them, very similar to the color on the vise on your avatar picture. A lighter shade of Ford engine blue?

They look in good shape, I definitely like the color (darker blue) you used on your vise much better but I would also like to stay as close to original as possible.

Tough choice, I may just leave them as they are, they look well cared for with no rust whatsoever. Here are a couple of pictures that the seller took, I apologize in advance because they are not very good pictures, but is too hot right now for me to go out and take good ones.

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ALTEREGO · Nov 9, 2020

How about the Columbian vises?

I don’t think they are as old as some others but they are excellent vises and somehow more available.

Were some of them painted green at the factory?

I have a smaller 3 1/2 with lots of green paint in it. I thought it was painted by a previous owner. Then I bought a 4” with barely visible spots of green paint.

Tool_Junky · Jan 1, 2022

dr_clyde said:
Pretty sure Yost was blue. Not really sure of the shade, but Ford blue seems close.

My old Emmert was a forest green.

Yost vises are blue now, but they haven't always been.

I just added a Yost 34C to my collection today and found this thread since I am trying to decide what color to paint it. Yost is one of just a couple of the old American vise manufacturers that still make some of the same vise designs today that they did 100 years ago. The 34/34C is an example of that since you can still by a 34C today (albeit made in Taiwan now) that is at visually identical to the 34 sold in the late 1920s.

Getting back to color... The Yost vises you can buy today are definitely all blue, but I thought it was weird that none of the older Yost vises I see in pictures that look like they have original paint are blue. The really old ones that appear to not be repainted seem to have been some shade of gray (like the old 34s). I also saw many 34C vises that appeared to have original red paint on them. My vise is red and I originally thought it had been repainted, but I now think that was it's original color.

I found a 2001 Yost catalog that showed each of their different lines of vises and all vises in that catalog were red for 2001. Unfortunately, all the really old advertisements are all B&W drawings of the vises so you can't tell what color they sold back then. Here is a page from the 2001 catalog though. All shown in the 2001 catalog were this same color.

Yost 34C in 2001 Yost Advertisement (Red) [2].JPG

Bottom line... Yost is definitely blue today and it was definitely red in 2001. Earlier than 2001, I don't have any conclusive evidence, but it sure appears to me that for most of their years of production they were Gray. If anyone has more information on historically correct Yost colors, I would like to learn more.

Maui · Jan 1, 2022

A handful of Wilton bullet vises were chrome plated at the factory for special customers. For example,

Rare Chrome Wilton Vise

I was picking up a woodworking vise and when I arrived the seller had a stack of other items for me to consider. Most all were Wilton brand, so I commented that he must have worked there, and it turned out that he was a product manager at Wilton for decades. When I asked if he had a bullet vise...

www.garagejournal.com

Maui

finn · Jan 1, 2022

My Craftsman from the mid seventies is red. A second one from the early nineties is grey.

Both, I think, are USA made, by Wilton, if I recall correctly.

PacificaVette · Jan 1, 2022

finn said:
My Craftsman from the mid seventies is red. A second one from the early nineties is grey.

Both, I think, are USA made, by Wilton, if I recall correctly.

Craftsman vises from that era were made by Columbian. Earlier ones (think 1950's) were probably Rock Island, and Reed made Craftsman vises in the 1940's.

Steve_P · Jan 2, 2022

Current Yosts are both red (the premium ADI line and prior FSV), and blue (others). I have a blue USA made 2004? Yost machinist vise, bought it NIB, so they definitely weren't all red after 2000. The blue machinist vise I have is like a "Ford blue", or similar to the current Yost blue, but I believe the current blue is darker.

tarnish3D · Feb 11, 2023

ALTEREGO said:
Hello Everyone,

I know this is an old thread but I’m hoping this is the best place to ask.

I recently acquired the Morgan Chicago 145 Vise below and I will give it a refresher as soon as the whether cools of a little.

I was wondering if anyone can help me with the exact/correct color codes or color name(s) for the best paint (spray cans) to match the original color of the vise.

From what I have learned on the forum, the pre 1965 Morgan Chicago vises were black and Morgan Aurora and Morgan Milwaukee are painted blue.
The consensus on the forum is “Ford engine blue” or “(federal) safety blue” is very close to the factory original blue, am I correct?

Is “Ford Engine Blue” or “safety blue” the correct name of the paint for a certain brand? Is there a different color code for a different brand? Which brand do you guys recommend and what color code would it be in that brand?

I read that on the older Morgan Chicago vises and perhaps some of the newer ones, battleship gray was used. If that’s the case, can anyone share the color code/brand that is preferred?

I believe this site to be the authority on vintage vises so I wouldn’t be surprised that if a color is used by multiple users of this site, future generations would think of that color as the “factory” original in years to come!

Anyways, thank you in advance for your help!

View media item 104946

Any luck finding the original color for your vise? Looking for the same, mines a light greyish green but dunno if it's the original color.

slowtwitch73 · Feb 11, 2023

Athol was a dark green kinda crinkle.. like Wilton but much darker.. closer to black.

RoninB4 · Feb 12, 2023

My information is limited and not as reliable as some here. While searching for the original finish on my 100 year old Prentiss #10 I read that it was Jappaning instead of paint. A lot of older hand tools were also finished in Jappaning from that era because it was a more durable finish.

what were the original factory colors of old USA-made bench vises?

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