Bull's Monarch Vise

[Bull]

I should and might still add this to the official vise thread, but selfishly wanted it to be on its own, too.

I just received this today from a member here. This is my first "real" vise; up until now, I only had a sloppy, old foreign jobber that should be anchoring a very small boat somewhere.

The custom-made aluminum jaws have magnets on the back, and a lip at the top to locate and secure them to the Monarch's original jaws.

This vise will be used for light-duty stuff on the workbench I built a couple months ago. You know, holding ratchets and other small things, stuff like that.

 

[MalibuLX3]

Very cool. This might be a stupid question, but what's with the notch cut into the jaw on the left?

 

[Bull]

Very cool. This might be a stupid question, but what's with the notch cut into the jaw on the left?

It might be a stupid question, but I have it, too. I asked the gentleman who made them for me. I'll let you know the answer when I get it!

 

[airbuff101]

That's a sweetheart Bull!
Seems like they are the most ornate of the old vises.

Rob

 

[gilbo]

nicely done, and to top it off appears to b in awesome shape, should last for several decades with TLC

 

[mikevango]

wow, thats a nice one. where was it made?
i just got two reed vises today. i think i will give them their own thread too.

 

[spongerich]

This is my first "real" vise; up until now, I only had a sloppy, old foreign jobber that should be anchoring a very small boat somewhere.

Ahhhhaahaahaaahaaa! Now you've done it. That's how it starts.

I had a Taiwanese vise for 25 years that I was perfectly happy with. I saw some nice old American vises here and when one popped up on CL, I decided to grab it.

Now my workbench is so full of vises that there's no room for anything else on it.

It's a good thing that vise makers didn't make tool boards for them, or you'd be totally screwed.

 

[Bull]

That's a sweetheart Bull!
Seems like they are the most ornate of the old vises.

Thanks Rob. I am completely new to vises, so I am not sure what features or stylistic elements this one has that others might not. But I will say that I like the lion's head logo. The beauty is in the details!

nicely done, and to top it off appears to b in awesome shape, should last for several decades with TLC

Yes, several decades at least, is my hope.

wow, thats a nice one. where was it made?
i just got two reed vises today. i think i will give them their own thread too.

Thanks Mike. I saw your post just a few moments ago. Nice stuff, and you had the fun of an auction adrenaline rush, too. I am not sure where these are made. I can look on it tomorrow, or maybe someone here will chime in.

It's a good thing that vise makers didn't make tool boards for them, or you'd be totally screwed.

Boy, you've got that right!

 

[Bull]

Ok, so I have an answer about the grooves in the aluminum jaws. There is one horizontal, and one vertical, and their purpose is to allow me to hold a ratchet either horizontally or vertically. So, I guess that the way I am holding the ratchet in the pic above is incorrect. I had no idea to center the handle in the groove.

Now I know!

 

[ajchien]

Very nice.

 

[stricht8]

That vice is a work of art!

 

[johnnybentwrench]

Bull, you may want to slip a piece of leather around your Ratchet handle for protection? Very nice vise. I have never seen a monarch vise before. I like the lions head too.

 

[sumner52000]

Bull I do trust you will take care of it. I picked it up at a yard sale after i had worked all night, and was on my way to a ball tournament. The owner was moving and everything except a few clothes and the car was for sale. It was laying in wheelbarrow with a bunch of junk. I had never heard of monarch so i started looking on here. The first thing that came up was mitch's sig which said he was looking for one. I sold it to him for what i paid and shipping. So i hope he gave you a deal too. That vise is seeing a lot of the eastern part of the country from NC to Indiana to MA. Glad to see the original jaws are still on it. Enjoy.

 

[Bull]

Cool to know some of the history on it; thanks!

I am about certain that Mitch lost money on the deal, based on the fact that shipping alone was like $37 and I received the vise and the custom jaws. Frankly, I got a bargain.

The vise wont be seeing any more of the eastern part of the country, or any other part for that matter. This is the last stop, until I give up the ghost.

Bull I do trust you will take care of it. I picked it up at a yard sale after i had worked all night, and was on my way to a ball tournament. The owner was moving and everything except a few clothes and the car was for sale. It was laying in wheelbarrow with a bunch of junk. I had never heard of monarch so i started looking on here. The first thing that came up was mitch's sig which said he was looking for one. I sold it to him for what i paid and shipping. So i hope he gave you a deal too. That vise is seeing a lot of the eastern part of the country from NC to Indiana to MA. Glad to see the original jaws are still on it. Enjoy.

 

[mjozefow]

Bull I do trust you will take care of it. I picked it up at a yard sale after i had worked all night, and was on my way to a ball tournament. The owner was moving and everything except a few clothes and the car was for sale. It was laying in wheelbarrow with a bunch of junk. I had never heard of monarch so i started looking on here. The first thing that came up was mitch's sig which said he was looking for one. I sold it to him for what i paid and shipping. So i hope he gave you a deal too. That vise is seeing a lot of the eastern part of the country from NC to Indiana to MA. Glad to see the original jaws are still on it. Enjoy.

I passed it on at about cost or a little below cost since sumner52000 gave me a good deal on it just to see it saved. It would not have been right flipping it for a profit. It got a good electrolysis treatment and a nylon wheel (again to preserve detail) and paste wax. I didn't want to lose any detail in painting it.

I didn't need it, was running out of bench to mount on, and Bull and I had communicated about getting him a decent vise for months.

Monarch vises were made by Prentiss in NYC.

Here it is "before", the crappy cell pic is the best I've got.

 

[whelenfan]

looks great! I only had one vise when I started hanging around here, now I've got four and I wish that I could find more.

 

[Lump]

Last summer I saw a medium sized Monarch in a vendor's booth at a flea mkt. It was heavily coated in old white paint, which was flaking off in big chunks. I saw the lion logo, and asked the man his price. It was at the end of the day, and so he said, "Aw, hell! Just give me $18." I paid the man, and walked away. But when I got home, I found that the vise had been broken and rewelded. Big dummy! NOW what was I going to do with it?

I ended up taking it to my Troy swap meet, and put it out with $25 on it...knowing that no one would want a broken vise, unless they had one like it and needed parts. But on the first day a guy came along and picked it up, and asked if I would take $20. Now, I wanted to be rid of that vise, and I felt pretty stupid having bought a broken vise in the first place. But I couldn't just take his money. I said, "Well, that vise has been broken and then welded. Did you see the weld repair under all that old paint?"

He looked it over for a few minutes and said, "It seems to have been done a long time ago. That white paint is OLD. It must have held up. Will you take $15 for it?"

I said, "I paid $18 myself. Give me $18, and it's yours!" He handed me the money, and walked away. Yipppeeee!

And that's my only contact I've ever had with a Monarch vise.

 

[rjohnson]

Very nice. Are those bent needle nose Snap-on?

 

[Bull]

Very nice. Are those bent needle nose Snap-on?

Oh, heck no. My budget can't support SO, not even close.

The bent needles are USA Blackhawk. That's how I roll.

 

[Freeborn John]

That's a handsome vice, leaving it unpainted to bring out the detail of the ornate casting and lettering was a great move.
Pure class.

 

[reinhardt]

very nice vise. why do you regularly hold a ratchet in your vise tho?

ben

 

[Bull]

very nice vise. why do you regularly hold a ratchet in your vise tho?

ben

I like to clean, lube, and reassemble them. It's nice not to feel like you need a third or fourth hand when trying to hold/place ball bearing, springs, pawls, gears, and the ratchet body itself.

 

[mofo62]

.


very Nice ,Look Lion its Awesome .Thanks for picture and Congratulations


V!

 

[Lump]

I like to clean, lube, and reassemble them. It's nice not to feel like you need a third or fourth hand when trying to hold/place ball bearing, springs, pawls, gears, and the ratchet body itself.

Uh-OH! Careful, or you'll be declared to be a dreaded, "TOOL POLISHER!"

Shudder! Tremble!!

Hahahahahaha! Just KIDDING, fer cryin' out loud.

 

[Coleman]

Very nice!

 

[Bull]

Uh-OH! Careful, or you'll be declared to be a dreaded, "TOOL POLISHER!"

Shudder! Tremble!!

Hahahahahaha! Just KIDDING, fer cryin' out loud.

Hey Lump, it is a risk, I know. But truth be told, I don't care what folks call me. I yam what I yam, as they say

 

[Lump]

Chuckle!

Yeah, I know. I'm too old to care much any more. But I saw an opening for a chance to aggravate you, and that's what I DO. You know? LOL.

PS: I am getting an awful lot of older Blackhawk tools together for you. I was going to rent a big UHaul truck to bring them to you, but I checked today and they don't make single truck big enough. Do you have room for two in your driveway?

 

[Bull]

Chuckle!

Yeah, I know. I'm too old to care much any more. But I saw an opening for a chance to aggravate you, and that's what I DO. You know? LOL.

PS: I am getting an awful lot of older Blackhawk tools together for you. I was going to rent a big UHaul truck to bring them to you, but I checked today and they don't make single truck big enough. Do you have room for two in your driveway?

And this is why we love you, Lump

Two trucks? Boy, I hope they don't leave creases in the asphalt like the huge cement trucks did a few years back. But, it would be worth it for Blackhawk

 

[Lump]

Okay, back to reality. My youngest son is out of work right now, so I have him sorting my tools into brand names. He has started on sockets, then will do drive tools, then wrenches, etc, and finally other tools. I hope that sockets will be done soon. Maybe I'll take a photo of the progress so far. There really are LOTS of them.

PS: That Screwball and the Truth tools are getting lonely too. I told them about their new home in Massachusetts, and they seem to be pining away for the trip "home."

 

[Bull]

Give me a buffer-zone warning when it is time for me to make sure I have xyz dollars in the Paypal, Lump!

Oh, and YES, you should post pics of the progress in a thread on here. Piles of vintage tools being sorted? That's right up the alley for some of us reprobate tool junkies.

 

[ajchien]

I passed it on at about cost or a little below cost since sumner52000 gave me a good deal on it just to see it saved. It would not have been right flipping it for a profit. It got a good electrolysis treatment and a nylon wheel (again to preserve detail) and paste wax. I didn't want to lose any detail in painting it.

I didn't need it, was running out of bench to mount on, and Bull and I had communicated about getting him a decent vise for months.

Monarch vises were made by Prentiss in NYC.

Here it is "before", the crappy cell pic is the best I've got.

Nice before pic.... But what is the monarch sitting on in that pic?

 

[A_Pmech]

I have seen that Monarch in person. It's a nice little number and Mitch did a great job cleaning it up.



When Mitch told me about the magnetic jaws I thought it was a brilliant idea. They're on my list of stuff to make.

 

[Bull]

I have seen that Monarch in person. It's a nice little number and Mitch did a great job cleaning it up.



When Mitch told me about the magnetic jaws I thought that was a brilliant idea. They're on my list of stuff to make.

Indeed!

It's silly, but whenever I go into the basement now, my eye is drawn to this quality, old American chunk of metal. I feel like it has classed up my shabby basement, dignified my workbench, made me a better man....

Well, at the very least, it has made me a happier man

 

[mjozefow]

I have seen that Monarch in person. It's a nice little number and Mitch did a great job cleaning it up.



When Mitch told me about the magnetic jaws I thought it was a brilliant idea. They're on my list of stuff to make.

I look forward to seeing your improved edition on that Morgan!

 

[sumner52000]

Mitch and Bull I feel better about it now. Enjoy it and put it to use.

 

[mjozefow]

Indeed!

It's silly, but whenever I go into the basement now, my eye is drawn to this quality, old American chunk of metal. I feel like it has classed up my shabby basement, dignified my workbench, made me a better man....

Well, at the very least, it has made me a happier man

It;s funny how nice tools do that.

Nice before pic.... But what is the monarch sitting on in that pic?

That would be my Reed 108. Its about 255lbs.

 

[rjohnson]

Oh, heck no. My budget can't support SO, not even close.

The bent needles are USA Blackhawk. That's how I roll.

Handles look like SO, very nice regardless