Help ID a Wilton

[Jobes]

Need a little help identifying this Wilton. Ive torn it down as you see and I cant find an internal date. I'm also missing the cap. Seaching for a replacement and have had no luck yet.

 

[drivesitfar]

my best guess is it is a C1 bullet vise made in the US by Wilton. it looks like it does have the pipe jaws but your pictures didn't show they very well. does it have the pipe jaws? also can you take a few more pictures and post them so others might be able to see any numbers or tell tale signs.

i'm guessing your need the back dust cover and there was a thread a month or two ago that had several good options. one was a freeze plug at the auto parts store for a $1.

nice vise and i couldn't see a date on the slide, but it looks like it is in great shape.

 

[balane]

Your Wilton C1 will be early to mid 1980's.

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[Jobes]

A few more showing the jaws. They appear to be in good shape. Definitely no number on the 8" slide

 

[Fretters]

You could always make a cap/cover from copper too, if they're similar to a core plug. It's lovely stuff to work provided you keep annealing it whilst you're working it. I made one, (not a Wilton vice), for a vice of mine recently, which was missing the original rear cover. Different design, but the copper was easily worked to a suitable shape. This is the one I made, so you can see it's not hard to shape, and it was made from nothing more than a piece of copper plumbing pipe, cut, shaped & finished using snips/shears, a file, a wooden form and a ball pein hammer.

 

[drivesitfar]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=228569&highlight=wilton+vise+plug

Jobes: in case you were not able to find this thread it mentions a couple other options for your dust cover for your C1. it also looks like you are a new member and wanted to welcome you to Garage Journal. you have a very nice vise there and just curious is it a 4.5 inch jaw or some other size?

Fetters: you have a great talent sir. i don't think i noticed that on your vise when you posted it on a couple threads. is it mounted on your bench yet or are you building a bench for it too?

Balane: i agree with your thinking that this C1 is late 70's or 80's and other than the missing dust cover looks like it has barely been used. was it normal for some of these to go out of Wilton's factory without the little swivel base handles and just nuts because I've only seen that on the older Wilton bullets?

 

[Fretters]

Must admit, I never mentioned that cover piece before, or the leather shim, which were both non original additions to the vice. The original rear cover would just have been a flat disc with a hole in the centre. Still deciding what to do on the mounting front as yet.

 

[Jobes]

Thanks guys! It is a 4.5 inch but I don't see the C1 designation as I do on others I've seen here.

I had purchased the aluminum fence post cap as I read on others thread here but I've if I trim it down it doesn't appear that it fits.

 

[balane]

Here's one from the same generation. It also doesn't have C1 cast anywhere on it but it's still a C1. That's one of the give aways to the era of manufacture.

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[Jobes]

Well here she is proudly back to almost new. Real fun to clean up and paint well worth the effort and happy its part of the family now for many years.

FYI I painted the anvil until I find a way to grind down the surface. Any ideas?

 

[drivesitfar]

Jobes: your Wilton looks awesome and the painted anvil is what i prefer because i don't use a vise to pound on. i have a piece of RR track for that.

if you really want to clean it off and take some of the grooves out of it you might use a belt sander or a hand grinder if you have the talent and those tools.

I think these C1 are Wiltons best all around vises to use.

 

[Fretters]

FYI I painted the anvil until I find a way to grind down the surface. Any ideas?

Personally, I'd leave it as is. Signs of usage are nowt to be ashamed of. If you do want to smooth it still though, a file will do that readily enough.

 

[straightcut]

My Wilton 450 was in need of a dust cap because it had been bashed in prior to my ownership. I don't recall the thread, but these were a perfect solution for me: http://www.etrailer.com/Grease-Caps/Fulton/F001610.html

They look great are priced right and etrailer.com doesn't gouge for shipping. It was a perfect fit with no modifications needed.

 

[Jobes]

Thanks I placed an order

My Wilton 450 was in need of a dust cap because it had been bashed in prior to my ownership. I don't recall the thread, but these were a perfect solution for me: http://www.etrailer.com/Grease-Caps/Fulton/F001610.html

They look great are priced right and etrailer.com doesn't gouge for shipping. It was a perfect fit with no modifications needed.

 

[drivesitfar]

Jobes:Since your jaw look like they still have plenty of bite in them you might want to save them and your projects by buying a nice 6 inch pair of Wilton copper vise jaws from a seller on Ebay that sells that size for $30 shipped. otherwise the exact size ones to fit your vise are twice that unless you make a pair for yourself. here's what a pair looks like on my old C1.

you can trim up the 6 inches if you like or i use them like they are on my smaller vises and have a little more grip.

again nice job.

 

[Jobes]

Cool thanks

 

[Jobes]

Are the anti-pinch washers available by anyone besides going with a rubber washer?

 

[straightcut]

Are the anti-pinch washers available by anyone besides going with a rubber washer?

Available here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vise-Finger-Savers-2-Thick-Neoprene-Rubber-1-1-4-x-3-4-x1-4-Fits-Wilton-400-/301154111082?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item461e2f0e6a#ht_152wt_662

Also available from McMaster Carr, but IIRC you have to purchase 10 or 12.

 

[Fretters]

Are the anti-pinch washers available by anyone besides going with a rubber washer?

Rubber grommets which electricians use for panel knockouts might be a good option. Cheap and readily available.