Hi ("you guys and your vises"!)

[dlleno]

Hi everyone -- been lurking for a few days, attracted mostly by the vise threads! some very cool discussions here.

which brings me to my question: I have an old craftsman model 5176 3" vise, which belonged to my wife's granddad. I would like to obtain some general advise on it's suitability for restoration, post a few photos, etc.

should I start a new thread in the general tools board or find an existing thread and add to it? many thanks!

 

[Wingnut65]

Welcome to GJ, dlleno. We get a lot of members from searching old vices. And we have many to offer.

Try using the 'Search' button in the black strip above. This can help show all the other threads that have the same questions. It is best to find answers there first and then posting a question if you can't find the answer. Searcxh is your Friend!

For the restoration of your vise... If it says Craftsman, YES it can be restored and YES it should be. Red Leader restored a 3" Wilton last year in his 1950s Craftsman Garage thread. Restoration is on page 12. But find time to hit his full hatred sometime. It shows what good design and talent can do. That and how to collect and restore vintage Craftsman power tools. By all means, restore the vise and definitely start a thread to show it to others on how you did it.

Good luck on your project!

 

[dlleno]

great pointer! thanks. I have since learned that my craftsman 5176 appeared in the 1952 Sears Christmas wishbook, which tells me this vise is 1951-1953 vintage, with the assumption that the catalog number would not remain the same for longer than that. unfortunately, the good folks at wishbookweb.com do not have '51 or '53 wishbooks scanned.

anyone know of another source that might have 50's era sears catalogs scanned?